https://www.echeat.com/ Science Mathematics Kurt Gödel American mathematician Ask the Chatbot a Question More Actions Also known as: Kurt Goedel Written by Mark Balaguer Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Last Updated: Jan 10, 2025 • Article History Table of Contents Kurt Gödel (born April 28, 1906, Brünn, AustriaHungary [now Brno, Czech Rep.]—died Jan. 14, 1978, Princeton, N.J., U.S.) was an Austrian-born mathematician, logician, and philosopher who obtained what may be the most important mathematical result of the 20th century: his famous incompleteness theorem, which states that within any axiomatic mathematical system there are propositions that cannot be proved or disproved on the basis of the axioms within that system; thus, such a system cannot be simultaneously complete and consistent. This proof established Gödel as one of the greatest logicians since Aristotle, and its repercussions continue to be felt and debated today. Quick Facts See all related content Gödel also spelled: Goedel Born: April 28, 1906, Brünn, AustriaHungary [now Brno, Czech Rep.] Died: Jan. 14, 1978, Princeton, N.J., U.S. (aged 71, died on this day) Subjects Of Study: continuum hypothesis Kurt Gödel Kurt Gödel, 1950. Contents Ask the Chatbot a Question T h e f i r s t a n d o n l y o b e s i t y t r e a t m e n t o f i t s k i n d . * *Activates 2 hormone receptors—GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide) and GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) Zepbound® (ZEHP-bownd) is an injectable prescription medicine that may help adults with obesity, or with excess weight (overweight) who also h i ht l t d di l bl INDICATION AND SAFETY SUMMARY WITH WARNINGS Early life and career Gödel suffered through several periods of poor health as a child, following a bout at age 6 with rheumatic fever, which left him fearful of having some residual heart problem. His lifelong concern with his health may have contributed to his eventual paranoia, which included obsessively cleaning his eating utensils and worrying over the purity of his food. As a German-speaking Austrian, Gödel suddenly found himself living in the newly formed country of Czechoslovakia when the AustroHungarian Empire was broken up at the end of World War I in 1918. Six years later, though, he went to study in Austria, at the University of Vienna, where he earned his doctorate in mathematics in 1929. He joined the faculty at the University of Vienna the next year. Britannica Quiz Numbers and Mathematics During that period, Vienna was one of the intellectual hubs of the world. It was home to the famed Vienna Circle, a group of scientists, mathematicians, and philosophers who endorsed the naturalistic, strongly empiricist, and antimetaphysical view known as logical positivism. Gödel’s dissertation adviser, Hans Hahn, was one of the leaders of the Vienna Circle, and 2024-11-29T10:29:01.243-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/THE-KURT-GODEL-S-PHILOSOPHY-ALEXIS-KARPOUZOS-45600.aspx ELA 3 4/22/2024 The Good Lie The name of the story"The Good Lie" alludes to situations in which lying might be an ethically appropriate course of action. Many would call this a white lie, a lie used to do something good or to help somebody. In the film The Good Lie, Reese Witherspoon has a character who plays a lady who helps a group of Sudanese immigrants settle in the United States by helping them find work and ultimately facilitating their reunion with other family members. These people had lost their families and were left to fend on their own, thus giving them the name, “The Lost Boys of Sudan” Many of the recently arrived Lost Boys were not put in foster care since they were beyond the age of 18 and hence deemed adults. Due to this, they were put into apartments which took longer to do. Another issue was, at the same time they didn’t want to separate all the people because they had known each other for a long time and all they had was each other. Since all the lost boys had no family, they had no real way to confirm their identities. When they came to the United States they were just given the birth date of January 1st for simplicity sake. The date of January first was simple and it was easy to remember and keep track of. In the United States we all know our birthdays and since we have always known our birthdate it seems easy to keep track of. However, for someone who is foreign to that concept it may not be simple to remember. ------ Everyday Use In an effort to connect herself to her African background, in the short film, Dee has adopted customs that are at odds with those of her own family. She proceeded to then change her name from what it was to Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo. Dee desperately wants to show off the quilt to her friends,but her mother believes that her sister, Maggie, would use it more frequently and wouldn’t simply use it to show off their culture. The mother has had enough of Dee's pride and vanity as well as her self-centeredness. She tells Dee that she is not allowed to have the quilts since they are Maggie's. Dee, who is upset over the news, continues, "Maggie will overuse the quilts, like, every day, and eventually ruin them." In an attempt to make 2024-11-13T12:02:52.41-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-good-lie-and-Everyday-use-45595.aspx Many would still fight for the Evolution theory and big bang theory, but a much more sensible and acceptable explanation for the creation of everything, especially the human being, is the one that would not make me a distant cousin from an animal. As the Bible revealed that humans are God's greatest creation, that should give us confidence to fight for ourselves and for others, and of course our obligation as creations, is to give back the glory and give pleasure to the Creator. Numerous legends and people that denies the original and much more beautiful concept of the creation of the first human, and what they don't appreciate is the fact that we humans are and should be a moral being. Being a human means being alive, breathing, eating, see things, etc., while being a person means having an identity, realizing, feeling and deciding. Human person means a beautiful complex being that is created and loved by a Deity. It is very saddening that some or many people do not see the beauty of life and destroy it for pleasure or somehow appreciate the small things we feel of being alive. Being able to feel negative or positive feelings means being able to think or it just basically means that we are alive. As from Erich Fromm's theory of personality, a dog knows that it is alive but doesn't have the awareness that its life would end in a certain time and for a human that has an awareness about life and death, some would be afraid and chose to play safe in life and some would live their lives to the fullest. Experiencing things in life is not always happiness in green fields with butterflies and great weather but there would be gray skies and storms and that makes life beautiful. What I meant by this is that despite the great achievements by the humanity, we are still a fragile being that is dependent to someone who's more powerful to us. Explaining something should always consider the why, what, how, when and who questions. In the beginning of everything, God created all things before the humans. He first prepared the house before the ones who'll live in it. God breathed life to us and cherished us as His masterpiece, and He did this because He wanted it to be done that shows His authority and being a deity. 2022-04-24T22:39:09.9-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Humanperson-The-origin-of-species-45566.aspx In the middle of the 20th century, Americans started to see a change in their environment, not a welcome change. Many different problems became evident in their water, air, land, and animal population. These problems encouraged post-world war Americans to push their politicians to make changes. By the end of the century, laws had been passed to stop the proliferation of pollution and the decimation of wildlife. The 1950s were a hallmark decade for environmental protection. President Eisenhower confronted air pollution when he gave his State of the Union address before Congress in 1955. He wanted the government to study "effective methods of control." (Eisenhower 1955); by the middle of the same year, the Air Pollution Control Act passed is passed by Congress. The Act is the very first piece of legislation to confront air pollution. At the end of the decade, Congress began to deal with air and water pollution by giving federal government regulators control over individual states when the health of the American public is concerned. In 1962 Rachel Carson wrote Silent Spring. This book becomes the catalyst of the environmental movement we now have today. Silent Spring condemns the use of pesticides, and by the time Ms. Carson writes her book, the amount of DDT found in a human had tripled. But, of course, the pesticide and chemical companies of the United States dislike and attack the book, even going so far as to advertise that "DDT is good for meeee…" (Penn Salt Chemical Ad). These ads drove the sale of Silent Spring and encouraged the government to start investigating the claims made in the book; by the 1970s, DDT was banned from all use in farming around the world. The environmental movement is picking up steam at this point in America. While about 83 million Americans own cars, science is starting to prove the association between smog and car emissions. (Ruth Reck Ph.D. UC Davis Atmospheric Sciences) States like California pass local laws regulating car emissions, and the federal government steps in and passes the Clean Air Act. Congress designates $95 million to continue studying and cleaning up interstate air pollution, and the Clean Air Act also starts to enforce and regulate emissions standards for businesses that pollute. The next important thing to address is the Endangered Species Act, often called the "Crown Jewel" (Endangered.org) of America's environmental laws. The Act allows to list and protect 2022-04-04T13:52:11.46-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Environmental-Changes-in-the-Law-45559.aspx Christmas Christmas is an annual festival celebrating the birth of Jesus, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. The 25th day of December was chosen to mark His birthday by the Roman Catholic Church years after His death. Christmas Day is a public holiday in many countries. It is a religious day for many Christians and culturally part of many non-Christians as well. It forms part of the holiday season organized around it. Some theorists have surmised that the celebration of Christmas is related to the Jewish Festival of Lights, during which Jesus was born. Others associate it with the Roman holiday of Saturnalia, which was a celebration of the births of several Roman gods. This year in 2021 it will be on Saturday 25th December 2021. Some amazing facts about Christmas: 1. Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. 2.Christmas trees were first used by ancient Egyptians and Romans. 3. The term ‘Xmas’ simply means Christmas 4. Santa Claus was known as Sinterklaas in Dutch. For children, Christmas is all about receiving gifts from Santa Claus. But how did Santa Claus come into existence? The character of Santa Claus is based on St. Nicholas. As per a legend, St. Nicholas was a Christian bishop who provided for the poor and needy. He also loved children and enjoyed giving gifts to them secretly. As his story spread, he was called Sinterklaas in Dutch, which later became Santa Claus. 5.Santa Claus did not always dress up in red clothes. Santa Claus initially wore clothes that were in green, purple, or blue. For many years, this was the common theme for the jolly old man at the North Pole. However, Coca Cola decided to dress him up in colors that matched their brand, and that stuck. So this is why he is always in red clothes now! 6. Rudolph, the ‘Red-Nosed Reindeer’ has helpers too! So you and your kids probably know Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer, who pulls Santa’s sledge on Christmas Eve. But do you know other reindeers? It would be impossible for Rudolph alone to pull Santa’s sledge, don’t you think? It is filled with gifts to the brim for every good child in the world, and Rudolph can’t pull that all alone. Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer, is, in fact, Santa’s ninth reindeer. And there are eight other reindeers who help him. These eight reindeers are Cupid, Dancer, Vixen, Dunder, Comet, Dasher, Prancer, and 2021-12-22T14:07:13.33-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Christmas-45535.aspx Do Smartphones Help the Learning Process We can almost do anything and everything with just a swipe of a finger now days. Smartphones are becoming more and more important in our daily life. My debate is do smartphones help the learning process or harm the learning process? In my opinion, smartphones do not help the learning process because, they are a huge distraction. For example, some people utilize smart phones to cheat or to cyber bully. Smartphones (upgraded cell phones) are not made the same as they once were. Cellphones first started off as big and bulky phones. Eventually they developed a flip phone that utilized T-9 (stands for text on 9 keys.) T-9 is a predictive text technology for mobile phones, specifically those that contain a 3x4 numeric keypad. The Science and technology fields are constantly evolving. Our world, as we knew it used computers to send e-mail, it is where we read the latest news, played games on and some of us utilized it for work. In 2017 the typical computer began to turn into a cell phone and then were taken over by tablets. Smartphones have become a huge distraction to everyone, simply because they have become a smaller version of a computer that we can carry right in the palm of our hand. Students now have the ability to check their social media, take selfies, browse the web for information that may help with writing a paper, locate a reference, read a book, listen to music or even watch a movie. These features a smartphone encompasses are a great asset but, in my opinion, can also take away our focus from important task, friends, and or our family members. Another way smartphone can be distracting is if a student is utilizing it during class while an instructor is trying to teach their students. The teacher may have to stop their instruction just to inform the student to power their device off. Students can also utilize smartphones to cheat on a test. Search engines online make it easier to find the answer to a quiz. Students can locate an answer key and then screenshot it to their friends. This avoids the student(s) from being caught with the answers that they may write on their arm. Conveniently students can also use their smartphones to hire someone to 2020-10-13T21:02:17.25-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/do-smartphones-help-the-learning-process-45499.aspx The Insights of Buddhists Religion Student’s Name Institution of Affiliation Inside the Buddharangsi Temple in Florida. Ever since its advent, the Buddhist religion has no restrictions on race, gender, sexuality, and nationality. According to LEFFERTS (2017), there is no existence of God as the Supreme being in Buddhism. Instead, it is a faith of the awareness which promotes own understanding, inner transparency, and pleasant demeanor. Precisely, Buddhists follow the teachings of Buddha all over the world for guidance. The doctrine focuses on ending suffering and perpetrates on living a life of happiness, compassion, wisdom, and joy. In Florida, they practice Theravada Buddhism which depicts spiritual attainment for the liberation of suffering. Before my visit at Wat Buddharangsi Temple, I reached out to the Bhikku, an ordained Buddhist religious leader informing him of my appointment and interest in researching their religion. Additionally, I inquired on the moral conduct and ethics expected from visitors to the temple to prepare accordingly. Later, I received an email from the monk indicating that I was only required to dress modestly, not to wear a hut or cover the head, and not to carry any form of weapons. Likewise, the monk stated the time and date for a visit and noted that I would learn the religious procedures on arrival. On the recommended date; Friday, I attended the sermon having complied to the expected morals and ethics. Before entering the temple, I noticed that every nun and monk was bowing three times at the statue of the Buddha. BURNS (2018) reviews that bowing to the Buddha’s sculpture is a sign of respect to his teachings. However, I was not to bend since it was not compulsory for non-Buddhists. When entering the temple, one would leave their shoes outside and uncover their heads by removing hats and scarfs. Given the sitting arrangement, members of different sex were to stay separate as it’s according to the ethics of the religion. The Buddhists wore different colors of the robe which represented various aspects of faith (LEFFERT, 2017). The colors varied from maroon, brown and orange. Along the temple walls, there was a decoration of various arts such as the lotus flower which signifies purity and enlightened. The second was the endless knot presenting eternal harmony, and third the golden fish meaning spousal contentment and liberty. Accordingly there the banner of victory portraying successful fights, and correspondingly the wheel of dharma representing 2019-04-12T18:08:12.7-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/site-visit-45484.aspx Different Communities and Their Assumptions A community is a group of people sharing common characteristics and living together. Similarly, it is also a group of people that are committed to each other and showing unconditional love. Community brings people with different cultural diversities together through friendship. There are two types of communities which includes; online community and ground community. An online community is whereby people come together through the internet, interact freely and feel at home with each other. It is made up of imaginary friends who do not know each other personally. In an online community, individuals chat through social media, emails and online chat rooms. On the other hand, a ground community is whereby people know each other and can occasionally meet physically to catch up on life matters concerning them. A ground community is made up of individuals know each other well and communicate face to face. The ground community tends to abide by Catherine’s assumption more compared to the online community. This is because, in a ground community, people know each other at a personal level. Also, people follow the community principles since in case one fails, he or she can be traced and be held accountable. Unlike the online community, the assumptions are there but since no one can be held responsible in case of breach, community members do not take assumptions seriously. Therefore, a ground community is stronger. A ground community limits the friends one can have. Just like Mengestu, he keeps moving from one place to another. Mengestu has fewer friends because he shifts to new places and also some of the friends that he has made also changes community (123). Online communities alleviate the need for ground communities because of the rapidly evolving technologies. Technology is the biggest factor in the online community set up. Times have changed, and the online community is becoming more dominant. An online community is also less demanding since it saves on time. It is easy to organize a meeting online and have several people attending compared to meeting personally. People do not have to travel from place to place in order to meet. There are also introvert people who can only socialize with friends online, but they do not have physical friends. Ascharya is an introvert who does not have friends. When bored and feeling lonely, he logs on Facebook or Twitter and chats with his several online 2018-10-15T05:31:38.727-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Different-Communities-and-Their-Assumptions-45454.aspx Surname Instructor Course Date Philosophy of Human Person Humanity is a word used to the humankind for being ‘humane’ with wisdom and humility which is gained through the activation of mind and its creation of cultural ways of living in time and space. Humanity is not just being aware of humans when one can do something to them especially when basic humanity is being dismantled or damaged by any situation. The reason why one should not destroy humanity is that one’s consciousness automatically endows him or her with the notion of morality. It gives one a sense of what’s wrong and what’s right. The world would be insignificant without morality. However, humans cannot deny the existence of morality, and therefore one cannot justify destroying a fellow human. Morality is one thing that sets humans apart from animals. Meaning of Humanity as an “end in itself” and Kant’s Argument For one to be regarded as humane, he or she has to reason practically and with a moral view. Kant went ahead to argue that if a morally practical person can evaluate and assess himself or herself with his fellow rational beings depending on how he or she treats other beings. Based on equality assessment one can value himself depending on standards. The standards can be low, neutral or high. The criteria that one considers in the evaluation process include assessing one’s sensibility as a being and also checking on his or her moral predisposition. Kant went ahead to argue that human beings must pursue their end which is a duty to every being. When doing this duty, one is not expected to take part in moral arrogance. Instead, he or she has to be conscious of other people’s morals and its significance. He went ahead to claim that practicing false humility is not our end duty. False humility is the act of trying to equalize our moral self with other human beings. One has to practice true humility to make this world a better place. True humility deals with humans relating directly to the moral laws and its principles. Kant went ahead to list the end duty examples which consider the dignity of the entire humans amongst themselves. These dignifying acts included practicing empathy, being kind and compassionate, respecting others and being morally upright. Humanity should not have people with aggressive behaviors, who ignore the sufferings of the less fortunate, abuse or lack compassion for others. Justifications Kant’s argument 2018-10-13T01:36:50.437-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Philosophy-of-the-Human-Person-45453.aspx Student Instructor Course Date Rational Ground for the Belief in God The belief in God is a question that has generated many questions among the philosophers. The conviction for the beliefs is pegged on the acceptance that the real issues are handled appropriately. Arguments have been raised to support the theological aspects that support the belief. The supporters of theism have developed arguments that have been in the forefront of safeguarding the basis for the belief. The rational arguments are classified into three categories. The categories include the ontological, teleological and cosmological arguments that have been developed to understand the effects of the aspect of the belief in God. The three categories have been very significant in understanding the contemporary philosophies that discuss religion from a special angle. The paper will provide an insight into the rational grounds that are embraced by the believers in the existence of God despite the presence of evil. Ontological Arguments The arguments provide a traditional perspective to the idea of the existence of God. The arguments are based on the premises that can be isolated from the experience captured in the world. The arguments are founded on the concept of God and make a conclusion that God exists. The arguments seek to prove that the nonexistence of God is an impossible phenomenon. The existence is independent of the fact that evil also exists. The proponents of the arguments purport that God is the most powerful being. The argument is that God exists in both the mind and in reality. The superiority of God is attached to the aspect of conceivability in both the mind and the reality of life. The logical connection between the presence of God in the mind and in actual reality concludes the aspect of the presence of God. Teleological Arguments The argument is based on the idea of a deity pegged on the order that is found in nature. The argument is based on the capability of reflecting the design purpose and intelligence depicted in the world. The three aspects point to the presence of God. God is viewed as the designer of the features that constitute nature. The design and implementation are beyond the capabilities of man thus point to the presence of a unique design that is superior to the human beings. The complexity of nature itself is important towards describing the functioning of the appropriate elements that define the capabilities of the human capabilities. Cosmological Arguments The 2018-06-11T03:26:16.167-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/-Rational-Ground-for-the-Belief-in-God-45443.aspx Abortion Essay Author Institution The issue of whether to support or oppose the case of abortion depends with the argument made. In some cases, it is possible to present an idea that shows abortion is a good thing and needs to be supported. 2018-05-16T02:45:02.94-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Abortion-45437.aspx Compatibilism Name Institutional Affiliation Compatibilism Compatibilism is a fundamental philosophical context that humans can have both determined actions and a free will of their choice. In order to have a good understanding of compatibilism, one needs to know the elements of a free will. It entails a notion that every person has the ability to make a rightful independence and more free decisions. Nevertheless, various factors govern an individual’s free will. The paper analyzes the aspect of compatibilism and the aspect of 2018-05-16T02:21:55.943-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Compatibilism-Compatibilism-45436.aspx Social Justice Humanity gets fractured when humans neglect other beings. All humans are interdependent and the vulnerable deserve conscientious consideration and a level of care. If nations have the capacity to prevent anything bad from happening without foregoing anything comparable to moral importance, then they have to do it (Singer, 1972). Nations have an obligation to help 2018-05-15T08:00:16.287-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Social-Justice-45434.aspx Artificial Intelligence Artificial intelligence (A.I) refers to the development of wise objects that are capable 2018-05-15T07:52:45.82-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Artificial-Intelligence-45433.aspx Buddhism and “No-self” Eastern enlightenment religions have been gaining popularity throughout the western world for the past few decades, with many people attracted to a "different" way of experiencing religion. As with many other enlightenment religions, Buddhism requires disciples to understand concepts that are not readily explainable: one such concept is that of no-self. In this essay I shall discuss the no-self from a number of modern perspectives; however, as no-self is difficult to describe I shall focus on both the self and no-self. Beginning with psychological aspects, and neurophysiological research on transcendental meditation, I shall discuss the impact of modern brain science on our understanding of the self and transcendence. Next I will outline the relationship between physics and non-locality, as this gives a western scientific explanation for no-self. Returning to the original source of Buddhism, I will briefly outline the discussion between Siddhartha and Vaccha regarding atman, then discuss the mind and no-self and their relationship to liberation. Finally I will summarize a few issues that the western mindset may face approaching this topic. The Buddhist concept of "no-self" is an essential element on the path to spiritual freedom presented by the Buddha Gautama Siddhartha Sakyamuni. It is claimed by many Buddhists that at the age of thirty-five Siddhatta achieved samyaksambodhi, a state of supreme enlightenment, while meditating under a tree. He had been born into excess and protected from life, and then chose to live as an aesthetic. He found that the former stifled to spirit and the latter stifled the mind the only answer was a middle path of moderation. Siddhatta then lived and taught his way for another forty-five years as a Buddha before dying, or attaining parinirvana, at the ripe age of eighty. (Hopfe & Woodward, 2007, p. 123-125) Modern psychology attempts to scientifically explain many aspects of our lives. Yet it seems that when psychology meets religion the result is rarely a fair compromise. As an example, if faced with a person claiming to have no sense of self a psychologist may suspect some form of dissociative disorder. An excellent modern example of spiritualism clashing with psychological diagnoses is that of the much-maligned Aleister Crowley; after years of searching for his own samyaksambodhi he entered into a period of silence and claimed enlightenment. The psychological description of Crowley is that of a paranoid schizophrenic who declined into bitterness. I simply wonder where the line is that 2018-04-26T13:38:44.603-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Buddhism-and-No-Self-45428.aspx Have you ever dreamed of being perfect or seeing perfection, but then realizing it is never perfect. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld discusses this question. When Tally’s friend Shay disappears Tally is asked to find her; she sees how New Pretty town isn’t perfect and she sees all of the beauty around her. This changes her whole perspective of the things around her and truly makes her see that even if something seems perfect it never is. The author supports this by focusing on two main craft moves which are description and inner thinking to support my theme. The author used description to explain the world around Tally. the world shows her that there is far more than the small town that she came from. The description showed all of the aspects of the forests she traveled through . This shows that Tally is growing as a character in the book because she realizes how much there is to the world around her. Even when Tally reaches the smoke she sees how self sufficient they are. Although they are not pretties they are all equal as uglies and even though they all have flaws they show Tally how life is better in the smoke. They also unintentionally were influencing Tally to not rat out the location of the smoke and begins to see how life is better in the smoke. This is how Scott Westerfeld uses description to show that even if something seems perfect it never is. Another craft the uses to show that nothing is ever perfect is inner thinking. This shows all of Tally’s thoughts on how she wants life to be for her but, realizes what life could be like in the smoke compared to Ugly Town and New Pretty Town. Even though they are not pretty or perfect they live in harmony. Tally continues to see that the world around her is what life should be like in a normal society. The smoke also helps Tally realize what makes people want to leave Uglyville and move to the smoke. Although Tally is not completely swayed to the smoke , she does realize why life is better in the smoke. Although many people will argue against something never being perfect, sighting that loyalty is a more common theme, the whole book is centered around waiting to be perfect. Although loyalty is 2018-04-25T09:37:24.84-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Uglies-The,Atco-Essay-45426.aspx V for Vendetta written by Alan Moore is a dystopian novel about a fascist government in 1997 which has taken over after the third World War. The main character, V, is an anarchist who wishes to take down the government. V calls himself an anarchist due to his belief that government infringes upon human rights and is extremely corrupt. This segways into the theme of V for Vendetta which is the power of ideas and how they fuelled V’s revenge against the Norsefire’s fascist and totalitarian government. The main character of V in the book is in conflict with the totalitarian government which destroyed the lives of thousands of people including his own through concentration camps and other vile methods of torture and destruction of people’s lives. In the book representation of the totalitarian state, the finger men and the police, V fighting against them shows his defiance against government and his will for anarchy connected with freedom, and his terrorist actions are aimed solely at the Norsefire party and their fascist government . He wants to get revenge on the bad for all of the ways that they ruined his and many other people’s lives. Moore uses the conflict to portray the power of ideas as V uses his conflict to create a better place, by trying to oppress the way of the totalitarian state. The conflict shows the theme of the power of ideas as V’s revenge is fuelled by his power to want change, and create a better future because he disagrees with the governments destructive and brainwashing rulings amongst all of his . V’s dialogue “Beneath this mask there is more than flesh. Beneath this mask there is an idea, Mr. Creedy, and ideas are bulletproof.” Moore used this section of dialogue to help the audience understand that the reason V has continued to use his terrorist like plots in protest against the government, is because he believes that with the execution of his final act will achieve the change which people been craving,the change which will mean the government no longer has the power to control your every move and only come into power when they can solve the disease which they used to kill off tens of thousands of people to get their way in England and making their ideas truly all powerful. V’s conflict against society helps the audience explore the theme of the 2018-04-25T09:28:18.077-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/V-for-Vendetta-Thematic-Essay-45425.aspx IMMIGRATION IN AMERICA Name of Student Subject Name Here November 25, 2017 IMMIGRATION IN AMERICA Immigration was high in America since many people considered the nation a greener pasture than their home countries. Albeit some chose to be there, others were brought in as slaves to help in manual labor. The vast majority of people in the America suffered several setbacks and conflicts because of social factors such as class and ethnic differences. This paper discusses immigration and how some Americans and the federal government responded to immigrates in America acts, Congress, riots, and conflicts and consequences. It also shows how the various groups adjusted to life in American. Some of the highlights of the paper are August Spies who was hanged and the Chinese Exclusion Act. August Spies was born in Europe; he grew up around educated and cultured people. However, he immigrated to America and settled in Chicago in his late teens. His European experience and background inspired his love for military affairs. Hence, he joined the Socialist Labor Party in America. Later, August Spies was employed to edit for the International Working People’s Association due to his eloquence. His vocal nature made him gain the attention of the police in the Haymarket Square Rally in May 1986. In the above rally, protestors advocated for an eight-hour working day. After Spies speech, the police fired the crowd, killing several people and injuring many others. In retaliation, the protestors threw a bomb at the police, killing eight officers and injuring several others. Albeit the bomb was thrown from the crowd while Spies was still on the Stage, he was charged and found guilty of murder along seven other protestors. Spies was hanged on November 11, 1987. Further, in 1882, the United States Congress decided that Chinese immigrants did not deserve citizenship in America. The Americans felt threatened by the contributions of the Chinese during industrialization; therefore, they ousted them. The Americans used such strategies as blaming the Chinese for societal problems such as prostitution, drug abuse, and gambling. However, the Chinese’ only crime was working harder and at lower wages than Native Americans. The Chinese Exclusion Act stated that the Chinese were not welcome in America. Further, the differences in class, religion, and ethnicity created conflicts in the American West. The Anglo Americans in the region 2018-01-08T00:27:53.27-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Immigration-in-America-45415.aspx Bias in Medical Research Article Analysis (Author’s name) (Institutional Affiliation) Date Introduction Over the years, different research projects have been conducted by experts that are skilled in diverse issues that affect the society in all its social, economic and political aspects. These research projects are meant to educate the public about the different problems that exist. However, some scholars have argued that public research findings have at times been found to be biased and they do not give the complete facts concerning the research issues. Therefore, the purpose of this project is to provide a compelling analysis of how bias and statistical manipulation have resulted in flawed medical studies as stated in the article in question. Discussion The main point expressed in this article is that many public research findings are false or biased in some ways. The author of the article, John Loannidis, has cited different reasons as to why he believes that the results of some research projects cannot be relied upon . One of the primary reasons is that numerous teams conduct research concerning specific issues yet attention is given to the findings of one group and those results are presented with a unilateral understanding . As such, no considerations are provided to the findings of other research teams, and no one tries to assess all the research findings of all research teams. The article has provided some accurate insights as to how bias and statistical manipulation have resulted in flawed medical studies. Some of the methods used in refutation of research findings include traditional epidemiological studies, modern molecular research, and clinical trials. Generally, the article provides evidence supporting the motion of how there biased and false research findings concerning the field of medicine. One gets a clear understanding as to how some findings are invalid because the article provides various analysis, designs, data and presentations factors that result in the production of false research findings. The article relates to what I have learned in class about experimental research in different aspects that concern research findings. In class, students are educated about strengthening the possibility of having accurate measurements concerning research topics through laboratory experiments, natural experiments, and field tests. In the article, the author gives a discussion about the credibility of the research findings concerning the field of medicine and the processes followed in the research projects. My beliefs and attitudes towards the quality and accuracy of research studies findings published in professional journals 2018-01-07T23:38:33.273-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Bias-in-Medical-Research-Article-Analysis-45414.aspx Student Course Institution Affiliation Date Women’s History Essay The end of civil war in the United States helped in evaluation of the impact of different groups, especially women. As in any other communities, the role of women, especially after the civil war, was evident. Various female characters showed up expressing their opinions towards the rift and the fight to liberate the slaves and protect women and children in the country. Besides, the women stood at the front line through forming groups and protesting for their rights. However, they faced tough consequences before justice was done. The paper will discuss the experience of women in the post-civil war in America. It will also discuss the acts, organizations, Congress, conflicts and consequences they encountered. After the civil war, women displayed their gratitude to the noble work done. Despite thousands of men who died in the battle, they were fighting for the common good and welfare of the under-privileged slaves . As a result, the women took the front line to thank the gentlemen for their devotion to protecting their women and children . On this point, Rebecca Latimer Felton displayed her courage in her strong speeches to thank the warriors and the government for their goodwill. Felton emphasized the importance of the courageous men in protecting their children and women . She stressed that their mothers should be protected from any source of harm. The warriors should be vigilant in protecting their children and families. They should be protected from dramshop. She pointed out that lack of protection of mothers affected them. Besides, they deserve to be guarded, protected and defended. Their happiness was reduced by barrooms . The rooms were selling liquor that without doubt, affected the lives of their children, making their mothers to lose hope on them. Moreover, women took the role of entertaining Americans despite the war tension that was in every part of the country. Women who took such role were Clyde and Bonnie. Although their acknowledgment appeared late after their deaths, the women appeared bond and courageous using guns to fight with other men. Each of them had unique features, Clyde was portrayed as hot-tempered while Bonnie was a high-spirited person . The women were involved in violent crime. However, despite the crimes, they were viewed with the notion of entertainment. The duos had formed a grouped that could seduce other people to criminal activities. Further, women played a major role 2017-12-27T02:10:06.983-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Women’s-History-Essay-45411.aspx Gun control in the USA Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Gun Control in the USA The right to the ownership of a firearm is founded on the right to self-defense. Individuals have a right to defend themselves from anyone who wishes to destroy their lives. The right to self-defense is related to the right to life. It sounds ridiculous to provide the right to life yet there are no means to protect the life. The opponents of gun ownership have been against this right to protect life from danger. The paper will look at the moral right to own a gun and whether the Supreme Court judges make the law by offering an interpretation on the application of the Constitution. Moral Right to Own Guns I hold a belief that individuals have a moral right to the ownership of a gun. However, the rights are logically before the laws that are enacted by the state. Individuals have the right to take part in in any activity unless there is a reason as to why they should not be allowed to do it (Huemer, 2017). The person denying the rights has the task of proving that there is the reason for the existence of the right. Likewise, the person seeking to have the right must proof that they are sufficiently fit to hold custody of a gun. Limits on the Type of Weaponry Despite the right, I find that there should be a limit to the type of weaponry that people should be allowed to own. Individuals should not be allowed to hold unusual weapons. The Second Amendment has been made clear by a Supreme Court ruling on the type of weaponry that individuals should carry. The decision barred American citizens from having unusual and dangerous weapons that are not commonly used at that particular time. It can be interpreted to be a general rule that governs the right to the ownership of arms. Individuals should hold the weapons that are common to all. Justification The type of firearm that an individual can own is subject to the regulation under the National Firearms Act. It specifies the extra tax stamp and regulation to own a firearm. Individuals seeking to have special weapons need to get authorization by complying to the set restrictions and paying the relevant duties and taxes. Individuals are allowed to own any non-automatic firearm that has a maximum caliber of 0.5 (Findley, 2013). It 2017-12-06T10:15:37.167-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Gun-control-in-the-USA-45403.aspx Name: Course: Professor: Date: It is Worthy to Try and Fail Something Rather than not Attempting The question as to whether it is worthy to try something and fail or never trying at all is controversial with equally divided opinions across the board. Primarily, those against the idea of trying and failing dwell on the bad attitude associated with failure. In essence, society has painted a dark picture towards failure. However, it is important to understand that there is great value in failure. One learns a lot from failure. Some of the world’s most prominent and successful persons in spheres such as business, sports, music, and politics have experienced failure in their pursuits. However, failure did not kill their dreams but instead sharpened their resolution and skills to try again, hence improving on their weaknesses and ultimately attaining the desired success. In this backdrop, it is better to try something and fail rather than not attempting. Failure offers an opportunity to learn. Joubert, Laporte, and McFarland contend that failure has a great lesson for individuals to learn (37). This lesson is vital in preventing one from failing in the same way in future. More important, failure enables an individual to know his/her strengths and weaknesses. Moreover, it is imperative to understand that the likelihood of failure is inherent in almost all human activities and when one perceives it as a learning opportunity then it becomes an element of value (Prentice 89). Similarly, failure is only an event, and not an individual, nor an attitude; instead, failure is a stepping stone, which imparts experience in a person’s life (Mnim 46). In particular, failure offers an opportunity to correct one’s mistakes and reposition oneself to try again. History is full of persons who built from failure to achieve immense success. Henry Ford failed severally before succeeding in the automobile industry. Henry Ford’s first company, Detroit Automobile Company failed and declared bankrupt in 1901 (Nair n.p). His second and third automobile companies also failed. Despite the failure, he continued trying. Today, his Ford Motor Company is one of the largest automobile makers in the world (Nair n.p). In conclusion, it is worthy to try and fail rather than not attempting to do something. Every failure has a great lesson, which provides an opportunity to learn and correct one’s mistakes. Failure is a stepping stone to success. More important, failure enables one to discover his/her strengths and weaknesses. 2017-11-09T03:21:49.21-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/It-is-Worthy-to-Try-and-Fail-Something-Rather-than-not-Attempting-45390.aspx 10/25/16 The social contract and civil disobedience Civilizations cannot exist without respect for the law. In the discipline of history, civilizations are defined by whether they have written laws. Around 1,700 BC, historians believe the first written laws were created. These were known as the “Code of Hammurabi” which gave birth to the civilization of Babylon. The significance of written laws is extraordinary. Written laws ensure that people understand what is expected of them and justice can be regulated equally for all citizens. To achieve an advanced society, governments are established to enforce laws. In addition, the government provides services to help its citizens be successful and in return they must obey. Respect for the law is reinforced by the “social contract theory.” The social contract is the idea that people are bound to the government by a hypothetical “contract” “signed” by continuing to live, work, and use the services of a given government. To keep order, citizens must accept all the laws given to them. The social contract must be absolute and both the citizens and the government need to uphold their half of the contract. The most compelling argument for following the law is the idea of the “social contract”. In the dialogue “Crito” by Plato, the character Socrates introduces the “Social Contract.” When his friend, Crito, comes to free him Socrates explains it would be unjust to defect to another city. He imagines the state would say, “After having brought you into the world, and nurtured, and educated you, and given you and every other citizen a share in every good that we had to give, we further proclaim and give the right to every Athenian, that if he does not like is when he has come of age and has seen the ways of the city, and made our acquaintance, he may go where he pleases and take his goods with him; and none of us laws will forbid him or interfere with him.” I believe, that citizens have signed a contract with the state agreeing to abide by their laws, in exchange for their education, the facilitation of business, and their safety. In contrast, Henry David Thoreau believed that the government does nothing but interfere with the lives of people and does not provide effective services. In his words, “…this government never of itself furthered any enterprise, but by the alacrity with which it got out of 2017-10-23T21:04:54.27-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-social-contract-and-civil-disobedience-45385.aspx 12/4/16 Social Media (introduction) Out of all Internet based technologies, none have had the same positive impact on everyday communication as social media. Social Media is defined by Encyclopedia Britannica as ,"technologies, platforms, and services that enable individuals to engage in communication from one-to-one, one-to-many, and many-to-many."(Media Convergence) I believe, social media is the fifth media revolution in human history. The first revolution was the printing press, then, telegraph/telephone, motion camera, radio/television, and now social media. Today, social media is in a position to replace all other communication technologies and facilitate positive relationships. (introduction) Since the advent of the first digital machine "ENIAC" in 1946, innovation in the field of digital technology has been unparalleled to any other innovation in human history. (Da Cruz) The continuous development of telecommunications led to the development of the Internet. The Internet provides the perfect infrastructure for easy accessible, and inexpensive tools to communicate. Some examples of these tools are; emailing, instant messaging, blogging, and advertising. The Internet is the ultimate communication tool for society. (Narration) With the advent of the modern smart-phone, the Internet has evolved into a new pocket-sized format that provides seamless and constant communication. Due to its omnipresence, social media has evolved from emails to modern websites such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. As with any new tool, this technology is still evolving. It is difficult to determine the long term impact of modern social media upon society. As I reflect upon the evolution of social media, I am amazed at the transition over the years. During a talk at the TED@state conference, Clay Shirky explains that previous technologies, though revolutionary, offer only one kind of communication. For example, the television, radio, and the printing press changed the conversation between an individual and the masses. Today, social media acts as all types of communication. In Shirky’s own words, “For the first time, media is natively good at supporting [all] kinds of conversations.”(Shirky) Social media can serve the purpose of multiple communication technologies. For example, Facebook is a telephone and a radio. Twitter is a newspaper and it functions as a printing press. Social Media has created a realm where all consumers are able to create news without the fear of censorship or need for capital. (Cliam1) In totalitarian countries, media not controlled by the state is considered a threat. Facebook calls the countries that censor 2017-10-23T20:52:38.277-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Social-Media-and-its-positive-effect-on-society-45384.aspx Abstract Throughout history, the president`s role in education has experienced changes as result of the ever evolving educated workforce that is defined by the sophistication of the economy. A resilient chain of the former presidents’ interest on education policy keeps growing in intensity. They have all demonstrated that education is a critical tool that shapes citizenship. It is the focus of this paper to promote efforts in the analysis of issues relating to the paradigm changes in education governance in the US though the office of the president and efforts to influence policy reforms concerning public school funding. Thus, this study will evaluate the presidential influence on education policy and how it can cause positive or negative externalities for state’s budget and will also examine the efforts made by presidents in school systems and their significance in shaping future policies. Table of Contents Abstract 2 President`s Influence on Public Education 5 Introduction 5 Literature Review 7 Problem Statement 9 Study Question 9 Hypothesis 9 Analysis and History 10 ESEA Major Amendments 13 Lyndon Johnson 1968 13 President Nixon 1974 14 President Clinton 1994 14 President George Bush 2001 15 President Barack Obama 2015 15 President Trump 2017 16 Presidential agenda setting 16 Allocation of funding 17 Overview of Modern Public Education 18 Methods 19 References 21 President`s Influence on Public Education Introduction The very beginning of the US was begged on an educated citizenry which was considered a critical pillar to improve the welfare of the people and protection of liberty. Education is an issue of national concern for any president. Federal actions have throughout history encouraged and provided financial support to improve public education. The general welfare clause in the Constitution has enabled the federal government with the help of the president to initiate educational interventions that define how agencies, states, and educational institutions can work together to deliver on public education needs. The desire to remain both dominant and maintain world power status, transformation in the education sector is the focus of all presidents. In consequence, American presidents are well aware of the national and international pressure to redefine educational policies for the US. Indeed, the presidents have echoed this through their different responses that are shaped by the level of education mindedness. The national education reforms are centered within the presidential council (Shoffner, 2016). For instance, President Ronald Reagan and Lyndon Johnson orchestrated some of the greatest education reforms in the country and others such as George Bush continued existing policies. To understand this subject, it is important that some concepts be elaborated in depth. The first concept is the issue of a corporate presidency. Instead of laying focus on 2017-06-14T04:34:18.043-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/PRESIDENT`S-INFLUENCE-ON-PUBLIC-EDUCATION-45348.aspx Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince Name Institutional Affiliation Date Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince The world over is made up of countries managed by political leaders who use various forms of governments and leadership styles. In the study of one of the federal governments, Niccolo Machiavelli wrote a book called The Prince where he presents a kind of leadership style for a prince in Italy (Machiavelli, 2014). Machiavelli dedicates the work to enlighten the Medici family by declaring to explain the conduct of great leaders and the policies of a princely form of government. Therefore, this paper analyses the literary works by Machiavelli in his book The Prince where he addresses the political leadership style for Italy in the 1950s particularly to the ruling family on how a prince can gain and retain political power over his subjects. In The Prince, Machiavelli examines the different types of leaders and their governments and sums up revolutionary strategies for a prince to gain the leadership roles in the government in addition to maintaining the official position (Machiavelli, 2014). Machiavelli focuses more on the evil leadership qualities because they help the prince to advance more power for himself from both within and outside the government (Machiavelli, 2014). As a matter of fact, he begins the book by dedicating the work to Lorenzo de Medici and winds it up with an assertion that Italy must revive and regain its considerable power again (Machiavelli, 2014). According to Machiavelli in Chapter 15, “Many have imagined republics and principalities that have never been seen or known to exist in truth. For it is far from how one lives to how one should live. That he who lets go of what is done for what should be done learns his ruin rather than his preservation" (Machiavelli, 2014). He is making hints about Plato’s Republic by stating that philosopher kings should rule their societies in a similar manner or style (Machiavelli, 2014). He also stresses the importance of kings in a treating their subjects well in order to be good at each other and maintain purity in their souls (Machiavelli, 2014). To back up the features of his philosophic Prince, Machiavelli adds that the prince should only act good but does not have to be good as well (Machiavelli, 2014). He uses extremely wild examples of Romulus and Cain murdering Remus and Abel respectively. These killings were the fundamentals of evil in the society, and therefore, the author 2017-04-27T05:04:50.443-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Niccolo-Machiavelli-s-The-Prince- The-world-over-is-made-up-of-countries-managed-by-political-leaders-who-use-various-forms-of-governments-and-leadership-styles_-45320.aspx Student’s Name Professor’s Name Subject DD Month YYYY Differences between Males and Females Over a long period of time, the globe has had struggles about the issues of gender. The males and females have constantly stood in the way of one another as far as progress is concerned. However, history presented an undue advantage to the males than the females. This phenomenon has created, in the words of many scholars, stereotyped differences between these two genders. Despite this phenomenon, there are genetic, physiological, physical, psychological, and other forms of human existence that contribute to the differences. As such, it is imperative to establish these differences and uncannily analyze them for a deeper comprehension. Per se, males tend to continuously embrace technology and its advances at large as compared to the females. Additionally, the majority of the females are mentally weaker than males and also, males strongly and intelligently deal with anger and its effects than the females (Ehrenheich 140). In the article, A GPS Helps a Guy Always Know Where His Couch Is, Dave Barry reiterates that his wife has no appetite for new computers with advanced features as she finds comfort in her older than old device. She anchors this issue on a simple excuse that the older one works better without even having utilized an advanced computer. Dave further says that “As a guy, I feel I need a new computer every time a new model comes out which is every 15 minutes” (Barry 144). He means that men always want to be updated on technological issues. Upon this development, there is need to entirely establish a comparative study from elsewhere in a bid to substantiate this marked difference. To begin with, most of the technology-based innovators are known to be males. For instance, Bill Gates is the founder of Microsoft; Apple was a brainchild of Steve Jobs, Facebook by Mark Zuckerberg among others. Research was carried out at the University of Michigan, Dearborn about computer skills and knowledge among males and females. The findings indicated that female students had less skills in computer as compared to the males. Therefore, the finding was above board and tenable. Moreover, Dave explains that his wife would prefer to ask for directions as opposed to using a GPS. He says that “My wife argues that it is easier just to ask somebody…” (Barry 26). When it is said that females are mentally weaker than males, then there 2017-04-27T01:03:28.853-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Personal-Interpretation-of-fiction-storyessay-45318.aspx Student’s Name: Lecturer: Course: Date: Theodicy Theodicy, being a subunit of both philosophy and theology helps in explaining what evil is. Coming from the Greek word dike meaning justice and theos meaning God, the phrase original meaning translates to "the justice of God." Theodicy gives a defined explanation of the structure, goal, and nature of evil believed to be created by a supreme being, God. Theodicy gives a detailed explanation for its existence in our lives and aims at bringing to light its key principles. Theodicy also brings in the challenge that displays when merging the concept of the seen evil in the world with the existence of a benevolent and omnipotent God. Theodicy is presenting itself in the present world in various forms. For the most part, theodicy brings suffering and pain despite it presenting itself in the form of natural evil such as diseases, genetic defects, earthquakes, tornadoes, and lightning, or moral evil such as murder, kidnapping, abuse of all forms. Murder, for example, would be presented as a moral evil in which questions if God was all powerful and all knowing why would he allow such to happen (Davis). Theodicy is considered a monotheism religion because they believe in the existence in only one God. They believe that the God they worship is the one true creator of heaven and earth and all that is in it. They believe that the God they worship is all powerful, omnipresent, all knowing and is full of life and thus making theodicy a monotheism religion since they one true God cannot be contested. The importance of salvation in Theodicy is that it acts as a deliverance tool for the believers from negativity and suffering of this world. It is also associated with the restoration of a person or a community from the natural world to a whole new state of the Christian community. An individual can perceive salvation in three main aspects; resources required to attain utmost salvation, the steps involved in being saved and the actual definition of living in salvation. The resources required in attaining salvation and the step involved can be attained through inner resources. These include aspects such as good deeds, righteousness, asceticism, meditation and knowledge and wisdom of the religion. In some instances, salvation can be manifested through an external agent like in the case of God’s intervention to a someone like and turns him or her around to salvation. Cases of 2017-04-25T08:55:44.517-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Theodicy-45316.aspx Teenagers and Adulthood: An Annotated Bibliography Student’s name Institution’s name Teenagers and Adulthood: An Annotated Bibliography Botstein, L. (1999). Let Teen-Agers Try Adulthood. Nytimes.com. Retrieved 29 March 2017, from http://www.nytimes.com/1999/05/17/opinion/let-teen-agers-try-adulthood.html In the article “Let Teen-Agers try Adulthood,” Leon Botstein argues on the need to abolish high schools because he thinks that they are obsolete in nature. Botstein sheds light on the cons of high school and the way in which the American education system has been established. He argues that high schools fail to prepare students, who are normally teens, for the real world experiences. Botstein wrote the article based on the occurrences such as the famous Littleton school shooting. From the statement “the rules of high school turn out not to be the rules of life,” it is clear that Botstein thinks that what is taught in high school cannot be compared with what goes on in the real world. Besides, Botstein argues that high school teachers do not have the experience to teach the teens on the life lessons that are vital in the modern world. He proposes that “elementary school at age 4 or 5 and end with sixth grade, entirely ban the concept of the middle school and junior high school, beginning with the seventh grade, there should be four years of secondary education that we may call high school. Resulting in people graduating at 16 rather than 18.” Botstein is a renowned scholar who is well conversant with the challenges undergone by high school teens. In his book Jefferson’s Children of 1997, he proposed that high schools ought to end after tenth grade. The students would then proceed to college level studies at the tender age. The book was a premonition to the article which was written two years later in 1999. Upon writing the article, Botstein was the president of Bard College. The Bard umbrella runs high schools in combination with the early college programs. It means that the article is reliable because Botstein has amassed experience while dealing with high schools and college teens. It can be deduced that Botstein spent most of his time writing this article as a means to expose high school ordeals to the world. According to him, high school is about sports and fame. Once a person is through with high school, there is no favoritism and popularity. The shootings helped the world to see what was happening in the education system. The 2017-04-09T04:17:02.047-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Leon-Botstein-s-Let-Teen-Agers-Try-Adulthood-45307.aspx Literacy is a fundamental aspect of a lifelong learning and achievement of educational goals among students in elementary school. Teachers in elementary school have the obligation to equip students with literacy instructions that ensure the development of linguistic and cognitive abilities. Literacy instructions involve reading, writing, oral language, and content that enriches students to achieve success. Numerous research studies suggest that effective teaching in elementary schools begin with a professional development plan and a perfect pedagogical approach (Allington). The essay aims at expounding on the essential elements and strategies of effective learning in an elementary school. Purpose of elementary education The significant goal of elementary reading instructions is to assist students in acquiring the needed knowledge and skills to comprehend oral and written language. In achieving efficiency in teaching, teachers ought to ensure sufficient background knowledge of vocabulary, use of the appropriate strategies to enhance comprehension, and provision of adequate motivation to learn from text (www.readingrockets.org). The core purpose of an elementary school is to equip students to read accurately and fluently. Therefore, comprehensive reading is indispensable to warrant the development of reading proficiency. Students ought to carry out extensive practice because it provides them with an opportunity to integrate the skills inculcated in a classroom. Contemporary learning domain There are many terms used in the modern world to describe the preschool stage of literacy development; for example, emergent reading, emerging writing, and emerging literacy, among others. Nonetheless, early literacy is the most suitable terminology because it fits the relevant skills, knowledge, and nature that herald the read and write practices in the primary grades (Tyner 68). Children tend to communicate through both written and oral language. Consequently, they draw and scribble as a way to add meaning to their talk and action. Teaching strategies Teachers have numerous teaching strategies at their reach through which students in elementary school can gain reading and writing proficiency. For instance, it is important to engage children in conversations in small and large groups. Additionally, teachers are expected to use rare words that students are unlikely to come across in routine conversations. On the other hand, storybook reading acts as an excellent strategy to perfect children’s reading skills. In this case, reading out aloud some enjoyable story, book information, or even a poem provide sufficient learning efficiency (Torgesen et al,. 28). Some activities tend to increase children’s awareness of oral language. Phonological awareness activities 2017-04-07T02:59:26.807-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Teaching-literacy-in-elementary-education-45305.aspx Name: Course: Tutor: Date: Hurricane Katrina A natural disaster comes suddenly, sometimes with no warning leaving in its wake destruction and death. Natural disasters include; Hurricane, earthquake, volcanic eruption, fires among others. They are not subjected to a given area; thus each country should be prepared for the disaster that is likely to affect that area. The effects of a natural disaster are adverse, for instance, the environment gets littered with all manner of debris, houses get destroyed, streets become impassable, and trees get uprooted among others. The advancement of technology and mode of communication has made it easier to relay information such as warning alerts. People can prepare for a natural disaster by finding safe zones to go to, pack food and water as well as other essentials such as torches, batteries, ropes and flares, just to mention a few (Arcaya et al. 16246). The purpose of the paper is to analyze a natural disaster and establish how the victims managed to survive the catastrophe. Hurricane Katrina is regarded as one of the costliest disasters in the US history affecting 92,000, square miles, killing over 1500 people and leaving thousands homeless. The hurricane struck several states such as Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, but the worst hit was New Orleans, Louisiana. Hurricane Katrina began on 24th Aug 2005 as a tropical storm in the Bahamas and gained strength in the Atlantic water; it hit the Florida coast becoming a category one hurricane with wind speed estimated to be 119km/hr (Deryugina et al. 2).The storm moved through the Gulf of Mexico where the atmosphere was conducive in fueling the storm. By the time it hit New Orleans, it had exploded to hurricane 5 with wind speeds of 282 km/hr. A combination of waves and storm surge led to the failure of the levee system that was supposed to provide a barrier. The failure caused a massive flooding that covered up to 80% of New Orleans (Kastenbaum 91). The vast number of deaths and destruction would have been avoided if only proper planning and the fast response had been done. There are four critical reasons as to why hurricane Katrina was the worst tragedy to have hit the United States. The first one was that warning alerts had been released early before the storm, but these warnings went unheeded. Moreover, government officials who should have prepared in advance for the magnitude of the hurricane neglected their duties. The 2017-03-02T22:35:44.617-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Hurricane-Katrina-45292.aspx Reflection Paper about Moral Philosophy of Thomas Hobbes Moral Philosophy, I believe is a branch of philosophy that deals with categorizing, then defending, and lastly recommending what is right and what is wrong in society. There are norms that are universal as far as moral and political conduct. These values are beyond what one might consider to be personal ethics with how we ought to live our lives. Thomas Hobbes is a well-known and great political philosopher of his times. His moral philosophy has been less influential than his political philosophy in some parts because it was not expressed or understood clearly, to have garnered any general agreement as to its contents and his beliefs. Hobbes's moral thought is difficult to untangle from his politics. On his view, what we ought to do depends greatly on the situation in which we find ourselves. Where political authority is lacking as in his famous natural condition of mankind, our fundamental right seems to be saved, by whatever means we think fit. Where political authority exists, our duty seems to be quite straightforward: to obey those in power. Hobbes's state of nature is unacceptable and shows a lack of hope for the future which he constructs it based on testing and experience and normative assumptions. He assumes that people neither are sufficiently similar in their mental and physical attributes that no one is invulnerable nor can expect to be able to dominate the others. Hobbes assumes that people generally “shun death” or to avoid death, and that the desire to preserve their own lives is very strong in most people. While people have local affections, their benevolence is limited, and they have a tendency to prejudice. Concerned that others should agree with their own high opinions of themselves, people are sensitive to slights. They make evaluative judgments, but often use seemingly impersonal terms like ‘good’ and ‘bad’ to stand for their own personal preferences. They are curious about the causes of events and anxious about their futures, these characteristics incline people to adopt religious beliefs; although the content of those beliefs will differ depending upon the sort of religious education one has happened to receive. What happens, then, if we do not follow Hobbes in his arguments that judgment must, by necessity or by social contract or both, be the sole province of the sovereign? If we are optimists about the power of human judgment, and about the 2017-01-27T20:35:54.957-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Reflection-about-Thomas-Hobbes-Philosophical-Thoughts-35270.aspx 2017-01-24T07:27:45.197-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Marriage-and-devorce-in-islam-35268.aspx Lopez 1 Pablo Lopez Mrs. Huntley AP English Literature, Period 6 02 December 2016 Pnin: A Formalistic Approach Towards a Life Lesson “Everyone I know, goes away In the end”, meaningful yet simple lyrics from Johnny Cash’s Hurt. A song written upon a period of his life where he swore the moon didn’t hang as high as it used to. The truth is, everyone will get hurt one day, and all will pass away. The question now is deciding how people wish to go out, either occupying a happy, sad, or regretful life. This recurring theme has been imbued through countless novels and plays, but no work has analyzed the meaning more in depth than the novel Pnin by Vladimir Nabokov. Vladimir being born in 1899 had access to countless inspirations when writing Pnin, but being the Russian literary genius he his, decided to isolate his work within the text and use pure imagination. Many see no problem in his style of writing for the belief that it is not what influences a novel that defines it but what comes out of it. The aim for this piece of writing is to utilize the critical theory titled formalism or otherwise known as new criticism, focusing on the structure of the text and its use of rhetorical devices such as satire, flashback, and point of view, to unravel and expand on the novel’s profound theme: Love between friends and family brings happiness, not the desire to chase after this world’s picture of joy which demands wealth, success, and popularity. Pnin is a novel worth relating to, filled with high hopes and humor, yet embodied in tragedy. The novel goes through the mid 1900s by the life of an average fellow named Pnin, a 52 year old Russian refugee in America teaching literature at Waindell College. He has no proper english articulation nor customs, yet in his mind he is perfect and the rest of the world must Lopez 2 conform. As Vladimir mentions “If his Russian was music, his English was murder”. Picture the classical fictional character Mr. Beans, except Pnin enjoys researching, studying, and talking about literature. Ultimately it is all he has left. His ex-wife Liza fooled him into thinking they would live happily in America but it turned out months after arrival she married a man named Eric Wind. She had a son with him which she named Victor. However, it became clear Eric was more interested in being with Liza than with Victor. As a result Liza asks Pnin to support Victor financially despite Pnin being at the edge 2016-12-26T07:09:49.6-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/LAST-DAYS-AND-LORDS-DAY-ENGLISH-VERSION-35263.aspx Name Tutor Course Date Does God Exist? Introduction St. Anselm's Ontological argument in Chapter II of Proslogium attempts to provide proof that God exists. Anselm's focus begins with simple premises whose justification in no way relies on experience. Based on a reconstruction of the argument and a comparison of premises, he proceeds to draw the conclusion that God exists. Anselm's assertion is intended to refute some individuals who, in their hearts, think that God does not exist. This paper gives a brief summary of Anselm's argument, refutes the argument, highlights possible grounds on which Anselm could counter the refutation, and then finally refutes Anselm's possible refutation again, before drawing a conclusion. Anselm uses two important features to refute the claim that God does not exist. First, he states that the 'fool' who claims that God does not exist understands the claim being made about God's existence (Princeton 1). Second, he also points out that the 'fool' does not believe in the existence of God. Anselm intends to show that the combination of the two factors mentioned is unstable (Princeton 1). Anselm states that the fool clearly understands the concept of 'God,' a powerful being greater than all, but that such a person still denies the existence of God, even though the 'fool's' mind comprehends the very aspect of the powerful being (Anselm 1). The fool's mind which Anselm refers to as 'the understanding' can comprehend the existence of a powerful being. Such conception occurs both in the mind and in reality, two aspects that when in alignment, improve understanding and can act as proof. Finally, he notes that if the 'fool' can understand what it means when one speaks of Y, then Y exists in the 'fool's' mind or understanding. From this conclusion, the 'fool' clearly acknowledges that God, whom he knows exists in reality and in mind, exists. 2016-12-20T09:17:14.89-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Does-God-Exist-35261.aspx Proposal Based on my interview, over the last several years, the community has had a program to place men and women in employment. However, these people have few skills, limited education level and no ethics that required holding a job. Most of the time these people are from households that have been on welfare for long, and their parents rarely emphasized the importance of self-sufficiency and responsibility. Thus, now they are supported by social and public service systems and do not have a positive outlook towards the future. Such people may try to cope with their existing situation by engaging in drug abuse, alcohol with the little money that they earn. My proposal is on addressing the issue of such individuals through placement programs, and job training. These men and women can be helped increase their reading skills, self-confidence and ultimately get and retain employment solving their homelessness problem permanently. The programs can be funded by grants and gifts from well-wishers and organizations. Although some of these homeless people have been destroyed by their use of drugs and lost hope, rehabilitation and counseling will be offered to them before they can join the main job placement program. According to Fernando (122), homeless people cannot make it without life skills and hope. Even though such people were to complete training, and get employed, they are likely not to succeed. The program will thus entail group classes and individual meeting that will explore issues like coping skills and self-control. There will be presentations made by employed people who previously were homeless or struggled with poverty and drug addiction. The center will also offer to counsel on substance abuse. Teitelbaum (187) suggests that those people with a substance abuse history will need help in the management of their income. It is important to have counseling for substance abusers to prepare people for employment. The project will require funding as expenses will be incurred. People working at the center will need to be paid, materials used will require money to be bought, the placement program will also have its expenses, and other revolving funds will be needed. A total of about $68,000 is what will be necessary. The funding for this budget will come from grants and gifts from the well-wishers. The program coordinator and assistant will prepare funding proposals that will be sent to different organizations for support of the program. The program 2016-09-25T01:03:25.357-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Research-Proposal-Letter-35228.aspx In the past couple of years, our region has witnessed some alarming numbers of the number of students arrested by the law officers. I therefore thought it might be of benefit to reach you in whichever way possible, so that we can develop a potential solution to this problem. According to the data that I obtained from the local law enforcement departments, many of the apprehensions occur mainly in the times before the schools start to operate and after the schools have closed. Despite this evident trend, some society members do not see the necessity for a program that would run before and after the school. Some scholars such as Steen, Julie and Julia W. Buckey, conducted a study in which they noted that students may be preferring to engage in the destructive recreational activities and end up breaking the law because of the lacks of a suitable recreational facility that suits their age and recreational requirements in the locality Proposal I therefore feel inclined to try to suggest the possible solutions to this situation. The valley city requires considering the necessity of constructing a recreational facility for the students in the region. There is an abandoned warehouse that is large enough to serve as a recreational center for the before- and- after school programs. This project is viable, and it can be funded by the tax revenues that were used to construct the main street up to date. This project will also provide the final aspects of housing for the before-and-after-school program. Tsekoura indicates that for any project to succeed, it should commence by sensitizing the local community members on the need of creating a recreational facility for the welfare and security purposes of the students. The implementation of this initiative would ensure that the students are engaged in the right types of activities and are under supervision in the times before their schools start to operate and after the operation periods. Therefore, the number of apprehension cases would significantly reduce. This project is not only a recreational program, but it is also a socialization plan where the students will learn the correct morals. The facility will keep the local youth engaged in ethical and creative activities and thus the development of local talents. It would provide the students with alternative activities to do than to engage in an uncouth behavior. I thought it might be important to propose some 2016-09-19T00:53:48.19-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Research-proposal-35225.aspx Types of Supervisors Every workday all employees set out to their workplaces. Whatever means of transport they use, they take the time to see into their day ahead; what are some of the duties they will engage in, do they have deadlines to meet among others. This all comes to the expectation of the various types of supervisors, their system of administration and hope to deliver for the staff. From the different types of leadership styles employed, supervisors can be divided into six categories, these include: Coach- this is one whose major focus is on the employees. They indulge their members in the decision-making process, event planning and setting timelines to meet their goals. This support of the employees and participation creates positivity in the workplace as all work to the interests of the organization (Conger & Stuart 371-375). The supervisor delegates’ duties offer guidance throughout until completion of the task. The style of leadership adopted is democratic. Team player- is competent, truthful and takes into account the role of the employees. They can get their staff to open up to them for any ideas as well as make tough decisions without disrespecting others (Oliva, et al. 2013). They understand that goals are shared with employees; thus their success depends on the staff and vice versa. They give credit where it is due hence are regarded as the kind of bosses everyone would want to work with. Mentor-. Having a better understanding of the employees’ profession is the primary requirement to give guidance and direction in their careers. This is efficient if the supervisor takes the responsibility of mentorship for the employees. This kind of Supervisors significantly impacts on the career development of their employees which makes them easy to work with. Leading by example; transformational leadership. Laissez-faire- are the kind of supervisors who exercise little follow up on employees trusting that they will perform to expectation. The employees do not expect to learn from them as much given their inactiveness. It is high risk working with this supervisor unless one has a knowledge of research skills (Conger & Stuart 371-375). As a result, the employees need to be independent and determined to achieve what they want. Control freak- needs always to be in the loop of all that happens. Here the staff members are not engaged in calling shots. As an employee working with this supervisor, you must know how to deal with them by 2016-09-19T00:30:32.21-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Types-of-Supervisors-35224.aspx The Ideal Work Environment Various elements need to be available for one to consider a working environment ideal for carrying out his activities. The presence of these factors goes a long way to motivate a given employee to stay in that area, thereby boosting the morale of the individual, which could translate into high levels of performance on the part of such a person (Goffee & Gareth 101). Likewise, they also have a likelihood of making an individual have the will to continue working at the given facility for long since he would be more comfortable at the place. Mostly, this helps to ensure that the level of his skills improves considerably over time and as a result, it could bring in lots of profitability on the said organization. Significantly, an ideal working place should have goals and missions that would motivate the employees in working hard. One of the primary factors that are crucial in a given workplace is the availability of the necessary work equipment. Such material needs to be sufficient and in good condition. For instance, people who are in charge of documentation and data ought to have enough computing equipment that is operating well and fast (Quinlan et al. 64). Henceforth, this aspect will assist in making their job quite manageable and will reduce any form of frustrations that may occur as they try to deliver their services. It will also show that the administration values and considers them significantly as part of their organization. Another issue lies in the capability of management to endorse as well as respect, some level of autonomy on the role of the employees. Mainly, this means that workers need to have the freedom to think on their own and come up with actions that could boost their capacity to deliver on their mandate (Lent 8). When free, staff develops minds that enable them to be innovative and creative and as a result, they could come up with strategies that will be bound to ease the way they operate. Therefore, some form of efficiency and effectiveness could be achieved in the long run. Notably, this circumstance is entirely contrary to where the employees are micromanaged, hence making them feel like they are being treated more like slaves. An ideal workplace is one that has an enabling atmosphere regarding the general physical environment around which people works. Efficiently, this lies in ensuring that the ventilation 2016-09-19T00:24:08.98-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Ideal-Work-Environment-35223.aspx History, Facts and Information about Roman Funerals --------------------------------------------------- Ancient Roman funerals of the rich were elaborate and ritualised events when the accomplishments of the dead Roman were celebrated and homage was paid to their ancestors. The Ancient Romans paid great attention to funeral rites, because they believed that the souls of the unburied were not admitted into the abodes of the dead and would wander a hundred years along the river Styx before they were allowed to cross it. The content of this article provides interesting history, facts and information about life in Ancient Rome including Roman Funerals. Roman Funerals - Preparation of the Dead ---------------------------------------- The preparation of the dead played an important role in Roman funerals. When any one was at the point of death, his nearest relation present tried to catch his last breath with his mouth, for they believed that the soul went out at the mouth. The corpse was bathed and perfumed and dressed in the richest robes in preparation of the funeral of the deceased. The corpse was laid upon a couch strewn with flowers, with the feet pointing towards the outer door. Coins would be placed under the tongue or over the eyes of the dead to ensure a safe journey to the underworld. Roman Funerals - The Funeral Procession and Ceremonies ------------------------------------------------------ Roman funerals took place by torch light. The corpse was carried with the feet foremost on an open bier covered with the richest cloth and carried by the nearest relatives and friends of the deceased. The funeral procession was preceded by the image of the deceased, together with those of his ancestors. The funeral procession was attended by musicians, with wind instruments of a larger size and a deeper tone than those used on less solemn occasions. Mourning women and men were hired to sing the praises of the deceased. These hired mourners would wear the ancestral imagines, or funerary masks, of the dead's descendants. A eulogy (praise for the dead person) was read during the procession and occasionally after the funeral as in the funeral speech delivered by Marc Antony to Julius Caesar. This event was immortalised by William Shakespeare in his play Julius Caesar when he wrote his version of the speech beginning with "Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears..." Roman Funerals - The Funeral Pyre --------------------------------- Cremation was the most common funeral practice in the Roman Empire, although burial was also used. The custom of burning the 2016-02-08T11:57:42.89-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Roman-Death-and-Burial_-35170.aspx The Unknown Reality in the Existence of God The existence of God has been a question since the idea of God was conceived. Descartes tries to prove God’s existence and to show that there is without a doubt something external to one’s own existence. He is looking for a definite certainty, a foundation for which he can base all of his beliefs and know that they are true. Descartes’ overall project is to find a definite certainty on which he can base all his knowledge and beliefs. Descartes attacks the principles that support everything he believes with his Method of Doubt. The Method of Doubt is Descartes’ method of fundamental questioning in which he doubts everything that there is the slightest reason to doubt. Thinking about it in a different way, to me it seems like almost everything you believe to be true comes from the senses or through the senses. However, the senses are sometimes deceptive. Since the senses are not completely trustworthy; it is irrational to place complete trust in them. However, it is no small leap of faith to presume that everything our senses tell us is false. In fact, according to Descartes it seems almost absurd to say such a thing. Descartes argues in Mediation IV that, "it is impossible for God ever to deceive me, for trickery or deception is always indicative of some imperfection. And although the ability to deceive seems to be an indication of cleverness or power, the will to deceive undoubtedly attest to maliciousness or weakness. Accordingly, deception is incompatible with God." Descartes says that the will to deceive "attests to maliciousness or weakness". Therefore, stating that if a person has a will to deceive then she is either weak or malicious or maybe even both. Weakness and malicious, however, are imperfections. God, a being that has all perfections and no imperfections, cannot be weak, and cannot be malicious. Here stating, God cannot have the will to deceive. “For if everything that is in me I got from God, and he gave me no faculty for making mistakes, it seems I am incapable of ever erring... I nevertheless experience that I am subject to countless errors.” Descartes states that since God is not a deceiver, he cannot have given Descartes a mental means that inevitably leads him to make mistakes; this is why his clear and distinct perceptions must be true. And yet 2015-12-08T00:02:03.243-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/DESCARTES-EXISTENCE-OF-GOD-35156.aspx The duchess' declaration that she is "Duchess of Malfi still" is one of the most famous lines in the play.At this point in The Duchess of Malfi ,she believes that her family is dead,her dukedom has been stripped from her and she has lost her fortune and her freedom.Her insistence that she is still the Duchess shows that even in the face of all that,she still maintains her pride. Bosola disguised as a tomb maker tries to take that from her too,telling her that nobility can provide her no comfort,providing "neither heat nor light."It seems cruel to take this Las comfort from her,but in doing so,he actually allows her true "glorious" to shine through,not those based on her title or nobility,but those that came from the depth of her spirit- her courage and her Dee familial love,evidenced by her domestic pleas to cariola to take care of her children. This emphasis on the insignificance of rank in the face of death and tragedy is important because it shows the true depths of the difference between the Duchess and her evil brothers.They have nothing but there rank and their associated power and so when they are faced with death,they die without courage and "u Ave no more fame behind'em than" a footprint in snow exposed to the sun.The Duchess on the other hand ,by dying so nobly,leaves the mark of her maintains her pride. Bosola disguised as a tomb maker tries to take that from her too,telling her that nobility can provide her no comfort,providing "neither heat nor light."It seems cruel to take this Las comfort from her,but in doing so,he actually allows her true "glorious" to shine through,not those based on her title or nobility,but those that came from the depth of her spirit- her courage and her Dee familial love,evidenced by her domestic pleas to cariola to take care of her children. This emphasis on the insignificance of rank in the face of death and tragedy is important because it shows the true depths of the difference between the Duchess and her evil brothers.They have nothing but there rank and their associated power and so when they are faced with death,they die without courage and "u Ave no more fame behind'em than" a footprint in snow exposed to the sun.The Duchess on the other hand ,by dying so nobly,leaves the mark of her spirit behind,which ultimately allows for hope at the end in 2015-09-18T03:20:51.693-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/duchess-i-m-Duchess-of-Malfi-still-explain-35135.aspx Did you know that each year about 443,000 people in the United States die from illnesses related to tobacco use? Did you also know that smoking kills more than alcohol, car, accidents, suicide, AIDS, homicide and illegal drugs combined? (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). One of the largest and most problematic health issues in our society is smoking. Smoking is currently the leading cause of death in our country, due to its harmful and addicting contents, such as nicotine and tobacco. Smoking is the act of inhaling and exhaling tobacco smoke through a cigarette or cigar. Despite smokers claim that it helps them to relax and release stress, the negative aspects of smoking outweigh the positive. The heart of this reasoning is the understanding that smoking has no redeeming qualities but even the best of circumstances are considered to have adverse effects on the smoker and those around them. Moreover, since smoking make smokers and nonsmokers ill, smoking is implicated in numerous deaths. Smoking costs lot money for consumers and medical expenses, as well as it is also an addicting drug. Smoking and the production of cigarettes should be made illegal in order to maintain a healthier nation. Without smoking a huge amount of money and lives will be saved. Many reasons influenced the outcome of my opinion towards smoking becoming illegal. First of all cigarettes smoking are very deadly to smoker and increase the smoker’s chance for death. Although most smokers say that illegalizing smoking is an invasion of privacy, I think that illegalizing smoking will help to save smokers lives. The Centers for Disease and Prevention reports that 46, 6 million Americans age 18 years and older smoke. All of these people are losing about 12 years life, just by smoking. Drugs are bad for anyone who smokes them. Tobacco is a type of drug. Did you think that tobacco is just a dried plant wrapped in thin paper? Guess again. Tobacco contains a deadly mix of more than 7,000 chemicals. At least hundred are toxic, and 70 at least can cause cancer (Centers for Disease and Prevention). Some of these chemicals include Benzene derived from coal & petroleum (the one we put in cars), formaldehyde (embalming fluid used to preserve dead bodies), arsenic (rat poisoning), butane (lighter fluid) and much more. Because of this deadly chemicals contain, smoking cause so many deaths as well as it lead 2015-09-12T21:24:16.903-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Smoking-should-be-made-illegal-35134.aspx Essay We all like going to the zoo, but what about the animals? How do they feel? Should we keep animals in zoos, or is it wrong to take them out of their natural habitat? On the one hand, zoos play an important role in nature conservation. Many natural habitats are in danger. People want to save animals and they make natural parks and zoos. We make sure that they survive. In addition, a good zoo can be very educational as it teaches us how animals behave and how they act in their and our habitat. We learn from them. We help animals. On the other hand, people cannot recreate an animal’s natural habitat and animals can be very unhappy in cages. We have many documentaries about animals, so zoos are not really necessary for education. People have to spend money on protecting habitats rather in zoos. Many animals in zoos are dying because many zoos do not have enough food. All creatures need to eat enough food including animals. To sum 2015-05-04T06:16:23.34-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/For-and-against-essay-35107.aspx Importance of Education Importance of Education Education is very important for our lives. Without education people wouldn’t have their high-developed machine and would believe that the Earth is a planet around that all another planets are moving. Why people want to have their high education? As for me I have my reasons why I want to get high education. First reason I want to get high education is for career purpose. From the early age parents very often tell to their children that education is very important to find a good job. And this is true because if you want to be a doctor or a lower, or an engineer you must have an education. Among my friends in Russia when I was asking them why they wanted to get their high education very often they were telling me that it is necessary to get a good job and to make a good career. I agree with them because I think that it is easier to begin my career not from nothing, but with the experience and all education that I would gain in the University. Another reason why I want to get high education is because all members in my family have already received their high education. My father has finished the Institute of Technology, and my mother has finished Medical Institute. All my life I was listening from them that it is very important to get high education. When I was trying to pass my exams for the University in Russia my family was very nervous. It looked like that it wasn’t me who wanted to get to the university, but the whole family were trying with me to pass all exams. I think that family’s support in getting education is very important. At least it was so for me. Also I want to get my high education because I enjoy studying. All my life I thought that it is very important to be independent and I was trying to be independent since I was a child. I didn’t like to ask my parents to help me with my homework and I was sitting with my homework sometimes till late night but I did myself understand that all must be dependent from yourself and not from someone else. I loved to study and in a high school was an excellent student. All my life I have been though that I could almost 2015-03-31T06:35:12.947-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/IMPORTANCE-OF-EDUCATION-35098.aspx Philosophy in life is very important but as this time I am not really sure what are my philosophies in life because as for now I really don't understand what my life is. So, I'll try to list down my philosophies in life and I hope that, this will be an essay of my philosopy in life. Specifically, I want to earn money. Because, money provides everything. When I want to 2014-12-27T01:43:14.88-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/My-Philosophy-and-Perception-in-Life-35074.aspx "And among His Signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the variations in your languages and your colours : verily in that are Signs for those who know." (Quran, Ar-Room, V 22) Studying language, I believe, is certainly one amongst the most fascinating and exciting disciplines one could ever study. Linguistics, the science of language, is a means of probing into the most intriguing aspects of human knowledge. Communicating via language is perhaps the most single characteristic that distinguishes human beings from other animal species, hence, I think, it is imperative to know about it for every rational being. Its importance could better be viewed from the fact that it is 'language' which is the primary medium for studying any discipline of knowledge (i.e) Science, Humanities, Social Sciences etc. Moreover the power language exerts over us could also be felt from the fact that whatever we think, we think in a language. Thus language is the basis of all knowledge and language and thought are complementary and it would not be inappropriate to quote Samuel Johnson here who says, "Language is the dress of thought". Linguistics as a subject provides us with a grand opportunity to study about the basis of all human knowledge (i.e) language. Though very obscure is the origin of language, yet Linguistics comes up with a multiplicity of enthralling theories which, to a great extent, try to illuminate the dark mystery of its origin. Studying its origin is not its sole subject matter but it studies language in general (i.e) its origin, development and changes over time (Dichronically and Synchronically), its variations, relationship with other disciplines, its constituent parts viz Phones, Morphs, Syntax, Semantics etc. Being a Literature student, I think, it is imperative to study the language of the literature in which it is written. Linguistics not only broadens ones vision but also makes one creative and insightful by providing him with the opportunity to view the subject matter from multiple perspectives. "The limits of my language", says Ludwig Wittgenstein, "are the limits of my world." I hereby remember the old adage "Knowledge is power", certainly true it is but let's try to replace the word 'knowledge' with' language' and see whether we could justify the claim. Think of any important goal you have in your life and think what role could language play in making you a standout. After all without language heartfelt beliefs, hard work, innovative ideas 2014-12-04T08:30:12.32-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Why-study-language-or-linguistics-35069.aspx TABLE OF CONTENTS Framing 2 Investigating 4 Reasoning 5 Christianity 5 Islam 7 Judging 9 Appendix 1 12 Appendix 2 14 It can be hypothesised that, due to their common origin in the Middle East as well as their historical and traditional connections, Christianity and Islam will show numerous similarities concerning their ceremonies, beliefs and values in regards to the marriage ritual. FRAMING In a secular sense, the concept of marriage is defined as, "The legal union between a man and woman as husband and wife, and in some jurisdictions between two people of the same sex." (Oxford Dictionary; ONLINE; 6/10/14) However, in contrast to this, the definition varies vastly throughout the major world religions regarding their notions of unity between two people. The two key religions of Islam and Christianity will be analysed, compared and contrasted critically within this ethnographic investigation. The religions' perspective on the major ritual of marriage and its significance within the respective religious society will be explored and examined studiously in order to gain a diverse understanding on the topic. The definitive aim of this investigation is to prove the similarities, or possible dissimilarities, between the two religions concerning their beliefs and values on the marriage ritual. The most significant issues under investigation in this report will be analysed by incorporating and applying the theories of Victor Turner, Arnold Van Gennep and Terrence Lovat to effectively compare and contrast the ritual, meaning and symbols of marriage concerning marriage through the eyes of both Islam and Christianity. Victor Turner, ‘a British anthropologist best known for his work regarding symbols, rituals and rites of passage’(Britannica; ONLINE; 6/10/14) as well as coining the term "communitas", digressed that all rituals have four meanings: • The subjective, which is the text meaning and is explained by the person performing the ritual. • An objective meaning which discusses the purpose of the ritual within society. • Position, which denotes the symbols used and the relationships between them. • Hidden, which is in some way revealed to those belonging to the ritual community. Additionally, Van Gennep argued that the actual ceremonies within rituals are different however their meanings are ultimately the same, focusing on the fact that all rituals encompass a change of status within society. Moreover, Terence Lovat actively analysed rituals using his five step model that consisted of: • The participant leaves the ordinary or mundane world and enters the ritual • The participant engages in some type of prepatory rite. • The participant experiences a central or highpoint of the ritual. • The participant joins in some sort of celebration in the ritual • The 2014-11-14T22:22:08.39-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/A-Comparison-Between-Islamic-and-Catholic-Marriage-35063.aspx Hello there old man Scallywag I'm here to tell you why Gracie does not make the strongest decisions and now I will tell you why. When they first arrive at the Moore river settlement Gracie is the first to jump out of the truck and it may not seem submissive on its one but i'll get to that, so Gracie does what she's told immediately whilst the others are more hesitant. Then when they're eating that weird porridge stuff when they start talking in they're own language and get yelled at Gracie is 2014-06-06T06:59:48.88-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Rabbit-proof-fence-Character-assessment-35040.aspx 2014-05-23T22:38:52.437-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/-Are-Some-Parents-of-Violent-Children-The-Main-Cause-of-Their-Child’s-Behavior-35037.aspx A comparison of Judaism and Christianity provide many interesting perspectives on the issue of faith that characterize and separates them .These two faiths have much in common yet there are glaring fundamental differences that separate them. What makes the contrasts between Judaism and Christianity so fascinating is that in spite of the much later origin of Christianity, the two faiths were in essence “separated at birth” because Christianity arose out of Judaism. An exploration of them both highlights where they have remained the same as well as where they have grown apart. The details of their beliefs comprise the difference between them. Some of the differences are obvious and significant of nearly any examination of the two groups. Other differences may seem to take only a second to most examinations and may be insignificant to the members of the two groups as well. Now lets discuss a little bit on the basics on Judaism so we can all have a better understanding of how it works. Judaism is one of the world’s oldest religions, dating back up to 2000 years BC from the time when God first called Abraham to leave his home and follow him. At that time, God made a covenant (or agreement) with Abraham in which he promised to make Abraham the father of a great nation and that one day his descendants would inherit the land of Canaan if Abraham followed him. Now through Moses, God gave the law of the people of Israel and the fulfillment of the promises became 2014-05-17T22:13:15.947-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Judaism-versus-Christianity-35036.aspx Shiela Talania EWRT 1A 4:00 PM Formal Paper #1 April 16,2014 Word Count: 861 Striving For The Best Everyone has their own story of how they are motivated. Study shows that our behaviour and attitudes can also be an aspect of what kind of person we can become in the future. At the age of 6 I came to America with my sister, I thought life would have been easy in America as they say, but it wasn’t. I was raised by my mother who did nothing but work 24/7, along with the help of my aunt and grandma. They’re married women but their husbands were across the country and that didn’t stop them from working hard raising their kids. That’s the image I grew with, independent women who provided for their kids, family, and their other half. That is why I say to myself to work hard and never give up my dreams. Even if I keep falling, I will always keep moving forward; there will always be obstacles in life. I want my life to be happy, no debt, successful career with my dream home; a suburban neighborhood that is quite, friendly peaceful surrounded nature , living in a two story house, five bedrooms, three bathrooms, big backyard, tree house on the side. Having my dream career, dream car, everything i’ve always dreamt of. I never lived in a house that we never had to share. Never really had my own room, personal space. That is why I want my kids to have their own room and make their memories that will stay forever in the house. In addition I want to provide my family whatever they need, I want my parents to retire and have good or bad no financial issues. It is my turn to provide for my parents. I understand that it won’t be the easiest course to overcome, but it doesn’t mean I shouldn’t try. I will never know if I succeed or fail until I actually try, even if I were to fail it will just make me a lot more stronger. All in all, my parents is what motivates me to strive for the best, because in the future I will be a parent as well. My parents didn’t give me everything I wanted because they couldn’t but I understood. I was glad that I didn’t grow up as a spoiled brat (not saying 2014-04-29T21:13:29.443-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Formal-Paper-35024.aspx Doell 1 Religious War in Judaism, Christianity and Islam Religious Studies Throughout history, humans have had a tough time accepting other cultures and ways of life foreign to their own. The human race is a brutal and uncompromising species and when people do not respect what they do not understand, they have tended to take matters into their own hands using Gods will as an excuse to exact war. The only means of justifying their hatred and misguided perceptions is to validate that God is on their side. When one reads the Torah, Bible or the Qur’an, they can ‘choose’ to see texts under a completely different light compared to the person right beside them. The words of all three sacred scripts can be twisted and be completely taken out of context to vindicate ones feelings towards other races, ethnicities and cultures. History has provided many examples of monotheistic religious war and conquering, from the day Joshua and his army brought down the walls of Jericho all the way to where the world finds itself now with war in the Middle East. This paper will set out to answer the question of whether or not the Holy Wars that have taken place throughout history were sanctioned by God himself, or rather just the works of men who felt the need to take innocent lives to satisfy their own greed. In the words of American comedian Steve Allen “If there is a God, the phrase that must disgust him is - holy war.”1 This paper will compare these claims of divinely sanctioned warfare between the three powerhouse monotheistic religions that are driving the world today: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Doell 2 Judaism has seen its fair share of war in its long history and it can be argued that the legacy of the wars the Jews partook in live on today. Judaism has experienced both incredible victories and unspeakable defeats. The whole theme of Judaism had been exile and return, not only physically being taken from their promised land but also on a spiritual level, their relationship with God. Judaism saw its people turn away from God, worshipping other deities and idols, only to return to God once again. So all Israel was recorded by genealogies, and indeed, they were inscribed in the Book of the Kings of Israel. But Judah was carried away captive to Babylon because of their unfaithfulness. 2 From 2014-03-25T18:25:01.703-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Holy-War-35011.aspx Sikhism is the world's fifth largest religion. Sikhism is one of the younger faiths of the world, as compared with religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity or Islam. It is a monotheistic faith, preaching the existence of only one God, and teaching ideals that may be universally accepted today and in the future: honesty, compassion, humility, piety, social commitment, and most of all tolerance for other religions. Sikhism is free from any claims and dogmas. To attain salvation, Sikhism rejects all rites, rituals, and fasts. It rejects the claims of mortification of body, self-torture, penance or renunciation. It does not believe in worship of gods and goddesses, stones, statues, idols, pictures, tombs or crematoriums. Devotees are supposed to desist from working miracles, uttering blessings and curses, and believing in omens. They wear God's name as a necklace and try to practice Nam (remembrance of God's name), Dan (charity) and Ishnan (purity), truthfulness and openness, self-restraint in temper, labor for the purpose of mutual benefit, profitable and edifying speech, humility and forbearance. Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji in the Punjab area, now Pakistan, founded the Sikh faith. He began preaching the way to enlightenment and God after receiving a vision. After his death a series of nine Gurus (regarded as reincarnations of Guru Nanak) led the movement until 1708. At this time these functions passed to the Panth and the holy text. The tenth Guru, Gobind Singh, compiled this text, the Shri Guru Granth Sahib. It consists of hymns and writings of the first 10 Gurus, along with texts from different Muslim and Hindu saints. The holy text is considered the 11th and final Guru. Sikhs believe in a single formless God with many names, who can be known through meditation. Sikhs pray many times each day and are prohibited from worshipping idols or icons. They believe in samsara, karma, and reincarnation as Hindus do but reject the caste system. They believe that everyone has equal status in the eyes of God. Sikhs follow a strict code of conduct called the Sikh Rahit Marayada. Some of the requirements are: A Sikh is not permitted to have any allegiances to other religions. Sikhs must accept the teachings of the Gurus in their entirety. A person who does not follow all the requirements of Sikhism is not considered a Sikh and may be excommunicated from Sikh society. I was going through some article about the teaching 2014-02-11T09:57:50.113-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Sikhism-The-World-s-Fifth-Largest-religion-35000.aspx 2013-12-10T00:39:52.53-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Justice-34992.aspx Denisse Arzola PHIL 8 10/14/13 Should We Carry a Gun? Personally, I would not be comfortable carrying a gun everywhere I go. I believe that it is reasonable to carry a gun in your car or home; but not inside the local grocery store, even though it’s more likely to be best effective there. It is to my understanding that people who carry a gun are more likely to look for a reason to use it accordingly, although, this article does raise a sound argument in defense to carrying a concealed weapon. Ratnesar reflects on a study published in 1995 that shows guns were used defensively around two and a half million times a year and that only five percent of cases were the defenders harmed after they were known to be carrying a weapon. This brings up a solid point in the argument of self-defense, but what wasn’t taken into consideration was that the study did not account for the levels of poverty in selected areas of the states. For example: would it be more understandable to carry a gun walking around the wealthy city of Beverly Hills or in the middle of Skid Row? So the benefits of carrying a gun fluctuate on the basis of a person’s conscience not science. He does indeed back up his facts by contending “that after more relaxed concealed carry laws were enacted, murders fell an average of eight percent, rapes five percent, and aggravated assaults seven percent for those areas; while in the rest of the country the numbers for murders went up twenty-four percent, seventy-one percent on rape, and the assaults more than doubled.” In my opinion, the only thing that proves is that the offenders were just more aware of policies, so in consequence they were more timid to attempt; not that the people were defending themselves by pulling out a weapon during a heated confrontation. Which backs up the idea of people’s conscience is where the gun safety laws really come into effect. After the laws were in place for an extended period of time, crime kept dropping while it was rising everywhere else. I agree more with Phillip Cook on the premise that “A more heavily armed public could easily result in more heavily armed army of robbers and assaulters who will fire first and ask questions later.” Even though it sounds far-fetched because no criminals with prior felonies would be able 2013-12-08T20:46:30.08-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Gun-Control-Laws-34991.aspx 2013-11-20T09:51:30.623-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Compare-and-contrast-essay-highschool-versus-college-34984.aspx Introduction Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptians are distinct communities that identify themselves by their ethnic, cultural and religious values, and by their languages and traditions, also recognized as distinct ethnic groups, enjoying representation in parliament of Kosovo and able to be educated and communicate in their language, in accordance with Kosovo Constitution . In historical context, the term Roma is often used by practitioners to refer jointly to all three communities for the time periods when Ashkali and Egyptian communities were still not identified by their distinct names. Nevertheless, the paper will strive to build a picture of the distinct historical and social context that brought Ashkali and Egyptians to Balkans and specifically Kosovo, also supported by written evidence and traditional narratives of representatives and authors from these communities. On February 17th, 2008, the Assembly of Kosovo endorsed the declaration of Kosovo an independent and sovereign state that would hold up the aspirations to build a free and democratic country, aligning itself with international standards of human rights, a country where all citizens, will live a dignitous life and enjoy equal opportunities, in the road of establishing peace, and building a joint future. These aspirations are embodied in the Kosovo Constitution. These commitments were given even a greater heed in the face of Kosovo’s aspiration to integrate in the European Community, a process that would require the country to act in alignment with highest international standards in the field of human rights and democratization. The topic of minority protection, however, dates back to the existence of the provisional institutions of Kosovo, when the country was run by UNMIK administration. As result of the work of local and international institutions, Kosovo does not lack the legal infrastructure needed to support communities in rebuilding their lives. It is become part of Stabilization Tracking Mechanism with EU; in this context minority protection holds a high degree of policy relevance, as the EU still applies conditionality with regard to minority protection to new applicants. The EU has continuously exerted strong pressure on candidate countries to promote respect for and protection of minorities in accordance to European standards, including European Convention on Human Rights and the European Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities. To address the protection of minority rights, Kosovo has adopted the promising Strategy for the Integration of the Romani, Ashkali and Egyptian Communities in Kosovo and the 2013-08-30T16:38:50.32-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Roma-situation-in-Balkans-34954.aspx In the novel, The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, there are many conflicts. Some are larger than others. Others draw out through the whole book. The character facing the most conflict however is Ralph. Not only does he face the most conflict, but he goes through the most important conflicts. He faces conflicts with Piggy, Samneric, and Jack. The longest struggle Ralph faces is with Jack. Ralph is constantly trying to retain his power from Jack. Throughout the chronicle, Jack is trying to take power away from Ralph. At the beginning when Jack has just lost the election for chief, he finds it necessary to take control of the choir boys. Later, Jack volunteers his choir boys to be hunters, and then later, to keep the fire going. Ralph lets him take this all on but later is outraged when Jack takes all his hunters and lets the fire go out. And later Jack tries to get Ralph overthrown. Nobody does, but Jack leaves the group and makes a new tribe that everybody but Ralph, Piggy, and Samneric join. This effort to retain power is important to the story because it develops Jack’s personality as a power hungry dictator as he has absolute power in his new tribe. This struggle for power lasts through the whole book. Ralph also faces a conflict with Jack’s tribe once he is an outcast. They are seeking to hunt him down and kill him. However, he gets an edge from Samneric and is able to escape for a while. At one point he is spotted and is able to escape when a man shows up on the island to rescue them because he saw their smoke. This conflict is at the climax of the story and shows that Jack’s tribe has nearly completed their transformation from human to savage. Ralph also has inner conflicts. One is Ralph’s decision to stay with normal society and not to join Jack’s barbaric tribe. A few times Ralph almost goes over, but he never does. One example of this is when he joins in the “Kill the Pig, Slit his Throat, Spill his blood!” game. Another is when he participates in the dance that brings about Simon’s death. The resolution to stay with proper society is key to the story 2013-08-26T23:43:47.483-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Conflict-in-Lord-of-The-Flies-34950.aspx 2013-08-13T15:18:03.13-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/This-essay-explains-the-concept-of-faith-and-argues-that-science-misleads-the-world_-This-essay-will-give-one-a-greater-understanding-of-Christianity_-34945.aspx The teaching of ‘no self’ or anatta in Buddhism can be a misleading one. There are many different views and interpretations on the subject and over the course of this essay, we will discuss the various understandings of anatta. The first thing that is needed to do when examining this statement is to define exactly what ‘no-self’ or anatta in Buddhism is. Anatta literally means ‘no-self’. It its one of the key central teachings of Buddhism. What this doctrine means is that there is no ‘self’, in the since of a permanent, fixed, integral being, within an individual existence. In some religions, a person has an individual soul, which after death, lives eternally on either in heaven or hell. Other religions teach that the soul gets purified, by going through many lives, before being united with its particular deity, in a higher state of consciousness. However, Buddhism is unique in that it denies the existence of a soul. Another Buddhist teaching on ‘self’, is that an individual is a combination of five aggregates of existence, called the Five Skandhas. We will discuss what these mean in relation to anatta and ‘self’. This is an important aspect to understanding what Buddha taught about ‘self’. In addition to the Five Skandhas, we will discuss the suggestions that Buddha taught the concept of anatta, not as a metaphysical assertion, but as a strategy for gaining release from suffering. A third aspect of this which needs examination is the fact that the two main forms of Buddhism, differ in their interpretations of anatta. We will discuss in which ways and to what extent they differ. A final aspect to be explored on this topic, is the notion that ‘self’ is an illusion and also an obstacle to the realisation of truth. People often find the Buddha’s teaching of anatta or ‘not self’ a difficult and confusing doctrine to comprehend. The first thing needed to do to understand his teaching of ‘not self’, is to understand how the Buddha himself defined ‘self’. Buddha essentially thought of ‘self’ in a metaphysical way. An example of what that fundamentally means is that he thought of ‘self’ as something, “eternal, permanent, unchanging, perfectly pure, self-contained and not dependent on the body or the environment” (Denise Cush, 1983: 36). It is a permanent abiding essence that survives 2013-08-10T19:33:31.367-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Anatta-in-Buddhism-34934.aspx The first thing that is needed to do when looking at this question is to define exactly what is meant when we say ‘insider’ and ‘outsider’. An insider in religion can be described as somebody who is a full participant in his or her religion and is devoted in the faith and teachings of his religion. Conversely, an outsider is somebody who has an objective view on religion, does not participate and merely views himself as an impartial observer. In addition to defining insider and outsider in the context of this question, we also must differentiate between what it is to understand and explain religion. To understand religion is to know and comprehend the aspects of it. However to explain it, requires a person to interpret his own understanding of religion and to be able to make clear the details of it. Over the course of this essay, we will take the views of both insiders and outsiders, as being better equipped in regards understanding and explaining religion. We will look at advantages and disadvantages of both these positions. Of course it will not be possible to cover all aspects of this broad topic in this essay, however we will cover the main features which validate the argument. As Kim Knott puts it, “we find ourselves considering the nature and limits of objectivity and subjectivity, ‘emic’ and ‘etic’ positions, ‘experience-near’ and ‘experience-distant’ concepts, empathy and critical analysis, the effect of personal standpoint and the process of reflexivity”(John Hinnells, 2005: 259). Main Body The notion that the religious insider is better equipped to understand and explain religion is fairly widespread. The thought behind this can be summarised as, because they have been devout to their religion, in most cases for all their lives, they have a familiarity and a certain feel for the religion that an outsider could never attain. Wilfred Cantwell Smith said on the matter, “no statement about a religion is valid unless it can be acknowledged by that religions believers” (Ross Reat, Sept 1983: 460). The above statement contends that the outsider cannot comprehend what it truly is to understand a certain religion because he simply cannot know what it means to have 2013-08-10T19:00:15.387-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Discuss-insider-and-outsider-in-religion-34929.aspx Clerical Celibacy versus Clerical Marriage: The Struggle for the Priesthood Throughout the Reign of the Tudor Monarchs Prospectus: pages 1-10 Works Cited: page 11 Revised Annotated Bibliography: pages 12-24 Primary Source Citation: page 25 Copy of Primary Source Document: pages 25-28 Stephanie Platner History 100 – Introduction to Historical Skills in Tudor England Dr. Stephanie Seery-Murphy May 24, 2013 Pages 1-28, Word Count: 10,592 Clerical Celibacy and Clerical Marriage: The Struggle for the Priesthood Throughout the Reign of the Tudor Monarchs Throughout the reign of the Tudor monarchs, the traditional Catholic ideal of clerical celibacy was completely opposed by Reformation proponents who supported clerical marriage. While Catholic monarchs demanded their clergy abide by celibate oaths, Protestant reformers used their platform to institute changes which allowed the clergy to marry. The vacillating religious ideologies of each of the Tudor monarchs made clerical marriage and clerical celibacy an increasingly complex issue; the creation of laws which allowed clerical marriage, and their subsequent repeal, created conflict and confusion within the church. In England, clerical marriage was one of the most fiercely debated issues of the Reformation, and caused deep divisions between religious leaders on both sides of the aisle. However, the maelstrom over religious ideology and practices had serious consequences, which tremendously impacted the lives of clergy members and their families. As of now, clerical marriage and clerical celibacy continue to be important topics in the study of Tudor England, while proponents of both views debate the impact their position had on the church and the priesthood. Even today, the issue of celibacy versus marriage within the priesthood is widely discussed, and therefore remains a timely and relevant issue. In order to clarify the sequence of events surrounding the controversy over clerical celibacy and marriage, I organized the results of my research chronologically in order to examine how the reign of each monarch directly affected the lives of clergy members. Beginning with Henry VIII, and continuing with Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I, I looked at how each monarch’s reign impacted: a.) the position of the church regarding celibacy/marriage, b.) the laws, statues or articles created/changed regarding celibacy/marriage, c.) the arguments made for/against celibacy/marriage, d.) examples of clergy who were impacted by the above factors, and the impact/outcome on the clergy member and their family. I incorporated one primary source into the discussion of clerical marriage, an anonymous letter written by a witness to the execution of Thomas 2013-06-01T03:01:42.31-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Clerical-Celibacy-Versus-Clerical-Marriage-The-Struggle-for-the-Preisthood-in-16th-Century-England-34890.aspx And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you'll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ's love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God." (Ephesians 3: 17-19) I want the Church to be like my playground in the back yard: 1. Fun 2. Imaginative 3. A place to be a kid You don't need a ton of proof to know that more and more churches are struggling to survive. It seems churches that are in this predicament have one of two options: revive or die. There are a lot of books, seminars, and workshops given on how to go about reviving a church. However, there is not one cookie cutter, full-proof, and effective strategy in reviving a church. Having said that, it doesn't mean that it is impossible. There are many examples of struggling churches that have successfully revived the congregation, increased the health of the church, and expanded their ministry. Now, before you go and buy another book, or attend another conference, or start selling off your pews for coffee tables and chairs, let me make a few suggestions. These suggestions are for the people in the church because you are the church. Pastors come and go, but it is the congregants, parishioners, and members that make up the identity, flavor, and, ultimately, affect the future direction of a congregation. 1. Who are you? Figure out who you are as a congregation. As Rick Warren once said, "You will attract who you are, not who you want." There is some truth to this and that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Visitors can tell if a church is not being authentic to who they really are. When I first started at my church, my job description focused heavily on attracting the growing population of young Chinese-American families in the neighborhood. The problem was that the make-up of the church was the exact opposite. Furthermore, the suggestions being made to attract such folk were evidence that this wasn't being authentic to who we were. One thought was that by hiring me, an Asian-American woman, these families would feel more comfortable and accepted at church. It wasn't until someone pointed out that I was Korean and not Chinese that there was willingness to abandon this direction and 2013-05-23T17:40:10.903-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Church-and-State-34887.aspx Pragmatism, partly originated by John Dewey, is an approach on education that assesses the truth of meaning of beliefs in terms of the success of their practical applications. It is a philosophy that stresses practicality and learning through experience. Pragmatism, in education, seeks to conserve the culture, but also to renew aspects of social circumstances. The teacher—learner relationship in Pragmatic education uses a “problem—centered” solving method; in order for it to be successful, the teacher must guide and not control. (97) For Pragmatism, the truth is practical. “Ideas are to be judged by their consequences when acted on; truth is a warranted assertion, a tentative statement based on the application of hypotheses to solving problems; logic, following the scientific method, is experimental; values are experienced within the context of ethical and aesthetic problems and issues charged by the unique features of particular situations.” (78) In this quote, Pragmatism is explained as a problem—solving educational theory. Each step of a decision is presented and the pragmatic solution follows. In education, Pragmatism is practical in teaching. “Intelligence, the ability to define and solve problems, is acquired through the experience of persisting and working through problem—solving situations.” (89) This quote shows how vital experience and practical application are to learning by stressing the definition of intelligence as the ability to problem solve. For example, a biology teacher can explain to a student how to dissect a frog, but until the student has first—hand experience, they will not actually know how to do it. Experience also allows the student to branch out in to society. One of Dewey’s main points was the relationship between education and society. (93) He felt that education should equip the student to participate in the culture. Education has two main cultural goals; (1) conserving the heritage of our culture, and (2) reconstructing our culture for the better. “Cultural conservation does not mean that adults in a society use the school to reproduce currently held beliefs and values. Rather, it means that the young are provided the cultural skills and tools by which they can improve social conditions.” (93) Essentially, this quote explains that conserving culture does not mean saving the old, but rather making the new better. This quote also shows a little insight into Social Reconstruction and the implications of societal reform on our culture. In education, Pragmatists assert that a teacher’s role is less controlling and more helping. “The teacher’s 2013-04-29T10:28:38.797-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Pragmatism-and-its-Educational-Implications-34874.aspx Marxism is an ideology that was created by Karl Marx stating that our world is ruled by a class society. In this society, the poor lower class are poor and the rich upper class make sure the system remains in place to keep the lower class poor. “Thus, for Marx, historical change is economically caused by the struggle to control production. The origins of classes and the resulting class conflict were economically determined.” (232) In this quote, Gutek explains how the classes in our society 2013-04-23T11:49:51.387-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Marxism-and-how-it-applies-to-Education-34864.aspx Arranged Marriage Kelly Luá Franklin AP Literature, Period 1 Talking about arranged marriage in India is as common as talking about travel plans over coffee in the United States. Marriages that aren’t arranged are seldom in the country. In fact, when these do occur they are called “love matches”. Although there are many benefits to an arranged marriage, love matches may be more beneficial. Families in India consist of parents, unmarried daughters, sons and daughters in law living in the same house. During the process of arranging a marriage, the prospective wife is sent to live with the prospective groom’s family in a sort of evaluation. This evaluation puts tremendous pressure on the prospect to exhibit all the qualities the ideal wife should have. I don’t believe that this type of stress is beneficial to any relationship because it causes emotional ties to be obligatory instead of voluntary. The marriage may work out in the end or it may have an unhappy existence due to its rocky beginnings. In a love match, marriages have a better chance of working out do to mutual expressions and pacing. Although providing or asking for a dowry is illegal in the country, it is still widely required as an unspoken social standard. I view this as a bribe for the young man’s family to go into an arranged marriage with a young woman. There are reports that some prospective wives have been pressured into asking their families for more gifts in place of a dowry. I find this “twisting of the arm” to contrast greatly with the way that two families bond in love matches. In the later gifts may be desired, but definitely not required like the way that they are in arranged marriages. It is widely known that love matches in the United States have a high percentage of divorces. Despite this, I believe that love matches are still better than arranged marriages. With arranged marriages, a person never really knows what they’re getting into and once they get in it’s a social disgrace to try to get out. In a love match, a person should know exactly what they’re getting into so if the marriage ends badly then it’s the person’s fault for making a bad decision and they can get out of it by means of divorce. I’m a strong believer in the notion that it is better to have loved and lost than to 2013-04-17T07:41:32.54-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Arranged-Marriage-34861.aspx “Waiting for Godot”: Realism “Waiting for Godot” occupies a prominent place in the annals of English literature for highlighting the basic truths of human beings belonging to any age or religion. The play can be interpreted by various ways. It is a play in which fact and fancy, illusion and reality are mingled together. In “Waiting for Godot” man’s sufferings, whether physical or metaphysical, are shown in such a way that we feel them as our own suffering. The play is a mirror of our age because it shows the inner hollowness, helplessness and meaninglessness of modern man’s life. The theme of the play has a universal appeal. The tramps represent all humanity. Their sufferings are the sufferings of all human beings; no matter in which country they live in or what religious beliefs they have. They reflect modern man’s loneliness, absurdity, forgetfulness, illusions, waiting condition, deferred hope, physical suffering, mental anguish, death wish and isolation. The main subject of the play is waiting and the act of waiting is an essential aspect of the human condition. Vladimir says: “We’re waiting for Godot” And the sentence is repeated in the course of the play like a refrain. It is not clear in the play who or what Godot is. The tramps themselves have only a vague idea of who Godot is. They wait for him in a state of ignorance or helplessness. The play thus depicts waiting, ignorance and boredom and all these things are directly experienced by us in life, wait is essential – the offer of a job, the possibility of promotion, the return of a long-lost friend, a love letter etc. Thus we discover a common ground between ourselves and the two tramps who are waiting for Godot. The play highlights the theme of habit, boredom and “the suffering of being”. The play is a fable about a kind of life that has no longer any point. Godot may stand for God. Or for a mythical human being or for a meaning of life or for death but the play is a representation of stagnant life. The heroes or anti-heroes are merely alive but a life without action and purpose. In our world millions of people do not act but are acted. The tramps, in spite of their inaction and pointlessness of their existence, still want to go on. The million of people today do not give up 2013-04-10T13:32:37.017-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Realsim-in-Waiting-For-Godot-by-Samual-Beckett-34853.aspx Television shows don’t serve just one purpose. They are not just for our entertainment or to please our visual needs, but they serve as an escape while also acting as the bridge that unites families, co-workers, friends, foes, and more. A popular television show like The Office, for example has much deeper meaning than a 30-minute comedy NBC airs every week. It’s a television show I grew up with that leaves me feeling happy when I’m sad and is a time in which my family can break away from their busy schedules to sit and be together. I notice some similarities behind the global popularity of Indian cinema and reasons as to why I watch The Office. One case in particular deals in the former Soviet Union. In Sudha Rajgopalan’s short essay, “Indian Popular Cinema and Soviet Movie Enthusiasts”, he discusses dark times in the former Soviet Union. World War II had come to an end, the environment was in shambles and Stalin had just ended his rule. The Soviet people needed an escape from the real world to a place were they could forget and be in high spirits. Indian films served as that escape. Indian films were filled with bright imagery with cheerful songs and dancing. The Soviet people could loose themselves in Indian cinema and flee their dreadful environment the moment they began to watch these films. The television series The Office, serves a comparable role for me as Indian Films did to the former Soviet Union. The Office is a comedy about a “group of typical office workers, where the workday consists of ego clashes, inappropriate behavior, and tedium” (IMDb). It includes light and awkward humor in comical and often absurd situations. When I am in a bad mood, have had a rough day, or just want to relax I often turn to The Office. It is my escape from the real world. When I turn on The Office, my stress and anxiety are instantly erased and I am transported into an alternate world. I need The Office to act as a distraction the same way the people of the former Soviet Union needed Indian films to distract them in times of devastation and trouble. This is not the only parallel I can draw from the points in Rajgopalan’s essay and this television series. The Office puts a spin on a significant commonality for a very a large 2013-03-22T22:15:33.31-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/TESTING-TESTING-123-34835.aspx “Howl” section two, Allen Ginsberg, 1955 What sphinx of cement and aluminum bashed open their skulls and ate up their brains and imagination? Moloch! Solitude! Filth! Ugliness! Ashcans and unobtainable dollars! Children screaming under the stairways! Boys sobbing in armies! Old men weeping in the parks! Moloch! Moloch! Nightmare of Moloch! Moloch the loveless! Mental Moloch! 5 Moloch the heavy judger of men! Moloch the incomprehensible prison! Moloch the crossbone soulless jail- house and Congress of sorrows! Moloch whose buildings are judgment! Moloch the vast stone of war! Moloch the stunned governments! Moloch whose mind is pure machinery! Moloch whose blood is running money! Moloch whose fingers are ten armies! 10 Moloch whose breast is a cannibal dynamo! Moloch whose ear is a smoking tomb! Moloch whose eyes are a thousand blind windows! Moloch whose skyscrapers stand in the long streets like endless Jehovahs! Moloch whose factories dream and croak in the fog! Moloch whose smokestacks and antennae crown the cities! 15 Moloch whose love is endless oil and stone! Moloch whose soul is electricity and banks! Moloch whose poverty is the specter of genius! Moloch whose fate is a cloud of sexless hydrogen! Moloch whose name is the Mind! Moloch in whom I sit lonely! Moloch in whom I dream Angels! Crazy in Moloch! Cocksucker in Moloch! Lacklove and manless in Moloch! 20 Moloch who entered my soul early! Moloch in whom I am a consciousness without a body! Moloch who frightened me out of my natural ecstasy! Moloch whom I abandon! Wake up in Moloch! Light streaming out of the sky! Moloch! Moloch! Robot apartments! invisible suburbs! skeleton treasuries! blind capitals! demonic industries! spectral nations! invincible mad houses granite cocks! monstrous bombs! 2013-03-07T17:38:44.543-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Explication-of-Allen-Ginsberg-s-poem-"Howl"-Part-II-34827.aspx The Color of Education in America In his essay “Still Separate, Still Unequal,” Jonathan Kozol gives us a very detailed presentation of the emergent trend of racial segregation within America’s urban and inner-city schools. Kozol provides substantiation to his claim based on his research and observations of different school environments, its teachers and students, and personal interviews with them. It is very clear that color of education in America is not green like the dollar bill; it is white if you’re rich and brown if you’re poor. What’s more atrocious is how the government of the people gives more educational benefits to the rich and less to the poor. I cringed when I look at the statistics Kozol provided; this claim of segregation becomes an eye-opener to tax payers and the people who elected our government officials. Based on the data he provided, the vast “majority of enrollment in most of the public schools in our major cities is black or Hispanic: 79% in Chicago, 94% in Washington, D.C., 82% in Saint Louis, 96% in Detroit, 84% in Los Angeles, up to 95% in New York”, to name a few(Colombo 220). One would think that maybe this is happening in Alabama or Mississippi but not in New York, Illinois, Michigan and Los Angeles. It is more discouraging to hear from black teachers that if you happen to be in a major city and would like to see the segregation in action, just look for a school named after Martin Luther King Jr. or Rosa Parks. And on top of that according to Kozol’s research, Caucasian children living in the public school districts that enroll blacks and Hispanics as majority will often opt-out of attending that particular school and instead enroll in a predominately white school. Kozol also argued that students of the minority basically are limited in what they can achieve from a very young age because of financial status. He states that wealthy individuals are able to educate their toddlers in very extensive programs before they even enter kindergarten. By the time the students are expected to take “high-stakes tests” in 3rd grade, these wealthy students have had far more education than minority students who are expected to take the same standard exams. He is right on target when he mentioned that money makes the difference of whether or not a parent can afford to send their child 2013-03-03T03:44:08.247-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Color-of-Education-in-America-34824.aspx A Change in Life In life people often conform to thinking that the life they lead is a good one. They are comfortable and do not think that any change in their life will add up to anything significant. In reality change is good, however in the short story “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner, he presents a portrait of a lonely woman, Miss Emily Grierson, who succumbs to a mental illness while living a reclusive life, stuck to the traditions of old south aristocrats, and her life then ends in a gothic tragedy. The life that Miss Emily Grierson had lived is one to keep and she makes choices not to change it even though her life is portrayed as a tragic life which is deprived of the ability to change. The time frame that Miss Emily Grierson was persistent in her perception was the greatest time era, “The Old South.” We knew that she wanted to stay in the old south time when the next generation populated the small city of Jefferson and asked Emily for taxes. When they did this she ranted and raved that Colonel Sartoris has written her a letter in which relieves her of any taxes. She told the tax collectors “See Colonel Sartoris. I have no taxes in Jefferson” (p33). The fact that the tax collectors could not see Colonel Sartoris is because Colonel Sartoris had been dead almost ten years. Her inability to see that change was happening outside her home blinded her to change things with in her home. Even the furniture that she had was not updated. Emily’s parlor was furnished with heavy, leather-covered furniture that was cracked from not being used. She had been trapped in the ways “Old South”, and did not care to change as time went by. In her earlier years, Emily, grew up with her father who was a wealthy man of the “Old South”. While growing up she was restricted from all people of the opposite sex, and was a cast away from the social nature of life. She was never to date or be seen with a man while her father was around. The following example displays a hard change that Miss Emily could not comprehend, “The day after his death all the ladies prepared to call at the house and offer condolence and aid, as is our custom. 2013-02-28T22:06:45.43-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/A-Rose-for-Emily-A-Change-in-Life-34821.aspx For centuries, the idea of God has been a part of man's history. Past and present, there has always been a different integration consisting of the believers and the non-believers of God. The group of those who have "faith" in God tend to be related to one religion or another. On the other hand, the skeptics find the existence of God somewhat puzzling and try to seek the answers through scientific methods. Even as of today with all the modern technologies and the development of sciences, we still do not have a definitive answer to the question "does God exist?" Among many philosophers and scholars who have tried to answer this question, we shall look upon Rene Descartes' theory on the existence of God. In terms of believers and non-believers, Descartes would be one of the believers. Before we go any further, we must ponder upon several questions. What is God? Does God exist? If such God does exist, then where does this being come from? Why do believers and non-believers hold on to their beliefs as they do? What significance does the existence of God have upon mankind? These are only the tip of the iceberg amongst the vast array of unanswered questions related to God. Though there are so many uncertainties as we have just mentioned, the existence of all other uncertainties in our world may explain why the existence of God is so real to many people. For the believers, God provides a convenient answer to all these questions except for the answers regarding God itself. The following are some of the general arguments for the existence of God. The first argument comes from the theory of design; there are orders in the universe which can't be occurring by mere chance. Secondly, the existence of God explains the arguments regarding the efficient causality; as the world exhibits orderly causal sequences, something had to start it all up. Thirdly but not the least, God provides an answer to the question of the origin of life and its destination after death. ( For the sake of convenience, we shall borrow some theological ideas from Christianity, the Christian God, to exemplify our comparisons.) 2013-02-22T11:05:55.463-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/-The-Existence-of-God-34807.aspx Travis Slaby phil-101 Alex Clarkson 2-17-97 Hume's Mind Game The human mind is a very intricate machine. There have been many people that have attempted, and failed, to explain how the human mind operates. After reading Hume, I was in agreement with a lot of what he was explaining. Hume, in my mind, has come the closest to uncovering the minds operations. Robert Hume dealt with a lot of what Decarte talked about in his writings. The difference between Decarte and Hume is that Hume "ironed out" a lot of the "wrinkles" that Decarte left behind. One in particular, was that of doubting everything. Hume believed that you could doubt some things, but it was impossible to doubt everything. I completely agree with Hume. Doubting everything would never lead anywhere. The human mind can not just wipe out all it's known memory and start over. The mind is always on. Decarte used his beliefs to prove his own theories. He cheated his own system. Another thing Hume did was throw the Law of Mediocrity out the window. He is saying, basically, that everyday life can change tomorrow. The sun may not come up in the morning, a pool ball, being hit by another, may not move. I still believe the sun will come up tomorrow, but I see what Hume is trying to get at. Everything that is thought to be definite can change. There is no proven facts that say the sun will come up tomorrow, we just assume it will. In Hume's writing, assumption is a dangerous word. Assumption is made up of what you believe and what you don't. I can believe light will turn on when I hit the switch, but I can not rule out the fact that it will not turn on. It is probable that the light will turn on, but not definite. Hume says probabilities are what the mind is consuming during everyday life. Science give the facts because it has been tested and proved. "Everyday life" hasn't been proven by science. One example of a nonproved science is gravity. Gravity pulls everything toward the center of the earth. They have tested gravity, but there are no definite facts known to prove the theories. Who knows, maybe tomorrow gravity reverses it's pull and 2013-02-12T05:46:44.253-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Hume-s-Mind-Game-34795.aspx Ahmad Itani Professor Wishart English 1102-Section 06G 20 July 2012 “Sarcasm and Irony in Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken" is a very complex and highly debated poem; especially as far as what the true meaning is. Many people have debated the various interpretations of this poem by Frost especially. Many aspects of Frost’s life have been taken into account in order to determine which interpretation is correct. Whether a look at moral ideals of Frost or using other works, Robert Frost’s true interpretation has been long sought after. On the surface, through the first reading, it seems as though Frost is sending the message of self-worth and reliance, and a resistance to follow in the footsteps of others. After reading again, it seems to me that it's more complicated than that, and also simpler. The story is about choice, and not really about whether it's the right choice. The story seems to be more about the inevitability of the choices people have to make, and that the consequences are futile to avoid. This is a story that really responds to the personal experiences of the reader; someone going through different situations may see the story through a totally different perspective giving a different meaning. The true delight may be in the realization that this was intended by the author. Robert Frost was born in California, and grew up in New Hampshire. Frost spent time doing various jobs, including teaching, and studied at Dartmouth and Harvard. Frost’s writing came along later on in his life, and he went to England in order to accomplish his goal of becoming a success as a writer. Robert Frost used his experience and knowledge to create a beautiful style of writing, and “The Road Not Taken” is a great example of this style. Frost wrote his poetry to be a success, and to captivate his audience and make them think. “Poetry, much more than other literary forms, is believed to rely upon the personal, subjective, even solipsistic view of both the world and the self” (Bojana 195). Frost wrote a lot of literature using symbolism, irony, and sarcasm. “Frost’s roads must ultimately, it seems to me, be read as being every bit as visionary as Rimbaud’s “Ruts” (French, Ornieres). Indeed, the setting and trajectory of both works are strikingly similar, each projecting at its outset “Two roads,” a “right” and “left” bank of apperception” 2012-12-31T10:36:22.557-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Sarcasm-and-Irony-in-Robert-Frost’s-“The-Road-Not-Taken-34769.aspx “The government solution to a problem is usually as bad as the problem.” Milton Friedman. This quote suggests that whenever there is a problem, the solution the government gives will not be better than the problem itself. It relates to the book Fahrenheit 451 because the solutions the government figured out is not reasonable. In the story, Bradbury tells the audience that censorship, conformity is a bad thing through the character Montag, whose job is to burn books, learns about his society that he is currently living in. He was inspired by a girl called Clarisse, who is a non-conformist in the book, and was taught more knowledge by Faber, an old man who keeps some books. Also in their society, there is Beatty, captain of the fire department, who tries to stop Montag from rebelling against the unfairness of the government. Furthermore, it suggests other minor characters that care only for themselves, like Mildred, Montag’s wife, cares only about getting a TV and having fun but ignores almost everything about Montag. Bradbury instills knowledge about how people should live their lives through the themes of censorship, conformity, and loss of humanity. First of all, the editing of media is one way Bradbury teaches us how not to live lives. In the current world, censorship means the suppression of a published or broadcast material. The media is a powerful tool to manipulate public opinion; government will use this. Because people now watch a lot of movies, books, and other kinds of media, censorship may be used at times like this. According to Fahrenheit 451, the main thing that gets censored is books. Instead of just editing one part of the book to make it available for everyone to read, the people in their society burn the book. An example of censoring books is when “’colored people don’t like Little black Sambo. Burn it. [When] [w]hite people don’t feel good about Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Burn it…’” (59). The people do not face the problem; instead, they just destroy everything a majority amount of people dislike. Also in their society, the government controls everything because people rely on them. So when Montag the fugitive is on the streets, the government is afraid of losing control of their people so they get 2012-12-11T06:45:41.047-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Fahrenheit-451-themes-34763.aspx Is it the return of the unacceptable face? -Htet Pyo Wai and Shari Ann Pan-oy "It's the Marikana incident that bringing back the unpleasant criticism." Simon Scott who was appointed as the temporary chief executive of Lonmin Company (former Lonrho) a week after the Marikana incident was welcomed by the violence and tensions that the company is facing. Would he be able to erase the company’s criticism “the unacceptable face”? “The unpleasant and unacceptable face of the Capitalism” was a criticism by the British Minister Edward Heath to the head of Lonrho Company in the 1970s. Lonrho was founded in 1909 as the London and Rhodesian Land and Mining Company limited and in 1963 Tiny Rowland was recruited as the chief of the company. He seemed to be visionary and looked only for his profits but under his control, the company expanded within Africa, from a mining company to the multi-million pound international cooperation. His position became a case of the High court to be criticized by the politicians including the Prime Minister but no further actions were taken to Mr. Rowland until he was expelled in 1992. Yet, because of his contributions to South Africa in terms of economics and political sectors, he was highly valued by the African leaders including Nelson Mandela. And Rowland’s response to the Prime Minister’s words was “I don’t want to be an ACCEPTABLE FACE of the capitalism”. The Marikana incident is bringing back the past stories of capitalism in South Africa and showed that the roots of the capitalism are still growing. Although South Africa is under the rule of black majority, the white minority are still in firm control of the ‘economics’ lever. Still, we cannot merely blame the leaderships of the company and their ideology. The government and the unions were also played a vital role in the occurrences of the incident. Despite of these political and ideological factors behind, the main focus is what had brought these mineworkers to the protest. The continuous complain by the mine workers are their poor condition of livings. There is no doubt of how badly affects their angers. Majority of them are living in the informal settlements that they call shacks or mkhukus and in the winter with some ices on the roof and leak to the rooms. There is no concrete road, no clean water but has a polluted environment due to lack of garbage 2012-11-02T07:48:23.917-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Free-Essay-on-Htet-Pyo-Wai-and-Shari-Ann-Pan-oy-34731.aspx The literal term pagan comes from the Latin word Paganus, literally meaning country-dweller or rustic. If you were to ask other Wiccans (pagans) they would probably give you a different answer, but they would all have a ring of familiarity with each other. The reason they would all kind of sound the same after a while is because most of our values are the same. Pagans are very peaceful people; one of their rules are “An ye harm none, do as ye will.” See harm no one is the one main rule that all pagans follow and yet we are persecuted as devil worshiper’s who sacrifice animals and people for magic. WRONG! AS a fellow Wiccan I am quite upset at the way people treat us because if how the church has portrayed non-Christians or pagans for years.We believe in the threefold law if you have never heard it called this before it is because you wouldn’t think of it this way but karma will work however it desires. So remember “Three times three, what you put forth comes back to thee.” Wiccans have the Wiccan Rede, which speaks of the Sabbats, the guidelines of the use of magick, and the respect of higher powers. One of those Rules is pretty much self-explanatory “Three times three, what you put forth comes back to thee.” This is Karma; it can be good or bad depending on what you’ve done in life. You can see this a lot though paganism’s history and story’s. Another one is “An ye harm none, do as ye will.” As I mentioned earlier this rule is set in stone and is non-negotiable. This is how important another’s life is to us. Even if we do practice magick we would never use it to harm or negatively affect ourselves or another. Pagans can be monotheistic (the belief of one god) or polytheistic (the belief of one or more gods) depending on the belief of the individual. This can also lead to Pantheism and Animism. Pantheism is the belief that the landscape itself is divine, that nature is an inherit sacred being. While Animism is the belief that everything including inanimate objects have a soul or spirit, that we are all connected on a spiritual plan or connected by energy. Two of the most common deities, are the god and the goddess. The Goddess is commonly 2012-11-02T01:58:22.91-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/An-Essay-on-Paganism-Good-or-Evil-34730.aspx Tension in Lord of the Flies Golding creates tension in Lord of the Flies with the ongoing power fight between Jack and Ralph. In chapter two when Ralph calls an assembly, he wants to keep order as he discusses the fire. However, as soon as he mentions it, Jack leads all of the children on an excited rampage up the mountain. “All at once the crowd swayed towards the island and were gone- following Jack.” This shows how Jack used the other children’s excitement to his advantage to undermine Ralph. Jack does this throughout the first part of the novel; trying to make himself appeal as a better chief than Ralph is, by making the others see him as fun, and seeing Ralph as boring. One time when he does this is when they are exploring Castle Rock in Chapter six. Ralph is angry because he wants to go on looking for the beast, but Jack is encouraging the others to “Roll rocks and have fun”. This difference between Jack and Ralph is the base of their hatred, and this is how Golding makes their hatred present throughout the novel. Once the reader has read the rest of the novel, they will then understand (as I did) that this wasn’t just a difference, but it was the hatred of the boys slowly starting to boil. Throughout the novel it gradually builds up, creating a lot of tension. Another way Golding creates tension in Lord of the Flies is by using metaphors. One of these metaphors is the weather. In chapter nine, Golding creates tension by carefully placing the impending storm in the back of the reader’s minds. He contrasts the laughing and social order of the feast with the impending doom that something will happen, or the storm will break “The hunters looked uneasily at the sky”. I think Golding makes the weather symbolize the knowledge that the part will not end well, and the ‘rain’ will ruin it. As the boys start dancing and going crazy, the storm gets more fragile and, when the boys reach hysteria, the storm breaks, the boys turn into lunatics and Simon gets killed. All through this chapter, the weather allows the tension to increase until the boys just snap and, in the novel, I think this is the turning point and is when the boys turn into complete savages. Another way Golding creates tension 2012-10-20T10:52:02.327-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/How-Golding-Creates-Tension-in-Lord-of-the-Flies-34718.aspx Facebook: An Annotated Bibliography Craig, Wilson “Facebook Updates Are Just His Cup Of (yum!) Tea.” Nov. 2009, Web. 10 Sep. 2012 http://www.usatoday.com/life/columnist/.../2009-11-11-final11_ST_N.htm. This source discusses various Facebook statuses and the new phrase that has been coined, author Wilson Craig stated “Facebook Stalking.” The term that has arisen most recently is “Facebook stalking?” People will admit to checking other people’s profiles regularly saying, Wilson Craig stated, “But I have the website up most of the day now, checking what’s going on in my friends’ lives.” The sad fact about this statement is that most college students would agree to this. Many will attest to having Facebook minimized at the bottom of their screen most times their on the computer. Whether it is walking between classes or simple free time in the dorm, a good majority of it is spent on Facebook looking at other people’s profiles to see what they have been doing throughout the day or past week, thus “Facebook stalking,” arguably the least offensive of any type of stalking. There are several flaws of Facebook and lack of privacy is among those features receiving negative remarks from users all over the world. Some say that is it easy to hack and access Facebook accounts. Privacy changes are clearly intended to push Facebook users to publicly share even more information than before. The changes will actually reduce the amount of control that users have over some of their personal data. It has a very great impact if not it will not be able to overcome the popularity of Friendship wherein people are relying and benefitting from the said social site. In comparison with any other social networking sites, Facebook has enhanced more skill. Attaching videos, pictures and documents is one of the protruding attributes of Facebook because this feature helps us adapt to a fast-paced world. The birth of Facebook is in a very right timing because the needs of every people evolved as well. Having been able to receive discounts from restaurants, bars and commercial establishments is also one good factor as to why Facebook incessantly gained its popularity even medical clinics, government and other private sectors post their events to let the people know and avail of their products and services. I plan to continue using Facebook is one of the largest online social networking sites 2012-09-28T15:04:35.913-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Facebook-Annotated-Bibliography-on-privacy-34656.aspx Arati to Lord Ganesha – A popular Hindu Deity This Arati is a song of praise to Lord Ganesha, a popular Hindu Deity. The song is in Marathi, a language of a region of India. The state of Maharashtra is popular for worship of Lord Ganesha. In the British period, freedom fighter Tilak introduced the concept of public worship of Lord Ganesha for 11 day 2012-09-27T06:25:08.737-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Arati-Song-of-Praise-to-Lord-Ganesha-A-Popular-Hindu-Deity-Translation-from-Marathi-to-English-34650.aspx In this short story “Lather and Nothing Else”, the barber, the best in town who is a revolutionary meets a person he knows Captain Torres, the person who is against the revolutionaries came to 2012-09-18T17:56:06.01-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Lather-and-Nothing-Else-34648.aspx Concept of Daswand Meaning and Importance Daswand is an age old tradition of voluntary offering or rather (more aptly put) a sacrifice unto the Supreme Lord as mentioned in Gita. It means sacrifice of 10% of your earnings and is often misunderstood as Guru dakshina which it is not, it is a sacrifice unto the Supreme Lord, by virtue of which desired necessities of life are granted. Daswand is our need and not that of Spiritual Powers. We need to do this sacrifice to get Kripa or blessings. Daswand is purely voluntary and there is no binding upon anyone to opt for it. Daswand is often misunderstood as a method to earn money for the growth of the whole sect which is not true. Daswand is one's sacrifice unto religious deities for one's desired necessities of life to get fulfilled. This is an eternal truth and nothing new. All world religions like Christianity, Islam, Sikhism, Buddhism, and Judaism have this concept as integral part of their religion. One's own hard earned money is the true instrument meant for sacrifice. Because money is the only element that every human is most attached to. Its sacrifice is purest form of all sorts of dedications. Money earned by dishonest means cannot be isolated for daswand as it will be a meaningless effort. This money donated is not for the survival of the God. It is rather an opportunity to show our gratitude for the blessings we receive. Thus daswand offered by devotees to Nirmal Darbar is an expression of sacrifice and gratitude to Spiritual Powers of the universe present with Nirmal Baba. Giving correct amount at right time ensures kripa from Powers, provided other prerequisites like correct puja and karma are in order. Money donated cannot be questioned as to how it is utilized. Otherwise the purpose is defeated. Daswand is not money given to a trust for charitable work, it is for ultimate Powers. Likewise use of daswand dropped in golaks in temples or gurudwaras cannot be questioned by the giver. References from various scriptures QUOTE FROM CHAPTER 3 OF BHAGWAT GITA, VERSES NO.S 10, 11 AND 12 1. “In the beginning of creation, Brahma after generating all beings as a result of the performance of sacrifice unto the Supreme Lord said: by the performance of sacrifice may you evolve and prosper; let sacrifice bestow all that is desirable for you.” 2. “By this sacrifice unto the Supreme Lord, the demigods are propitiated; the 2012-08-27T08:08:33.117-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Nirmal-Baba-explained-the-concept-of-Daswand-34632.aspx "Follow one religion but respect all" - Nirmal Baba It is very difficult to describe religion in few lines as no definition can contain all the attributes of all the religions, hence it will remain incomplete. But for the sake of understanding it can be said that religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values, defined by Wikipedia. Etymologically, the term religion is derived from Latin word religio which means "respect for what is sacred, reverence for the gods or “obligation, the bond between man and the gods” In our world there are numerous religions but the five major religions, based on following population are Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Chinese folk religion and Buddhism. Every religion is built on the edifice of a thought, the thought of its founder. It is quite interesting to notice that though outer form i.e. the customs and traditions associate with every religion is different but the core of all the religions are same. Many philosophers, who have studied multiple religion in depth felt that the only difference between the core essence of most of the religions is that of the language. As a matter of fact, every individual on earth is bound to follow some or the other religion in one way or the other. Reasons to follow might be different but all of them hint towards the basic one which is belief in a supreme power-the "almighty". In other words, people have faith in what we term as magical power. But that very magic begins ones we start believing in it. Our faith in a belief is always attached to experiences. Initially I had this very idea that there's nothing like supreme power and used to always disconnect any religious idea from my life. But on insistence by one of my friends I attended Nirmal Baba's samagam and was deeply touched on seeing the way he helps out his devotees. Not just this, I also got greatly convinced by his thoughts. I am a completely changed person now and have started believing in the religious practices. Ram may not visit mosque or Rehman may not visit temple. However, Ram is a regular temple goer.Now this might be because of sincere and honest dedication to one religion, or may be because of disrespect to other religion. The very idea propagated by Nirmal Baba is, to 2012-08-22T02:08:34.587-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Follow-one-religion-but-respect-all-says-Nirmal-Baba-34630.aspx "Prayer" is a means to connect the physical with the metaphysical. There are general no rules inscribed to perform a prayer. For some, it might mean joining hands before God, but for others it might be synonymous to reading out religious hymns in a temple. Ways might be different but all this points out to one fact that there is a superior power which can do things that are impossible to accomplish by any human effort. Hence there is 2012-08-13T06:50:12.87-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Simplicity-and-sincerity-Core-Essence-of-Prayer-34625.aspx Julius Caesar was written in 1599 in England by William Shakespeare. Shakespeare has born in 1564 and died in 1616. Nobody really knows when exactly he was born but for the records it is assumed that he was born in April, creating an interesting coincidence with his death. He is the greatest writer of his century and probably of the modern era. He influenced many contemporary writers and created a new point of view in the poetry. He wrote 37 plays and 154 sonnets. In his work Julius Caesar Shakespeare shows us the change of power in Rome and the problems that Rome had there. Power is the ability to act with force. Shakespeare makes visible the abuse of power and the struggle to gain power in the biggest empire at the time. Shakespeare also shows that the power itself is more than a name or position. It is something that the people exercise. There is not absolute power, every power has limitations. Besides the servants every character in some way has his power. Although the biggest argument in Julius Caesar is the change of power in the rulers of Rome, Shakespeare tries to show us many different kinds of power and the use of it. As we can see during the play, people with power use power just for their convenience. During the first part of the play, Shakespeare introduces the characters and the situations. He makes us notice how powerful everyone is. Throughout the different meetings and the dialogues we can feel the power of the personalities of some characters, which in the nearly future is going to make a difference. The rulers of Rome have so much power that they can control the freedom of the people as we can see when Caesar gave an order to Antony. "I shall remember. When Caesar says do this, it is performed" (1.2.12-13). Although this abuse of power made the conspirators act against him, Caesar did not have absolute power and in some situations Calpurnia, his wife, had control in him "The cause is in my will. I will not come. / That is enough to satisfy the senate. / But for your private satisfaction, / Because I love you, I will let you know. / Calpurnia here, my wife, stays me at home. / She dreamt tonight she saw my statue, / Which, like a 2012-08-10T04:57:17.12-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/ABUSE-OF-POWER-OF-JULIUS-CAESAR-34621.aspx Nirmal Baba ,a religious guru is believed to be a spiritual saint by some ,religious leader by others and also a philosopher by certain other groups.His devotees provide evidence to prove his credibility as a religious protagonist. Nirmal Baba’s devotee expressing her support for him- I am the devotee of the Nirmal Baba ji ,as I have seen that false news has been forwarded against them, its very sad and disappointing as being devotee its hurting the feelings. If the experience are required I would like to say that with the grace of Nirmal Baba ji we are very happy.,mental peace is there. If one does not like the programs then he/she must not see the channel or program ,he/she must not play with "astha" of other devotees. I would request people to please stop this false advt. against baba ji ,its hurting us a lot. - Priyank Upadhyaya Not just this,,devotees of Nirmal Baba have more to speak in favour of him- I am a follower of Nirmal Baba Ji from past 7 months. My wife used to watch his programs on regular basis, Shortly even I started viewing his programs on TV. To be honest, there was lot of changes & comfort level in our day to day life after getting in touch with Baba Ji. I can share 2 instances which I feel was very important for me.I have a working experience of over 12 years now. All my career I used to travel long distances to my office. Latest being 100 KMS travelling up & down. With the grace of Baba Ji my travelling is reduced to just 2 KMS up & down. Me and my family have had great darshan of Sri Shiridi Sai BABA and LORD Balaji in Tirupiti by grace of Baba Ji. Request you to kindly start the telecast of his samagam on daily basis. - Vijaya Kumar I have been devotee to Darbar by last 7 years and benefited several times and watching Nirmal Darbars Program regularly on TV for several years. Now by doing negative propaganda against Darbar andgetting it off religious sentiments of lot of darbars devotees have been hurt. - Neeraj Tyagi For obvious, as i am an ordinary person of India, my voice would not be much louder. I would like to tell something about Nirmal darbar which every devotee knows very well; such as ---> 2012-08-08T05:21:17.74-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Nirmal-Baba-Ji-What-devotees-have-to-say…-34619.aspx I was never into regular pujas and visit to temples. It was once that a friend of mine asked me to accompany him to Nirmal Baba Samagam. After attending the samagam my faith in god and his spiritual powers became stronger.I was spellbound by the way Nirmal Baba addressed his devotees and sorted their problems. An old lady told him that she used to have conflicts with her daughter over every petty issue.Nirmal baba asked her to keep an idol of lord “shiva” in her temple.After few days she met him again and thanked him for his blessings and suggestions which brought peace in her family.Which 2012-07-31T06:29:05.913-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Nirmal-Baba-Ji-Nirmal-Baba-Samagam-34611.aspx At the very first look at the name of this newly discovered sub-atomic particle “God Particle”, ones imagination immediatly takes a metaphysical leap to the supreme divine entity i.e God and at the same moment, the metaphysical question arises i.e whether there is something godly in this newly discovered sub-atomic particle? Of course, I ,being a Literature student and not a first-grade Physics student, it is as obscure to me as to a dilettante but I must confess here that my fragile links with the discipline of Physics could not deter me from writing this article because, I believe, everybody is in an inalienable connection with the universe and one must try to comprehend the mysterious cycle of cosmos. Now lets look at the name of this particle from the view point of a man-of-scripture i.e a religious man. It is quite natural that he may smell something fishy with its name because it is 'God Particle' and not 'Gods Particle'. Had it been 'Gods Particle', it would have been to some extent digestable but one can not guarantee that too. Being called 'God Particle', it is obviously provocative of some grim assertions from religious clerics who discern it as a mockery of the Supreme Divine entity; nothing but a plain mockery, a hardcore apostasy, a cunning heresy. He does not feel it out of his ignorance but he has a point i.e how come the Science, which has long before abandoned the existence of, lets put it in straight terms, God, can put such a label of 'God Particle' on their newly discovered sub-atomic particle. So naturally the man-of-belief has a reason to smell fishy with the name because Science believes only in the God which can be proved in an empirical laboratory. Higgs Boson Particle is the primary or original name of this sub-atomic particle which, as Physicists claim, is responsible for giving Matter the mysterious property of Mass and which is of course one of the 'most important but least understood' aspect of matter and this veiled aspect of Matter has ever been tickling with Physicists. Of course, what is the wondering point here is, why is this particle labelled as God Particle despite its original name being Higgs Boson? Surely, as earlier stated, it is suggestive of heresy but perhaps in this hi-tech Science-dominated planet it would be viewed as an achievement of 2012-07-12T03:18:55.92-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/What-is-in-the-name,-that-they-call-it-God-Particle-34599.aspx When religion is involved people go to churches,or masses or whatever their preference is, to hear the word of god and to be happy in their own beliefs.Aristotle says ‘‘Happiness then is best,noblest, most pleasant thing in the world’’ When a person is happy nothing can stand in their way, Happiness is a form of freedom in many ways. Aristotle also says Now if there is nothing in the world that is a gift of the gods to men,it is reasonable to suppose that happiness is a devine gift, especially since it is the best thing that humans can possess’’ Bentham and Aristotle believes that happiness is the ultimate goal of morality, he also believes that pain and pleasure are the determining factors of human behavior.In life everyone experience, pain and pleasure in some point in their lives. Pain makes us stronger, while pleasure gives us reason to exist comfortably. Schweitzer believes that in preserving life and sharing the sorrows of others, we will experience a kind of joy that is missing from the lives of thoes who has lost the capacity for compassion. Unlike Aristotle and Bentham he doesn’t believe believe happiness is the highest human good. Schweitzer believes that we all had an elementary level of compassion but, as time goes on if the compassion doesn’t grow with you it’s all lost and soon after a lot of people become that way. So by leaving the ones with compassion wondering if they should become like the others. Instead of the compassionate ones trying to be like the ones that have no compassion at all, they should lead by example. Maybe we would be in a better place and be able to co exist in some type of formal manner. Kant says that only acts motivated by good will have true moral worth. If you do something from the kindness of your heart rather then doing it to receive praise is the only good will that is out there. He went against Aristotle happiness theory because he believed goodwill passes over everything. In one of our conversations in class we discussed the churches purpose, and i stated that, while everyone gives offering we are helping maintain the pastor range rover, or his five bedroom villa. But some people went against me and said that some churches help feed, and cloth the needy. I honestly think you have to 2012-06-08T08:20:36-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Religion-34589.aspx Capital Punishment Is Right In my opinion, murder is the most ridicules way of treating another human 2012-06-03T14:18:47.937-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Capital-Punishment-Opinion-34583.aspx I don't know whether to laugh at or to cry or...whatever... anyway, I can't stand still and remain silent all the time. Being given eyes, how can I endure remaining neutral all the time and shut my eyes every now and then at the incoherence and rambling of our so called "Intellectuals" usually crowned with the label "Philosophers". I really wonder when I recall their remarks and their adeptness at playing with words. It is quite ironical that a large mass of scholarly ones take their incoherence and nonsense babbling as the great philosophical discourse. Their justification of unjustifiable, their art of decorating lies and presenting them in a more beautiful and 'Truer than the Truth style' is surely"Remarkable "(of course Ironical) but I can't understand when their absurd remarks (i.e)"You are where you are not", ,"You can only hear when you hear what is not there", "There is nothing outside the text"[The poor fellow (Derrida) himself fell short of defining what he meant by the term"text" and when forced to define, made 2012-04-27T11:58:17.42-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Crowned-Psychotics-34551.aspx "Mathematics and Poetry: Conflict or Conciliation" It is most likely that at the very first glance over the title may give you the impression of these two disciplines being the contrary forces, but, is it all true or there is something else lurking beneath these two seemingly contrary forces? Surely they are not all parallel but do share a meeting ground, a point of intersection. Obviously you might have guessed by now that I would rather stress upon the inter-disciplinary conciliation and not the conflicts, which I think are scanty. Let me not draw parallels between a well knit structure (i.e) metre, rhythm, a special pattern of a poem and that of the elegant inner linear symmetry of a Mathematical theorem where we see the unbroken chain of logical ideas but I would rather try to draw a primary analogy, which I think, often gets unnoticed between these two branches of knowledge. "Playing with INFINITY", I think, is the hallmark of both the disciplines. Both the disciplines play with 'Infinity' and try to grab it within a limited arena (i.e) Poet, a man of considerable expertise, by using an intelligent 'play of words' and in case of a Mathematician, who with an equal deftness tickles with infinity with a clever 'play of numbers'. Surely this tickling with infinity is more often seen in the discipline of Mathematics nevertheless it is never the sole legacy of Mathematics rather both the disciplines share this estate with equal proportions. The best example of this 'playing with Infinity', in case of Poetry, could be seen in no other Poem than William Blake's poem "Auguries of Innocence", where in the very first stanza he takes a tremendous leap of imagination and says : "To see a world in a grain of sand, And heaven in a wild flower, Hold infinity in the palm of your hand, And eternity in an hour" Not only is the matter of 'Infinity' specified there but the "time and space" enigma, which I consider the basis of all knowledge, is worth noticing here. Also the same poets spiritual portrait of Issac Newton, the scientist, showing the scientist plotting out universe by using some Geometrical figure on a sea shore is evident of the scientists extreme desire of viewing the universe in no more than a 10 centimeter square area. Moreover both the disciplines plung in the world of 'Abstraction' where 2012-04-27T02:05:38.83-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Mathematics-and-Poetry-Conflict-or-Conciliation-34550.aspx Dracula is a Must Read Novel Dracula is a classic horror novel that has captivated the minds of readers for over a century. In my opinion, it is one of the greatest horror stories ever written. Bram Stoker grabs reader’s interest with suspense, vivid imagery, and the struggle between good and evil through multiple settings in an enlightening tale that can be realistically perceived. The first brilliant quality of the novel is that it is never without suspense. Stoker uses suspense rather effectively throughout the novel. In the book, there are several places where readers are left dangling on the edge of their seat and eager to turn the page. Though written in the nineteenth century, it moves swiftly and employs suspense techniques often associated with modern novels. Dracula is composed in such a bizarre manner that it allows suspense to be exercised simply and efficiently to build the plot. Anyone who enjoys anticipation will enjoy this novel. The second main point of interest is the vivid imagery that transports the mind into the Victorian age; there are indeed some rather shockingly gruesome descriptions of events. I cannot recommend Stoker’s masterpiece highly enough. The beautiful descriptions of Hungary, Romania, and England give the reader a full image. The clear descriptions create terror, and shock to all those who open its pages. The reader feels as if they are watching the scene unfold as the characters do themselves including the feeling of actually standing in the room, smelling the mold, hearing all the various languages, and the sense of Dracula’s teeth closing in on the unsuspecting neck. Anyone who likes to feel like they are in the story this is the perfect one. Dracula has appealed to all types of readers for over a century because it deals with one of the most common human conflicts the struggle between good and evil. The reader knows that all is not right, but does not know what is wrong. Stoker acknowledges the complexity of this conflict by showing good characters attracted to evil. Stoker explores the conflict of good and evil throughout the novel; he does not allow anyone to triumph until the last few pages. The strength in personality of every one of the characters makes this book a vital read. The wealth of rich material buried throughout the text is sure to excite, intrigue, and surprise the novice reader. Dracula is a classic beautiful 2012-04-08T19:35:49.947-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Persuasive-"Dracula-is-a-must-read-novel"-34531.aspx Religion & Morality Identify the arguments for and against the view that morality is dependent on religion (21) The debate surrounding whether or not morality is dependent on religion, arguably emanates from Plato’s Euthyphro Dilemma. If it is dependent on religion, it is good because God commands it. However if it is independent of religion, then the God only commands it because it is intrinsically good. The argument for morality being dependant on religion relies heavily on Divine Command Theory, which suggests that morals are only true by the virtue of being commanded by God. Often those who to hold this view ask ‘Without religion, what is the reason for being good?’. Religion appears to reinforce morality, and provide people with reason to be moral. Dostoyevsky explores this notion in The Brothers Karamazov where the character Ivan says ‘without religion everything is permitted’. This suggests that the very fact religion provides moral absolutes and guidelines, morality is preserved. As quoted by Owen, ‘if morals are commands by definition, there must be a commander’. This commander could be said to be God, without whom we would not need to justify acting morally at all. Society is an ideal example of where authority is a necessity, as without it there be chaos, and no coherence. Similarly, without God as an authoritative power controlling morality, the whole concept of it will be in disarray. Without religion, and this authority it posses, moral actions would be meaningless and nugatory. Such arguments will also encompass the idea of conscience. This conscience would be said to be a direct result of God and religion providing the human race with the ability to feel guilt and responsibility. Newman also agrees that such feelings, so often associated with religion point to God, therefore morality and religion should be interdependent. In addition to this, there have been numerous examples of morality ensuing from religion, largely due to its moral absolutes. The abolition of slavery in the UK for an example was largely due to pressure from Christian groups, who had strong moral convictions, and fought for what they believed was moral. Countries where religion has been removed, such as Nazi Germany and Stalin’s Russia, demonstrate how morality is dependent on religion, by the horrendous injustices and evils caused by such a removal. The argument against morality being dependant on religion, immediately refutes the notion that it is principally God and Religion which 2012-03-29T14:39:40.02-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Religion-and-Morality-34527.aspx Moral Authority We live in a world of wrong and right, black and white… constantly confronting situations where we have to choose and decide which path to take. Sometimes this predicament of the human existence reminds me of ‘The Road not Taken’ by Robert Frost. What theory of Human Development makes a person what they are? Why does a person do what they do? Where does personality come from and how does it grow? These are some frequently asked questions when discussing the topic of personality. Personality does originate from a specific point, and from then on it continues to grow and become exponentially more complex. There are some commonly made assumptions when developing a personality theory. The first of these assumptions concerns whether one believes that the behaviors, any type of action, a person exhibits are produced by conscious choices and decisions, also known as free will, or "determined" by forces beyond ones control. I believe in the free will explanation, but not the type of free will commonly imagined. Humans do ultimately have the power to choose their actions, however the extreme influence of other factors, such as heredity, environment, and learned behaviors, may make it seem like a person’s actions were predetermined. For that reason, it can be assumed that human beings do have free will, however the choices made are greatly impacted and seemingly determined by inherited basic needs, environment, and learned behaviors. All functioning societies have a code of morals that are established to distinguish what is right and wrong. This code of morals relates to almost everything in societies such as government strategy, laws and tradition. These understood and shared morals are the base of the community because without them the society would fall apart, morals are part of our lives every day and they keep order and maintain fairness. Although many ethics can be accepted by all many are not. Would culture or tradition be my ultimate moral authority? Any individual in a functioning society signifies and represents idealism and hope. Every generation charts out its own course to realize its dreams and aspirations in life. Meanwhile it is the perpetual responsibility of the elders to assist the youths in growing up and in becoming familiar with the eternal human values. It is this cycle of passing on the cultural, social and traditional values that lets the society evolve and develop. But the question 2012-03-29T14:28:25.723-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Moral-Authority-34526.aspx Introduction Learning foreign languages is essential today. Here learning means gaining knowledge, skills from experience or studying. There are lots of languages in the world. Every language reflects its community, country and continent importance in its own places. There are some foreign languages commonly used all over the world i.e., English, Spanish, Russian, French, etc. Knowing one thing only is not enough in this competitive and business environment world, there is need of expose of multi-talent qualifications in every person with sound and different known languages. Knowledge of foreign languages helps to make a good communication and relation among the people of different nations. Background From early 100 years to this modern, most common and widely used language is English. It is difficult to know exactly how many different unique languages are in the world. Most experts agree that the number is probably between 4000 to 4500. With gradual development of varieties of languages in the world, people of different nations eagerly to learn new foreign languages, the reasons behind it, are many. Today’s survey data shows that there are top 10 international foreign languages mostly spoken in different nations. They are: English, Spanish, Mandarin, Hindi-Urdu, Arabic, Bengali, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese and German. There are various causes for gradual development of foreign languages. This is because of population growth, migration, communication process, developments, academic courses, geographical conditions, etc. In every field of requirement, English languages play a vital role in the communication process or means for the people of different nations. For the stability of peace and support among the countries today has been possible only because of knowledge of varieties of languages among the people. Argument Nowadays more and more people around the world are keen to learn foreign languages. A person who speaks only one language has a slim chance for success in this 21st century job market. Though English languages are highly spoken in the world, it is not enough in current situation. Today languages like Chinese, Russian, etc are also widely spoken than English. Here population plays a vital role factor for development of Chinese language. This shows that there is need of knowledge of other languages also. When we learn foreign languages, we are exposed to new things. We also learn their foreign culture and the way the people live and the food they eat. In Nepal context, many Neplese are trying abroad for job or higher studies. For this, they learn 2012-03-13T08:05:29.377-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Learning-Foreign-Languages-34505.aspx Abstract The concept of domestic violence is not a new phenomenon in the contemporary world that we live in. Domestic violence is the term that is used to indicate the aggressive deeds perpetrated by one of the partners in an intimate association on the other with whom they share close attachment. In America alone, a projected number of two million females endure violence at the hands of aggressive males who use it as an instrument of manipulation and control. This essays aims at reviewing literature on the factors that lead to domestic violence. In addition to the factors causing domestic violence, the various theories on familial violence that have been put forth by scholars and experts will be analyzed. Due to the fact that this is an area of study that elicits very diverse but strong sentiments and opinions from academicians as well as lay people, a variety of literature exists that can be studied, analyzed and used to come up with informed. For the purposes of this essay, however, focus will be on literature published from the year 1997 to date. The literature that has been chosen for the purposes of this critique brings out clearly the different theories that have been used to explain domestic violence, and their viability in explaining the issue. The reasons why women tend to stay in abusive relationships are also looked into in detail. After an introduction of the topic, a thorough critique of chosen literature on domestic violence will be drafted. Exhaustion of the topic will lead to the presentation of a conclusive summary about the same followed by a list of the bibliography cited in the essay. Literature Review Cohen et al (1999) assert that domestic violence has increased at an alarming rate in the modern day. In America alone more than twenty thousand people lose their lives every year as a result of violent offences perpetrated against them. In fact, several credible experts have referred to domestic violence as the top most health concern for women. Despite the recent trend of violence being perpetrated on men by females, women still remain the main victims of domestic violence; the perpetrators are usually family members that the victim has a close relationship with such as husbands, fathers, boyfriends, brother, uncles and cousins. The contemporary outbreak of aggression by children in learning institutions coupled with frequent broadcasts in the media about unimaginable incidents of violence necessitate 2012-03-12T10:14:45.983-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Literature-review-on-DOMESTIC-VIOLENCE-34504.aspx A leader is 2012-03-01T14:13:02.82-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Shipwreck-at-the-Bottom-of-the-World-Why-is-Shackleton-a-good-leader-Easy-memorised-34498.aspx The story of Noah and the ark is in Genesis 6 through 8. This story teaches many lessons. It teaches many lessons with God, Noah, and madness. It teaches that everyone makes mistakes. Even the people you wouldn’t think would make mistakes. It is about how God wanted to destroy the world 2012-02-21T13:04:57.21-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Noah-and-the-Ark-34488.aspx Angels and angelology Angels belong to religions that have one god. And that god has spiritual servants and messengers. In Hebrew Scriptures the angels are sometimes described as the ‘sons of God’ (Job 1:6). Jewish, Christian, and Islamic theologians all agree that angels are spiritual creatures. They are not equal to God. The world was created on purpose and God made it. There was no one else with God when he created it. If you imagine a line between God and everything that he created, angels would be on the side with all the human beings, animals, and plants. (Jones 38). In the Hebrew Scriptures, they have generally placed the creation of angels at the beginning of all that was created. They begin with the words: ‘in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth’ (genesis 1:1). ‘The heavens’ came to be known as ‘all things invisible’, including the angels. ‘The earth’ was known as ‘all things visible’. This statement makes it even more explicit at a council in church during the Middle Ages: ‘creator of all things invisible and visible, spiritually and corporeal…angelic, namely, and worldly, and then human as it were, common, composed of spirit and body’ (Creed of Lateran IV, 1215 CE.)(Jones 41). There is an ancient difference of opinion among Christians about when the Angels were created. Some Greek-speaking Christians said that angels were created before the material universe. But Latin-speaking Christians said that angels were created at the same time as the material universe. Thomas Aquinas said that the Latin speaking opinion made more sense because angels are not a whole part of the universe all by their own; they and the material world together make one cosmos. Cosmos is the universe seen as a well-ordered whole. But Thomas Aquinas noticed that the answer to this question is unclear both from scriptures and from natural reason. There is an agreement among Jewish, Christian, and Islamic theologians that angels were created before the first humans were created. But there is no agreement on when the angels were created. (Jones 41). In the Hebrew Scriptures, in one of the psalms God ‘makes winds his messengers, fire and flame his ministers’ (psalm 104:4). Another idea maybe the burning chariot that takes Elijah to heaven (2 kings 2:11). There is a story in the book of judges when an angel appears to Gideon. Gideon offers him food but the angel does 2012-02-20T22:27:38.087-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Angels-and-Angelology_-Everything-you-Need-to-Know-About-Angels-34485.aspx According to Nyishi mythology, before the creation or evolution of universe, there was emptiness and nothing was existed. This particular phase was called Miim-Mama. After the phase of Miim-Mama there were two concurrent phases which were called as Kullu and Kurium. Among the Nyishis, there are three different hypotheses/stories of the creator or the supreme power that creates the entire universe and its components is concerned. In other words, there are three schools of thought relating to the origin and evolution of the universe (Changte-Dote/Nya ballah barnam) including the human race. One school of thought is, that believe in Jingbu-Pabu Abu as a creator, the second one is, that who name the creator as Kullu-Kurium, while, the third one is, that believe that the creation was through Poyub and Nyayub. First two are almost identical as their difference is just only in the name creator but the third one is little bit different even in the context of evolution process. However, all the three accept the belief that a miraculous spirit called Chene Rulum-Dola was used to create the universe and its components. Among the Nyishis, Jingbu-Pabu Abu as a creator is much admired. Out of oblivion/nothingness in the beginning, the universe was created in a fraudulent or messy shape. This artistic process of universe is explained in the following phrases as: Sachang Ngarngum Tapam Rulum, Nyudo Ngarngum Tapam Rele, Rulum Rele Pepa, Ho…Riumrium Riamriam Pepa… [The whole universe was in fragile state and was seems like a snow-capped objects. And there was a droplet of water everywhere as if it was floating on a leaves]. In such circumstances, Jingbu-Pabu Abu summoned his supremacy through diverse mystical means to create and evolve the present-day universe. It is noteworthy here that the Nyishis always been attached the creator as a male figure, which can be easily or clearly realise from the very suffix word Abu (father). Initially, the Lawngkh Chene Dola and Jingkio-Urh Chene Dola were called upon to furnish a tangible or substantial figure to the universe. The Kawmkh Chene Dola was engaged to create Sachang (earth), whereas through Kamchang Chene Dola the living beings including the man and animals were created. Invoking with the power of Dote Chene Dola, the heaven was created. The Ish (water) was created with the help of Kela Hariak Chene Dola. Biyang Chene Dola was invoked to create Donyi (sun), while Paa Chene Dola was engaged for the creation of Polu/Polo 2012-02-09T12:44:59.79-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Nyishi-Myths-on-the-Creation-of-Universe-34469.aspx David Hume is a philosopher highly respected for his clarity of thought and constructive use of skepticism. His skepticism, however, did not extend to all the prejudices of his time: I am apt to suspect the Negroes to be naturally inferior to the Whites. There scarcely ever was a civilized nation of that complexion, nor even any individual, eminent either in action or speculation. No ingenious manufactures amongst them, no arts, no sciences. On the other hand, the most rude and barbarous of the Whites, such as the ancient Germans, the present Tartars, have still something eminent about them, in their valor, form of government, or some other particular. Such a uniform and constant difference could not happen, in so many countries and ages, if nature had not made an original distinction between these breeds of men. Not to mention our colonies, there are Negro slaves dispersed all over Europe, of whom none ever discovered the symptoms of ingenuity; though low people, without education, will start up amongst us, and distinguish themselves in every profession. In Jamaica, indeed, they talk of one Negro as a man of parts and learning; but it is likely he is admired for slender accomplishments, like a parrot who speaks a few words plainly.1 The above quote comes from a footnote in Hume’s essay ‘Of National Character’. The footnote was not in the original 1748 version of the essay, but was added in 1753. The first two sentences were revised in 1777 by Hume in response to criticisms he received (this is the version above). The opening sentences of the original 1753 footnote read: I am apt to suspect the Negroes and in general all the other species of men (for there are four or five different kinds) to be naturally inferior to the whites. There never was a civilized nation of any other complexion than white, nor even any individual eminent either in action or speculation. On the other hand, … Note that in this earlier version, Hume refers to other species, not other races. Non-whites were, it appears, not even human (or at least not the same kind of human). Although he was swayed to remove this claim, the passage of twenty-four years obviously did not changed his opinion of blacks. To give some idea of context of the footnote(s), both versions come as a note attached to the end 2012-02-02T20:34:06.687-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Racism-David-Hume-s-View-34463.aspx Of Commerce The greater part of mankind may be divided into two classes; that of shallow thinkers, who fall short of the truth; and that of abstruse thinkers, who go beyond it. The latter class are by far the most rare: and I may add, by far the most useful and valuable. They suggest hints, at least, and start difficulties, which they want, perhaps, skill to pursue; but which may produce fine discoveries, when handled by men who have a more just way of thinking. At worst, what they say is uncommon; and if it should cost some pains to comprehend it, one has, however, the pleasure of hearing something that is new. An author is little to be valued, who tells us nothing but what we can learn from every coffee-house conversation. All people of shallow thought are apt to decry even those Miller 254 of solid understanding, as abstruse thinkers, and metaphysicians, and refiners; and never will allow any thing to be just which is beyond their own weak conceptions. There are some cases, I own, where an extraordinary refinement affords a strong presumption of falsehood, and where no reasoning is to be trusted but what is natural and easy. When a man deliberates concerning his conduct in any particular affair, and forms schemes in politics, trade, oeconomy, or any business in life, he never ought to draw his arguments too fine, or connect too long a chain of consequences together. Something is sure to happen, that will disconcert his reasoning, and produce an event different from what he expected. But when we reason upon general subjects, one may justly affirm, that our speculations can scarcely ever be too fine, provided they be just; and that the difference between a common man and a man of genius is chiefly seen in the shallowness or depth of the principles upon which they proceed. General reasonings seem intricate, merely because they are general; nor is it easy for the bulk of mankind to distinguish, in a great number of particulars, that common circumstance in which they all agree, or to extract it, pure and unmixed, from the other superfluous circumstances. Every judgment or conclusion, with them, is particular. They cannot enlarge their view to those universal propositions, which comprehend under them an infinite number of individuals, and include a whole science in a single theorem. Their eye is confounded with such an extensive prospect; 2012-02-02T20:16:26.737-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/David-Hume-Political-Discoures-34462.aspx Kant famously attempted to “answer” what he took to be Hume's skeptical view of causality, most explicitly in the Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics (1783); and, because causality, for Kant, is a central example of a category or pure concept of the understanding, his relationship to Hume on this topic is central to his philosophy as a whole. Moreover, because Hume's famous discussion of causality and induction is equally central to his philosophy, understanding the relationship between the two philosophers on this issue is crucial for a proper understanding of modern philosophy more generally. Yet ever since Kant offered his response to Hume the topic has been subject to intense controversy. There is no consensus, of course, over whether Kant's response succeeds, but there is no more consensus about what this response is supposed to be. There has been sharp disagreement concerning Kant's conception of causality, as well as Hume's, and, accordingly, there has also been controversy over whether the two conceptions really significantly differ. There has even been disagreement concerning whether Hume's conception of causality and induction is skeptical at all. We shall not discuss these controversies in detail; rather, we shall concentrate on presenting one particular perspective on this very complicated set of issues. We shall clearly indicate, however, where especially controversial points of interpretation arise and briefly describe some of the main alternatives. (Most of this discussion will be confined to footnotes, where we shall also present further, more specialized details.) 1. Kant's “Answer to Hume” 2. Induction, Necessary Connection, and Laws of Nature 3. Kant, Hume, and the Newtonian Science of Nature 4. Time Determination, the Analogies of Experience, and the Unity of Nature Bibliography Primary Sources Secondary Sources Other Internet Resources Related Entries 1. Kant's “Answer to Hume” In the Preface to the Prolegomena Kant considers the supposed science of metaphysics. He states that “no event has occurred that could have been more decisive for the fate of this science than the attack made upon it by David Hume” and goes on to say that “Hume proceeded primarily from a single but important concept of metaphysics, namely, that of the connection of cause and effect” (4, 257; 7). (See the Bibliography for 2012-02-02T20:09:56.84-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Hume-and-Kant-on-Causality-34461.aspx The immense grandfather clock had startled me out of deep thought, yet I did not move a muscle. I let my motionless body lie there in the chair, continuing to staring at the fire. My mind traveled through what we had learned in my history class today. I was lost and confused. London is known to be the amazing city of Britain. The city with outstanding sites, great people to meet, and as we all know a place that people love to go shopping. London is the type of place people would never expect to undergo such a historically horrifying time, a time known as the Industrial Revolution. The revolution first took place in Britain. (Nardo 8). Knowing the history and the effects of the revolution on Britain, I wished of some way that I could travel to London in the 1700’s and make a difference. Would it be difficult to build a time travel machine? One which would take me to any date and place I wanted? All a person needs is to find some hefty bolts and screws, put it together with some technical wires and one would be set right? What would be even easier is if a strange green alien creature could come down and hand me a secret time machine. Then I would be able to go back in time and help make a difference in people’s lives, specifically in the children’s. However, I know that nothing would be able to take me back in time, not even a green alien, or so I thought. I took a few minutes to stand back on my feet. As soon as I did I plopped right back down on the cold tiles. I lifted my head up to see a hideous purple creature standing in front of me. The alien had one eye and antennas with three arms and a leg. I honestly did not know how to respond to the fact that I had an alien creature in my living room. I had tried talking to the creature. All it did was point to a sign that said, “Janelle, open this door and I will take you anywhere you want to go.” I thought I was going insane. When I looked back to ask how the machine worked or if I could actually is it, the alien had vanished. I spent the next six hours pushing buttons and figuring 2011-12-15T22:14:56.497-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Britain-During-the-Industrial-Revolution-34393.aspx The Equality of Unequals In order to clearly understand why Plato seems to find democracy and the democratic soul so objectionable one 2011-12-10T14:32:01.377-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Plato-s-Critique-Of-Democracy-34381.aspx 2011-11-27T09:00:02.31-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Syllable-Structure-and-Morphophonemic-Processes-in-Gawwada-Based-on-Moraic-Model-Representations-34362.aspx In my opinion religious belief is a fundamental want and not a need. The reason it’s a want opposed to a need is because religion is something that has been around for years. Over such years it’s been changed from generation to generation. The one thing that hasten changed is its moral principals. Such as good and evil right and wrong, I think that anybody from any religious background can agree on this. They all preach the same message of love, piece and forgiveness. All this does is give people structures and guide lines to live by. As a Christian I am a firm believer of Christ and all that he teaches. I utilize his word as a guide on how to live my life. I am not the only one that does; many people around the world are doing the same thing. Religion gives them structure in life that they seem to can’t find anywhere else. I think that this want comes from some innate need for a parental figure. The want to feel controlled; or rather have a dominant figure in our lives. When we grow up, there is a need for structure, which is usually provided by our parents or guardians, in most cases, the father is the one who enforces things. Once we grow up and move into the world we lose such structure and are forced to look elsewhere And religion is the place most look to. You are free to believe in any religion you want. You are also free to leave any religious belief at anytime. According to the Socialist critique of religion life is harsh so we rarely realize our collective potential or aspirations. So we create an ideal self we call God that is perfect in every way. He is all knowing and omnipotent. This is something that we as humans admire. We are scared of the unknown and so religion provides us with the security for the unknown. We need somewhere to run with our fears questions and problems. Life is uncertain and we need something to count on. To many people God is the only certainty in life. As humans we use religion as a way to live. It teaches us about right and wrong and how we should treat other people. It’s just like laws that we have to abide to in society. The difference is that these laws are from 2011-11-26T20:19:54.41-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Religious-Belief-a-Fundamental-Want-or-Need-34361.aspx The Theory of Unity Applied to Consciousness A Pseudo-Scientific Theory Introduction To believe may be the most odious verb in the English language, for it implies the desire for something to be true: An old woman who is very attached to her children, grandchildren or other relatives might think that after death she will reunite with all of them in heaven, because that is her desire. Whereas a violent murderer may think that after death nothing happens and he will just disappear forever, because he does not want to be disturbed by some kind of punishment for his actions. Although these examples are simplistic, they may give a hint of a deeper and more complex problem. We live in a society where knowledge is dangerously overrated. Usually, the successful people are the ones who have accumulated useful, reliable knowledge that has been sanctioned by institutions that govern society. This utilitarian knowledge is necessary for the functioning of society up to a certain extent, but when we try to deeply understand the truly relevant issues that affect us the most, such as society, behavior, identity and consciousness, accepting or believing in that knowledge causes only distortions and falsehood. Everybody knows our world is corrupt, but very few people actually know how corrupt the world really is; thus, no official knowledge from this sick society will give us any true insights into the aforementioned issues. An insane or deranged man is not able to produce the necessary rational thinking to realize his own insanity; otherwise, he would not be insane. Regretfully, most people who we believe have insights or revelations into these issues just borrow knowledge from somebody else. There is the great difference between knowing and believing. If an aborigine from the Amazon who has never had any contact with the civilized world believes the Earth is round just because that is the religious belief in his culture, that is just his belief. And although he is right, he does not know that the earth is round just like an astronaut in outer space does. If that aborigine enters a culture with a different belief system, he may change his belief for adjusting the new culture. But nothing will make the astronaut change his mind, even if, hypothetically speaking, he ends up living with the aborigine in the same culture. Believing is, therefore, only an adjustment and it seems that if we cannot get 2011-11-26T12:54:17.667-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Theory-of-Unity-Applied-to-Consciousness-34358.aspx 2011-11-09T06:19:28.69-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/32re2323-34323.aspx Hablar de literatura lesbiana española es encontrarse ante un vacío, ante un desierto, ante un sombrío túnel en el que a pesar de todo se pueden encontrar algunos toques y pinceladas dependiendo del periodo en que se publican las novelas que hacen referencia a la relación entre mujeres. Muy lejos estamos de figuras del lesbianismo histórico como Gertrud Stein, Virginia Wolf, Vita Sackville-West, Violette Trefusis, Djuna Barnes, Colette, Violette Leduc etc. y más recientemente, Marguerite Yourcenar, Monique Wittig o Anne Garreta por ejemplo.Pero antes de hablar de la “literatura lesbiana”, tenemos que preguntarnos que significado tiene la categoría “literatura lesbiana” y cual es su relación con la problemática de la autoría. En definitiva, ¿cuáles son las características de un texto lesbiano?, ¿Cómo podemos identificar la “literatura lesbiana”? ¿Cuáles son los rasgos de su temática? ¿Sería la temática exclusiva del deseo entre mujeres para que se la considerara como tal? Y por otra parte, ¿tiene que ser lesbiana la autora de textos lesbianos? Todas estas cuestiones, producidas por circunstancias históricas e ideológicas, serán necesariamente respondidas desde estos dos prismas. Desde esta misma óptica, es paradigmático que nadie desde la oficialidad que da la institución literaria haya nombrado como literatura o textos lesbianos a una serie de novelas que llevan ya algunos años en el mercado y en las estanterías de librerías y bibliotecas. España es un país que continúa siendo casi desértico. Pero a pesar de ello, la realidad es que existen textos lesbianos a pesar de su invisibilidad o al menos novelas de temática lesbiana cuya calidad literaria es muy amplia. Y dadas nuestras circunstancias históricas, es también explicable que todavía se hable con cierta timidez o bien se mantenga en silencio por las editoriales castellanas de textos lesbianos. Aún así, el panorama de la “literatura lesbiana” en España comienza ciertamente a cambiar. A través de los textos que iremos señalando, veremos como se configura la categoría de “literatura lesbiana” (española) , y de cómo ésta viene marcada históricamente por una gran amplitud de perspectivas con respecto al deseo entre mujeres. Con respecto a la relación de la literatura lesbiana con la autoría, podemos constatar también que el tema de la relación entre mujeres no es exclusivo de autoras heterosexuales y lesbianas, sino que la representación del mundo lésbico también es un asunto de autores. En este sentido, cabe recordar entre otros muchos casos, las experiencias lésbicas de Nana de 2011-11-01T04:20:25.58-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/LA-LITERATURA-LESBIANA-ESPANOLA-UN-LUGAR-CASI-DESIERTO-34279.aspx There is no such thing as good or evil, there are only those with power and the will to use it. There are several reasons for this being true, most importantly the fact that cultural differences dictate that there can be no universally accepted set of morals and ethics. By good, we mean something that people consider to be morally or ethically right. By evil we mean the exact opposite of good, i.e. something the people consider to be morally or ethically wrong. When we talk about whether or not there is a good or evil, we mean in a definitive, universally accepted sense. In different cultures there may be a widely accepted set of morals and ethics by which people are expected to live their lives, but there is no set of morals or ethics accepted by every single person alive. Therefore there can be no such thing as a definitive good or evil as opinions vary from person to person. An example of one group of people living by a set of morals which they think makes them “good” whilst others consider their actions to be “evil” is that of the Nazi regime headed by Adolf Hitler in the 1930’s and 40’s. Hitler and his followers believed that Judaism was a menace to society and the eradication of all Jews would make the world a better place. They felt that what they were doing was indeed “good”. However, it is widely believed that Hitler and the Nazis' actions were some of the most “evil” actions in the history of mankind. This shows us clearly that not all people agree on the same things as being good or evil, but rather opinion differs from person to person. This means that there is no such thing as “good” or “evil”, just different morals and ethics followed by individuals. One may argue that every human being has a common sense of what is good or bad instilled in them their whole lives. It is this instinctive set of morals and ethics that has ensured humanity has always been consistently filled with society and civilisation based on common ethics and/or morals in the form of laws and rules. It may be argued that if every person had a differing sense of good or evil, it would be impossible for there to be civilised society throughout the world, all through times, dating back to the 2011-11-01T00:18:05.323-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Existence-of-Good-and-Evil-34278.aspx This essay discusses the philosophical construct known as “pragmatism,” an American school of thought of the 19th Century. I Introduction When we use the word “pragmatic” or “pragmatist” today, we generally mean someone who deals in facts, has a realistic grasp of them, and can employ them in rational arguments. By extension, then, “pragmatism” is a realistic way of viewing the world. However, there is a older definition, one that deals with a far more philosophical construct; “pragmatism” in the 19th Century was a way of thinking that gave meaning to words and ideas so that those debating these subjects had common ground; it was a way to strive to make sure that everyone understood everyone else’s terminology. Furthermore, pragmatism in the philosophical sense is regarded as a uniquely American way of thinking. This paper examines three essays: “What Pragmatism Means” by William James; and “The Fixation of Belief” and “How to Make Our Ideas Clear” by Charles Sanders Peirce. It attempts to make the central ideas of the essays clear, respond to them, raise any objections to the thinking of these philosophers, and refute those objections. We’ll start with William James, since a definition of pragmatism is necessary before we can discuss it further. II James: “What Pragmatism Means” William James gave a series of lectures in 1904, of which “What Pragmatism Means” is the second. In it, he defines pragmatism, which he describes as a method or process, rather than a result: “The pragmatic method is primarily a method of settling metaphysical disputes that otherwise might be interminable. Is the world one or many? – fated or free? … The pragmatic method in such cases is to try to interpret each notion by tracing its respective practical consequences.” (James, PG). If, he goes on, it would make no practical difference to anyone whether this idea or that idea were true, then the dispute is idle, for the alternatives really do not offer a choice. He introduces his lecture by giving a trivial example that might help us to understand the method. He relates that he and some friends were on a camping trip in the woods. He had gone for a solitary walk, and upon his return found his friends engaged in a heated debate. Suppose, they were arguing, that there was a squirrel on one side of a tree trunk and a 2011-10-31T01:16:29.39-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Pragmatism-James-and-Peirce-34249.aspx This essay discusses the theories of education proposed by Maria Montessori, Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky; compares them, and suggests what classrooms might be like when the theories are followed. I Introduction Over the years, psychologists and educators have developed various theories about the way in which children learn. Understanding the way in which children receive and process information is of great value to parents, teachers; in fact, to everyone who understands that a society cannot develop if its children do not learn how to learn. This paper examines the learning theories of Maria Montessori, Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky, then compares and contrasts them, and finally suggests the ways in which these theories might be used in the classroom. II Montessori, Piaget and Vygotsky Dr. Maria Montessori’s system is based on the idea that “a child learns best within a social environment which supports each individual’s unique development.” (What is Montessori?, 2002, PG). The principles on which the Montessori method rests are simple, but revolutionary in the history of education: that children are individuals, different from adults and from each other and are to be respected as such; that “children create themselves through purposeful activity”; that the most important years for learning are those from birth to age six; and that children learn from their environment, which includes other people. (What is Montessori?, 2002, PG). In Montessori schools, children are placed in groups according to age (3-6, 6-18). They stay with the same children, and with the same teacher, for three to six years. In addition, they choose the projects and subjects they are interested in working on, and proceed to study in a non-directed method. There are no grades given, but the Montessori teacher observes the class closely and makes notes, keeping a “profile” on each student. The only requirements are those set by the state, or by college entrance examinations. The class thus becomes less formal and structured that “conventional” schools, particularly as the older children often help the younger ones with the material. There tends to be more conversation in the classroom than in other schools, as well. The idea is to create a warm, nurturing, almost familial environment in which maximum learning can take place. (Olaf, 2001, PG). Jean Piaget was a Swiss biologist and developmental psychologist. Like Maria Montessori, he believed that children learned in fixed stages, but disagreed about the timing 2011-10-31T00:27:54.39-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Learning-Theories-Proposed-by-Montessori-Piaget-and-Vygotsky-34229.aspx This essay briefly examines the world’s third-largest religion, which isn’t a religion at all! I Introduction Hinduism is a system of belief that claims over 700 adherents, most of them in India. It is based on the practice of Dharma, the Code of Life, and is not strictly a religion. Nevertheless, it has influenced the conduct of men for millennia. This paper examines Hinduism, its influence, how it might help create world peace, and how it connects with other faiths. II Hinduism’s Influence Although it is unfortunately not a “good” influence in Western eyes, Hinduism is considered to be responsible for the caste system in India; that is, Hinduism had such a great influence that it created the entire societal structure. The caste system is actually based on distinctions among people as they progress in the religious life (Ross, PG), but has permeated all of society to the point where its origins seem largely forgotten. All that’s left is the injustice of a system that denies people the opportunity to advance through their own efforts. III Hinduism as a Way to Resolve Conflict Because Hinduism is not a formal religion but a way of life, those who practice it are free (as I understand it) to learn as much as they can; disagree as much as they desire, even with the scriptures; and seek for the truth in whatever way seems best to them. It is a search for perfection and truth, strongly influenced by Buddhist tradition. My positive scenario for the resolution of some of the world’s conflicts (Israel/Palestinians comes to mind) would be to encourage learning, growth and self-discovery. (OK, but it’s a fantasy.) When people are involved in the process of learning, they have little time to fight. Perhaps as they studied the Hindu religion, they would draw parallels to their own, and thus begin to find common ground with each other through the Hindu mediation. (Madras, PG). IV Hinduism and Other Faiths Other great faiths have characteristics that Hinduism shares. We’ll examine some common beliefs and what Hinduism has in common with them. First, many faiths deal with people’s relationship to the “unseen,” the world of spirits, gods and demons. In Hinduism, the gods speak directly to men by possessing certain members of the community, who then function as oracles and healers. The men chosen by the gods are known as “dhamis.” (Baker, 2011-10-30T21:04:39.553-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Hinduism-the-Worlds-Third-Largest-Religion-34221.aspx Raphael: “Madonna and Child Enthroned with Saints” c. 1504 This essay discusses Raphael’s altar piece I Introduction The birth of Christ, the Crucifixion, the Resurrection, the Pieta; religious art has always been an important tradition in the West. This paper examines an altarpiece by Raphael, painted around 1504 (16.30 ab), first describing it briefly then considering it in more detail. II Description The first thing we notice is that the painting is in two pieces: the main subject, Mary and the Child, are in the center of the lower portion, which is a square. Above it is a semicircle with other figures in it. A heavy horizontal wooden bar, which is part of the structure that frames the entire work, divides the two. In the bottom portion are the Madonna and Christ, surrounded by five other figures, four adults and a child. The four adults all have halos, so we can assume they’re the saints of the title. The child, however, is not depicted as divine, which immediately begs the question: who is he and what is he doing in this group? In the semicircular section above the main picture are five more figures, which are clearly divine. In this section, God is flanked by two angels; there are two cherubim (or rather just their heads, which is rather disconcerting, particularly as they have rather sour expressions) floating one on either side of him as well. Thus the composition is balanced in the number of figures, five above and five below. The colors in the work are very rich, with deep reds, purples and blues predominating. The clothing is interesting, as the five figures below appear to be in contemporary Renaissance garb rather than traditional Hebrew or desert robes. God and his angels (except for those disembodied heads!) are portrayed in the flowing garments we tend to associate with depictions of heaven. III Discussion The first thing that draws the eye is the luminosity of the sky behind the figures. It is a glowing purplish-blue at the horizon line that shades into a deeper blue toward the top of the composition. This background tends to “pop” the figures out at the viewer. The two distinct parts of the painting house two distinct groups of figures, which serve to separate the human from the divine. Mary, the Christ, the saints and the little boy all still belong to the mundane 2011-10-30T21:03:11.007-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Raphael-Madonna-and-Child-Enthroned-with-Saints-34220.aspx SAYDNAYA, Syria — Abu Elias sat beneath the towering stairs leading from the Convent of Our Lady of Saydnaya, a church high up in the mountains outside Damascus, where Christians have worshiped for 1,400 years. “We are all scared of what will come next,” he said, turning to a man seated beside him, Robert, an Iraqi refugee who escaped the sectarian strife in his homeland. “He fled Iraq and came here,” said Abu Elias, looking at his friend, who arrived just a year earlier. “Soon, we might find ourselves doing the same.” Syria plunges deeper into unrest by the day. On Tuesday, government troops attacked the rebellious town of Rastan with tanks and machine guns, wounding at least 20 people. With the chaos growing, Christians visiting Saydnaya on a recent Sunday said they feared that a change of power could usher in a tyranny of the Sunni Muslim majority, depriving them of the semblance of protection the Assad family has provided for four decades. Syria’s Christian minority is sizable, about 10 percent of the population, though some here say the share is actually lower these days. Though their sentiments are by no means monolithic — Christians are represented in the opposition, and loyalty to the government is often driven more by fear than fervor — the group’s fear helps explain how President Bashar Assad has held on to segments of his constituency, in spite of a brutal crackdown aimed at crushing a popular uprising. For many Syrian Christians, Mr. Assad remains predictable in a region where unpredictability has driven their brethren from war-racked places like Iraq and Lebanon, and where others have felt threatened in postrevolutionary Egypt. They fear that in the event the president falls, they may be subjected to reprisals at the hands of a conservative Sunni leadership for what it sees as Christian support of the Assad family. They worry that the struggle to dislodge Mr. Assad could turn into a civil war, unleashing sectarian bloodshed in a country where minorities, ethnic and religious, have found a way to coexist for the most part. The anxiety is so deep that many ignore the opposition’s counterpoint: The government has actually made those divisions worse as part of a strategy to ensure the rule of the Assad family, which itself springs from a Muslim minority, the Alawites. “I am intrigued by your calls for freedom and for overthrowing the regime,” 2011-10-30T10:40:27.05-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Creative-News-Article-on-Syria-34211.aspx This essay examines Aristotle’s and Plato’s theories of ethics, and briefly compares them. Classical Theories of Ethics – Outline I Introduction II Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics III Plato’s Republic IV Brief Comparison V Conclusion Classical Theories of Ethics I Introduction The study of ethics takes us all the way back to classical Greece. Since it does, I thought it might be useful to compare “classical” theories from truly classical figures. Thus, we’ll examine Aristotle’s and Plato’s ideas about ethics, as revealed in The Nicomachean Ethics and The Republic. II Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics We have nothing of Aristotle’s original writings left to us; the Ethics appears to be a sort of “compilation” of his works written down by one Nicomachus, from whom we get the title of this version of the work. Because it is a compendium, not an original work, it’s somewhat repetitive. However, it is still a vital guide to Aristotle’s thought. The basic point that the philosopher makes in this writing is that the goal of humanity is happiness. He arrives at this by suggesting, in the very first sentence, that the aim of every human activity is good: “Every art and every inquiry, and similarly every action and pursuit, is thought to aim at some good; and for this reason the good has rightly been declared to be that at which all things aim.” (Aristotle, PG). He argues that what he is looking for is an understanding of the concept of a “universal good,” and he says that it will be “achievable by action.” Furthermore, this action will not be the same for everyone, but that each person will pursue his own ends and find good therein. That is, the doctor will find good in medicine; the farmer in tending his farm; and the politician in politics. “Therefore, if there is an end for all that we do, this will be the good achievable by action…” (Aristotle, PG). He also says that although it’s obvious that some ends are not final ends (we complete some tasks in order to get to others), at some point when the final end is reached, it will be the “chief good” of the entire process. Lastly, he says that those things that we pursue in and of themselves and not as a means to something else are desirable in themselves. This final end of goodness is what we call happiness. It is a 2011-10-27T15:00:01.77-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Aristotle-and-Platos-Theories-of-Ethics-34206.aspx This essay discusses the portrayal of minorities in the works of Norah Dooley and Mary Hoffman. I Introduction The United States has always been a nation of immigrants. The mixture of various ethnic groups, religions, cultures and belief systems that characterizes the country has been one of its greatest strengths, but it has also caused a lot of misunderstanding and difficulty, prejudice, hatred and fear. Children learn from their parents, their peers and their teachers: they learn tolerance and kindness; but they can also learn bigotry. It’s therefore very important that they learn that everyone has value. A recent trend in children’s books is most welcome: these works show that everyone can learn from other cultures; that there’s nothing to fear; and that we work best when we work together. II Plots The books that most directly explore the idea of cultures learning from each other is the series by Norah Dooley, comprised of Everybody Cooks Rice, Everybody Bakes Bread, and Everybody Serves Soup, among others. (I was only able to find the first, Everybody Cooks Rice, but descriptions of the other indicate the plots are similar.) In this book, Carrie (a girl who may be about 12) goes to find her little brother Anthony because it’s time for dinner. Anthony, it turns out, has stopped at all the neighbor’s houses, and stays one step ahead of Carrie until the end of the book. Like Anthony, Carrie also stops at each house, and samples the dinner while she’s there. In this way, the author introduces us to the cooking that is typical of the country the neighbors came from; she also tells us indirectly that this is a widely divergent group of people all living happily within a few doors of one another. Carrie stops first at the Darlington’s; they turn out to be from Barbados. From there she goes to the Diazes’ house; they’re from Puerto Rico. They send her to the Tran’s (Vietnamese), but Anthony has already left for the Hua’s (Chinese). On her way there, she’s stopped by her friend Rajit Krishnamurthy (Indian), who is carrying a meal to his parents at their shop. He confirms that Anthony went to the Hua’s. When she gets there, of course, he’s already gone, this time to the Bleus, who are from Haiti. Their cat has just had kittens, and Anthony has 2011-10-27T14:56:21.39-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Minorities-in-Picture-Books-by-Dooley-and-Hoffman-34205.aspx This essay discusses the gap between boys and girls in academic achievement and what might be done to help boys without harming the girls. Boys’ Educational Issues I Introduction Jane Kenway, a respected Australian educator, is concerned about the connection between perceptions of masculinity and the problems that some boys have in school. In 1997, she wrote “institutionalized masculinities and masculine identities are at the core of many of the problems some boys have, from suicide to literacy, and that addressing the issue of masculinity will also begin to address these problems.” (Kenway, 1997, p. 60). Kenway’s observations, not surprisingly, have sparked debate as to what issues boys face in the classroom setting; how those issues relate to the idea of masculinity, and what (and whether) schools can do to insure that their male students succeed both in the classroom and in life. This paper analyzes some of the findings with regard to these interconnected issues. II Masculinity and Boys’ Education There are many different issues currently being explored with regard to gender and education. They include such topics as why boys seem to do worse in school than girls; the ways in which schools perpetuate gender stereotypes; the ways in which schools perpetuate gender inequality; and the ways in which the gender inequality fostered by the schools contributes to the continuing masculine dominance of society as a whole. More narrowly, school is one of the places where boys learn what it means to be masculine. They learn from competitive sports that are forbidden to girls; from rough play at recess; and they sometimes learn from bullies. Society is very hard on women, confining them to narrow expectations that are deemed “suitable”; no one can argue that women are still second-class citizens. (If you can make that argument, you haven’t been paying attention.) But we sometimes forget that society is equally hard on men, demanding that they succeed, support their families, and be “rocks” of endurance and strength at all times. Men learn this in many ways, and their education in masculinity begins in the cradle. But from the protection of the family, they move into the schoolyard, where such cocooning ceases. A study done in New South Wales suggests that boys tease, harass, and bully girls as part of learning their dominant role, undesirable though such behaviors may be, and that educators and others recognize this behavior for what it is. 2011-10-27T14:35:46.87-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Male-Adolescent-Educational-Issues-34194.aspx This essay discusses the facts about nudism. I Introduction Nudism is not generally considered a part of American culture, though nude beaches have long been accepted in Europe. Now, however, there is a growing movement in the U.S. towards nudism. Nude vacations, nude clubs, nude resorts—all are popular, and more are on the way. This paper discusses the facts about nudism and its practice. (It’s been difficult to find much about nudism; this could be because the field is still growing, or because it is considered embarrassing or shameful; it’s impossible to tell.) II A Long History Nudism has been practiced for centuries, but only now is finding its way to the “mainstream” of society. The American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR) is the largest organization in the United States promoting nudism. It was founded in 1929 as the “American League for Physical Culture”; then it became the American Sunbathing Association (ASA); and finally the American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR) in 1995. Among other things, the Association “publishes material promoting nudism, assists affiliated clubs with advertising and recruitment of new members, and sends lobbyists to Washington to aid legal battles related to nude recreation.” (Woodall, PG). AANR says that membership has increased by 76 percent in the last ten years, and that it now has 50,000 individual members. The composition of the group is very diverse, and doubtless reflects the fact that nudists cannot be categorized, except perhaps as smart and successful. AANR conducted a survey in 1997, which revealed that 92 percent of the Association’s members are over 35, and 47 percent earn more than $50,000 per year. In addition, 83 percent have some college, and 22 percent have advanced degrees. These figures are significantly higher than those for the general population. (Woodall, PG). (Woodall points out that there’s no way to know if nudism makes people smarter, or if it’s simply the fact that older, more well-to-do people come to the Association. There’s no way to tell, but it’s interesting nonetheless.) Another nudist organization, the Naturist Association (serious nudists refer to themselves as “naturists”) says that the percentage of American adults who have tried sunbathing naked in the presence of other people increased by five percent from 1991 to 1992. “On a good day as many as 5,000 can gather at beaches like Sandy Hook in New Jersey—ten 2011-10-27T14:28:53.113-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Nudism-34191.aspx This essay discusses five principles of teaching. I Introduction Teaching is a difficult profession, one that relies on developing and implementing standards to help students learn. The standards can also help teachers teach more effectively. This paper discusses five principles of teaching that apply to a middle-school math class. II Student Development, Learning and Motivation What motivates students to learn? If there is one question paramount in teaching, that surely must be it. Motivation makes the difference: students can learn by rote or by sheer repetitious drudgery, but those who are motivated learn much more quickly, and enjoy the experience. Students are motivated either by intrinsic or extrinsic actors. If the student is intrinsically motivated, he or she learns simply because they love to learn. An extrinsically motivated student learns because doing so will bring some desired result: good grades, or the teacher’s approval, for example. (Lumsden, 1994, PG). According to Lumsden, there are some interesting differences between students with different types of motivation. Students who are motivated by the love of learning seem to “employ strategies that demand more effort and that enable them to process information more deeply.” (1994, PG). In addition, students with an intrinsic orientation tended to prefer more challenging tasks than students who were extrinsically motivated. This would seem to indicate that intrinsically motivated students will ultimately do better in school, and perhaps in life, than those with only extrinsic motivations. The challenge then becomes how to provide motivation to the students in the classroom setting. First, the students must feel that the classroom is a safe place. It has to be supportive and caring, a place where everyone feels that they belong. When students feel that they fit in, they will participate more fully in the discussions and that, in turn, will enhance their overall learning experience. (Lumsden, 1994, PG). Students should also be given problems and tasks that are challenging enough to keep them interested, but no so difficult that they cannot be solved. These tasks should also be relevant to real world situations, though tasks that involve a “certain amount of incongruity” are helpful, because “they stimulate students’ curiosity, an intrinsic motivator.” (Lumsden, 1994, PG). The teacher might want to consider assigning problems that have short-term goals, so that they can be achieved with some effort, but finally accomplished. Setting problems that the 2011-10-27T14:27:51.04-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Five-Principles-of-Teaching-34190.aspx This essay considers the way in which St. Luke portrays Mary I Introduction The Virgin Mary is one of the most important religious icons in all of Christianity, and yet the Bible makes very little reference to her. Mark mentions her only once; and she appears only briefly in Matthew. It is in the Gospel according to Luke that she is most fully realized. This paper discusses the way in which Mary is presented in this gospel, and argues that the presentation makes her seem to be the “first disciple.” II Discussion The term “first disciple” is from the Boston Theological Seminary website, which is kept current. In their discussion of the way Luke presents Mary, the theologians point out that she has undergone a “transformation” from the way she was portrayed in Matthew. The first thing of note is that St. Paul doesn’t mention Mary in his letters at all; and Mark puts both Mary and Jesus’ relatives “outside the circle of the disciples during Jesus’ public ministry.” (PG). According to both Paul and Mark, then, Mary is not presented as anyone special. Matthew was a bit kinder to her than Paul and Mark, because he knew of the tradition of the virgin birth. This made his gospel “less negative about Mary” that Mark’s writings. When it comes to Luke, things change dramatically. In Matthew, the focus is almost entirely on Joseph: “Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit; and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream …” (Matthew 1: 18-20). The angel of course told Joseph that his wife was pregnant by the Holy Spirit, and that the child would be called Jesus, and that he was not to be with her until after the child was born. Thus, the annunciation as told here is really about Joseph, not Mary. (Still, considering the times in which they lived, he has to be credited with a great deal of courage in standing by a young woman who is pregnant before they 2011-10-26T23:48:29.54-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Virgin-Mary-in-the-Gospel-of-Luke-34164.aspx This paper describes the kinds of statements necessary to give rise to Moore’s paradox I Introduction Moore’s paradox was developed by philosopher G.E. Moore, who was struck by the idea that there are semantic constructs that can be consistent and inconsistent at the same time. This paper discusses Question #2 of the topic, “What sort of statement gives rise to Moore’s paradox?” II Discussion The typical example given as the basis for Moore’s paradox is “It’s raining but I don’t believe it.” However, according to at least one source there is not necessarily a logical inconsistency between the fact of it raining and someone’s not believing it. Perhaps they live somewhere where it hasn’t rained in months and is not expected to rain for several more months, so that when it does rain, they believe it is something else. The more general form of the statement is “It’s p but I believe not-p.” This indicates that something p is extant, but the person does not believe it. When this occurs, and we have a statement that is genuinely consistent and inconsistent at the same time, we have the factors necessary to generate Moore’s paradox. Much of the argument about Moore has to do with semantics and shades of meaning, so it’s important to construct a statement that cannot be interpreted so as to resolve the inconsistency. (This is more difficult that it first appears.) The heart of the matter seems to be constructing a statement in which the two halves are individually true, but together they become inconsistent. “Moorean absurdity emerges in cases in which one supposes a proposition for the sake of argument rather than asserting it or judging it true, while at the same time asserting or judging that one’s state of mind is not one of entertaining such a supposition.” (Green, PG). In other words, I say that I suppose it is raining (not that it is raining or that I judge it to be raining), and then at the same time I say I am not in a fit state of mind to think about such a supposition. How can I even make a statement if I’m not thinking about it? This is the type of thing that generates Moore’s paradox; it also leads into another area of inquiry, and that is the nature of consciousness. III Conclusion It is surprisingly 2011-10-26T23:42:56.09-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Generating-Moores-Paradox-34161.aspx This paper is a brief biography of the famous writer. (4+ pages; 4 sources; MLA citation style). I Introduction Today we use the word “Machiavellian” to describe people or situations that are convoluted, dangerous and perhaps even evil. The word comes from the name of the famous Italian writer, Niccolo Machiavelli, whose fame (or infamy) rests largely on a slim volume of essays about government that can either be seen as instructions to the prince or a handbook for assassins, depending on your point of view. But who was this man and was he really a sort of despicable plotter, or merely a realist who understood the politics of his day? Perhaps a brief look at the man behind the label will help us answer these questions. II Brief Biography Niccolo Machiavelli was born May 3, 1469 in Florence, one of four children born to Bartolomea and Bernardo di Niccolo di Buoninsegna. The family was poor, but Niccolo’s father loved books and had managed to collect a small personal library. (Viroli, p. 7). It is doubtless from his father that Machiavelli got his love of books and learning. At the time of his birth, Italy was in turmoil and divided into five important states: the Republic of Venice, the Duchy of Milan, the Republic of Florence, the Church, and the Kingdom of Naples. (Bergin, p. vii). The country was ripe for invasion, and when Lorenzo de’Medici died, first France and then Spain invaded. Italy would not be free of the Spaniards until 1860. Although we know little more about Machiavelli’s early life than what I’ve said about his love of books and learning, that seems to have been enough to bring him to the attention of the Florentine government, and in 1498 he was appointed secretary to the Republic. His office found him concerned largely with war and internal affairs. Four years after his appointment he married Marietta Corsini, who bore him several children. Although he was apparently unfaithful, the marriage seems to have been a happy one. (Bergin, p. x). His office as secretary meant that he was sent on many diplomatic missions; he met such personalities as Caterina Sforza and Cesare Borgia. He also accompanied Pope Julius II through Umbria, and met the Emperor Maximilian; he was also sent on an errand to Louis XII of France. (Bergin, p. x). Machiavelli also found time 2011-10-26T14:50:47.62-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Niccolo-Machiavelli-34147.aspx This paper considers some of the opinions of these men, as given in The Prince and The Republic. (13 pages; 2 sources; MLA citation style) I Introduction We can learn a lot about our world from those who have gone before, even if they are removed from us by hundreds, even thousands, of years. Two such authors are Plato and Niccolo Machiavelli, whose ideas about government, justice and freedom are still relevant today. This paper answers some questions about both men and their beliefs and observations. II Question 1: Definitions of Justice The wealthy Cephalus begins the discussion of justice by saying that because he is rich, he has never deceived or defrauded others, and that when he dies he knows what he owes to both gods and men, which gives him great peace of mind. Socrates says, then justice is paying your debts and speaking the truth? But aren’t there times when one shouldn’t speak the truth? Cephalus’ son Polemarchus speaks up, agreeing with Socrates. At that point Cephalus leaves, saying Polemarchus will take up the argument. Socrates doesn’t say what he thinks justice is; instead he lets Polemarchus speak. The latter quotes Simonides as saying that a repayment of a debt is just, and he agrees with that. But Socrates then leads Polemarchus through a series of questions and answers (we now call it the Socratic method) that ends up with Polemarchus totally confused and having to take back what he said. At that point Thrasymachus, who can’t stand it any longer, interrupts and castigates Socrates for not answering directly but taking others’ arguments to bits instead. Then he says that justice is simply the interest of the stronger. Socrates demolishes him as well, taking him through the same type of questioning as he’d done with Polemarchus, until Thrasymachus admits that justice is a matter of the strong looking out for the interest of the weak; the opposite of his original meaning. Thrasymachus tries again and again Socrates demolishes him, concluding that justice is good and virtue and injustice is evil and vice. Thrasymachus retires and Socrates thinks it’s over, only to have Glaucon challenge him by saying that he thinks men are just only because they are forced, not because they want to do right. Adeimantus also chimes in, saying that men who only appear to be just gain the same respect as 2011-10-26T14:49:56.31-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Machiavelli-and-Plato-34146.aspx This paper analyzes a passage from The Prince and relates it to the historical events in Italy at the time. (4+ pages; 1 source; MLA citation style) I Introduction Machiavelli is often cited as having invented politics as we know it. He codified his advice to the Florentine rulers, specifically Lorenzo de’ Medici, in The Prince, and the little collection of essays has become a sort of handbook for governing, and for understanding the political process. Its realistic approach to the problems of kingship, including his famous conclusion that it’s better to be feared than loved, has earned him a reputation as a schemer; a sly, cunning man with no conscience. But the truth is that he simply wrote down the maxims that every head of state knows, but few will admit. This brief paper analyzes a passage from Chapter XIV of The Prince and relates its advice to the situation in Italy at the time Machiavelli wrote. II Analysis The passage in question is this: “"As for intellectual training, the prince must read history, studying the actions of eminent men to see how they conducted themselves during war and to discover the reasons for their victories or their defeats, so that he can avoid the latter and imitate the former. Above all, he must read history so that he can do what eminent men have done before him: taken as their model some historical figure who has been praised and honored; and always kept his deeds and actions before them." (This is from the Penguin Books edition; I have the Appleton edition, and although the meaning is the same the words are quite different, so I’ve quoted the whole passage for ease of reference.) This essay is quite straightforward. In it, Machiavelli is telling Lorenzo what he must do to win battles. He says that first of all, the prince (Lorenzo de’ Medici was the prince referred to in the title of the book) should read history and study previous wars to see how those wars were waged. These historical documents, he suggests, will allow Lorenzo to understand how and why the victors won their fights. Finally, Lorenzo should pick one of these victorious men and use him as a role model for the conduct of his own affairs. (This is like one of our current Army leaders, for instance, asking himself “What would General 2011-10-26T14:49:21.447-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Machiavelli-An-Analysis-34145.aspx This paper discusses two aspects of Moore’s Paradox: what statements give rise to it, and why one can’t make such statements. (10 pages; 2 sources; APA citation style) I Introduction Moore’s Paradox is more than an interesting philosophical problem; it also must be looked at semantically to determine the relationship of the clauses in the sentence or sentences under consideration. When one clause is dependent upon and derives it meaning from another, then both must make sense when spoken together; the common idea they share must also make sense. This paper considers two aspects of Moore’s Paradox: What sort of statement gives rise to it? And why can’t one say such a thing? It also explores the Paradox in general and tries to come to terms with the concept implied in it. II Statements Giving Rise to the Paradox In the simplest terms, Moore’s Paradox describes those statements that inherently give rise to a contradiction. The example usually used is, “It’s raining but I don’t believe it’s raining,” also expressed as “p but I don’t believe p.” Several questions immediately come to mind, and we’ll see if we can find satisfactory answers for them The first is “Why don’t you/I/the speaker believe what they are currently experiencing?” The next is, are there circumstances under which “p but I don’t believe p” can be true? And finally, are there times in which the two halves of the sentence make sense individually but not as a whole, and vice versa? As I’ve read about this topic, it’s become apparent that much of our thinking about Moore’s Paradox is based largely on the way in which the sentences under discussion are linguistically constructed. There is a significant difference between asserting, “p but I didn’t believe p” and “p but I won’t believe p.” In the first, with both clauses in the past, the statement becomes illogical: if p has already happened, and has been seen to have occurred, then it’s impossible to assert not-p, because it took place. But if p is still in the future, then it’s possible to understand how we might say, yes, I believe p will occur, but I don’t think I will believe it, even if it does. (“I know someone will win the lottery next week, but even if I do, I won’t believe it.”) We’re not actually 2011-10-26T14:47:13.783-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Investigating-Moore’s-Paradox-34143.aspx This paper discusses the parallels and connections between the slaughter of the Sun God’s Cattle and the killing of Penelope’s suitors in “The Odyssey.” (4+ pages, 1 source; MLA citation style) I Introduction If often seems that the characters in Homer’s epic poem “The Odyssey” never learn from experience—particularly Odysseus’s crew. They get into trouble repeatedly, from which Odysseus rescues them, only to have them get into further difficulties. Their slaughter of the Sun God’s cattle is the last, and final, blunder in a series of catastrophes that marks their journey home. In this brief paper, we’ll explore why, in view of the behavior of Penelope’s suitors, Odysseus’s men’s slaughter of the Cattle of the Sun is significant. II Discussion It’s possible to draw many parallels between the killing of Helios’s cattle and the killing of the suitors that ends the poem, but perhaps the most striking is the fact that the slaughter of the cattle directly foreshadows the slaughter of the men. In many ways, the suitors who have been courting Penelope in her husband’s absence have proven to be no better than animals; we might consider them a “herd.” They seem to follow a herd instinct: they are always together; they have an apparent leader, Antinous, whom they follow, but casually, as cows might meander along after a single individual; and they seem to do the same things at the same time, as if none of them is capable of independent thought. In addition, like a herd, they have taken over Penelope’s home and made it their “territory”; they “graze” as they please there, eating, drinking, stealing, raping the serving women, and trying to get Penelope to agree to marry one of them. Although Antinous is the most active of them, it is difficult to differentiate one from another, since Homer has made them all equally grasping, unprincipled, and vicious. They all resemble each other, and I believe that is intentional: we are meant to see them as a group, and the slaughter of Helios’ cattle is a direct forecast of the deaths of these men. There are other similarities that are significant. In both cases, there is a taboo against the action being contemplated. The suitors have no concrete evidence that Odysseus is dead, but they are attempting to get his wife to agree to marry one of them anyway. 2011-10-26T13:24:50.55-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Significance-of-the-Slaughter-of-the-Cattle-of-the-Sun-34117.aspx This paper discusses the way in which Rebekah exerts her influence in the male-dominated society of her time. (5 pages; 1 source; MLA citation style) I Introduction The Book of Genesis formally relegates women to second-class positions in relation to men: the Bible tells us that Eve was made from Adam’s rib. She was thus seen as a part of him, and would never have existed if he had not been created. Then too, throughout the first chapters of the book, we are given the history of men and their descendents, thus: “These are the descendents of Shem. When Shem was a hundred years old, he became the father of Arpachshad two years after the flood; and Shem lived after the birth of Arpachshad five hundred years, and had other sons and daughters. “When Arpachshad had lived thirty-five year, he became the father…” (Genesis, Chapter 11, verses 10-12). The point is that the Bible is describing the line of descent from father to son to son to son; women are barely mentioned, and are unimportant in this society. However, women did influence society, but indirectly and very subtly. There was none of the activism familiar to us today. II Rebekah Rebekah (Rebecca) was the great niece of Abraham; she was the daughter of Bethuel, and Bethuel was the son of Abraham’s brother Nahor. When Abraham grew old, he wanted to find a bride for his beloved son Isaac. However, he told his oldest and must trusted servant that he was not to find a bride for Isaac from among the Canaanites, but instead to go to Abraham’s country and family, and find a woman there. The servant did as he was told, and “took ten of his master’s camels and departed … and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor.” (Chapter 24, verse 10). He waited outside the city, at a well where women came to draw water in the evening. He had decided that he would ask one of them for a drink for himself, and that if she agreed and also offered to water his camels, he would pray that she would be the one God had selected for Isaac. The women came to the well, and the servant immediately saw Rebekah. “The maiden was very fair to look upon, a virgin, whom no man had known.” (Chapter 24, verse 16). 2011-10-26T13:18:12.6-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Rebekah’s-Influence-in-Genesis-34112.aspx This paper examines Wittengenstein’s objections to St. Augustine’s characterization of the methods of learning language. (4 pages; 1 source; MLA citation style) I Introduction German philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein describes his work as an “album,” a collection of thoughts about a variety of subjects, including meaning, understanding, logic, and language. (P. ix). He jotted down observations and questions about things that interested him, without attempting to write a book in the traditional sense. The first part of the book is largely concerned with the ways in which we finding meaning in language, and how we know what we mean when we say something; he also wonders how people learn to associate meanings with words, and why the same word has different meanings depending on usage. (These are only a few of the concepts he visits with regard to language.) This paper discusses Chapter 32 of Wittgenstein’s book with the object of answering these questions: Why does Wittgenstein think that Augustine’s description of language, which he quotes in Chapter 1, compares a child to an adult in a foreign country who understands language, but not the local language? Why does Wittgenstein object to Augustine’s characterization of language in this manner? To answer these questions, we’ll consider what Wittgenstein has to say about the differences between ostensive teaching of words and ostensive explanation of words; and his thinking in general about words and meanings. II Discussion “Ostensive” means “directly pointing out” or “clearly demonstrative.” Someone who teaches words ostensively does not deal in shades of nuance and meaning; he clearly says, this is the word and this is what it means. This is the way in which Augustine defines language, and the way in which one learns language. St. Augustine says that he learned language by watching his elders, who named some object and moved toward it. “I saw this and I grasped that the thing was called by the sound they uttered when they meant to point it out.” (P. 2e). Augustine continues, saying that the elders showed their intention by the expressions on their faces, their movements, and their tone of voice; all of these mechanisms express “… our state of mind in seeking, having, rejecting or avoiding something.” (P. 2e). Wittgenstein says that Augustine’s description “gives us a particular picture of the essence of human language … individual words in language name objects … sentences are combinations 2011-10-26T13:12:46.693-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Philosophical-Investigations,-Chapter-32_-34108.aspx This paper examines the curse that Dido lays on Aeneas; as well as the intense sense of hatred and revenge found throughout the poem. (4+ pages; 1 source; MLA citation style) I Introduction Virgil’s Aeneid is usually “lumped” with Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey as one of the three major works of classical antiquity. Many of the same characters are found in all three poems, giving them a feeling of being a sort of set. Virgil’s work, however, differs from Homer’s in that it is less direct; things are not always what they seem. It is also, first, last and always, a work about hatred and a desire for revenge. It is possible to read the Odyssey as nothing more than a terrific adventure story, but the relentless anger that moves through the Aeneid delves deeply into human motivation. Dido’s curse, which she employs when she realizes Aeneas is leaving her, really rings true. But, like many such things, it has unexpected consequences. In addition, there are many events that seem to refer back to themselves; it’s a multi-layered work. II Dido’s Curse Dido’s curse has echoes throughout the entire poem. Her hatred of Aeneas seems to mirror Juno’s hatred of him that begins the work. Both gods and men seem to hate with a vengeance. Dido meets Aeneas when he is blown off course by a terrible storm. He’s a Trojan, on his way from the fall of Troy to Italy, where he is destined to found the city of Rome, and incidentally, the civilization that will surpass the Greeks. Thus, although Odysseus (I suppose I should call him Ulysses) and his men have defeated the Trojans and destroyed their city, they have merely delayed the inevitable. Dido is Queen of Carthage, a city in Africa; Carthage is beloved of Juno, Queen of the Gods. Because she is an all-seeing goddess, Juno knows that Aeneas will be instrumental in founding Rome, and destroying her favorite city. It is her hatred that begins the work, as Virgil tells us that Aeneas was “buffeted cruelly on land as on the sea”, by “baleful Juno in her sleepless rage.” (P. 1). Set against her is Venus, Goddess of Love, who sends her son Amor (Cupid) to impersonate Ascanius, Aeneas’s son. In the disguise of the boy, the god is able to get close to 2011-10-26T13:11:52.633-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Dido’s-Curse-34107.aspx (7+ pages; 2 sources; MLA citation style) I Introduction People whose first language is not English face a number of problems when they try to learn it, not least of which is understanding and using the proper register when speaking. This paper critiques the article “Using Standards to Integrate Academic Language into ESL Fluency,” by Beckett. It also briefly explains the concept of “register.” (Please note: This may not be the best possible article, but I’m in San Diego and my resources at this moment are limited to what I can access from home; all libraries and colleges are shut down until further notice.) II Register “Register” can be most easily defined as the way in which people choose to express themselves in a particular situation. For example, someone might say “Yo! How ya doin’?” to a friend but would be more likely to say “Good morning, Mary” or even “Good morning, Ms. Madison” to the boss. There are three registers of language: formal, consultive and casual. We use the formal register at work and at school; it has “complete sentences and specific word choices.” (Payne, PG). The consultive register is not quite as direct or formal; but the casual register is very different from the others. When we use the casual register, we use a vocabulary of only 400-800 words; we speak in incomplete sentences and phrases; our word choices are not specific and we may supplement our speech with non-verbal communications. This is our choice when we speak to friends. III Article Analysis The article discusses the need for developing standards for ESL students, so that they can learn the skills necessary to compete successfully for jobs in a society that is increasingly complex. They need, in other words, to develop a formal register of language that will enable them to use English appropriately. The article begins with a hypothetical example of an ESL parent insisting that his child not be placed in an ESL classroom, because of his fear that the child will not be taught what he needs to know in order to succeed. “When registering Jose in the new school, his father was adamant. He wanted Jose in the "ingles" class where he would learn "sciencia" and matematicas," not how to say how-do-you-do. He was afraid that if Jose were placed in an English as a second language 2011-10-26T12:59:03.927-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Article-Analysis-Using-Standards-to-Integrate-Academic-Language-into-ESL-Fluency-34100.aspx This paper discusses one of the parables from the Gospel of St. Luke and the way in which it supports Jesus’ teachings. (4+ pages; 1 source; MLA citation style) I Introduction The Gospels are interesting because they tell the same story four different ways, using different techniques. In Luke, parables play an important part in Jesus’ teachings. These little mini-sermons get to the heart of the matter and exhort Jesus’ followers to consider their behavior and what it means to their future. This brief paper considers one of the parables from St. Luke and what it means to the rest of that particular Gospel. I’m using Chapter 18, verses 9-14. II Discussion I’ve chosen this parable because it seems easier to understand than the others that were suggested. I’m also using a Bible I’ve had for years, which may make a difference. In this version (Revised Standard), the parable is of the two men who went to the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector: “The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank thee that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18, 11-14). The meaning of this parable is clear; in fact, it’s right there in the last line: “He who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.” This is a strong admonition against the sin of pride, which is of course one of the seven deadly sins. In addition, however, there is an implied “threat” in the parable, if I might take the liberty to express it in those terms. It’s pretty clear that if man doesn’t mend his ways, God will humble him. Just exactly what sort of form the punishment will take is also fairly clear: man will not be able to get into heaven. This parable is only one of 2011-10-26T12:55:49.56-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Parables-from-St_-Luke-34098.aspx This paper examines Sections 7 and 8 of the Critique and asks if Kant’s arguments make sense. (8+ pages; 1 source; MLA citation style) I Introduction Immanuel Kant’s philosophical treatise is a work that attempts to use reason to examine reason. Kant is concerned with the question of how we know what we know. This is not a trivial question, for it gets to the very heart of what it means to be an organism with the power of cognition. II Types of Knowledge Kant says that there are two types of knowledge: a priori and a posteriori. The latter is empirical knowledge; knowledge that we derive from experience. When we say, for example, that some cats are black, we know this because we have seen cats, and we understand that some are black, and some are not. But we have observed the physical creature known as “cat” and understand that the animal comes in many different species and colors. This is empirical knowledge, knowledge based on experience. A priori knowledge is much tougher—it’s based on nothing, really. It is what we know because we know it; we can’t point to any particular source as a first cause for our knowledge of the subject; we just know what it is we know. We might say that we have a priori knowledge of God, since we cannot empirically prove his existence yet believe that he exists. This argument, however, runs directly into the problem of those who do not believe in God and deny that there is such a thing as a Supreme Being. Philosophers have been arguing over this one for centuries, and because it is so completely abstract it may not serve us well here. Consider instead the concept of space: not outer space, as in space exploration, but space as the medium through which we move. No one ever has to define or explain the fact that we exist in a dimensional universe; we know without being told that there is “up”, “down”, “back”, “forward”, “left” and “right.” Or to take another example, we are aware of substance; the physical world. No one has ever had to teach us that some things are solid, others liquid, etc. We just know these things without any formal experimentation to prove that they exist or have properties of 2011-10-26T12:52:23.747-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Kant-Critique-of-Pure-Reason-34096.aspx This paper discusses the traits of good and bad teachers, the study habits they create (or fail to create) and why or why not these habits are effective. (4+ pages; 3 sources; MLA citation style) I Introduction There is little doubt that a good teacher can instill a love of learning that will enable a student to do well in school, and succeed in life. There’s also little doubt that a bad teacher can make school such a frustrating, embarrassing and shaming experience students won’t learn much. This paper discusses traits of good and bad teachers, and the study habits they create, or fail to create, in their students. II Discussion What makes a good teacher? What sort of study habits does such a person engender in his/her students? There are a great many answers to that question, but some responses recur more frequently than others. One source says that a good teacher must be an expert in his field; there is no substitute for sound knowledge, and no amount of charm will make up for it if the teacher isn’t thoroughly grounded in his field of expertise. A teacher who is “in love” with his subject brings a sense of excitement to the classroom, and a strong desire to share his favorite subject with others. (Koo, PG). With this as a basis, a good teacher will “cultivate a student’s sense of responsibility and hard work.” (Koo, PG). Many students with great ability are also a bit lazy; they need a “push” from a good teacher to develop good study habits. They also need a “reflective” teacher as a mentor to help them refine their thought processes—in other words, a good teacher will help students “deepen” their thinking. (Too many teachers teach by rote and memorization; students need to be encouraged to use their brains to develop their own ideas, not merely memorize facts.) Koo says teachers should remember they’re teaching students, not just subjects. (PG). Another source says that good teachers do two things: they work hard to help their students and they expect hard work from their students. (Lowery, PG). Good teachers recognize that they have an obligation to meet academic standards, and that students who do not meet these standards should not be graduated; “pushing” them through the system defeats the purpose of having standards. (Lowery, PG). Good 2011-10-26T12:51:36.07-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Good-Teacher-Bad-Teacher-34095.aspx This paper discusses St. Augustine’s relationship with his mother Monica as revealed in the Confessions, and relates that to Jane English’s article. (5+ pages; 2 sources; MLA citation style) I Introduction In his Confessions, St. Augustine tells us of the devotion between himself and his mother, Monica. In her article “What Adult Children Owe to their Parents,” Jane English takes a different tack when discussing that relationship, arguing that it should be love, not the concept of paying back favors rendered that dictates the child’s actions. This paper will both Augustine and Monica, and the article, briefly, then develop an argument either for or against using English’s model to describe this particular relationship. II Comments on Augustine and Monica The relationship between St. Augustine and his mother, Monica, as described in his Confessions, is a close and yet somewhat troubled one. Monica apparently spends most of her time praying that her son will turn away from the pleasures of the flesh and find God. This makes her seems like a completely selfless, devoted and loving woman. Unfortunately, since the Confessions are written in the first person, we have no one but Augustine to tell us about Monica. We see her through his eyes only and that means that of necessity we are not getting a complete picture of her. He frequently uses the word “pious” or “piety” in connection with her; early in the work we read: “The mother of my flesh was much perplexed, for, with a heart pure in thy faith, she was always in deep travail for my eternal salvation.” (Book I, Chap XI, 17). In fact, throughout most of the book, when he does refer to his mother, Augustine tells us that she was continually praying for the salvation of his soul. She doesn’t appear in much of the narrative, but he does give us a moving description of her life and her death in Book IX. He tells us that she became overly fond of wine, and was saved from becoming a drunkard when her slave girl accused her of that very thing. By naming the affliction, she enabled Monica to recognize what was happening and repudiate it. Thus we see that Augustine’s mother is no stranger to temptations of the flesh. Monica was also a clever woman, married to a man with a violent temper. But she knew 2011-10-26T12:48:52.433-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/St_-Augustine-and-His-Mother-via-Jane-English-34093.aspx This paper considers St. Augustine’s grief at the death of his friend, his attachments to mortal things, and why he regrets them. (4 pages; 1 source; MLA citation style) I Introduction In Chapter IV of his Confessions, St. Augustine describes his terrible grief at the death of a friend, and then goes on to discuss attachments to mortal things, and why he regrets them. This paper explores Augustine’s reasoning in this situation. II Discussion First, it’s interesting to note the terms in which Augustine talks about his reaction to his friend’s death. So many people say, “If he dies, I won’t be able to live without him,” yet here Augustine says, “I was wretched, and yet that wretched life I still held dearer than my friend. For though I would willingly have changed it, I was still more unwilling to lose it than to have lost him.” (IV, vi.) This is a very practical reaction to the fact of death, and yet it in no way diminishes the depth of Augustine’s grief. This man is obviously Augustine’s “soulmate”, for he says “I marveled all the more that I, who had been a second self to him, could go on living when he was dead.” (IV, vi.) He also finds that he doesn’t want to live as a “half-self,” but is even more afraid of dying, because then his friend would “die wholly.” (IV, vi.) Augustine relates that he couldn’t find any peace; everything was gloomy and miserable because his friend was gone. When at last he began to find some measure of comfort, when his “soul left off weeping” he found “a heavy burden of misery weighed me down.” (IV, vii). He knew that he should turn to God for comfort, but at that point he didn’t know God’s true nature and considered him only “an empty fantasm.” (IV, vii). And if he sought comfort from this fantasy, it only made him more downcast. Finally, though, time brought a measure of healing, and here is where Augustine begins a subtle argument about sorrow and the nature of God. He says that the sorrow he felt at his friend’s death was so extreme because he had “poured his soul onto the dust, but loving a man as if he would never die who nevertheless had to die.” (IV, viii). It’s implied, I think, that if 2011-10-26T12:42:16.467-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/St_-Augustine-and-the-Death-of-a-Friend-34090.aspx This paper explores ways in which Socrates’ prayer at the end of The Phaedrus reflects Plato’s ideas of love. (7 pages; 3 sources; MLA citation style) I Introduction The ancient philosophers seem far more accessible to me than some of their later comrades; it’s easier to understand Plato and Socrates than Hegel and Kant. And who can imagine one of our solemn moderns being interrupted by an attack of the hiccups? The speeches in The Symposium are clearly written, and yet each reflects the character of the speaker. As usual, Socrates can’t resist the opportunity of picking an “opponent” to pieces when he takes Agathon through a series of questions and answers about whether love is the love of something or of nothing. The point is that these men are quite obviously enjoying their debate, and because of this, and their quest for understanding of basic human issues, they retain a great deal of relevance for us today. At the end of The Phaedrus, a companion piece to The Symposium, Socrates utters a prayer. It’s very short, but it sums up Plato’s ideas of Love as expressed by Socrates in The Symposium. II The Prayer I’m using the Jowett translation found on-line, and this is the prayer as given in that text: “Beloved Pan, and all ye other gods who haunt this place, give me beauty in the inward soul; and may the outward and inward man be at one. May I reckon the wise to be the wealthy, and may I have such a quantity of gold as a temperate man and he only can bear and carry. -- Anything more? The prayer, I think, is enough for me.” (The Phaedrus, PG). We can break this into several “sections” that will help us understand how it contains Plato’s idea of Love. The first section is the salutation to Pan; the next the mention of the other gods; the third, the idea of the duality of man; and the fourth the connection between wealth and wisdom. It is the third section, which considers the dual nature of man, that is the most important. III Analysis There is something else to consider briefly, and that is the capital “L” on the word “Love.” Love, to the ancient Greeks, was not an emotion but an entity: Cupid (Eros). Later generations have done him a disservice by turning him into a chubby cherub 2011-10-26T12:38:57.067-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Plato’s-Ideas-of-Love-34087.aspx This paper discusses in depth Section 184 of Ludwig Wittgenstein’s book Philosophical investigations. 4 pages; 1 source; MLA citation style. I Introduction In his Philosophical Investigations, Ludwig Wittgenstein spends a great deal of time trying to understand how we can understand our thought processes, a very challenging endeavor. This paper considers Section 184 in depth; how it bears on the discussion of the phrase “Now I can go on!” in Section 151; and how other remarks relate back to it. II Discussion In Section 184, Wittgenstein attempts the almost impossible task of trying to describe what it is like to suddenly “know” something. The example he uses is a song. If we try to recall a song and cannot, and then it suddenly “pops into our head” and we sing it, what is that moment like? What does it mean for us to suddenly know the song? And if we begin singing only to get “stuck” does that mean we really don’t know it after all? Is it valid to say that we know the song if we cannot sing the whole thing? Or is it a question of knowing it for a moment, and then having part of it “slip away”? In answer to all these questions, Wittgenstein says, “If someone says with conviction that now he knows the tune, then it is (somehow) present to his mind in its entirety at that moment—and this is a definition of the expression ‘the tune is present to his mind in its entirety’.” (P. 64, §184). In other words, Wittgenstein is setting up parameters for what it means “to know”—at the moment that someone says he knows something, that entire thing is present in his mind. Conversely, it seems logical to assume that if we get stuck half-way through the song, we don’t really “know” it, at least not in the way Wittgenstein defines knowing. But if we look back at Section 151 and the discussion of the phrase “Now I can go on!” we can see how Wittgenstein arrives at this conclusion. In section 151, he gives an example of a mathematical progression; in this case, person A writes down a series of numbers: 1, 5, 11, 19, and 29; after watching A for some unspecified time, B says, “Now I can go on!” What has happened is that B has discerned the way in which 2011-10-26T12:32:47.813-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Wittgenstein-Section-184-34083.aspx This paper explores the issues associated with two typical student teacher interactions. (8 pages; 2 sources; MLA citation style. I Introduction Student-teacher interactions can result in a good experience or a negative one, and that in turn can have an impact on the learning that takes place. Such interactions are one of the basics of education. This paper describes two typical interactions, and discusses the theoretical, psychological and social issues associated with them. II Choosing Typical Interactions When we think of student-teacher interactions, several come to mind immediately. Probably the most typical occurs when a teacher calls on a student for an answer; another very typical interaction occurs when a teacher disciplines a disruptive student. The second would seem to carry a far more serious potential for harm to the student’s self-esteem than the first, though both must be handled tactfully. III Calling on a Student for a Response This routine activity can present some difficulties, because students may feel that teachers are picking on them, playing favorites, or otherwise showing partiality. One source refers to this as one aspect of “interactional fairness” and says that students consider “violations” of interactional fairness very severe. (Whitley, PG). There are five separate aspects to “interactional fairness,” and students expect teachers to adhere to these standards. (The “standards” are not written, but common experience has lead students to expect teachers to adhere to them.) The five are impartiality, respect, concern for students, integrity and propriety, and we can also explore the theoretical, psychological and social issues associated with each one. Impartiality is the quality of being impartial; that is, “[S]tudents expect an instructor to treat everyone in the class equally.” (Whitley, PG). In theory, while it’s improbable that any teacher would intentionally favor one student over another, teachers are human and it’s likely that in the normal course of human interaction, they will find young people they like very much and others they don’t like as well. If teachers are not careful their preference for certain students may manifest itself in such things as allowing those students to dominate discussions. (Whitley, PG). Even the appearance of partiality is distressing to many students; Whitley says that studies found that 90% of students thought that favoritism was inappropriate to at least some extent, while 45% thought it was unacceptable under any circumstances. Teachers much monitor their behavior carefully to avoid giving even an impression 2011-10-26T12:21:51.317-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Student-Teacher-Interactions-34078.aspx This paper discusses Machiavelli’s reactions to Borgia and Agathocles, and concludes that he found one to be admirable and the other a criminal. (4+ pages; 1 source; MLA citation style. I Introduction Machiavelli’s little book The Prince has been a classic of political thought for nearly 500 years. It is a realistic examination of the way people gain, and hold, power. This paper explores the question of why Machiavelli admires Cesare Borgia, but dislikes Agathocles, though the two men used similar methods. II Discussion In Chapter 7, Machiavelli discusses the problems encountered by rulers like Borgia, who acquire their principalities either by good fortune or though the efforts of others. He says, “[T]hose who solely by good fortune become princes … have little trouble in rising, but much in keeping atop; they have not any difficulties on the way up, because they fly, but they have many when they reach the summit.” (Machiavelli, PG). Borgia, after gaining power, did “all that ought to be done by a wise and able man to fix firmly his roots in the states which the arms and fortunes of others had bestowed on him.” (PG). His father had allowed the French back into Italy; the Venetians allied with them. Then Alexander used French soldiers to attack Romagna, which surrendered. It was this state that Borgia had to hold, but he had two main problems: the French soldiers didn’t appear loyal to him, and second, he didn’t have the goodwill of France. Borgia say that the men he was using were unwilling to fight and of questionable loyalty, so he resolved not to depend on the “arms and luck of others.” (PG). Instead, he weakened the opposition by winning the loyalty of his opponent’s adherents, “making them his gentlemen, giving them good pay … and honouring them with office and command.” (PG). Within a few months, these men were loyal to him. Then he set out to destroy their leaders. He was able to trick them into gathering at Sinigaglia, where he “exterminated the leaders,” without help from the French. He thus had eliminated his enemies, either by killing them or by turning them into friends, and he did it without relying overly much on outside assistance. Finally, to secure Romagna, he appointed a cruel minister, Ramiro d’Orco, to keep order. He 2011-10-26T12:20:36.483-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Machiavelli’s-Opinions-of-Cesare-Borgia-and-Agathocles-34077.aspx This paper examines the current situation with regard to reading standards being set at state levels. (10.5 pages; 3 sources; MLA citation style. I Introduction There has been a great deal of dismay in general over the poor academic performance of American students when compared to their counterparts in other countries. One of the areas in which U.S. students fall behind is reading comprehension. There are many theories as to why our students are performing badly, including the idea that students concentrate on the present and have no thought for the future; that they don’t understand why academic accomplishment is important; or that they lack motivation. Overall, it seems that standards and expectations have declined, and student performance has declined with them. In order to try to help students perform better, standards were introduced. In fact, there have been standards set for academic performance for decades. This paper will consider the various aspects of state standards for reading comprehension, including whether or not they have resulted in improved performance. II Why Set State Standards? The first question that arises when we consider state standards for reading is why such standards should be set at the state level in the first place. Why shouldn’t that be left to the school, or even an individual teacher, rather than an organization as broad and diverse as a state? According to an interesting article on the ERIC website, the reason for setting standards for reading, or for setting standards in general for that matter, “resulted from a perception among some segments of the public that the level of scholastic achievement among public school students left much room for improvement.” (PG). Of course there have been articles and studies about declining educational accomplishment in the United States, and they have been sufficiently alarming that improving the educational system has become a national priority. (Every president makes education part of his platform, with varying degrees of commitment and success.) This concern led to a federal effort that began in the 1980’s to create voluntary national standards for many different subjects. At this same time, a “joint project of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and the International Reading Association (IRA) was also undertaken, leading eventually to the issuance of a set of voluntary national guidelines.” (Gottleib, PG). As we might imagine, the idea of “voluntary” standards” is somewhat problematic. 2011-10-26T12:17:44.083-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/State-Reading-Standards-34076.aspx This paper examines Section 25 of Transcendental Deduction, contained in Critique of Pure Reason, in detail. (13 pages; 2 sources; MLA citation style. I Introduction Immanuel Kant’s work entitled Critique of Pure Reason is considered by many to be one of the most important philosophical studies ever written. In it, Kant attempts to reconcile two opposing viewpoints: reason and experience. Greatly simplified, the a priori viewpoint (reason) says that we know what we know because we know it; we reason it out. The a posteriori viewpoint says that we know what we know because we can prove it. Critique of Pure Reason attempts to find a middle ground. This paper discusses one section (25) of the Critique. Perhaps the best way to approach the subject is to restate Kant’s words to make sure we know what he’s saying, and then see what conclusions we draw. II Discussion Section 25 of the “Transcendental Deduction” begins “On the other hand, in the transcendental synthesis of the manifold of representations in general…” and ends “… not as it would know itself if its intuition were intellectual.” (Kant, p. 168-169). (I’m using the Norman Kemp Smith translation, 1965). The first sentence gives us a lot to think about: “On the other hand, in the transcendental synthesis of the manifold of representations in general, and therefore in the synthetic original unity of apperception, I am conscious of myself, not as I appear to myself, nor as I am in myself, but only that I am.” (Kant, p. 165). The first clause, “On the other hand” indicates that this is both an ongoing discussion and a comparison, and indeed it is, for in Section 24, Kant has been discussing inner intuition and how it affects our understanding of ourselves. He concludes “… so far as inner intuition is concerned, we know our own subject only as appearance, not as it is in itself.” (Kant, p. 165). The “on the other hand” indicates that now he is going to examine the opposite viewpoint—not intuition, but representation. There are terms that need examination here: “transcendental synthesis” “manifold of representations” and “synthetic original unity of apperception” must be understood before we can go further. “Synthesis” is a process, a blending of separate parts into a whole, an active rather than a reflective state. Kant says: “Space 2011-10-26T12:16:22.68-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Kant-on-Transcendental-Deduction-34075.aspx This paper examines the way in which Kierkegaard and Hegel’s writings express their idealism. (10+ pages; 4 sources; MLA citation style. I Introduction The dictionary defines “idealism” as “behavior or thought based on a conception of things as they should be or as one would wish them to be.” A moment’s reflection on this definition will reveal something interesting: idealism does not necessarily imply goodness. That is, for someone who enjoys pain, for example, the ideal state of being might well mean perpetual suffering. I mention this because when we use the word “ideal” it usually calls to mind a perfect state, almost paradisiacal—and almost always associated with good, kindness, joy, and other qualities that we call positive. Søren Kierkegaard is often described as having written his work “in response to” or “opposing” the views expressed by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel. Thus, realizing that it is possible for an ideal state to be negative allows us to understand how two opposing philosophies might find a common ground. This paper will attempt to understand what Kierkegaard meant when he called Hegel an “idealist”; what kind of “idealist” Kierkegaard believed Hegel to be; and how Hegel’s “idealism” compares with that of Kierkegaard himself. The texts I’m using are on-line: Kierkegaard’s Philosophical Fragments and Hegel’s “Preface” to the Phenomenology of Spirit. II Discussion I think the best place to start is probably with Hegel, since Kierkegaard is seen as reacting against his work. Hegel is widely regarded as one of the most difficult philosophers; some of the comments I’ve found in various places range from “don’t waste your time” to “the only person who really understands Hegel is Hegel.” Be that as it may, we’ll tackle his “Preface” to see if gives us a clue to his form of idealism. As background, another source tells us that Hegel is part of the movement referred to as “German Idealism”, and that this school of thought “tries to achieve a coherent philosophical system, the possibility of which was raised in Kant’s philosophy.” (“Philosophy 450”, PG). (Kant attempted to reconcile two diametrically opposed philosophies: empiricism and rationalism, or the idea that things can be known only via experience (empiricism) as opposed to the idea that things can be known through reason (rationalism)). Let’s see what we find in the “Preface.” Hegel begins by discussing the nature of writing about 2011-10-26T12:13:33.32-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Idealism-in-Kierkegaard-and-Hegel-34073.aspx This paper discussed several sections of Ludwig Wittgenstein’s book. (5+ pages; 1 source, MLA citation style. I Introduction Ludwig Wittgenstein takes a very different approach from other philosophers; he bases his inquiries into the human condition by examining linguistic techniques. In so doing, he often challenges readers in unexpected ways. This paper will examine Section 210 and sections that relate to it, with regard to the way in which we often use examples to help explain words and rules. II Discussion Let’s begin by considering Section 210 itself, which, like most sections in the book, is very short. In the section, Wittgenstein discusses how we explain to others what we understand. (It’s interesting to note that although it appears Wittgenstein is talking to someone else, because the section is a direct quote, I don’t believe there is another person present. This is a literary device that he uses in order to be able to answer direct questions.) Here the question is whether or not we tell another person directly what we understand, or give him examples and let him guess our intent. Wittgenstein says that he gives the explanation of every meaning he can devise to the other person, but it is up to the other person to decide which of the explanations appeals to him the most. As Wittgenstein puts it, “… various interpretations of my explanation come to his mind, and he lights on one of them.” (P. 84e). That is, Wittgenstein explains his meaning to the other person, who in turn interprets it and chooses the explanation that makes the most sense to him. Then Wittgenstein says “So in this case he could ask; and I could and should answer him.” (P. 84e). It appears to me this it is implied in this statement that Wittgenstein will “guide” his questioner to the “correct” explanation of his meaning, rather than allowing him to draw a false conclusion. Section 210 thus seems fairly straightforward: Wittgenstein reveals that in certain circumstances, he allows another person to guess his meaning, but he will also give a direct explanation of the meaning if the other’s guess is likely to lead him to misunderstanding. Section 211, however, though it relates directly to 210, is very difficult. Again, Wittgenstein talks to his invisible questioner. This person asks “How can he know how he is to continue a pattern by himself—whatever 2011-10-26T12:12:22.643-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Wittgenstein-§210-Explanations-and-Examples-34072.aspx This paper discusses some of the issues facing community colleges as they attempt to create nurturing atmospheres for students. (14 pages; 3 sources; APA citation style. I Introduction Community colleges in the United States are vital components of our overall educational system, yet they have often been perceived as “inferior” institutions—places where less-qualified teachers work, teaching less-qualified students who are not really equipped to handle life at a “real” university. Anyone who has worked like a slave to get through a community college course knows that this perception is extremely inaccurate, but there is no doubt that the “culture” of a community college is very different from that of a four-year university. This paper will discuss community college culture, and the way in which community college administrators can influence it. II Culture Shock Perhaps the best place to start this investigation is with a brief look at the differences between community colleges and four-year universities, because they are profound. Although teaching lower-division courses is much the same everywhere, teaching them in the context of a community college comes as a shock to new instructors. In a four-year university, students in education courses have as their role models the graduate faculty “whose primary mission has been to do research, and to prepare their students to do the same.” (Fulton, 2003, p. 56). At a community college, however, the role of the faculty is substantially different: “But the community college culture is all about teaching and student outcomes and mission and collaboration. Relationships with faculty colleagues, staff, administrators, and students are not the same as in graduate schools.” (Fulton, 2003, p. 56). I don’t believe it’s fair to characterize community college instructors as a sort of substitute parent, but they are generally much more accessible than the tenured faculty members at a university. Their interaction with the students is direct and much less formal than in other settings. (This, I suppose, begs the question as to whether or not such informality is desirable, but that is beyond our scope here.) Another source suggests that there are few (or no) programs that adequately prepare either administrators or instructors to function well at the community college level. The research cited is a research study conducted in 2001, in which 128 community college instructors rated “skills and areas of expertise in effectively fulfilling community college instructional leadership roles.” (Brown, 2002, PG). Although the 2011-10-26T12:10:01.253-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Developing-and-Nurturing-the-Culture-of-Community-Colleges-through-Administrative-Leadership-34071.aspx This paper gives two examples from the Iliad of the ways in which godly intervention can have disastrous consequences for mortals. (3 pages; 1 source; MLA citation style. I Introduction The ancient gods (who are still around, laughing at us I’m sure) were far more accessible than today’s deities. They appeared to mortals, made love with them, sometimes bribed them or incited them to war; it was a different age, and gods walked on earth. However, if the gods were more easily available, they were no less capricious and self-centered than our modern ones, and interactions between gods and mortals often left the mortals dead, turned into trees, pregnant or otherwise disagreeably surprised. This paper briefly cites two examples of the way in which the gods’ intervention in human affairs had tragic results, as recounted in ancient poetry. II Discussion One of the best examples of the way in which a god’s wrath causes tremendous injury can be found in the beginning of Homer’s Iliad. There we read that the war began with the clash of Agamemnon and Achilles, and Homer asks “What god drove them to fight with such a fury?” The answer? A god: “Apollo the son of Zeus and Leto.” (1: 9-10). It seems that Chryses, priest of Apollo, had a beloved daughter named Chryseis who was taken as a captive by Agamemnon. When Chryses goes to Agamemnon and offers him a rich ransom if he’ll return the girl, Agamemnon refuses, despite the fact that his friends and colleagues urge him to accept, and despite the fact that a seer tells Agamemnon plainly that it is Apollo’s will that the girl be returned to her father. Agamemnon sends Chryses away, and the old man prays to Apollo to punish him for his stubbornness. Apollo hears him: “Down he strode from Olympus’ peaks, storming at heart / with his bow and hooded quiver slung across his shoulders. / The arrows clanged at his back as the god quaked with rage, / the god himself on the march and down he came like night.” (1: 51-54). Apollo, whom Homer repeatedly calls the “distant, deadly Archer” begins to shoot at the Greeks, first at their mules and dogs, but then at the men; Homer says he “cut them down in droves.” (1: 59). Apollo kept up his 2011-10-26T12:07:43.29-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Gods-and-Mortals-34070.aspx This paper discusses self transformation as described in The Prince and Confessions. (3 pages; 2 sources; MLA citation style. I Introduction Self-transformation (or “reinventing” oneself) is not new; it’s been a necessary part of politics of all kinds for centuries. This paper looks at what Machiavelli and St. Augustine have to say about it. II Machiavelli In his notorious little book The Prince, Machiavelli gives some very realistic advice to princes who want to be successful rulers. He says that although it would be nice if a prince could keep his word and live by “integrity … not with craft”, experience tells us that the greatest princes have recognized that such things might not be possible. Instead, they have learned that “there are two ways of contesting, the one by law, the other by force…”; the first is appropriate to beasts and the second to men. (Machiavelli, PG). Thus, a prince must understand how to access both sides of his nature; and be, when required, a beast or a man. However, a prince who uses this technique must also know how to deceive his subjects so they are unaware of the fact that he is using force rather than obeying the law. A prince must therefore learn to transform himself, as needed, while at the same time hiding this transformation from his subjects. This need for circumspection is therefore one of the greatest limits of self-transformation for Machiavelli. III St. Augustine In one sense, all of the Confessions is a story of self-transformation, and its limits. The first eight books are an autobiography of Augustine’s life, his passions, pleasures, and search for truth. He was in every sense a human being, which is why he is so much admired: he was a lusty young man who had several mistresses, traveled, read, taught and learned what it was to lose a dear friend to death. He also experimented with at least two other religions or philosophies before returning to Christianity (the “true faith”). He was, to use the modern idiom, constantly reinventing himself, now a sneak thief, then a teacher, finally a religious scholar. In Augustine’s case, I believe the lesson we can draw is that self-transformation is an on-going process; a learning process if you like. We experiment with various things, whether they be ideologies or drugs, until we find the one that suits us; the one 2011-10-26T12:06:33.663-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Self-Transformation-in-Machiavelli-and-St_-Augustine-34069.aspx This paper briefly discusses what advice Homer and Machiavelli might give us for coping with politics. (2.5 pages; 2 sources; MLA citation style. I Introduction Earthly existence is difficult, but there have always been people to give advice about how to cope with it. This paper examines Homer and Machiavelli to see what they have to say about the trials of living and how to withstand them. Both men are concerned, basically, with political struggles; the Trojan War, thought allegedly fought over a woman, also had great political and economic impact throughout the ancient world. (Recent scholars have concluded that there really was such a conflict.) II Discussion Homer’s great epic poems are basically stories in praise of heroes and heroic deeds, and this is really the way he appears to handle the political problems of the ancient world: through direct action, even combat. He is lavish in his praise of courage, and scathing in his descriptions of actions he considers cowardly. In Homer’s world, honor is the most important thing of all, closely followed by bravery. The Iliad is a poem about the use of force, and the heroic aspects of the men who use it; while the Odyssey is about the journey of one of the heroes of Troy as he returns home from the conflict. Although Odysseus isn’t always truthful (he in fact boasts of his skill at lying), he is always courageous. Machiavelli is much less generous in his opinion of his fellow men. Homer seems to believe that men are capable of exceptional deeds, but Machiavelli seems to view men as venial and opportunistic. He is a ruthless pragmatist, who favors the idea that a prince should do whatever it takes to succeed in his endeavors; whether that action is honorable or not doesn’t come into the equation. He is the one who coined the phrase “it’s better to be feared than loved,” and he suggests that if it’s necessary for a prince to break the law and use force to accomplish his goals, he should do so. Of course Homer also praises the use of force, but he is describing the clash of armies, not the leader of a state using underhanded tactics to subdue a civilian population, for instance. III Conclusion Homer is, I think, far fonder of men than Machiavelli. He has his heroes cope with the 2011-10-26T12:05:22.683-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Coping-with-Life-34068.aspx This paper explores the leadership styles of Aeneas and Cesare Borgia. (3+ pages; 2 sources; MLA citation style. I Introduction There are many different types of leadership. There’s leadership by example, by force, by persuasion, by coercion; there are as many styles as there are leaders. This paper considers the way leadership is portrayed in two classical works: Machiavelli’s The Prince and Virgil’s Aeneid. II Discussion Cesare Borgia led by force, trickery, and sometimes outright murder. After gaining power, he did “all that ought to be done by a wise and able man to fix firmly his roots in the states which the arms and fortunes of others had bestowed on him.” (PG). First, he weakened the opposition by winning the loyalty of his opponent’s adherents, “making them his gentlemen, giving them good pay … and honouring them with office and command.” (PG). Within a few months, these men were loyal to him. Then he was able to trick his remaining opponents into gathering at Sinigaglia, where he “exterminated the leaders”. He thus had eliminated his enemies, either by killing them or by turning them into friends. Finally, to secure Romagna, he appointed a cruel minister, Ramiro d’Orco, to keep order. He allowed d’Orco to do as he liked while he (Borgia) appeared not to know what d’Orco was doing. When complaints grew about the man’s cruelty, Borgia executed him, thus giving the impression that d’Orco was acting against his orders, when in reality he had obeyed them. It was by such means that Borgia exercised his “leadership.” Aeneas is very different, for many reasons, not least of which is that he is fated by the gods for a special destiny: Aeneas is a Trojan, and after the fall of the city he carries his father on his back and leads his son by the hand, out of the ruin of Troy. Thus begins his long journey to Italy, where he will found the greatest city of all: Rome. Aeneas’s greatest quality, which Virgil shows us again and again, is his compassion. He knows that his followers are suffering, and at one point, when they can’t go any further (Book V), he allows some of them to remain behind in Sicily: “Trust in his hands your old and useless train; Too num'rous for the ships which yet remain: 2011-10-26T12:04:05.807-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Leadership-in-the-Aeneid-and-The-Prince-34067.aspx Satan's Resignation by Navirah Zafar Vice Chancellor, Jamiyat and veiled(naqab posh or ninjas) females are 2009-03-20T08:25:02-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Satan-s-Resignation-by-Navirah-Zafar-34026.aspx The Poor Are Always With Us Tobias Wolff’s short story “The Poor Are Always with Us” portrays one man’s discovery of the road he will choose to follow in life. Set in California during the 1970’s on Easter weekend, Russell is an affluent computer genius who finds himself completely remote from society and unhappy. After meeting Dave and Groves at his mechanic’s garage, Russell faces many tribulations, particularly when trying to deal with Dave’s pugnacious demeanor. Through self-discovery, Russell finally comes to the conclusion that there will always be winners and losers in life. The saying, “It just wasn’t in the cards for him…” may depict Wolff’s resulting indeterminate view on life and how the universe functions. Russell realizes that through reverse social Darwinism, he too, can find his meaning of happiness. After trying desperately to fit into society, a portrait of a sad, completely alone Russell is painted. In Russell’s case, “fitting into society” means having friends. His lack of friends causes him to have conversations with himself, lie about his age, and gamble his car in a pointless bet. Russell’s quiet desperation is showcased when he takes a hit of marijuana and jauntily states, “Gracias. That’s righteous weed.” (Wolff 67). Revealing how easily he falls into peer pressure, Russell acts like a high- school dropout just so that he can impress two strangers. Also, his use of the expression “righteous” is an example of one of his many attempts to be upbeat and “cool.” A strong representative of one of the “weakest” in society, Russell’s struggles seem to portray that money elevates positively one’s favorable status in society. The phenomenon of a community’s protection towards those who are socially incompetent, or reverse social Darwinism, allows Russell to come out on top in society. In our contemporary time, the “fittest” in society is defined not by those who are gregarious, clever, attractive and athletic, but rather by those who have money. Considered to be two of the most powerful men in the history of our world, Bill Gates and John D. Rockefeller portray this type of social system clearly. In a conversation the story’s social outcast frequently has to himself, Russell answers his “roommate” by disclosing to him that he made “more money that you [he] needed, almost twice as much as your [his] own father made after thirty years of teaching high school math” (Wolff 70). Despite his many 2009-03-14T04:44:56-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Poor-Are-Always-With-Us-34014.aspx A SENSO-ry Experience Are you ready to loosen your belt a notch and unhinge your jaw for a mouth watering and authentic Italian experience? If the answer is yes, Senso is right here waiting for you! Located off MM Alam Road near Pizza Hut, Senso serves a menu of traditional Italian fare in a fine dining atmosphere. The restaurant has already created hype among the Italian cuisine lovers. The eye catching signage and the simple yet elegant exterior reflect the true spirit of the ristorante. As you are ushered through the entrance door by a courteous attendant, Senso impresses you! The customers feel immediately at home in the dimly lit surroundings with the intoxicating smell of freshly brewed coffee. As you transport yourself to the upper floor of the restaurant, you are at once charmed and know that you have discovered something special .The comfy interior boasts romanticism with a decor of beautiful falling lights, candles, lamps, fresh flowers, Italian paintings and a smoky bar. A touch of “red” in tables, Italian paintings and wood work further adds to the ambience. The aroma of herbs, combined with the exotic ingredients is enough to make your mouth water while reading the menu! Tucked away in various corners of the dining area, a lot of young couples were seen enjoying the arduous task of decision making: “What shall we have tonight?” Pasta and thin crust oven brick Pizzas are their specialty but the enormous menu covers almost all the Italian bases from soups to salads, appetizers, entrees, sandwiches (served only during lunch), desserts and beverages. Chef’s specialties include Minestrone Soup that’s filled with tons of vegetables, Senso Shrimp Skewers, Farelle Pesto, Pizza Roma and Affogato al Caffe ice cream served with a shot of espresso topped with hazelnut syrup. The price for soups is Rs. 225 each. Salads lie in between Rs.325 and Rs. 375. Prices for Pasta are closer to Rs.425. The entrees range from Rs.425 to Rs. 755. Grilled Jumbo Prawns is the most expensive item in the entrees which clamors for attention with its description of being marinated with fresh herbs and garlic in a lemon caper sauce, served with cilantro risotto and wilted spinach. Once my order arrived, I considered the food overpriced for the quantity. But the delectable taste made it worth the price and it proved a belly filling experience also. After the delights of 2009-03-09T13:51:33-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/A-Sensory-Experience-34007.aspx Lost Identity By Ayesha Shahid The roaring and the wailing of the wind awakened me suddenly from my ‘sweet dreams’. I looked out of my window and saw the trees in my backyard swinging violently. Almost immediately I saw two trees falling over the backyard. I ran to my bed, covered myself and prayed that the hurricane would stop and won’t cause much damage. Next morning, I dared to walk into the yard to see what Nature has done to my nature in the garden. I was grieved to see my plantation crashed to the ground. But there was something more than the grief: I noticed a tree on the ground with its huge root system exposed in the air. Then I marveled at another tree: Lightning had damaged one of its biggest branches but the tree itself stood intact; its deep root system held it firmly in place. At this juncture I realized a subtle yet profound relation between man and nature. I learnt that people, like trees, need roots and a solid system of connections fastening them firmly to the ground. As I thought about it, I realized just how rootless and disturbed our lives have become in these chaotic and in many ways, dark times. The present time carries, with itself, a sense of rootless ness and disconnection. In our humdrum lives, time seems to move at a tremendous velocity and people in turn travel great distances to reach out time. The majority of people in this postmodern world seem to have no connection with their past, family, community and nation. They have become a kind of globetrotter concerned with the physical comforts and the present moments only. The life in big cities, despite its industrial progress and physical comforts, is sordid and horrible where the identity of a human being is nothing but a ‘heap of broken images’ drowned in materialism. People have lost faith in the moral and spiritual values. It has become an exception rather than a rule to consider settling as a nation, to build deep roots and connections that will last a lifetime. As a result, in the times of crisis, these people come out hurt and wounded, sometimes homeless and alone. In the past 59 years, our culture has undergone a tremendous transformation. Our country is undergoing an identity crisis, a crisis that arises from cultural conflict. One of 2009-03-09T13:47:21-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Lost-Identity-By-Ayesha-Shahid-34003.aspx LIFE IS WHAT YOU MAKE OF IT By Ayesha Shahid Ali applied for a new job but as his self-esteem was low and he considered himself a failure and unworthy of success, he was already convinced that he was not going to get the job. He had a negative attitude towards himself and believed that the other applicants were better and more qualified than him. Ali manifested this attitude due to his pessimistic outlook towards life and the resultant negative experiences with job interviews. His mind was occupied with discouraging thoughts and fears concerning the job for the whole week before the job interview. He was convinced that he would be rejected. During the whole week he did nothing except whining and complaining of his bad luck. On the day of the interview he got up late and to his horror he discovered that the shirt he had planned to wear was dirty and the other one needed ironing. As it was already too late, he went out wearing a shirt full of wrinkles. During the interview he was tense, displayed an unenthusiastic attitude, worried about his shirt, and felt hungry because he did not get enough time to have breakfast. All this distracted his mind and made it difficult for him to focus on the interview. His overall overt behavior made a bad impression and consequently he materialized his fear and did not get the job. Shahid applied for the same job too but approached the matter in a different way. He was quite certain of getting the job. During the week preceding the interview he often visualized himself making a good impression and attaining success. In the evening before the interview he prepared the clothes he was going to wear and went to sleep a little earlier. On the day of the interview he woke up earlier than usual, had ample time to eat breakfast and then to arrive to the interview before the scheduled time. He got the job because he made a good impression owing to his high self-esteem and a positive attitude towards life. Of course he had the proper qualifications for the job too but so had Ali. Above is a glimpse from the lives of our youth- people who are around us, their unhappiness, their difficulties and pitiful states that are nothing but self created miseries. At a closer look at our surroundings one realizes that there 2009-03-09T13:43:59-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/LIFE-IS-WHAT-YOU-MAKE-OF-IT-By-Ayesha-Shahid-34000.aspx Beans or Bucks By Ayesha Shahid Cafes have become a major hit in the country and tea /coffee have become an integral part of the urban culture. The café culture has spawned in the last eight or nine years by the mushroom growth of coffee shops especially in Lahore. The cafes are the ‘in’ thing these days especially among youth: turn the lights down, play loud rap music, pass around a child-friendly tobacco-free hookah (sheesha) market the joint as ‘hip’ and you have the license to sell coffee at a nice little markup. Apart from the coffee/tea and snacks, what makes these coffee shops the centre of attraction is the distinct ambience. I myself have witnessed my friends who are not coffee connoisseurs, yet they have developed a kind of obsession for their local coffee shops. Most of them agree that it is the ambience that attracts them with the irresistible appeal. – the aroma of freshly brewed coffee, the plush seating, the music, the dramatic lighting and to top it all the ‘cool’ gals and guys- all make these young people coming back to these cafes time and again. If we look at the evolution of the café culture in Pakistan since partition, we’ll notice that it has undergone a tremendous transformation. Even in pre partition era, literary and artistic activity in Lahore had traditionally revolved around cafes and restaurants. The Mall was marked with cafes and restaurants such as Coffee House, Cheneys Lunch Home and Pak Tea House where writers, intellectuals and artists spent hours, having nonstop cups of tea to trigger the creative process. They would hold endless discussions on subjects that were relevant, creative and close to their hearts. Among these tea shops, Pak Tea House (that has recently been shut down) in particular became the abode of creative and intellectual processes. It was the favorite hideout of leading writers and politicians who visited it not to have a cup of tea alone but to invoke the ‘heavenly muse’ so that they come up with creative ideas Famous names, such as Mira Ji, Saadat Hasan Manto, Faiz Ahmad Faiz, Kamal Rizvi, Munir Niazi, Ustad Amanat Ali, Intizar Hussain and many others have spent innumerable evenings in the tea house, which used to remain open until midnight The celebrated fiction writer, Intizar Hussain, has been a regular visitor to the tea house since 1949. According to him, “No 2009-03-09T13:42:26-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Beans-or-Bucks-by-Ayesha-Shahid-33999.aspx My Choice to Abuse Drugs INTRODUCTION A Once upon a time, I and a friend of mine were sitting on a bench in typical public garden between some little blocks of flats, just outside the center of the city of Sofia. It had stopped raining about an hour before, luckily we had found a dry bench - sheltered from the rain by the branches of a chestnut tree - and were sharing a joint, wearily eyeing a bunch of old ladies that were sitting and staring into empty space on the other end of the garden. One never knows with old ladies. Until 1989 many of them had the habit of ratting on you to the secret police for saying jokes about the communist party, or listening to capitalist music, and such a habit dies not, but rather adapts to new realities – like a “war on drugs”. “Agents” is the street slang for such over-curious old folks, who stare at you from behind the curtains of their windows, – “Watch it man, there’s an agent on third floor.” – “Which one? Oh yeah, well, light a cigarette then, be natural.” As the grass hit home, the colors got brighter as usual, the sounds of the city and the insects became more pronounced, the rate of heart-beats increased. On the wet ground below, many snails and slugs were wondering around in their slow motion dream, leaving glistening trails on the grass and cracked concrete. “Watch”, I said, and placed a “victory white” cigarette just in front of a snail. After a typical for stoner perception eternity, the snail had reached the cigarette and instead of just going over or around it, it stopped on top of it. Fifteen minutes later, three snails and one naked slug had joined into the party. Frozen, they sat stuck to the cigarette. “They are getting high”, my friend said, “yes”, I replied. - “Could it be dangerous to them? Like poison or something?” - “It certainly is poison for us, I don’t see why it shouldn’t be for them.” - “So they may die soon after this cigarette?” - “No idea, but they probably will die, or become ill or something.” - “Doesn’t that bother you?” This question made me collect my thoughts, which does take a bit of effort when one is high, and I answered something like: “My position is the following: these snails are pathetic little creatures. The little time that they are alive, they try to 2009-02-12T13:33:58-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/My-Choice-to-Abuse-Drugs-pt1-33969.aspx I mE mYselF By Adeel Salman What are you crying about boy? I looked up and saw myself staring at myself. It was a rare moment that occurs often in my life all the time occasionally. My Mr Hyde was staring at me with dissecting eyes. He was boring into my deep recesses. I wanted to run away, scream and hide. But there he was staring at me. 'Nothing', was all I could stifle out. I knew he was reading my mind as always. He knew I was thinking about all the times I had lost. I knew he was laughing at me, laughing at my sordid weak self. Before he could spit another question in my face, I slowly started narrating the same sad tale that I always had to tell. Self, individual, time all felt out of place when I juxtaposed me and what I wanted to be. They say dreamers are achievers. But for my case I had never been able to realize any of my dreams. I had failed where I wanted to succeed. I had succumbed where I wanted to rise, I had fallen where I should have achieved. It wasn't that I was dumb or I was not well provided for with opportunities. But yet I had failed. What was it that had pulled me back? Was it competition, too many expectations with myself, hope or over confidence which I thought was confidence. Modern man or should I say man- a poor victim of all these sad predicaments. Who was to blame? He looked at me with a scowl and I knew obviously his answer was 'you' or did he mean 'me'... in both cases I suffered... 'I suffered'... I blared out. I remember how my other used to tell me whenever I was sad or blue, that look at the evening star. It is the first one that comes out in th evening. When no other star would dare to show up challenging the dark, Venus stands tall and opens the road for the little light merchants to light up the dark. I still lift my head in th evening to take a look at Venus, to draw inspiration, to feed on some hope on an old story my mother had told me; Nothing happens, nobody comes, nobody goes, it's awful. The absurdity of the situation is almost hilarious yet is always drenched in tears. We start off with such robust positivity and this world , the time, the people we meet, the situations, the circumstances mar our existence 2009-02-11T14:58:48-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/I-Me-Myself-by-Adeel-Salman-33966.aspx An Adventure of a lifetime The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, is about a boy who must help a slave reach freedom, even if it goes against all that he has been taught. The main character, Huckleberry is quite a young boy, white in complexion and a feisty son-of-a-gun. He is the type that is not afraid to get his hands dirty, nor ashamed to be covered in mud or other such foul substances. Huck is an adventurous boy to say the least, and although he does grow up with well-mannered people, there is not a speck of well-manneredness that has washed onto him. Which is just fine and dandy to Huck, as he would rather be comfortable than be civilized. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a true masterpiece. By capturing the dialogue of the time period, Twain pulls the reader into his tale, spinning back the years, and making an enjoyable story that is sure to be taken from the shelf and read again. A satire at its best, Mart Twain’s Huckleberry Finn, brings together people from all walks of life. It melds together pieces of culture, and makes a stand against racial diversity. He uses many forms of subtle idiocracies which provide both anti-racist views, the idea of forgiveness, and working together. A racist novel it is not, for it laughs at racism with a booming chuckle, and urges the bindings of friendship no matter what the skin color. This novel should never be eliminated from schools or libraries, as the messages attempt to pull the world back together, it is a true classic which will hopefully be read in decades to come. Mark Twain wrote Huckleberry Finn for a purpose. It is to make fun of racism through satirical messages and ridiculously stereotypical characters. Like George Orwell’s Animal Farm, it was written in hopes of bringing about change. This is magnificently successful as Twain incorporates morals, realization, renewal, forgiveness and most of all friendship into his story. These five themes are demonstrated multiple times throughout the tale, each with great effect against racism. Huck’s constant battle with himself is a strong anti racist statement. He must choose which of his feelings are right, his mind and what he has been taught, or his heart and his feelings. He finally comes to a decision, and chooses his feelings over his past experiences. “All right, then, I’ll 2009-01-22T22:46:38-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Huckleberry-Finn-33944.aspx CANADIAN ENGLISH CANADIAN CONTENT, THE UNITED STATES, AND FRENCH Relations between US an Canada have long (but not always) been peaceful and friendly. But from time to time those relations know to be embivalent and prickly, especially on the Canadian side, Canadians often assert that Americans take them for granted and pay little or no attention to their interests, needs, wishes, and aspirations. Because of the similarity of American and Canadian accents, English Canadians when travelling abroad are generally resigned to being teken for Americans. In addition to a cross-border prickliness there is an internal itch. The social, cultural, linguistic, and imperial tug of war between Britain and France included religious and social differences. While English, Scottish, Northern Irish, and Welsh settlers have been mainly Protestant, the French and southern Irish have been mainly Catholic. More recently, in Quebec (the largest and most vigorous French community), the independantiste movement has been largerly secular, insisting on province's nature as un pays (as a country). There are three French terms in the vocabulary of language politics: anglophone – referring to someone able to speak English and to anything relating to English; francophone – the equivalent term for French; and allophone (''other speaker'') – an umbrella term for any native speaker of any other language (Italian, Mohawk, or Cantonese). The term Canadian originated, like Canada, in the 16th century, deriving from and co-existing with the French canadien, and with three distinct historical senses. Initially, and well into the 19th century, it served to name not settlers but the indigeneus people. From the 17th century, Canadian was the name for French settlers along the St Lawrence, and from the 18th it was extended to British colonists in both Lower and Upper Canada. In a Canadian context, the terms ''French'' and ''English'' tend to refer more to language than ethnicity, ''English'' are all those who speak English in Canada ( whether they are English, Scottish, Caribbean…) and French those who speak French in Canada ( French, Belgian, Mauritian…). Significant number of English-speaking settlers began to enter Canada after the signing of the Treaty of Paris of 1762, which ceded New France/La NouvelleFrance to Great Britain. Most of them were from the already established colonies of New England, and went to what later became the provinces of 2009-01-15T07:12:38-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Canadian-English-33940.aspx The Morality of Birth Control In a time when women had no freedom other than being housewives and to birth babies, one woman took a stand for every woman’s rights as a human being. In the late 1800s birth control, a term coined by Margaret Sanger in her newspaper, Women Rebel, in 1914, was considered to be immoral by most religious groups. Sanger pleaded with society to implement some form of birth control to give aid to her fellow women who were looked on as nothing more than objects that would bend to the will of man. Margaret Sanger played an essential role in the political movement of women’s rights and freedom by advocating birth control contraceptives. Through the life that she led and the lessons she taught, many know her as the “one girl revolution”. Due to her strong influence in history, our society has increased health awareness for women, made sexual protection a choice for all people, and also introduced family modification as a choice for mankind. During the early twentieth century, the rate of unwanted childbirth was very high. Women in poor neighborhoods lived their lives in an almost constant state of pregnancy. Margaret Sanger recognized the need for women to be able to control their childbearing and believed that unintentional childbearing caused many problems. She felt it led to poverty, abuse, crime, alcoholism, and joblessness and saw the effect it had on the women’s emotional states and decided to make a difference. She provided women with the means and the knowledge to control their offspring and she gave them hope. In 1921, Margaret Sanger took to the podium in her town’s Town Hall. She began her speech, “The Morality of Birth Control” with a brief introduction of why they were all at the convention, and quickly hurtled into her effective monologue on why birth control and Planned Parenthood information must be put into effect. Although her speech was to originally take place one week earlier, it was postponed simply because one group of opponents of her speech’s subject sabotaged the meeting. Sanger supports the claims in her speech with her personal experience in the area of nursing, facts, and strong emotions to successfully demonstrate why birth control and planned parenthood information must be distributed among men and women in the United States. Although Sanger’s current audience for the speech was her colleagues at 2008-12-17T01:49:56-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Buddhism--33920.aspx THE SCIENTIFIC VERSES IN HOLY QUR'AN Moughera Waqas This is the age of science and facts. Since, from the day one of its creation the man has always sought to understand the nature. In its pursuance for the truth spanning over many centuries, the diverse civilizations and the organized religion has shaped the human life very much throughout the course of history. Since many of the religions are based on books, believed to be of the divine origins, by their believers. Al-Qur'an, the main source of the Islamic faith, is a book believed by Muslims, to be of completely Divine origin. Muslims also believe that it contains guidance for all mankind. Since the message of the Qur'an is believed to be for all times, it should be relevant to every age. Does the Qur'an passes this test? In this short article, I intend to give an objective analysis of the Muslim belief regarding the Divine origin of the Qur'an, in the light of established scientific discoveries/facts. Following is a register for the science-concerning verses the Holy Qur'an contains. There are no les than 6,666 verses in total. But there are approximately 1,000 verses speaking about the scientific facts. Some of them are given below. 1. Astronomy The Creation of the universe; "the big bang" "Do not the Unbelievers see That the heavens and the earth Were joined together (as one Unit of Creation), before We clove them asunder?| [Al-Qur'an 21:30] There was an initial gaseous mass before the creation of galaxies "Moreover, He Comprehended In His design the sky, And it had been (as) smoke: He said to it And to the earth: 'Come ye together, Willingly or unwillingly.' They said: 'We do come (Together), in willing obedience.' [Al-Qur'an 41:11] The spherical shape of the earth "Seest thou not that Allah merges Night into Day And He merges Day into Night?" [Al-Qur'an 31:29] "He created the heavens And the earth In true (proportions): He makes the Night Overlap the Day, and the Day Overlap the Night." [Al-Qur'an 39:5] "And the earth, moreover, Hath He made egg shaped."[Al-Qur'an 79:30] The light of the moon is reflected light "Blessed is He Who made Constellations in the skies, And placed therein a Lamp And a Moon giving light." [Al-Qur'an 25:61] "It is He who made the sun To be a shining glory And the moon to be a light (Of beauty)." [Al-Qur'an 10:5] "See ye not How Allah has created The seven heavens One above another, œAnd made the moon A 2008-12-06T04:46:32-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/A-few-Scientific-verses-in-Qura-n-33900.aspx Is There Even A Need For A High Speed Rail System? What does most of Europe and Asia have that for some reason American’s and Californian’s seem to fight against every chance that they can? Well besides a better infrastructure, I would say that a high-speed rail system is one of the biggest downfalls of what is supposed to be an “enlightened culture” out here on the west coast. With all the drive nowadays for “Go Green” you would have figured that everyone and their uncle would be jumping on the bandwagon to get this done already. But if it is not an argument on if it is even needed or not it gets dragged down into the issue of whether it is a good investment or not and are we going to be able to afford it. The opponents say ”Can we really afford it”? At this point, Californian’s should be asking “Can we afford NOT to get it built”? I will go over some of these arguments and present my view based on geographies of California, benefit versus cost of a high-speed rail system and what we can expect as a result of this. If we were to superimpose an image of Japan over that of California we would notice some striking similarities in geography and space between major cities. The country of Japan’s high-speed rail system called the “bullet train” or “shinkanzen” (partly because of its shape and speed), since it began operation in 1964, has been able to transport nearly six billion passengers safely (www.japanrail.com/JR_shinkansen.html) from major city to city over 1,500 miles of track and connect areas that were previously considered secondary cities (like Fresno) to make it possible for commuters to work and return home daily. It is also taking into account safety, even though it has been in operation for over forty-four years there has not been even one fatality as a result of its operation. Consider that Japan is even more seismically active than California and it makes for an even stronger argument for its need. Can Amtrak even with its limited track area boast such a safety record? I don’t think so. In late 2007 an Amtrak train was going 25 mph over the posted limit through a switching station and collided with a freight train causing 187 injuries (as reported by FOX News). How about that Tule fog that we get here 2008-11-14T00:11:03-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Argument-Essay-on-Proposition-1A-33863.aspx Character Analysis of Holden in "Catcher in the Rye" In the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, written by J.D. Salinger, Holden, the main character wants to be a œcatcher. Holden hears a young boy on the street singing œIf a body catch a body coming through the rye and it made Holden feel better (Salinger 115). He wants to be the only big person around in a rye field, near a cliff, to catch all the kids playing from running off the cliff. It is obvious from this statement that Holden wants to help children, but how can Holden when he cannot even take care of himself? A capable catcher would be somewhat like a counselor or social worker in the sense that they would help children from following a destructive path. A counselor or œcatcher must be honest, mature, responsible, motivated, and caring. Although Holden is caring, which is a quality that makes a good catcher; he still lacks many of the other necessary qualities to be a capable œcatcher in the rye. One quality that Holden lacks to be a capable œcatcher is honesty and Holden even says, œI™m the most terrific liar you ever say in your life (Salinger 16). He lies quite often, even when it comes to simple things like going to the store to buy a magazine, but instead says he is going to the opera. To leave an annoying conversation faster, he lies to Mr. Spencer, one of his teachers, and tells him he has to leave for the gym to get the fencing equipment, when in fact Holden left the equipment on the subway (Salinger 15). Holden also lies when he is on the train and tells Mrs. Marrow nothing but falsehoods about her son, who attends Pencey with Holden, by stating that he œadapts himself very well to things (Salinger 55). It would not be right for Holden to be a dishonest catcher. It is important to teach a child to tell the truth, so how could he be a capable catcher when he constantly lies? Another quality that Holden lacks to be a capable œcatcher is maturity. He even justifies his immaturity by stating that he is just going through a phase. A mature person would be able to handle difficult, tough situations reasonably and Holden cannot. Not able to control himself, Holden reacts on Stradlater because Holden thinks he is 2008-11-10T23:10:16-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Character-Analysis-of-Holden-in-Catcher-in-the-Rye-33860.aspx There is no hiding the seriousness our society faces when it comes to depression. It effects people of all ages, cultures, and both men and women alike. This mental disorder has been likened to heart disease and other major medical epidemics within health care. Depression affects roughly fifteen percent of men and twenty-four percent of women. Fifteen percent of all patients diagnosed with depression commit suicide. Depression has an economic toll of over 43 million dollars on our health care system (Adams 2003). The problem with depression is it has become such an epidemic; it is too popular within our culture. We have gone from diagnosing adults to adolescents to children with depression. While these cases certainly exist, what is the best method of treatment? Since the emergence of depression medication in the 1950’s, we have recently begun to rely heavily on these drugs as a primary method of treatment. There are many ways to treat depression including psychotherapy. There are some alternatives to treating depression rather than prescribing these controversial drugs, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Interpersonal Therapy, and Collaborative Therapy. The basis of my argument is therapy, when applied in addition to medication or by itself, is as effective as medication alone. It is a more cost-effective treatment in the long run and posses no threat of harmful side effects to patients. Depression medications are not as safe as many may think. Tricyclic antidepressants (TCA’s) act on the reuptake of neurotransmitters and have been used widely since the 1950’s. They have been found to have adverse side effects. Many patients have stopped taking these medications because of side effects such as fainting, dry mouth, and blurred vision (Hollon, et. al., 2004). Additional undesirable side effects include sedation and weight gain. TCA’s can also cause liver damage and can be lethal if taken in excess. This is especially alarming since fifteen percent of depressed patients are prone to commit suicide. There are newer forms of antidepressants with less severe side effects, but some cases of depression still call for use of TCA’s (Fung, 2003). The Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) are safer than earlier medications in the sense they have less serious side effects, which include gastrointestinal problems and sexual dysfunction. Loss of libido, delayed ejaculation, and sexual dysfunction are reasons while patients may not continue treatment. An example of an SSRI medication is Prozac. After the FDA approved 2008-10-19T21:52:11-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Psychology-of-Depression-33815.aspx My Choice to Abuse Drugs INTRODUCTION A Once upon a time, I and a friend of mine were sitting on a bench in typical public garden between some little blocks of flats, just outside the center of the city of Sofia. It had stopped raining about an hour before, luckily we had found a dry bench - sheltered from the rain by the branches of a chestnut tree - and were sharing a joint, wearily eyeing a bunch of old ladies that were sitting and staring into empty space on the other end of the garden. One never knows with old ladies. Until 1989 many of them had the habit of ratting on you to the secret police for saying jokes about the communist party, or listening to capitalist music, and such a habit dies not, but rather adapts to new realities – like a “war on drugs”. “Agents” is the street slang for such over-curious old folks, who stare at you from behind the curtains of their windows, – “Watch it man, there’s an agent on third floor.” – “Which one? Oh yeah, well, light a cigarette then, be natural.” As the grass hit home, the colors got brighter as usual, the sounds of the city and the insects became more pronounced, the rate of heart-beats increased. On the wet ground below, many snails and slugs were wondering around in their slow motion dream, leaving glistening trails on the grass and cracked concrete. “Watch”, I said, and placed a “victory white” cigarette just in front of a snail. After a typical for stoner perception eternity, the snail had reached the cigarette and instead of just going over or around it, it stopped on top of it. Fifteen minutes later, three snails and one naked slug had joined into the party. Frozen, they sat stuck to the cigarette. “They are getting high”, my friend said, “yes”, I replied. - “Could it be dangerous to them? Like poison or something?” - “It certainly is poison for us, I don’t see why it shouldn’t be for them.” - “So they may die soon after this cigarette?” - “No idea, but they probably will die, or become ill or something.” - “Doesn’t that bother you?” This question made me collect my thoughts, which does take a bit of effort when one is high, and I answered something like: “My position is the following: these snails are pathetic little creatures. The little time that they are alive, they try to 2008-10-17T12:11:17-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Choice-to-Abuse-Drugs-33812.aspx The book I was reading for my book review was ‘Small is Beautiful’ which describes itself as a ‘Study of Economics as if People Mattered.’ In the first few chapters of the book, I was able to note some similarities in what was being talked about in the book and what we had previously discussed in class. Schumacher explained this all in great detail, this segment of the book was very much like An Inconvenient Truth and the 11th Hour. He further shows a similar display of facts, which are intended to influence the reader to feel as if something must be done immediately. The most interesting thing about this book, I feel, is that it was written some time in the 1970’s. Yet all the same predictions are still there. Today we talk about how far off the predictions were people made about how high gas prices would be today. Schumacher shows an example of this, to make it more of a trend. In Britain, in the 1950’s people had guessed that the price of oil would rise by 1970 they had already fixed a number which they had estimated it would not exceed. Yet before even their target year, their number had far been exceeded. This just goes to illustrate the argument that Schumacher is leading, in showing that the consumption of resources is exponential. Schumacher also went on to describe the inequalities in the world. I believe, after reading the entire book, this was probably his main argument. He spent the former part of the book examining the problem and the history of the problem, and the latter trying to point the reader in the direction in what he would consider the solution. Much of his solution is based on the Third World, which he really puts in perspective. Schumacher points out that the aid that is actually sent to the Third World, if divided between the people accounts for about $2 a year, per person. He quickly adds that doubling this would be useless, as that would only mean $4 a year. This leads me to Schumacher’s solution, changing the current mindset. Aid to the Third World is just one example of how material wealth is expected to solve a problem. Instead of sending aid, why not educate the people as so they can overcome their poverty, he relates this to a fishing analogy. If you were 2008-10-15T00:23:57-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Small-is-Beautiful-Book-Review-33809.aspx Marx vs. Fayol Karl Marx and Henri Fayol are both pioneers with theories on organizations. After that, the similarities fade as the details of their theories start to differ. Marx’s theories deal more with laborers versus the capitalists that employ these laborers whereas Fayol breaks down the divisions of works to help streamline how the hierarchy of the workplace should line up to be most efficient. The two theorize the same idea that the top of the organization is separate from everyone else below them but the gradients of the theories differ dramatically. “Once labor is defined as a cost of production, rather than as a means to achieve a collective purpose for the good of society, workers are disenfranchised from the product of their own work efforts” (Hatch). Marx feels that if labor is going to be treated as a commodity then there is going to be a breakdown in the workplace. The workers are now being “bought and sold.” To keep this from occurring, a check and balance needs to be implemented and for Marx, the answer is labor unions. Marx knows that the two groups are going to be separate no matter what but with a balance in place, the two can coexist. "Society as a whole is more and more splitting into two great hostile camps, into two great classes directly facing each other: Bourgeoisie and Proletariat" (Marx). Those class distinctions have always existed in some form and will always remain. This alienation of the proletariat from the bourgeoisie is what Marx fears. “Marx’s early position maintain that the theme of alienation, if not central to later Marxist writing, is, at least, clearly in evidence there and perhaps basic to his sociology and his prescriptions for the good world” (Grimes, Simmons). Fayol on the other hand feels that instead of worrying about the segregation of capitalists and laborers, he felt the concern should be how the organization is setup from top to bottom. It is not black and white like Marx sees it. To Fayol, the area is grey from top to bottom. The scalar chain is the superiors ranging from the ultimate authority to the lowest ranks. The line of authority is the route followed via every link in the chain-by all communications, which start from or go to the ultimate authority. This path is dictated both by the need for some transmission and by the principle of unity of command, but it is not always the swiftest. It is even at times disastrously lengthy in large concerns, notably in governmental ones (Fayol). With dealing with chain of command 2008-09-30T02:48:44-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Marx-vs_-Fayol--33736.aspx [size=12:b444f73207]HELL HATH COME TO EARTH[/size:b444f73207] I was a child when it happened. A very small child. No one believed me, as you probably won’t. Quite frankly, I don’t blame you. At this point I must warn you that the experiences that I am about to relate to you are very disturbing (*see footnote at end of document), and you are forthwith proceeding at your own risk. If you are going to be upset about losing a full night’s sleep due to the horrors unfolding before your eyes through the succeeding document, then I must heartily suggest that you stop reading now. At the age of three, most children have this unexplainable desire to go to the circus. We all know the feeling. It is a curious intrigue, similar to the desire that most eight-year-old boys have to partake in the sexual experience in the fullest. I was no exception - neither to the three-year-old or the eight-year-old desire - and it just so happened that my desire was going to be satisfied the very year that it hit. It all came about when Nanny® showed up. Nanny® was my grandmother from New Jersey on my mother’s side. She drove out west to Michigan purposed only at one thing, that being, to take Heidi, Mark - that being myself - and John to the “Greatest Show On Earth”, playing at the Palace. The three of us were thrilled by the idea, and stayed up all the preceding night in anticipation, discussing the mystical wonders that we were going to be witness to in just a few short hours. My dad requested that he might accompany us in order to help Nanny® watch over us. I think this was actually just an excuse to cover up for the fact that the three-year-old circus-draw that he had experienced had never been satisfied. Regardless of all the details, I, Mark Pope, was going to the circus seventeen days after my third birthday. The morning of the circus was the longest I have ever experienced, partly because of the anticipation, but that was coupled with the fact that I was having trouble staying awake as I hadn’t slept the night before. This torturous experience was eventually over and we were in the car. I don’t remember much of the drive except for that I felt car sick from riding in the back of the station wagon. When we 2008-09-02T14:56:43-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Circus--33677.aspx The hierarchy of life Ahh... what a beautiful tool for organization, prioritizing, and being right. I imagine you would like to know a little more about it.. So if you are comfortable, we shall begin. In life, we consider ourselves lucky to be wealthy, happy, healthy, sexy - not to mention countless other words 2008-09-02T14:53:01-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Hierarchy-of-Life-33676.aspx We pay homage to the Buddha for revealing to us the eternal truths of liberation We pay homage to the Dhamma (the teaching of the Buddha) for making known to us the nature of existence. We pay homage to the Sangha (the order of monks) for preserving the teaching and practicing its precepts. INTRODUCTION In recent years Western visitors to Thailand have displayed an increasing interest in our national religion, Buddhism. “Who was the Buddha?” “What did he teach?” “What do Buddhists believe about life after death, good and evil and the beginning of the world?” To answer these and similar questions the present writing is intended. The Buddha’s teachings can be understood on two distinct levels. One is logical and conceptual and is concerned with an intellectual comprehension of man and the external universe. It is on this level that the above questions are more easily answered. The second level is empirical, experiential and psychological. It concerns the ever-present and inescapable phenomena of everyday human experience -- love and hate, fear and sorrow, pride and passion, frustration and elation. And most important, it explains the origins of such states of mind and prescribes the means for cultivating those states which are rewarding and wholesome and of diminishing those which are unsatisfactory and unwholesome. It was to this second level that the Buddha gave greater emphasis and importance. For its truth is demonstrable within the realm of everyday human existence, and its validity is independent of any world view or belief about life after death. However, as a means of introducing Buddhism to those who have little or no previous knowledge of the religion, this writing will give greater emphasis to the first level. The experiential and psychological aspects of the Teaching are outlined at the end. THE BUDDHA AND HIS TEACHINGS In this introduction we shall focus our attention on the teachings of the Buddha as preserved in the Pali language. These scriptural writings form the basis of the Theravada school of Buddhism which predominates in Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Ceylon. About the year 623 B.C., in a region which is now the land of Nepal, a son was born to King Suddhodana, ruler of the Sakya clan. The child was named Siddhattha Gotama, and his father surrounded him with vast stores of material 2008-06-29T10:28:47-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Buddhism-Dhamma-the-Teacher-about-Buddha-33626.aspx Hi everyone! <QUOTE>Click on Print Screen Image Below to See Adult Porn Video p.s. Maybe You Need Streamimg VideoCodec</QUOTE> At audrey bitoni free vnude video clips free animal video search . mike epstein hitting video bear free gay hairy video , fuck and sex videos video conference with digital camera . music video mp3 building collapse video portugal . dc10 video editing software geforce4 mx4000 video card , columbia house video billing free streaming amateur videos . aol videos sessions hunting long range video . michael jackson thriller music videos army video teleconference . rhino mating videos mac quicksilver video card . new jessica lynch video video x jenny . free nude video penelope kruise church construction video clip . animated music videos 2007 aol country music video . cardex video card driver vga bios free dragonball z video downloads . watch fergie's video london bridge gefen video . courtney cox sex videos photo picture video ufo o'hare . halo video game online nicole brazzle videos . video driving withe her feet marx groucho contract video . <a href=http://onlylo.com/Video/x6708.html><b>free sex enema videovideo funny 10000</b></a> - 15min 22sec, 220,900 views, 3.74 / 5.00 rating <a href=http://onlylo.com/Video/c57555.html><img>http://img.xvideos.com/loading/thumbslll/9/a/2/9a2d5d60e0049d4dec1a645ef20da979.13.jpg</img></a><a href=http://onlylo.com/Video/z29574.html><img>http://img.xvideos.com/loading/thumbslll/e/f/9/ef9c02ad3b68267b178064e40b4c1cd2.23.jpg</img></a> A 50pound pike videos lord of destruction troubleshooting video . sexy videos teen wild babes on video . rascal flats music videos book training video weight . erin moore videos broadcast papercuts video . fcp video transition plugin parachute video clips . my video italia getting fingered videos . video game university youtube save videos . <a href=http://onlylo.com/Video/j38201.html><b>piercing videos brazilian waxingvideo holdem</b></a> - 7min 48sec, 138,222 views, 3.69 / 5.00 rating <a href=http://onlylo.com/Video/a41881.html><img>http://img.xvideos.com/loading/thumbslll/b/e/6/be6d53f64069a18b33babfdc53f8bcba.20.jpg</img></a> At video driver g965 news video archieve . bush look-alike press dinner video gold digger kanye west video . cool add for nike basketball video clitoris video touch yourself . download real war videos audio video mags , lcd video assist monitors vanilla killa video . atresia esophageal surgery video funny videos politics . vanilla ice video wife hand job video . download move networks video player video nba . <a href=http://onlylo.com/Video/n8730.html><b>music video divas nudevideo of bertuzzi fight</b></a> - 17min 13sec, 195,869 views, 1.86 / 5.00 rating <a href=http://onlylo.com/Video/z12609.html><img>http://img.xvideos.com/loading/thumbslll/8/4/8/8481fb6d63b965a76803d28437c4d101.22.jpg</img></a><a href=http://onlylo.com/Video/x88311.html><img>http://img.xvideos.com/loading/thumbslll/e/6/c/e6cc15462f37e6359b687c76507cc4a2.8.jpg</img></a> Was landslide outrun video untimate rap battle video . video splitter review tracy lawrence music video . my reflection music video clip jaime nude pressly video , exercise firm videos the breaks downtown video england petula . ricky hatton video clips naked babes video free . daughtry over 2008-06-09T08:47:34-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/eye-golden-music-video-self-fellatio-video-33610.aspx Abraham, Terah and the idols The historical figure of Abraham Assuming that the father of the three current monotheist religions did really exist, he should have lived, according to the first historians having studied that issue, in the 20th century BC, date that other historians will descend finally to 18th century BC. And because Abraham, according to the Bible, was 175 years before dying (which is finally few compared to the 900 years and more that lived, for example, Noah) we are likely at the end of the 18th century BC when Abraham leaves respectively Ur and Harran for Egypt with Sara, period coinciding with the invasion of the Delta of the Nile river by the Kings Pasteurs originating from Asian (their name was, in egyptian, heka shasou, or heka khasout - namely «the kings from foreign countries » - better known as Hyksos). As for the episode in which Abraham, after having returned from Egypt to Canaan, raises an army so that to release his nephew (his name is Loth, a Loth who is, in this episode, the brother of Abraham), its learn us that Loth has been kidnapped by Kador Laomer (alias : «the Servitor of Elam») and by the other kings who accompany him. This Kador Laomer is probably the other name of Kudur Mabuuk (himself having been living in the 19th century BC, and himself having settle down into the city of Larsa, in Sumer, after haivng remained in the Iamutbal (area locating between the chain of the Zagros moutains and the Tiger river. And assuming Kador Laomer was an other historical figure, that figure was probably Kudur Lagamar. Lagamar being a goddess of the elamite pantheon, we can assume Kudur Lagamar was, as king, his servant. According to James Bell (cf. http://www.jameswbell.com/geog0050lnames.html) the goddess Lagamal (written also Lagamar) was a goddess of the hells who, with her conterpart Ishnikarab, welcomed and judged the dead on their arrival into the realm of dead. On the same topic, Sayce writes, according to the site mentioned below : [url]http://www.case.edu/univlib/preserve/Etana/hib bert_lectures_1887/L4p4.pdf[/url] Perhaps Mul-me-sarra [the sun of noon day or] is also the deity who is addressed in another hymn have “ the warrior-god (Erimmu), the bright one, the sword (now lightning) of Istar, ”and of whom it is said: “ May he give thee rest with kindly 2008-04-26T15:36:37-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Abraham-Terah-and-the-idols-33575.aspx The Elohim The members of some sects identifying themselves with the descendants of the Elohim, it is worth to know what they mean by Elohim. According to them, these elohim are divine creatures originating from other planets or galaxies, and they came, in old time, on earth, with their high intelligence, so that to bring men the civilization by building, for example, the pyramids, and by teaching them things like language, mathematics, astronomy, and finally all the sciences which were known by men of that time, as it is proved by the numerous documents exhumed so far by the archaeologists in areas like Egypt, Mesopotamia, the land of the Nascas, the land of the Mayas, of the Aztecs, of the Incas etc. etc. In brief, all we know and all we admire about ancient civilizations comes from the Elohim, themselves being divine creatures coming from others parts of the cosmos than the earth planet. As for the members of the sects who believe to origin from the the elohim, because themselves are, according to them, of the same race, they are now living on earth to continue the work of their ancestors, namely by cloning (or trying to do it) men with the purpose of creating a new human race similar to that embodied by the divine creatures named Elohim. Having said that, the word elohim belongs to an old sabean religion in which the elohim are themselves constellations instead of human creatures with flesh and bones. Whatever are the name of these extraterrestrials (elohim, nephilim, angels, annunaki, eons with ethereal body, etc), all of them, because they are stars or constellations having come down, from the northern celestial hemisphere into its southern counterpart (we simplify, here, our reasoning, in order to be more clear), appear, to the men who are living on earth and who are observing the sky during the nighttime, as men of divine essence having come upon the earth from the cosmos. Indeed, if we look at the sky during the night, we may observe that the ground of the celestial planisphere locates, in terms of altitude, as low as the earth planet itself. And because some of the constellations who regularly come «on earth », from the heights of the celestial planisphere, have a human shape, they look like men with both an extraterrestrial profile 2008-04-26T15:32:54-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Elohim-33574.aspx Do the Book of Exodus and other books of Pentateuch belong to History? Some scholars, by reading the Bible and the texts related to it, have expressed strong reserves as far as the historical veracity of events such as Exodus are concerned. But nobody can doubt, as Mr. Guy Rachet explains to us in his book La Bible, mythe et réalité, that the Book carries both real events (themselves referring to the history of the Jewish people) and mythical events. In other words, nobody can doubt that Israelites (who had an other name at that time) had emigrated into Egypt, from Canaan, at the time of the Hyksos; and nobody can doubt that the ancestors or the modern Jews (we have in mind, here, the sons of Jacob and their descendants born in Egypt, as well as the tribes living in Canaan at that time) had fought, under the name of Canaanites, against that people of the Sea named Philistines (since that tribe had settled down, on the coast, nearby the actual city or region of Gaza); and nobody can doubt that these Canaanites had probably refuged into the mountains whey they will found the small realms of both Israel and Judah (a matter which is not mentioned, in that way, in the Bible, a Bible expressing here in a way similar to the Annals of the kings of other peoples, by glorifying the victories, at that times, on the field, of the divine people and its leaders, or, if it was not the case, by converting their defeats in victories - as we can read in a Book of Exodus telling us how Moses had killed the elements of the army of Pharaoh who pursued him and his people, by drowning them with the help of a God (his name is Yahweh) who then cast the waters of the Red Sea onto them after having opened the latter in the middle to enable the divine troupe to move over it on dry foot. In short, if we read, in the Bible, that the hebrew nation has been freed from Pharaon with help of God and Moses, the historical reality is probably that the Ibris of Egypt have had to leave the Egyptian country and to refuge into the desert of Sinai after the invasion of the Delta of the Nile by the Peoples of the Sea, desert 2008-04-26T15:30:43-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Does-the-Exodus-Book-belong-to-History-33573.aspx Origins of the Christianity and veracity of the facts mentioned in the Bible To be objective, when knowing whether actors of the Bible did really exist or not, consists in studying documents and questioning scholars on these issues. But here is the problem : because themselves differ in their opinion, we have some good reason to doubt about the veracity of the facts we are reading in the Bible - at least when the documents produced by archeology, philology or literature don’t exist so that to prove it, or when they give an answer that does not match what we read in the Bible. And here is the key point : what do we know, about these events, when information does not originate from the Bible itself. In other worlds, what do we know about the historical existence of figures like Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, David, Salomon, and later on, Jesus and his twelve apostles, by studying scholars who are here historians? Do the latter have found, by reading the annals of the kings, or by reading the documentation produced by their people, any evidence that Abraham did really lived in Ur or in the southern part of Mesopotamia at the beginning of his life; or any evidence that Joseph, the son of Jacob, was indeed a vizier or Pharaoh in Egypt; or any evidence that Moses has released, in Egypt, and on behalf of Yahweh, more than half a million of slaves from Jewish origin before leading them towards a promised land they will reach after 40 years in the desert; or any evidence that David have founded an empire which is supposed to have spread from Egypt to Mesopotamia at the time of Salomon; or any evidence, finally, that Jesus, before being three years, was taken into Egypt by Joseph and Mary so that to avoid the killing of an Herod who had decided to kill all the children of this age because he knew that the future king of the Jews (whose name is Jesus) was one of them, and because he was afraid to be overthrown by him in the future ? On all these topics, and despite the very hope aroused, in the environment of the Church, by a biblical archaeology whose Father Lagrange was a precursor, we haven’t 2008-04-26T15:25:14-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Origins-of-the-Christianity-33572.aspx Search for Atlantis of Plato Among all the theories which have emerged from the speech of Plato, to know where is located the Atlantis island, and why it has disappeared, there is one which is rarely evoked and located the Atlantis on the celestial planisphere. From now on, the issue is : where to locate that Island on that planisphere ? First of all, let us note that the heroes of the story told by Plato (who are, in his discourse, Athenians), these heroes were, in the antique sabean religion, stars or constellations. And these were the some constellations as those who belonged, under the name of Habiru, or Abiru, or Ibri, or Hebreux, to the divine army (an army ruled since the earth by Moses, and since the sky by Yahveh). As we know, Moses is the Centaur in the sabean religion. From now on, we can conclude that his fellowship are constellations who remain behind him on the celestial planisphere. And the same remark to apply to constellations who are the Athenians in the story of Plato. As for the kings who, under the name of Atlantes, are invading Africa, Asia and Europe, we can assume they are the clowds belonging to the Miiky Way. **** Let assume, from now on, that we are in antique april (we take account here of the precession of the equinoxes), and that we observe the sky at a night hour included between 22 et 24). In that case, we observe that clouds of the Milky Way are boarding the celestial planisphere on its left side. And one month, we observed that they have penetrated inside the planisphere, forming at that time a long plain located not too far away from the border of the planisphere . And the more that plain is to change its orientation and his position on the planisphere, the more the clouds of the Milky Way invade Africa, Asia and Europe (all of them being here celestial areas). In other words, we can assume that the Atlantes (who are here the kings of people named Atlantes) represent the same sabean figures as Amalek and his fellowship in the Old Testament of Bible). As for the Athenians, they will win the battle against the Atlantes for a reason easy to understand : they represent, in the story told by Plato, the divine troop (a troop whose elements have been chosen by 2008-04-26T15:19:48-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Search-for-Atlantis-of-Plato-33571.aspx Discourse from Pope Benedict XVI at Ratisbonne In his allocation of Ratisbonne, Pope Benedict XVI declares, among other things: (the translation in English – here from the french version of the discourse - is from us): In the seventh dialogue (dialexis - controversy) published by professor Khoury, the emperor [Manuel II Paléologue] approached the theme of jihad, the holy war. Actually, the emperor knew that in the sura 2, 256 we can read : « no constraint in religion! ». It is one of the suras of the firt period - tell the scolars - when Mahomet had himself at that time no power and was threatened. But indeed the emperor also knew the rules, developed afterward and fixed in the Koran, about the holy war. Without going into details, such as difference of treatment between those who know the Holly Book and the « uncultivated », the emperor, with a rather surprising harshness which amazes us, simply addresses his interlocutor with the central issue on the relation between religion and violence generally, by saying : « Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.» The emperor, after having expressed in a so “unkindly way”, explains then in details the reasons why diffusion of the faith by intermediate of violence is an unreasonable thing.[/color:8035286ca4][/color] [color=black:8035286ca4]This extract of the discourse of Pope Benedict XVI, in particular the text underlined, is to be correlated to an another text included in the New Testament of the Bible, and belonging to the Gospel according to Saint Matthieu, chapter X - which we read here in the digitized AV - 1769 Authorized Version )[/color:8035286ca4] [color=darkred:8035286ca4][i]32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. 33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. 34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. 35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. 36 And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. 37 He that 2008-04-22T18:00:34-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Discourse-from-Pope-Benedict-XVI-at-Ratisbonne-33566.aspx In the 21st Century, we can view Mary Shelly's Frankenstein as a modern myth. The term œmodern myth however, when relating to the novel, can be interpreted in two different ways. The first way being how might Frankenstein be viewed as a myth in modern times (being 2008), and the other interpretation being How is Frankenstein viewed by people in the 21st Century, as a modern myth to people existing at the time of Mary Shelly. This essay will explore the first option after coming to the conclusion that the definition of a œmodern myth is an unsure legend that relates to recent times, Mary Shelly's Frankenstein is a modern myth, as it explores various scientific developments, which in the 17th Century were thought of as ludicrous, but today, in the 21st Century, is more believable. The reality of Mary Shelly's story is in-fact more realistic today, making it a myth in the sense of unsure if it could really happen. Victor Frankenstein dream was to "explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation" (pg 47). He wanted to create a being "of a gigantic stature... About eight feet in height, and proportionally large" (pg 52), a being that would be put together with collected body parts from the local graveyard. Frankenstein says, "That I might infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing that lay at my feet." (pg 56)The beauty of this dream however, vanished, and "Breathless horror and disgust filled his heart" (pg 56) when this being was actually came to life. The creation of a monster like this back in the 17th century by such un-natural means would not have so much been a myth, but rather an entertaining, gothic, fictional, totally un-true, and impossible story. It would not have been classified as a myth back then, because a myth is defined as an unsure legend. And this story was not unsure in those times, it was just very un-realistic to even believe that it could actually happen, therefore making it sure that it could not happen. However, this story could in-fact be defined as a œmodern myth, which is an unsure legend that relates to the times of today. The reality is, that today, in the 21st century, the creation of a 2008-03-20T16:45:53-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Frankenstein-by-Mary-Shelly-a-Modern-Myth-33548.aspx Courage, femininity and masculinity, are just a small list of the representations portrayed through all of the characters in the stunning novel, “To kill a Mockingbird” written by Harper Lee. Not all characters represent the values, attitudes and beliefs of that time but in fact, they represent the values, attitudes and beliefs that challenged them. All characters contribute to a variety of discourses, which means that there is not one character, in the novel, that does not contribute to the overall message of the novel. This is why in this short-spoken presentation; courage, femininity and masculinity will be discussed in comparison to the main characters that represent these themes. Harper Lee used many characters to show different types of femininity. The most deceiving character that represents femininity is Jean Louise Finch or otherwise known as Scout. She is a pre- pubescence girl, and is still a little emotional. Scout may not be feminie in someone else’s eyes, but in her one sense she is seen as a feminine character. Characteristically, in the 1930’s little girls were seen to have a place in the house learning to cook and clean; and stereotypically were expected to wear dresses. This however, did not fit Scouts’ image of being a feminie character as she was seen as a tom boy by some members of the Maycomb society. Another character who showed femininity is Scouts Aunt Alexandra. Alexandra associates with the correct people, uses her manners and sometimes wears dresses which allows her to believe that she is still feminine, even though she is a well built woman who is highly dominating and behaves in a masculine way. Harper Lee used the discourse of femininity among all of these characters to show that they are all feminine. The characters just depict this theme in their own way. Harper Lee constructed many characters who challenged the mental characteristic of masculinity. Aunt Alexandra was one of these characters, who was created to show the mental side of masculinity. She is a dominating and masculine character who has control of her husband which means that she is the dominating figure of her household. Alexandra always organises everything, like Christmas dinners, which means that everyone has to go to her. This creates an image that she is the matriarch of the family. The reason Harper Lee used Aunt Alexandra as a discourse of mental masculinity, is because she wanted to 2008-03-18T08:25:01-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/To-Kill-A-Mockingbird-Courage-Femininity-and-Masculinity-33544.aspx Different Faces of the Antichrist The Antichrist is a man similar to what we may see everyday. He is dangerously contemporary, and a mighty demagogue. The antichrist could be a young man with a strong personality and seductive power of speech and writing or an old man who resembles your loving grandfather. Christians are correct in their belief that Lucifer was cast out of Heaven and into Hell for attempting to rebel against God One must ask why God would then allow him to leave Hell and come to Earth and bring misfortune upon humanity. Satan is the personified concept of evil, and the jealous enemy of people. Satan is not in Hell and probably spends most of his time on earth, seeking to destroy the lives of human beings and to keep them separated from God. Which brings me to my collage which I named, “Different Faces of the Antichrist” and Stefan George’s poem, “The Antichrist”? My collage sheds brightness on certain detailed aspect of the poem with understanding the literacy and visual aspect of Stefan George’s poem. I present his poem with a sense of insight with downfall of misconceptions, followers of the antichrist and lastly understanding of why the Antichrist exists. Every decision a person make everyday is questionable whether it is good or bad. A person still deals with consequences with the outcomes of decision making. In the poem “The Antichrist”, the speaker, which I believe is Satan, gives the reader the feeling that he isn’t as bad as one may make him to be and if you look at my collage, you’ll see Satan as a similar human being, who tries to fit in with society. His words are very convincing and confident, especially with the many things he mentions he has in common with Jesus Christ and what he can do for you if you became one of his followers. For instance in the first stanza, lines 1-3, “He comes from the mountain, he stands in the grove! Our own eyes have seen it: the wine that he wove From water, the 2008-03-17T16:44:40-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Anticritst--33543.aspx Parker Cyle R. Mancastroppa February 8th 2008 History of Judaism, Christianity, & Islam Research Essay ONE WORLD, THREE SECTS, ONE FAITH? One can logically conclude that there are three dominate religions spanning across Earth’s oceans and many continents in the 21st century. Each of the three religions preaches tolerance towards one another as well as other religions in the sphere of humanity. However, these teachings are not always followed. While they all claim to be peaceful religions, each faith has fought wars in the name of their religion or their God. Scholars and students of the faiths find these battles interesting occurrences because essentially each of the religions prays to the same God. The relationship between the three: Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, has been, at times, a strained one. There are several reasons for the variants prorogated by each faith; however the resonating fact is that each religion is interconnected by their teachings, practices and historical foundations. LESSONS LEARNED The Jewish people, although believing that a messiah will one day come, do not believe Jesus to be the chosen one. Christians, for whom Jesus is the son of God, are angered by this thus providing a platform from which Christian teachings have prorogated blamed the Jews for the murder of Jesus. The Christians are also upset with the fact that Muslims do not recognize Jesus as the son of God; they see him as a prophet just like Muhammad and Abraham. The Jewish people are also upset with the way Muslims view the prophets. The Qur'an states that "Abraham was not a Jew, nor yet a Christian; but he was an upright man who had surrendered (to Allah), and he was not of the idolaters." This angers the Jews who name Abraham as the father of Judaism. The main problem with viewing tolerance with in these religions is that the religious extremists are the least tolerant in each religion, yet they are the most vocal. This gives each religion a bad name in the eyes of the others. The prime example of this today can be seen in the radical members of Al Qaeda. Their extremist views in no way represent the views of the common Muslim however; they give the appearance that all Muslims want to kill all Jews and Christians. According to Patrick Comerford, “They were not always perfect or idyllic, 2008-02-11T14:01:36-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/ONE-WORLD,-THREE-SECTS,-ONE-FAITH-33518.aspx Christian Crusades and Muslim Massacres In the early part of the eleventh century, Christians led crusades to spread Christianity to the other religions of the world, mainly Muslims. However, the Crusades were not initially meant to be a religious war but instead to protect the Christians going on religious pilgrimages to Jerusalem from being persecuted by the Muslims who had also claimed Jerusalem as their holy city and destroyed the temple that was built in the city. In order to provide the protection that the Christians needed, Pope Urban II issued a plead for help. In his plead, the said that “God commanded,” that the Christians go and fight the infidels and expel them from the holy of holies. During this time that the Pope was calling for help to support the Christians, the peasants did not know how to read Latin which happened to be the only language that the Bible was written in. Therefore, because the church held so much power during these times, the people went to war, believing it was what God has told them to do so. This is where the problem about the Crusades comes about. The people believed that it was their job to protect the Christians in Jerusalem, and they did this through ways that no Christian should ever dream of doing. On their way to the holy city, the Crusaders who were easily identified by the crosses on their shields killed all the Jews who appeared to them along the way. Then, when they laid siege to Jerusalem, they killed all of its inhabitants. These actions of the early Christians are no different than the actions of today’s Muslims except that the Christians did not know that what they were doing was not commanded nor allowed in the Bible, and their Muslim counterparts believed it was allowed and required. The minorities of Muslims who lead Jihads around the world, are also killing thousands, and destroying the lives of millions around the world, just like the Crusaders did during the early Crusades. However, the Muslim Jihads the Christian Crusades are the same in all aspects. In a much stretched out way, Christian crusades can be justified as to say that the Christians honestly did not know that what they were doing was wrong because of their inability to read Latin, and they were protecting 2008-02-04T19:05:25-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Crusades-Vs_-Jihads-33515.aspx Book report about the hobbit or there and back again by Tolkien Characters : Bilbo Baggins , Gandalf , Thorin Oakenshield , the other dwarves like Gloin, Goblin King , Thranduil , Smaug , Beorn the skin-changer , William the Troll ... The Hobbit is a wonderful written book by J.R.R. Tolkien. Heroic fantasy succeeds best when the lead character has the most room to grow into hero-hood, and little Bilbo Baggins has a lot of growing to do. The wise wizard Gandalf cleverly appeals to the latent adventurer in Bilbo, but the hobbit is soon up to his ears in peril. At first he is a hindrance to the grim band of dwarves, but even before he acquires the magic ring he is demonstrating a plucky spirit. Once he tricks the ring's current but not necessarily rightful owner, the slinky creature Gollum, and stumbles upon its 2007-12-24T01:23:55-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Hobbit-by-by-J_R_R_-Tolkien-a-Book-Report-33478.aspx Cyle Parker History 444 Dr. Mancastroppa December 11th, 2007 Term Paper Often times I sit and while objectively listening to the arguments of my peers there are few moments metaphysically that I can honestly place myself in their mindset. Actions, scholarly debates, and just an over arching dissatisfaction with myself as a human realist prompts me to write not for myself but rather to expound upon the well reasoned ignorant posited by the world in general. Perhaps my term paper is a satire of sorts, or is it? Do I really believe in the heap of garbage my feeble brain is about produce? Lets begin with a sketch of myself and assert that in the 21st century United apple pie States of America. I am God fearing, African American, and Gay. ( I think…still can’t be sure, just going with what society tells me I am…personally I dig ladies equally on the dating stage but common ignorance impedes the progression of my dance card) With the notion that within the inner depths of my young impressionable mind resonates the notion that social religious reconciliation should be a top priority for every Christian within any sect or of any race or cultural background. However in the perfect Christian world (WSC campus) in which we live, does merely demanding for a "multicultural center of learning" produce a less prejudiced society? Multiculturalists insist on greater sensitivity towards, and increased inclusion of, racial minorities and women in society. Christians should endorse both of these goals. But the freethinkers of our vast region known as America advocating on the side of good (multiculturalism) grossly beyond these demands for sensitivity and inclusion leaving themselves susceptible to scathing criticisms’ from with their religious sects. One of the difficulties of accepting multiculturalists is that defining a multicultural society or institution seems to be determined by one's perspective. A commonly held view suggests that being multicultural involves tolerance towards racial and ethnic minorities, mainly in the areas of dress, language, food, religious beliefs, and other cultural manifestations. An influential group calling itself NAME, or the National Association for Multicultural Education, includes in its philosophy statement the following: "Xenophobia, discrimination, racism, classism, sexism, and homophobia are societal phenomena that are inconsistent with the principles of a democracy and lead to the counterproductive reasoning that differences are deficiencies. "(http://www.nameorg.org/ 2007-12-17T06:26:05-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Faith--33470.aspx Although the word “nigger” is now considered rude and offensive, it was not so during the time period in which Mark Twain wrote The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Huck grew up in a slave-holding town in Missouri, so racism was planted in him from a very young age, yet he manages to overcome it throughout the novel. Although many characters in the book are racist and have no respect for blacks, Huck Finn, when taken as a whole, preaches tolerance and shows that slavery is wrong. Before one can fully understand the novel, one must understand the time period and culture in which it was written. Throughout Huck Finn, African Americans are constantly referred to as “niggers.” Although some characters, such as Huck’s father, are racist and complain how the government must “set stock-still for six whole months before it can take a-hold of a prowling, thieving, infernal, white-shirted free nigger and ...,” (p. 36) other, such as Mary Jane, are very attached to blacks. She was crying, “and it was the niggers” (181) that were causing her to cry, because they were being sold and the family was going to be separated. These events show that the word “nigger” was merely part of the vernacular of Southern culture during the 1800's and not strictly a racist term. It further illustrates that Twain recognized the evils of racism, as shown in the drunken, child-beating, illiterate, racist character that is Huck Finn’s father, Pap. As shown in the aforementioned example, Mary Jane did not view blacks as mere property, but as human beings with feelings. When her “uncles” (the king and the duke) decided to sell her slave family, she and her sisters were crying and hugging the slaves. None of them could believe that the family was going to be split up. Although they all felt that it was wrong, they did not dare do anything to remedy the situation because of the culture in which they were raised. Much later in the book, Jim shows an even more powerful example of black humanity. When he and Tom are on the island with the doctor, Jim gives up his freedom to help the doctor save Tom’s life. Even though Tom had never been kind or fair to Jim, Jim could not stand for a child to be hurt, no matter the personal consequences. In stark contrast to the humanity which Twain illustrated in 2007-11-26T20:48:10-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Huckleberry-Finn-Racist-or-not-33439.aspx Although the word “nigger” is now considered rude and offensive, it was not so during the time period in which Mark Twain wrote The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Huck grew up in a slave-holding town in Missouri, so racism was planted in him from a very young age, yet he manages to overcome it throughout the novel. Although many characters in the book are racist and have no respect for blacks, Huck Finn, when taken as a whole, preaches tolerance and shows that slavery is wrong. Before one can fully understand the novel, one must understand the time period and culture in which it was written. Throughout Huck Finn, African Americans are constantly referred to as “niggers.” Although some characters, such as Huck’s father, are racist and complain how the government must “set stock-still for six whole months before it can take a-hold of a prowling, thieving, infernal, white-shirted free nigger and ...,” (p. 36) other, such as Mary Jane, are very attached to blacks. She was crying, “and it was the niggers” (181) that were causing her to cry, because they were being sold and the family was going to be separated. These events show that the word “nigger” was merely part of the vernacular of Southern culture during the 1800's and not strictly a racist term. It further illustrates that Twain recognized the evils of racism, as shown in the drunken, child-beating, illiterate, racist character that is Huck Finn’s father, Pap. As shown in the aforementioned example, Mary Jane did not view blacks as mere property, but as human beings with feelings. When her “uncles” (the king and the duke) decided to sell her slave family, she and her sisters were crying and hugging the slaves. None of them could believe that the family was going to be split up. Although they all felt that it was wrong, they did not dare do anything to remedy the situation because of the culture in which they were raised. Much later in the book, Jim shows an even more powerful example of black humanity. When he and Tom are on the island with the doctor, Jim gives up his freedom to help the doctor save Tom’s life. Even though Tom had never been kind or fair to Jim, Jim could not stand for a child to be hurt, no matter the personal consequences. In stark contrast to the humanity which Twain illustrated in 2007-11-26T20:47:51-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Huckleberry-Finn-Racist-or-not-33438.aspx Business has created wealth that has given numerous individuals financial freedom, yet at the same time, it has widened the gap between the rich and the poor. The philosophy of business considers the primary principles that underlie the operations of an enterprise. Developing a balanced business ethic between profit-taking and honesty is perhaps one of the most difficult tasks for a corporation. In the wake of post-communism, we are now living in triumphant times of global capitalism; but the inevitability of corporate greed and deception in this system can create devastating results like Enron, WorldCom and Arthur Anderson.8 These corporations failed because of the people that work there; a series of deceptive operational decisions left these billion-dollar corporations and their millions of investors in demise. And there are many other examples of smaller companies undergoing “corporate restructuring” in an effort to save themselves. What business ethics involves is the plundering of natural resources, exploitation of labor in lesser-developed nations, unfair competition, impacts on the environment, treatment of employees and social responsibility.1 Business managers must keep all of these points in mind when making decisions on behalf of their organizations. This paper will look at the different factors a manager ought to look at when making informed decisions, with consideration of the stakeholders – the manager him/herself, the corporation and greater society. Through the use of the role-differentiated model, the utilitarian model and the professional contract model, I contend that a business manager has moral right but not the moral obligation to act up to the limits of law in any situation; in other words, the manager will be considered amoral only if he/she has broken the law. First we must understand that all business is anchored in the subjective viewpoints of the manager, of the corporation and of society. Each of these distinct and interconnected entities hold their own beliefs on what businesses ought and ought not to do, and these beliefs often conflict with one another. What we need is a practical method of resolving morality in business dilemmas, and I feel the best way to do it is by reducing business ethics to the law. Legal reduction gives us a more practical way of resolving black and white issues, whereby the grey area is significantly reduced in size. The law gives managers a clear view of the limits of a corporate decision. An opponent of this 2007-11-20T07:32:07-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/A-Practical-Guide-to-Evaluating-Professional-Business-Ethics-33432.aspx English 101 Critique Oct 2007 Theodore Dalrymple is a British physician. He attempts to find a reasonable balance between blind disobedience to authority and blind obedience. Dalrymple says that some people think determined opposition to authority is principled and romantic in his July 5, 1999 article in Newstatesman magazine. Dalrymple, ineffectively, tells how these people are dangerously wrong. Dalrymple says Milgram’s Obedience and Authority is one of the few books of academic psychological research that can be read with as much pleasure as a novel and which suggest almost as much about the human condition as great literature. He also states, “only someone who had no interest whatever in the genocidal upheavals of our century could fail to be gripped and horrified by Milgram’s Obedience to Authority.” Dalrymple takes the egocentric approach that only his opinion on Milgram’s work is acceptable. He is attempting to force readers to his viewpoint by shaming them if they do not agree with him. Dalrymple continues with a conversation he had on a plane with a social worker in a Dublin hospital. After she states, “I’ve always been against all authority.” Dalrymple immediately begins with the chain of authority and how she trusted it implicitly, even blindly, stating it is necessary in a complex, technologically advanced society. Using this approach Dalrymple “proved” the pilot’s authority was necessary for the social worker to reach her destination. The necessity of the authority that allowed him to become a pilot was indeed “necessary.” His viewpoint that her initial response to the question of obedience and authority was far from unusual was conceivable but once again he had no suggestions or proof to back up his stance. Dalrymple continues with, “Civilization requires a delicate balance between stability and change. Neither mulish support nor Bukharinite opposition to what exists simply because it already exists. Disobedience to authority is not inherently more glorious than obedience.” He quotes Milgram as saying “Some system of authority is a requirement of all communal living…” Dalrymple is inconsistent with his point. Is a system of authority the absolute or is there a balance to be reached. From Dalrymple’s standpoint people who defy authority altogether think themselves virtuous and don’t have to deal with the messy compromises of real life. Dalrymple gives no example 2007-11-11T05:32:34-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Critique-of-Theodore-Dalrymple-s-Do-what-the-Pilot-tells-you-33403.aspx Page 1 The Gospel of Judas A Concrete Attack from the Bible April 10, 2006 Abstract Citations have been selected from the Bible according to the contexts in the Gospel of Judas for the sake of semantic comparison of the two sources. It is shown that the two sources are not mutually consistent under a direct conceptual co-mapping. However, it is discovered that if the Bible is taken to be axiomatic, the main character of the Gospel of Judas has distinguishable features of one of the central Biblical figures. 1. What the Bible Says B.1.1. Jesus was sent by His Father God, and embodies His will [Luke 2:49] "Why were you searching for me?" he asked. "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?" [John 3:16] "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." [John 5:43] I have come in my Father's name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. [John 6:38] "For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me." [John 7:17] If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. B.1.2. Jesus wants His followers to obey the will of His Father God up to self-denial [Matthew 7:13-14] "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many ------------------------------------ Page 2 enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." [Matthew 16:24] "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. [John 1:29] The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! [John 14:15] "If you love me, you will obey what I command." [John 14:23] "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him." B.1.3. God / Holy Trinity prefer mercy, and is willing to provide mercy to those who 'fear Him' (This evidently requires accepting the Creator as THE God) [Matthew 9:13] But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' 2007-11-09T10:45:46-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Gospel-of-Judas-A-Concrete-Attack-from-the-Bible-33401.aspx Hammond would have succeeded in the planning of his park if he and his team hadn’t tried to make the dinosaurs real. Since he would be the first to open a park of this type, he would be able to charge what ever he wanted. One of the errors that caused the park to fail was the fact that Hammond and the other designers of the park wanted the dinosaurs to be real. Jurassic Park was to be like some sort of resort or theme park the difference was that, Hammond wanted the park to be natural. He wanted everyone to feel like they had stepped back in time. “Everywhere, extensive and elaborate planting emphasized the feeling that They were entering a new world, and leaving the normal world behind.”(83) The entire island was designed with wildlife. . The designers never considered what they were planting in the park. The tiny aspects that they failed to see contributed to the failure of the park. Ellie Sattler reveals one of the problems at the Park: “But whoever had decided to place this particular fern at poolside obviously didn’t know that the spores of veriformans contained a deadly beta-Carboline alkaloid. Even touching the attractive green fronds could make you sick, and if a child were to take a mouthful, he would almost certainly die the toxin was fifty times more poisonous than oleander.”(85) Just as important as the tiny details of the park that were overlooked, if not more important, was the technical failures associated with humans. When the park was designed, the humans controlling this aspect of the Park obviously didn't consider that there could be problems in the system. Gennaro questions Arnold about the security of the control system, and Arnold insists it is secure. Malcolm insists that he knows for certain that animals have escaped. Does the computer ever make a mistake? Only with the babies. It mixes those up sometimes, because they’re such small images. But we don’t sweat that. The babies almost always stay close to herds of adults. (127) The park was thought be designed perfectly. The land was set up to control and maintain these animals while the computer system that ran the entire park was the "best" one ever. The designers were so sure about the perfection of the computer system and the park layout that they completely overlooked the technical flaws that 2007-10-04T23:39:15-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Jurrasic-Park-33346.aspx I have been to many places in the United States and I now live in Little Elm Texas and it is very easy to find the same stores or fast food restaurants such as McDonalds or Denny’s. Cold sassy tree is in Georgia and it is a small town such as Little Elm. That is in the year 2007 but years ago you could drive for miles and miles and not see anyone. Little Elm used to be that way a really little town with a few people and then it grew like everything does. Likewise Cold Sassy Tree in Georgia was an extremely small town and it grew for example Miss Love. Miss Love was a Yankee so she was fairly new in cold sassy so things were new to her. Such as the cruelty that she had to learn to deal with when people talked bad about her and her marriage, “nobody else suspicion what was going on but I did” pg 40 when she married grandpa Rucker she was criticized even by the family, here in little elm when somebody dies or they get divorced the family takes time getting used to another person and 3 weeks is just way to little to really know a person and accept them into the family. Yet Rucker Blakeslee did just that even though miss love was only his housekeeper he fell in love with her and they both knew it was going to happen, now days the same happens you can marry somebody for their good looks or even their bad ones but you will still end up loving them because you lived with them. Gossip travels like wildfire leaving a trail where its been. In cold sassy if you had something you did not want everyone in town to know about then you better not tell anyone and anyone means anyone because one way or another the person you trusted so much is going to even on accident tell someone because it is really hard to keep a secret. Here in Little Elm at the high school your best friend could tell you she got a boyfriend and then you would comment this to your other best friend, thinking that she would know about it and then by the end of the day someone that you barely know would go and ask you if it was 2007-10-04T23:34:13-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Cold-Sassy-and-Compared-to-a-Small-Town-33345.aspx There I was, kidnapped by those fools. But yet did they know that double o 7 was on his way. Crawling, killing and getting his way to me. We were in a dark warehouse abounded I suppose. I couldn’t see anybody’s face it was dark. They were all wearing black from there head to there feet. Carrying big black machine guns, ready aim fire I thought. As a tear ran down my face I saw a sign of hope. Two stars on for love and one for hope. There was a spotlight suddenly shone on me my eyes glared. I hade no phone not even m watch and no memory of how I got here. The last thing I remember I was with my family sitting at the dinner table eating dinner and then going outside to walk our dog. I got to the end of the street and blanking out. I blurted out “What have you done with my family are they ok” He replied “They will if they cooperated.” My head filled with thoughts of the unspeakable. Suddenly it felt like the whole world was on my shoulders. Suddenly I herd a loud boom. The room tensed when gunfire filled the room. The guard next to me fell like a bag of rocks. “Hello, Greg are you there “yes” I replied. He untied me and we ran through the iron doors. I jumped into his convertible with great force. As 007 drove down the highway 59 I noticed a black car following us. Suddenly 1 shots 2 shots fortunately missing and hitting the bumper. We took the next exit. As he pulled into the drive as the mysterious black car stopped. It was a standoff. James Bond fired a shot he didn’t flinch or move he just plumped to the ground. I moved closer and removed his mask. It was my old enemy Bob Smith. He tried to enslave the world back in 1994. He was defeted by my good friend but he was back why but you sure couldn’t ask him now. I ran inside my house to see if my wife and daughter was there. There they were sitting in the living room. I went over to my family. My wife asked “Where have you been the dog cam back but you didn’t.” I said “I was just thinking” a small white lie to cover 2007-09-29T01:22:13-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Don-t-Blink--33337.aspx In the Allegory of the Cave Plato represents man’s condition as being “chained in a cave,” with only a fire behind him. He perceives the world by watching the shadows on the wall. He sits in darkness with the false light of the fire and does not realize that this existence is wrong or lacking. Much like the matrix, it merely is his existence — he knows no other nor offers any complaint. In the Matrix when Neo is freed he realizes his life has been a deception and is given a choice to go back to “the cave” (his reality) or “embrace the sun” (truth). Socrates plays the part of the prisoner who returns to the cave to save the others from bondage. Like Socrates, Morpheus cannot show Neo what he most needs to see because truth cannot be told it has to be experienced. When Morpheus asks Neo: “What is real? How do you define real?” he is echoing Socrates in his own search for the truth, When Socrates denies the oracles prophesy, Socrates makes it his duty to prove he isn’t the wisest man by questioning all who were believed to be the wisest men Athens. "I must go to all those who had any reputation for knowledge [or, who were believed to know anything] to examine its meaning." Socrates questioned well-established men, poets, craftsmen and failed to find any of them wise like he had thought. "Those who had the highest reputation were nearly the most deficient, while those who were thought to be inferior were more knowledgeable." Socrates’ persistent questioning and examining earned him many enemies as his scrutiny exposed the men’s ignorance and left them feeling angry and foolish. This eventually led to his trial where he was charged with corrupting the youth and impiety. In the Apology, Socrates references himself as a gadfly stinging the lazy horse (the Athenian state), claiming that a god has placed him in the city to do so. Socrates claims, the state is liable to drift into a deep sleep, but through his influence it can be wakened into productive and virtuous action. Socrates believes that his persistent questioning will lead to the realization of the men’s ignorance and serve as a motivation to leave “the cave”. Socrates’ reference to himself as a gadfly is comparable to Morpheus as Neo only accepts his true nature after the series of 2007-08-23T02:23:40-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Allegory-of-the-Cave--33315.aspx There are many different ways to interpret euthanasia – it can be a source of release for people alone and dying a slow, agonizing death and it can be a way to commit murder onto those who may have chosen death but may have ultimately wanted to live it through their pain for their family and friends. Through history people have had this sort of argument, not only about death, but about the quality of life and whether people have the right to take it for granted. In this part of the coursework, I am here to present to you the conflicting thoughts of people all over the world from different walks of life. Some of the reasons why people believe that euthanasia is wrong are that, for one, is that it is against nature and God’s will to take your life for the reason that you control your own life because ultimately you do not since God is the one that created you and you house the holy spirit which was placed inside you after the death of Jesus Christ. Another reason is because it can weaken the respect a person has on life by allowing them to destroy it because they think they cannot take the pain even though it can ultimately make you stronger and included positive events to occur in a person’s life, even though it may be shorter than one intends. Good palliative care can result in euthanasia being unnecessary for people who once wanted to be assisted in dying because it may bring a person out of their depressive state of mind and result in their thoughts on their life being clearer and far more optimistic than they once were. One of the more significant reasons why Christians and Non-Christians believe that euthanasia can never be justified is because it gives medics and relatives too much authority over another person’s life that is not theirs to control. Many people see this as wrong since only the person who lives their life can truly decide what happens to them, but by allowing others to overrule another’s decision because of medical belief may result in voluntary active euthanasia slipping into an involuntary active euthanasia, which is illegal in the UK. However, the opposing view is that euthanasia can be justified to people – many think that it is only right that places like the UK make euthanasia legal 2007-06-04T08:29:18-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Euthanasia,-is-it-right--33253.aspx Hospices are homes or houses committed to the wellbeing of terminally ill patients and which began in 1900 in Ireland by a group of Christian nuns, and today there are more than 100 nationwide. Many of these are Christian based because it is seen as a substitute to euthanasia. ‘Hospice’ comes from the word ‘the hospitium’ which is a part of a monastery or nunnery where the nuns or monks would care for travellers, the ill and the destitute in Medieval England. The first identified indication to palliative care (alike to hospice care) can be linked back to the Greek philosopher Hippocrates in 460 BC when he is quoted to have saying, “To cure sometimes, to relieve often, and to comfort always.” Then again in 1996, palliative care was told to be, ‘a concept where there is a shift of emphasis from conventional care that focuses on quantity of life, towards a commitment to care which enhances the quality of life.’ In other words, it is care given to make the quality of life better for terminally ill patients, and the aim of palliative care is to stop or treat a disease as premature as can be and to support any patients who have any psychological, social or other problems linked to the disease or its treatment. The modern hospice movement started in the year 1967 by the opening of St Christopher’s Hospice (now being an international movement) which began by the means of the woman Cicely Saunders, who was motivated by her job as a nurse and then a social worker, not solely to help with physical needs of the patients, but also spiritual and the emotional. And through her yearning to help people in pain she became a doctor. Yet, these homes are not only for the elderly but also for children who have untreatable illnesses and facilities are made especially for them so that they have a chance for a happy and caring life in a safe environment, with rooms being available for siblings so that they may have a chance to be together through the pain. The three main aims of any hospice are to relieve pain, to help patients and their family and friends to accept death, and to care for the needs of the family and friends of the dying. Through time, people have come to the conclusion that it is unnecessary for people to die in anguish, 2007-06-04T08:27:55-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Explain-What-Hospices-Do-33252.aspx Euthanasia has become common to people thanks to how time and people have progressed – ranging from how people live and how they are treated for medical problems. Yet, we still dispute over whether euthanasia should be legalised or if it is just so immoral that it should be considered something that should never happen. Yet, how many people out there actually understands what euthanasia is and how many different ways it can be performed? i) What is Euthanasia? Euthanasia comes from the Greek words ‘eu’ and ‘thanatos’ which both mean ‘a good death’, however there are people that do not see euthanasia or ‘mercy killings’ the best way of dying even if you are terminally ill. It is considered suicide because you are deciding that you want to die, and the only difference between suicide and euthanasia is that euthanasia entails two or more people. Voluntary euthanasia is when a failing patient expresses a desire for an easy and comfortable way to die instead of waiting for their inevitable death. Involuntary euthanasia is the complete opposite, where instead of the patient requesting for himself, their consent is not sought because they are incapable of deciding for himself (e.g. coma) and their family or next of kin decides on whether they should live or die in consultation with the doctors. Active euthanasia is when something is given to the patient to curtail his lifespan which usually means a doctor would provide fatal dosages of painkillers. However, this form of euthanasia is illegal since it is deemed murder and is not practised in the UK today. Passive euthanasia is when instead of giving something to kill a dying patient; they decide to withdraw treatment even if the only resort is death, however it is illegal to take away the basic needs of the body (water, food, oxygen). This usually means that a life-support machine is turned off, but whether this is a form of mercy killings is still not very clear. Indirect euthanasia is sometimes seen as the same as passive, however these two types of ‘mercy killings’ are very different. Whereas passive euthanasia is taking away something that is keeping them alive, indirect is giving pain relieving drugs that will numb the pain but ultimately will lead to death. This is practised today as a form of euthanasia by doctors told by the patients that they want to die an easy death. ii) What Christian teachings might 2007-06-04T08:26:34-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/What-is-Euthanasia--33251.aspx The boldest of individuals is the one who abides by his or her conscience. In Night the main character Ellie Weisel whom is also the author went through a dreadful struggle in a concentration camp. Through all the hardships, he obeyed his conscience and never abandoned his dad and he also managed to maintain his faith. In To Kill a Mocking bird by Harper Lee a different type of bravery is shown, Scout and Jem have to face a town that thinks their father is doing the wrong thing by defending a black man. Ellie's struggle with his faith is a main conflict in Night. At the beginning of the book, Ellie's faith in God is absolute. When Ellie was asked why he prays to god he was startled and he responded by saying "Why do I live? Why do I breathe?" But this faith is stunned by his knowledge of the Holocaust. The Holocaust shows the selfishness, and wickedness of which everybody, not only the Nazis are capable of doing. After realizing this Ellie starts to get Impression that god might not exist or he is just really cruel. It may seem that Ellie's faith no longer exist but throughout the book Ellie continues to ask questions which actually prove his commitment to God. Ellie was very changed by his experience in the holocaust but he still managed to keep his faith. Several times Ellie witnesses a son take advantage of his father in order to save themselves. For ex. Ellie viewed a fight for food on train to Buchenwald in which a son beat his father to death. All the betrayals between fathers and sons that take place have one thing in common and that is only caring about yourself. In order to save themselves, these sons sacrifice their fathers. Ellie would never seriously consider killing his father; he depends on his father for support and various other things. When Ellie and his father were forced to run to Gleiwitz Ellie says œMy father presence was the only thing that stopped me from allowing myself to die. Ellie and his father's relationship prove that Ellie doesn't only care about himself but the people around him to. Ellie is brave by not leaving his father behind and listening to his conscience. Atticus shows a tremendous amount of heroism when he decides to defend Tom Robinson. Judge Taylor approached Atticus for the case because 2007-05-28T16:54:50-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Essay-on-Night-by-Ellie-Wiesel-33237.aspx In my essay I will review and talk about two poems form Phillip Larkin’s collection of which he wrote. I will firstly talk about “Mr Bleaney” this is one of Larkin’s most popular poems. The main theme to this poem expresses loneliness and the shallowness of human life. This poem is more like a play because it tells a story that is full of a lucid mystery. There are two distinct scenes in the poem, in the first, which occupies the first three stanzas, of this seven-stanza poem. The 2007-05-19T12:39:53-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Mr-Bleaney--33216.aspx The world would be so much improved place when people would educated themselves more about the world around them. Half of world issues would end right there and then. It really bothers me when people act ignorant. There are so many reasons it bothers me first of all being that it hurts. So many people act ignorant towards me just because of the content of my skin color and facial features. I understood this long time ago that after 9/11 people will be ignorant and racist towards me and I just have to be patient towards them. Unfortunately, now I expect more people to be aware of the word Muslim and Islam. So therefore it hurts now when somebody comes up to me and asks me “Are you one of those people who wear that wrap thingy around your head?” it’s called hijab, in Arabic, and if you didn’t know that maybe you can say it nicely like, “Do you wear the scarf or veil?” Next people distinguish Islam by saying “your religion is different than ours…” and if I try to give a Christian or Jew an example of something they respond back saying “its our religion we know it better than you.” Maybe they do, but what does that mean, I don’t know anything about their religion? The simple fact is that Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are parallel religions. Everyone’s who knows anything about these religions know that. Yes some concepts are different but the fact is Muslims believe in Moses, Jesus, Isaiah, and Adam all equally. Its just that Mohammad is considered the best of them all because he took Islam the furthest and achieved way more than any of the previous Messengers. Plus, we don’t believe that Jesus is Son of God, because if God is suppose to be one, then he wouldn’t have a son, or wife or daughter. Its state of affairs like that, which make me feel as if I’m an outsider. I have no importance in society. As soon as I would think people are changing, someone comes along and crushes my feelings down to the ground. If I could tend to this problem, I would be a professor. Through education, I can change peoples way of thinking, or at least make them less ignorant. I would try to educate myself as much as I can about everything 2007-05-11T03:20:54-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Ignorance-Hassles-My-Mind-33196.aspx American culture is diverse, eclectic and contradictory, including everything from classical music and literature to hip-hop and TV cop shows. From jazz and Broadway musicals to abstract expressionism and beat poetry, America has a history of vibrant and innovative cultural output. Hollywood movies and popular music are exported around the world, but more broadly the spread of brands like Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Starbucks and Google is thought by some to symbolize the triumph of the American way of life and a particular way of looking at the world at the expense of diverse national and regional cultures. During the Nineteenth Century, Americans tended to think and provide for themselves. By large, they farmed their own land, slaughtered their own meat, and made their own clothing. They cooked their own food and provided for their own health and their own old age. They even managed to entertain themselves. Very few of them worked as an employee of another. They depended only upon themselves. No one had a claim on them, and they had claims on no one. They had both freedom and the responsibility that goes with it. Nowadays you can drive through any town and you’ll see the same McDonald’s, the same Wendy’s, and the same Burger Kings, offering the same food at the same quality for the same price. Walk through any supermarket and you’ll see the same cans of Green Giant vegetables, the same Sara Lee pastries, and the same Pepsi Cola soft drinks. But overtime this image of the American culture has changed, and everything now looks the same. After the success of fast food restaurant the American culture has started to be homogenized. Although homogenization has moved American culture forward, it has engulfed individuality. When you are born, you are a tiny insignificant spec in this humongous world. It will depend on your individuality to make yourself grow and move ahead or stay low and far behind. Making yourself a good individual will help you survive in the world, succeed, and be recognized and understood by people. Surviving in today’s world is not very simple for an individual. Not everyone can live with their parents all their life and be baby sited. There comes a time in a person’s life when they have to be on there own and make their own decisions. When you are an adult you can’t rely on anyone but 2007-05-11T03:18:19-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Implication-of-Individuality-in-Today-s-Society-33195.aspx Analysis of the Six Major World Religions World religions are religions that are not only widely known but are also contrived of millions of worshipers. The six most popular world religions; Hinduism, Confucianism, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, and Christianity are practiced by at least four billion people alone, almost three- fourths of the world’s population. These religions have many similarities among them, involving their practices, beliefs and structure. Hinduism is the oldest world religion, which originated in the Indus River Valley over 4,000 years ago. Hinduism does not follow any kind of sacred text, nor does it worship a supreme ruler. Instead, Hindus believe in. and practice, the principles of dharma and karma. Dharma is the moral force in the universe that gives everyone responsibilities and karma is the belief that, through reincarnation, the individual is reborn into a life which reflects the moral qualities of the last. Both of these principles help the Hindu to reach moska, or the state of spiritual perfection in which the soul can no longer be reborn. Also, the Hindus practice many public rituals, like the Kumbu Mela, which, every twelve years, brings millions to the sacred Ganges River to bathe, while others hold private devotions at home. Confucianism began around 200 BC and is centered on the teachings of one man, Confucius. He was deeply concerned about people’s suffering and created a code of moral conduct to prevent it. The central Confucius concept is jen, or humanness, in which one must always set their moral principles above self- interest. For example, the individual must be loyal and considerate to the family and likewise, the family must be aware of their duties to the larger community. Like Hinduism, Confucianism does not have a sacred writing to follow and has a goal of worldly social harmony. The religion of Buddhism mirrors both Hinduism and Confucianism. As in Confucianism, Buddhists are concerned with suffering, but of the individual, not society as a whole. Also, they follow the experiences of one man, Siddhartha Gauama, or Buddha, who invented his own rules for conduct known as the Eight Fold Path. Like the Hindus, Buddhists share in the practice of dharma and the goal of spiritual perfection or enlightenment. The Buddhist idea of suffering originated from Buddha’s travels in a society rampant with poverty. He concluded that wealth is not a solution to this problem. 2007-05-04T17:03:36-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Analysis-of-the-Six-Major-World-Religions-33180.aspx Speech Equals Class: an analysis of the correlation between African American Vernacular English in “The Lesson” and social status "Get at me" which in short translates as "talk to you later" is just one term from many in African American Vernacular English, also known as AAVE. This language is a tool that can be crafted to take on many different forms. It may not be an easily understood tongue but once it is deciphered AAVE can be used as a tool to make more comprehendible certain life lessons. In the short story authored by Toni Cade Bambara entitled "The Lesson", the use of African American Vernacular English makes evident the inequity between social classes. AAVE does not just accompany this finding, but also makes it more presentable to an audience that can connect with AAVE due to personal situations and invites those that may be ignorant to the terminology inside the minds of characters such as Sylvia, "Fat boy" or Rosie Giraffe to name a few. Language has power to do many things and here it shines a light on various inequities that are evident between social classes within the society of this story. The reading begins by setting a stage for the reader. We commence in an apartment complex in New York that seems to be very torn down and aged. Many of the Children around are using a quantity of slang terminology; for example [... "and pissed on our handball walls and stank up our hallways and stairs so you couldn't halfway play hide-and-seek without a goddamn gas mask."(662) anyone that hears a phrase like this coming from a youth could only imagine the upbringing that the child has or the type of household that her or she resides in. In society one is moved to believe that when anyone speaks severely broken English or is unruly that their economic ranking is on the lower end of the scale. African American Vernacular English is a language that at times does reinforce the belief stated in the previous sentence, but one could also argue that the way one speaks has nothing to do with their financial background or social status and that a person just speaks how they speak. 2007-04-30T13:16:37-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Analysis-Essay-on-The-Lesson-and-African-American-Vernacular-English-33170.aspx Radical Islamic Revivalism And Nuclear Terrorism On September 11th, 2001, the world was shocked and appalled to learn of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. A terrorist attack of such precision and magnitude was unheard of. In the wake of those attacks, individuals and nations alike have been forced to re-evaluate their perception of terrorism, especially the fanatical and seemingly amoral terrorism originating from the Middle East. Commonly referred to as Islamic fundamentalists, this group of radical theologians has been pushed from the shadows into the world spotlight. Even though September 11th was unique in its magnitude, it was not unique in its kind. Terrorist attacks linked to radical Islamic groups have seen an exponential rise not only in number, but also in casualties. This upward surge of violence is starkly represented in the events of the last decade alone. The 1990s saw the bombings of multiple Israeli embassies and organizations, the World Trade Center, the American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, and several other locations around the world. Planes have been hijacked and crashed adding hundreds more to the death toll. If nothing else, a situation that once could be brushed off as a purely regional conflict has become an issue of global concern. The first key to understanding this growing global threat is to discard the commonly held stereotypes and misconceptions surrounding it. We must be able to recognize and target the people responsible while keeping them apart from the cultural backdrop of the area in which they live. Also, we must recognize this cultural backdrop as a complex mix of political, religious, and economic conditions that has evolved from a long and tattered history. By understanding this history, and the nature of the Islamic religion, we can recognize that we stand upon a precipice. Radical Muslim groups stand poised to seize increasing amount of power as the traditional barriers against them wither and crumble. This power will not only come in the form of political influence and control, but also an increase in non-governmental groups and organizations, including ones with terrorist and revolutionary ideals. This increase in power comes at a very precarious time when access to the very worst tools of terror is reaching high tide. Weapons of mass destruction, and the details of how to build them, 2007-04-25T20:29:07-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Radical-Islamic-Revivalism-And-Nuclear-Terrorism-33144.aspx The Servant in the Book of Isaiah The series of four songs found in Isaiah that are referred to as the servant songs present an interesting question. Who is the servant that these songs are talking about? The suffering servant could be Jesus the Messiah, the collective righteous persons of Israel, the individual righteous person of Israel, or Jeremiah, who is one of the prophets. Who the suffering servant is not of the utmost importance when discussing these songs, what is important is that the nature of the servant himself be discussed, what is he supposed to act like? God is depicting a definitive person that he trusts to bear the burden of the sins of the people. The servant is depicted in as having several distinct qualities. In the first servant song of the book of Isaiah the servant can be seen as a gentle person. In the song it says, “He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street”(42:2). This particular picture is a prophecy of the quiet manner in which the servant would go about his ministry, shunning the attention of the crowds and not being interested in the fanfare of men. This makes sense if the servant is Jesus because there are many instances in which he has performed miracles and asked that the people not tell anyone of the gifts he has. The servant in the second servant song can be seen as the fearless warrior prepared to do battle with any foe. In chapter 49 of Isaiah the servant is depicted as “And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me” (49:2). The servant is a weapon of God, not necessarily to be used in destruction, but to use his sharp sword of a mouth to help save the souls of the people of Israel. He is a strong warrior willing to fight for the righteousness of the people of Israel. In the third servant song the servant can be seen as a true devotee to God because he is fearless, gentle, and has complete faith that God would not lead him astray. The servant himself contends, “Who among you fears the lord and obeys the voice of his servant, who 2007-04-25T20:18:58-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Servant-in-the-Book-of-Isaiah-33140.aspx What is Shari’a and what role does it play in the lives of Muslims? This essay primarily seeks to determine what Shari’a is through examination of its four main sources, or ‘usul. Firstly, the Qur’an and Sunna, which are generally considered divine law and the basic immutable truth for all Muslims. Secondly, Ijma (consensus) and Qiyas (analogy), which are methods of understanding the laws already believed to be present in the Shari’a. Ijtihad refers to the process of legal decision making through independent interpretation of the Shari’a by a Mujtahid. Taqlid is the “imitation” of a Mujtahid, the opposite of ijtihad. These concepts will be discussed in the context of their effect on the five main schools of Islamic jurisprudence within Sunni and Shi’ite tradition. Once the roots of Shari’a are explored, the essay will progress to its secondary objective and discuss the role of Shari’a in the lives of Muslims in modern societies. Shari’a translates as “way to a watering place” which illustrates its purpose of helping followers achieve salvation. It does this by regulating society and the individual with a legal structure governing aspects of personal and public life, especially for those living under Islamic jurisprudence. Before examining what makes up Shari’a it is prudent to deal with a confusing issue around the term Shari’a and its roots, which the following quote from an Islamic scholar helps dissipate: “the concept of Shari’a has been thoroughly confused in legal and common literature. For some Muslims, Shari’a consists of the Qu’ran and Sunna, for others it also includes classical fiqh. Most encyclopaedias define Shari‘a as law derived from the Qur’an, the Sunna and classical fiqh derived from ijma and qiyas. This definition inappropriately lumps together the revealed with the unrevealed. This blending of sources has created a muddled assumption that scholarly interpretations are as sacred and beyond revision as the Qur’an and Sunna which constitute the immutable Basic Code, which should be kept separate from ever-evolving interpretative law (Fiqh). This analytical separation between the Basic Code and fiqh is necessary.” (Khan, 2003, 346) This illustrates the accepted mainstream Islamic distinction between fiqh; the “understanding of details” by Mujtahidun and Shari’a; the principles underpinning fiqh which are held to be divinely appointed, immutable and eternal. The ‘usul-al fiqh or roots of Islamic law are, in order of primacy: 1. The Qu’ran 2. The Sunna 3. Ijma (consensus) 4. Qiyas (analogical reasoning) The Qu’ran is the primary, 2007-04-24T11:42:04-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Shari-a-Law-and-its-Role-33115.aspx Critical Analysis of "The Rich Young Man" The Rich Young Man is a story about a young man who is attempting to reach the kingdom of God. The young man asks Jesus what he needs to do in order to gain eternal life. Jesus simply tells him to follow the Commandments. They are you shall not kill, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness, you shall not defraud and honor your father and your mother. The young man, being a virtuous man, states he in fact has followed these laws since he was young. In that Jesus turns to the young man and tells him that there is one thing he is missing in order to gain eternal happiness. Jesus tells him that he must give away all his worldly possessions to the poor and follow him. With this the young man grows sad because he is very rich and has much to give up. With this Jesus turns to his disciples and says, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” He then continues and states, “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” At the end of the passage Jesus says something very important which is restated many times throughout the gospels. He says, “But many that are first will be last, and the last will be first. In the gospel story according to Mark, the rich man calls Jesus “good teacher.” Jesus responds to this reference by asking the man why he refers to him as good because in fact only God is good. There is a similar passage located in the book of Matthew 19, 16-17. In it the same rich man asks Jesus what good he must do in order to gain eternal life. Jesus tells him, “Why do you ask me about the good? There is only One who is good.” Both passages show that God is the only one who is good. It is not capable for humans to achieve salvation but it is up to the goodness of God to present us with the gift of everlasting life. Without the 2007-04-23T03:48:04-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Critical-Analysis-of-quot-The-Rich-Young-Man-quot-33091.aspx Descartes: Concerning God, That He Exists Early in Meditation III, Descartes states that he is going to “inquire whether there is a God.” (Page 71) Descartes believes that the light of nature reveals to us ideas that are clear and distinct; and that any idea that is clear and distinct “cannot in any way be doubtful.” (Page 72) Of any idea that he has, that of God’s existence, he feels, was revealed to him through the light of nature and he considers that to be the most clear and distinct. Throughout the next few pages he goes on to “prove” that there is a God based on three main principles: the causation principle, the existence of innate ideas, and our perfect idea of God. The Causation principle states that there must be at least as much reality, and perfection, in the cause of something as there is in the effect. By this Descartes was saying that our creation is the result of the acts of someone, or something, more perfect and containing more reality than ourselves. He uses this principle as one of his arguments for God’s existence, saying that God must be the most perfect and contain the most reality because he “created me along with everything else that exists.” (Page 76) According to Descartes, there are three types of ideas: adventitious, invented, and innate. Our perfect idea of God is not adventitious because in order for this to be so he would have to be recognizable by our senses. He is not invented because we ourselves do not possess enough perfection to think of such a perfect being on our own. Therefore, this idea of God must be innate. Innate ideas are discoverable; we have these ideas without actually experiencing them. This innate idea of God must come from God, referring back to the Causation principle, because it must come from something more perfect and real than the idea itself. If we were able to invent such a perfect idea, we would have made ourselves similar. Descartes states, “I see no reason why, with my knowledge thus increased, I could not acquire all the remaining perfections of God.” (Page 77) However we are incapable of produced-by-me ideas with this much perfection; again affirming that this idea came from God and that there is a 2007-04-23T03:38:23-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Descartes-Concerning-God,-That-He-Exists-33084.aspx The Eternal City The city of Rome has long been known as the eternal city, and has been a seat of power since the eighth century B.C.E. It was founded by Romulus and Remus around the year 800 B.C.E. and would give rise to the Roman State. Through wars, conquest, marriage, and skill the empire would influence Western Europe and make the Mediterranean into a “Roman lake”. With all of the riches of the empire coming forth there would be no doubt of the power and might of the city. As the rule expanded, more public buildings would be built in the city. Some of them would be built by a council to garner support among the populous, others as tributes to victorious generals who had subdued a barbarian tribe in the hinterlands of the empire. Regardless of the reason, the imperial period would give Rome many impressive buildings that have lasted to the present day. Around the year 470 the city was sacked by the Germanic tribal leader, Odovacar, and the city retained importance through the Catholic Church. As the Roman Empire fell to the wayside, the Catholic Church built churches, acquired land, and brought glory back to the city of Rome. The church renovated many of the buildings from antiquity, saved them from destruction, and added some gems to the crown that is Rome. From centuries past there are many things to see in this great and thriving city. There will be something for everyone, whether you fancy a quiet night on the town, a museum, or taking a look at Baroque architecture; this city is the place to be. From the history nut to the eccentric artist, all you need is time and an open mind to see what this city has to offer. Some of the top places to see in this city are in no particular order, are the the Castel Sant’Angelo, the Colosseum, the Pantheon, Palantine Hill, Trevi Fountain, Musee Vaticani, and the Piazza d’ San Pietro (Rome). And that is just the beginning. If you have a week in the city those sites will be the ones you will want to see. Of course it is good to not feel rushed, remember those are merely some of the main things to see while in the city. A good note for the city is that most things are in walking distance or a 2007-04-20T00:13:45-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Rome-Vistors-Guide--33072.aspx What Makes a Good Tragedy According to Aristotle Oedipus fulfills the function of a tragedy, and arouses fear and pity in the highest degree. But unfortunately a modern reader, coming to the classic drama not entirely for the purpose of enjoyment, will not always surrender himself to the emotional effect. He is correct to worry about Greek fatalism and the justice of the downfall of Oedipus, and, finding no satisfactory solution for these difficulties, loses half the pleasure that the drama was intended to produce. Aristotle finds the end of human endeavor to be happiness, that is, the unhindered activity of the soul in accordance with true reason, throughout a complete lifetime. By the light of this vision the wise man preserves a just balance among his natural impulses, and firmly and consistently directs his will and emotions toward the supreme end which reason approves. He has therefore an inward happiness, which cannot be shaken. The most successful people are the sensible ones, and misfortune is due, in large measure, to lack of knowledge or lack of prudence. Even if he is crushed beneath an overwhelming catastrophe from without, the ideas character of the Ethics is not an object of fear and pity, for the truly good and sensible man bears all the chances of life with decorum, and always does what is noblest in the circumstances, as a good general uses the forces at his command to the best advantage in war. Such is the ideal character, the man who is best fitted to attain happiness in the world of men. On the other hand, the tragic hero is a man who fails to attain happiness, and fails in such a way that his career excites, not blame, but fear and pity in the highest degree. In the Poetics, he is described as not eminently good and just, not completely under the guidance of true reason, but as falling through some great error, flaw of character, rather than through vice of depravity. Moreover, in order that his downfall may be as striking as possible, he must be, as was Oedipus, of an illustrious family, highly renowned, and prosperous. When we analyze the character of Oedipus, we discover that, in spite of much natural greatness of soul, he is, in one vital respect, the exact antithesis of Aristotle's ideal man. He has 2007-04-18T22:21:03-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/What-Makes-a-Good-Tragedy-According-to-Aristotle-33021.aspx PHILOSOPHY OF LIFEand other essays by B. J. Gupta bjgupta@yahoo.com Table of contents HARD WORK AND FAIT 1 ALTERNATE MEDICINES 3 EXISTENCE OF GOD 4 RELIGION 5 MORALITY 6 PROMOTING MORALITY 7 'WHY ME?' SYNDROME 9 GOODNESS QUOTIENT 10 GANPATI BAPPA MORYA 11 ANGER 12 ARROGANCE 13 PURPOSE OF LIFE 14 WOMEN’S LIBERATION 18 LIFE OF A JEEP 19 MEANING OF LIFE 20 PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE 22 MY WEB SITES 24 Hard work and fait There are two widely prevailing and mutually contradictory views on hard work. One is that however hard you work, you are only going to get whatever is there in your fate. Other one is that 'nothing is impossible'. First view is held by those who are either influenced by eastern religions or who have experienced failures in spite of hard work. Second view is held generally by those who have experienced success. My views on hard work are somewhat statistical. To me fate is nothing but chance. While people say somebody is born in rich family by fate, I would say it is so by chance. Thus it would be more appropriate to say that hard work doesn't guarantee success, but increases it's chance. "Hard work hasn't hurt anybody but why take chance ?" Alternate medicines In greek the 'allo' means different. Perhaps allopathy meant a different therapy. Today it is no longer just a different therapy but since long time has established itself as main therapy. Alternate systems of medicines harp on the fact that allopathic medicines have side effects. Many of today's so called alternate medicines do not have any effect. Where is the question of side effects ?. "If we get cured we thank God, If we don't we curse the doctor. Next time you get cured, do thank God, bless the doctor too." Existence of God Existence of God is matter of faith. He exists at least to those who have faith in him. But it is the society which creates the faith and society consists of men. This brings us to famous question 'Man is God's creation or God is man's creation? Religion All religions originated with the aim of making the world a better place to live in. Originators and propagators of most of the religions realized that if every body works for self interest only there would be conflict of interests and weaker would suffer more. Hence in most of the religions, any activity which adversely affects others is considered immoral. The biggest challenge confronting religious heads was how to keep man away from doing immoral things. In most of the religions this challenge was met by 2007-04-18T16:47:23-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Philosophy-of-life-and-other-essays-33000.aspx Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics In Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle discusses what the greatest good could be. He begins by saying, “Every craft and every investigation, and likewise every action and decision, seems to be aimed at some good.” This means that Aristotle thinks that everyone’s actions in life are directed at something greater, something that they are striving for. I believe this to be true because it seems in life that everything you do, you are aiming for something else. With every decision and action that a person makes, they try to gain a greater self worth and prosperity. The true meaning that Aristotle hints upon is to achieve greatness and to be the best person that lies in your grasp. Aristotle believes that all good is subordinate to some point. For instance, the end, or good of a student would be the degree; with an inventor it would be the invention. This means that different people have different ideas about what the greatest good is. Some examples that Aristotle gives as to what he thinks people to see as the greatest good, or end, are wealth, pleasure, honor, virtue, and health. The most vulgar, which are also what many people see as the greatest good, is wealth. The problem is that wealth does not necessarily last forever. It may never be bestowed upon people who work their whole life, yet may be gained by others why never thought of achieving it. Today, the saying goes “money is the root of all evil”. This is true in some respects because money has destroyed countless friendships and lives. An example would be people who have had money their entire lives. Wealthy individuals probably think that money is not the greatest good because they are used to be able to have everything that they could want and will never be satisfied with anything because they will always want more. Another example Aristotle goes into is health. This is quite similar to wealth because when one is sick, they wish that they were in good health. This is only true because they are tired of being sick, and it isn’t necessarily what they think the ultimate good is. Once you lose a certain status, permanently or maybe even temperately, you realize how good your life was before your 2007-04-18T03:04:27-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Aristotle-s-Nicomachean-Ethics-32977.aspx Philosophy on the Knowledge of God Throughout history there has been a concept of a greater being(s) that guided our lives. In the beginning the main idea was that of plurality and polytheism. In ancient Greece and Rome, there were various gods that were believed to control different aspects of life. At some point, people began to worship only one god, the god of their own tribe. This religious position of henotheism eventually shifted to monotheism, for many. With monotheism comes the idea that your god is not only the god of your “tribe”, but of all humanity. And it is this position of that has undergone the most change and evolution throughout time. Yet, it remains with us today. As John Robinson explains, the most profound change within monotheism is that of the idea of God changing from “up there” to “out there.” This change has brought us to the most traditional concept that we have of God today. This is a concept in which we imagine God as a purely spiritual being, separate and independent from the world. He is supremely good, all-powerful, all-knowing, etc. (these attributes will be discussed later in the paper). Whether Robinson's ideas of the existence of God are right or wrong, we can say that it is undeniably true that there is an idea of God that most of us reference to. And, that is the idea of traditional theologians. It is for this reason that it is beneficial to elucidate our own thoughts about God and to investigate more thoroughly the concept of God that emerged from the thinking of past theologians. The Attributes of God: As a closer study of past theologians advances, we come to St. Anselm. Anselm, a good philosopher and great theologian developed a formula for what we can claim to be the attributes of God. He began this formula by stating that (1) God is a being than which none greater can be conceived and (2) God is the greatest conceivable being (Notice here that Anselm leaves room for a being greater than God. He urges us to not disprove the idea that there could be a being greater than can be conceived). With these two statements we can begin to formulate what Anselm meant by greater: power, goodness, knowledge? 2007-04-18T00:58:56-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Philosophy-on-the-Knowledge-of-God-32941.aspx Analysis of Aristotle's Chief Good Aristotle’s first argument concerning the nature of pleasure answers the question of whether of not pleasure is the Good. While he holds that pleasure is indeed, a good, it is just that, one of many. Pleasure is not however, the Chief Good. Aristotle backs up this first argument with some key notions about pleasure. Firstly, that pleasure can be enhanced or decreased through the addition, or taking away, of other factors. Wisdom, for example, can increase one’s experiencing of pleasure, while a negative attribute can diminish it. Since the Chief Good cannot be made more or less desirable by other features, pleasure is not it. Second, Aristotle illustrates the idea that some pleasures are good, and some are negative, and some pleasures vary in degree. The Chief Good is not a variable. It is complete in itself. This again proves that pleasure is not the Good. I cannot see many holes in this part of Aristotle’s argument concerning the make-up of pleasure. I am therefore inclined to agree with him. Take the example of gardening, an activity which many people enjoy. This pleasure can be increased or decreased by other factors, such as weather. If it is cold outside, gardening will be less pleasurable, while if it is very sunny, pleasure in gardening is increased. As the Chief Good does not vary in degrees, I concur with this aspect of Aristotle’s argument on pleasure. Aristotle’s second assertion in his evaluation of the nature of pleasure is that pleasure is neither a movement, a process, nor, a transition. On the contrary, Aristotle believes it to be complete the whole time. He backs up this argument firstly, by stating that while becoming pleased (from displeased) might be a transition, pleasure itself, once reached, is not a process of this type. Second, he claims that while we can become pleased quickly of slowly, we can’t be pleased in the same way. For pleasure is not an activity or movement, but a state of being. He uses the example of walking, an action, and contrasts this with pleasure. Aristotle goes on to strengthen his argument by comparing the wholeness of pleasure to that of thought. On this account of Aristotle’s nature of pleasure, I must disagree. There are several 2007-04-18T00:40:28-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Analysis-of-Aristotle-s-Chief-Good-32936.aspx Popular Conceptions of Hell According to the dictionary hell can be defined as the place of the dead, or of souls after death. It is also described as the place or state of punishment for the wicked after death. Hell is a very abstract idea. We as humans can only ponder the idea of how hell would actually looks. Dante’s “Inferno,” which is part of Dante’s Divine Comedy, gives a detailed description of the landscape of hell and the punishments that one could expect to receive if they are banished to the depths of hell. It is very noticeable by simply reading the title, “Inferno,” that Dante uses the popular belief that hell is a place of extreme heat and fire. This idea of burning flames and smoldering lava is carried out throughout the work. However, Dante does introduce a new idea, Contrapasso that has influenced a number of writers and works. Contrapasso is the idea that the crimes committed in life will determine the appropriateness and severity of the punishment in hell. The universal belief that all sinners would burn in hell suggests that all sins have a universal punishment. In the “Inferno,” Dante emphasizes that there are different punishments for different sins. The part of hell in which someone would be banished to is dependent on the severity of the sin. According to Dante, the structure of hell is that of a slope. This slope begins at Achero with Limbo and proceeds down to the river of Styx. After the river, lower hell, otherwise known as the City of Dis is entered. The slope continues through nine levels and finally ends are the center of earth with those who committed the sin of treachery, the most severe sin. Thus, depending on the severity of the sin that was committed, a person will receive appropriate placement in hell. While walking through the woods in despair, Dante encounters the great Roman poet, Virgil, who informs him that he will be his guide. They first must pass through the place of eternal damnation, hell, and purgatory before they can reach heaven. The first place they visit is full of cries from suffering and torment. Virgil explains that these souls are of those who “lived without disgrace and without praise.” 2007-04-18T00:18:07-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Popular-Conceptions-of-Hell-32928.aspx The Olympian Deities The Olympian deities are the gods and goddesses worshiped by the ancient Greeks before 338 B.C.. Unlike today, where different groups of people in the same community can have different religious beliefs, in ancient Greece all persons in one community had the same beliefs and were part of one religion. Though there was variety from community to community, we speak of these beliefs as the Greek Religion. During the classical period, the Greeks were polytheistic. This means they worshiped many deities, both gods and goddesses. Each of the deities had separate realms of responsibility. The divine family included the following: Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Hades, Hestia, Apollo, Artemis, Ares, Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Athena, and Hermes. Zeus leads the pantheon of twelve great Greek gods and goddesses illustrated on the Parthenon frieze and is probably modeled on a western Asiatic precedent. His father is Kronos, his mother Rhea, or in alternative tradition, Metis (wisdom). His official consort, though barely more than in name, is Hera. Zeus is a universal deity, and through him comes all mortal sovereignty. He earned the finest and most opulent sanctuaries throughout the Greek world. According to Greek tradition, he lives on the mountain of Thessaly, which came to be known as Mount Olympus where the storm clouds are said to gather. Tradition also has it that his grave is on Mount Yukates, near Knossos on the sand of Crete, where he was buried by the Kouretes (Allen and Maitland 29-36). Symbolized by the eagle and earning the sacrifice of bulls, Zeus is the strongest of the deities, but in origin he is a weather god. He rules the clouds and rain, delivers lightning and hurls 2007-04-16T19:00:10-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Olympian-Deities--32922.aspx As a Christian living today there are a number of voices who claim to be speaking for all of us, they assail science and insist that we must literally accept every word in the Bible as true. In doing so they fail both themselves and others for much in the Bible is parable or metaphor. When we, as Christians, insist that parable must be accepted as literally true we put a stumbling block of, well, biblical proportions in the way of earnest seekers. It is for such seekers that I write this article. Should you happen to visit the Answers in Genesis site you will find, among other things the following comment, [i:5fef07157e]"... We return to the question which forms the title of this article. Should Genesis be taken literally? Answer: If we apply the normal principles of biblical exegesis (ignoring pressure to make the text conform to the evolutionary prejudices of our age), it is overwhelmingly obvious that Genesis was meant to be taken in a straightforward, obvious sense as an authentic, literal, historical record of what actually happened..." [/i:5fef07157e] But are they right? Modern science shows that the earth is billions of years in age, it comes to this conclusion in a number of ways and I recommend the following site for information even a non-scientist can understand, [url]http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/faq-age-of-earth.html[/url] . Is there then a meeting place between science and the Book of Genesis? Yes, there is and it comes from the understanding that Genesis is not a science text-book, that it was written in order to understand, not HOW the world came to be but WHY. Genesis 1 & 2 are parables, they are parables about why there is an earth, why humans and animals and plants share it in common and why there is pain and suffering in the world. Parables are stories which may or may not be literally true but which imparts to us an important spiritual truth. In the New Testament we have parables such as the Good Samaritan, the evil vine-dressers; the parable of the prodigal son. None of these New Testament stories are literal fact but they are true in a deeper, more meaningful way. So it is with the parables of Genesis 1 & 2. In them we are not being told that the world was created in six days, six thousand years ago. We are, however, being told that the world 2007-04-07T04:54:41-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Genesis-as-Parable--32902.aspx Historical VS Confessional Approach to the New Testament In looking at ancient Christianity through the eyes of history, one must distance themselves from their faith or biases in order to look at this religion objectively. For me this will be difficult because I do believe that the New Testament as well as the entire Bible is the inspired Word of God. I do understand that in looking at the New Testament historically, the student must realize that history only presents the facts while a person of faith tries to connect the facts to present their point of view. One of the differences in the historical and confessional approach is that the historical approach only deals with the facts of public record. They do not take into account rumors, myths, or hearsay. Historians reconstruct the past to see what probably happened. The problem with this aspect of historical approach is that it does not allow for feelings, or emotions. It just looks at the facts or the public record and than tries to recreate the past. A confessional approach, or a faith based approach takes the methodology of applying what is said or written and applying it to their lives and than that becomes truth to them. The problem with this is that it could give way to historical inaccuracies. It also does not allow the person to understand the culture or what was happening when the New Testament was being written. Too many Christians today read the Bible and treat it as if it were written in today’s culture and therefore take a lot of it’s meaning out of context. Another difference between the two approaches is that the historical approach looks at each book or writing individual and lets it speak for itself while the confessional approach practices what is known as hermeneutics. Hermeneutics is the study of scripture in the light of all other scripture. Meaning, that even though it may seem that two authors disagree on a subject, they may actually agree with each other. When looking at the New Testament historically can help the believer if the believer understands that these are merely the historical facts and that historians really have no idea of the thoughts, emotions, or spiritual aspects of the writers. The historian can learn from the confessional approach in the same way. I believe that the two can actually help each other in studding the New Testament by 2007-04-03T21:52:10-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Historical-VS-Confessional-Approach-to-the-New-Testament-32895.aspx Thinking Like A Mountain This paper was about the yearn for comfort, and safety in our world. I think many people can relate to this paper after what happened on September 11, 2001. The U.S. was like the pack of wolves; minding their own business and doing what they did everyday. When the first plane struck it was like the first bullet. We had not known exactly what happened. The second plane was when our “fierce green fire” was extinguished from our eyes and we knew we had been invaded. Even though we’ve moved on enough to go on with our lives we will always have our memories of what happened to the Twin Towers just as the mountain and the wolf pack will always remember their relative. As the mountian changed so does the 2007-04-03T21:44:54-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Thinking-Like-A-Mountain-32893.aspx After enduring one terrible essay after another, i was unable to resist uploading some tips for writing an effective essay. 1. Answer the question. Sounds simple enough, but it's just unbelievable how many people fail miserably to do so. While we're on this point, i might also mention the 'quality not quantity' principle. Remember, three pages of strong discussion on the topic is preferable to a poorly organised ramble that spans over six pages, fails to answer the question or only intermittently addresses it. 2. Be eloquent yet succinct.In English, it's not merely what you say, its how you say it. At this point it's worth interposing another word of advice- ensure you don't a) Make sweeping statements and b) Support your statements with evidence, that is, quotes, techniques etc. Now in English, using language effectively is paramount, and in order to elevate an essay to distiction, it needs to be well articulated.Say,for example, we were describing how Arthur Miller's The Crucible addresses social conflict. It may be considered acceptable to say something along the lines of: Miller's The Crucible shows the destructive nature of social conflict. There's nothing particularly wrong with that, but it would be more effectoive to express that same idea by saying: As a partial allegory to the Mccathy era, Miller's The Crucible unveils how paranoia and hysteria, fuelled by a perceived social evil, can taer a community apart. In particular, Miller highlights the destrctive nature of social conflict, and exposes how it can set the foundations for various other conflicts. The latter is obviosuly more effective, as not only is it more eloquent, but the assertions are supported with techniques. However, one must not over estimate the power of eloquence, as inevitably some people will automatically presume that eloquence is tantamount to circumloction. The point here is, don't waffle. Be eloquent, but succint. 3. Have a strong introduction and conclusion.This is important, as first and last impressions can count for a lot. The introduction will give the examiner an initial impression of your writing, while the conclusion is the last thing that will be read before a mark is administered, and should hence be memorable. For the introduction, it is always good top open with a quote that summarises the ideas that you discuss in your essay.It should be designed to capture the attention of the respondant. The conclusion should be concise, but not monotonous. Never should phrases such as "in conclusion" or "Finally" 2007-04-03T17:06:27-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/How-to-Write-an-Effective-Essay-32882.aspx iracles are a logical impossibility. Discuss. A miracle is held to be an action of God, or an invisible agent, which goes against the laws of nature and has some religious meaning or significance. This is just one definition; there are many explanations as to what a miracle actually is. Hume says a miracle is: ‘ a transgression of a law of nature by a particular volition of the Deity or by the interposition of some invisible agent.’ R.F. Holland says a miracle is a coincidence that can be taken religiously as a sign and called a miracle. Mel Thompson believes that miracles are a matter of interpretation- how the person interprets the miracle. Aquinas held that a miracle was done by God, which nature could not do, or could not do in that order, or is done in nature but without the usual operation of nature, for example, the sun going backwards, or an instantaneous cure of someone who may have been cured in time naturally. Lastly Tillich believes a miracle is a sign event, which gives the mystery of a revelation, which does not destroy the rational structure of reality in which it appears. As you have established, there are many different views on what a miracle actually is. However, the definitions have various weaknesses. Hume in ‘An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding of Miracles’ says: ‘The Christian religion not only was the first attended with miracles, but even at this day cannot believed by any reasonable person without one. Mere reason is insufficient to convince us of its veracity; and whosoever is moved by faith to assent to it, is conscious of a continued miracle in his own person, which subverts all the principles of its understanding, and gives him a determination to believe what is most contrary to custom and experience.’ That is, the Christian religion is based on miracles, both when it started and today. However, Christianity is based on faith and love for God. All through the New Testament miracles that Jesus performed, were upon people who had faith in God. Faith thus came first. According to Hume, Christianity is not reasonable, and any Christian belief flies in the face of (‘subverts’) all understanding and experience. Therefore, according to Hume, all religious belief is contrary to human experience and reason. Bultmann argues that all miracles are ‘mythological’. Bultmann held that the Biblical miracles were part of a story 2007-03-23T14:26:25-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Miracles-are-a-Logical-Impossibility_-Discuss_-32868.aspx ‘Our freedom to make ethical choices is only an apparent freedom’ It is sometimes argued that the freedom we feel as though we possess is merely apparent. Therefore, when we make ethical choices the actions we take have already been decided. A hard determinist would argue that all actions are explicable in terms of their causes, and are therefore inevitable. Whereas a soft determinist would argue that determinism may be true but humans still have a degree of choice. However, a totally different view, is the one of a libertarian, they believe that we are in total control of what actions we take and are therefore responsible for our own choices. If you are absolutely free to do whatever you choose, you can be held morally responsible for your actions. On the other hand are you ever free? A common form of defence offered by someone who has been accused of doing something, which is deemed immoral, is that he or she was not free to choose to do anything else. You may, for instance, find yourself acting as an agent, following rules that have been enforced by an individual, culture or even society. In this case you are conscious of what you are doing, but your actions are likely to be considered from a moral point of view only to the extent that you are deemed to be free to accept, reject or challenge the order you are given, or the function you are expected to perform in society. Thus, for instance, if you obey an order because someone is pointing a gun at your head, the fact that you will be killed if you disobey is a significant factor to be taken into account. Are you free in such circumstances? Another example is that of when people are culturally bound to do such actions that are seen as morally wrong outside the culture, such as female circumcision. You know consciously that it is morally wrong but you follow the rules to avoid punishment. Therefore, you are not free to make a moral choice, because of the values of the culture. It is sometimes asked, how free do we actually need to be? If we were completely free of all external causes and conditions, we would never stop to think about what we ‘ought’ to do, because we would never be influenced by anything that might suggest one cause of action 2007-03-23T14:22:56-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Our-freedom-to-Make-Ethical-Choices-is-Only-an-Apparent-Freedom-32867.aspx Morality describes the principles that rule our behavior. Without these principles in place, societies cannot survive for long. In today's world, morality is often thought of as belonging to a particular religious point of view. Everyone sticks to a moral doctrine of some kind. Morality as it relates to our behavior is important on three levels. C.S. Lewis defines them as to ensure fair play and agreement between people; to help make us good people in order to have a good society; and to keep us in a good relationship with the power that created us. Based on this definition, it's clear that our beliefs are critical to our moral behavior. Professor Lewis says most reasonable people agree. We begin to see problems happening. Consider the popular philosophy "I'm not hurting anyone but myself," often used to excuse bad personal choices. How can we be the good people we need to be if we continue in making these choices, and how will that result not affect the rest of our society? Bad personal choices do hurt others. While the majority of the world's population believes in God, or at least in a god, the question of Creation, as a theory of origins, is debated in today's society. A recent report in Psychology Today said: "The most significant predictor of a person's moral behavior may be religious commitment. People who consider themselves very religious were least likely to report deceiving their friends, having extramarital affairs, cheating on their expenses accounts, or even parking illegally." Based on this finding, what we believe about Creation has a decided effect on our moral thinking and our behavior. Without belief in a Creator, the only option that seems to be left is to stick to moral standards we make up for ourselves. Unless we live in a ruling society, we are free to choose our own personal moral code. But where does that freedom come from? The view of many who do not stick to Creation is that morality is a creation of humankind, designed to meet the need of steady societies. All kinds of life are in a process of deciding between life and death, choosing what to do with power and or authority. This ultimately leads to a system of virtues and values. The question is: what happens when our choices conflict with each other? What if something I believe I need in order 2007-03-23T01:09:26-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Moral-Behavior-in-Today-s-World-32861.aspx Symbolism in Short Stories of Hemingway and Chopin Symbolism may play a major role in accurately interpreting a story or poem. In Ernest Hemingway’s story The Cat in the Rain (pages 55-58) the author uses a helpless little kitten to symbolize the young girl in the story. Kate Chopin uses a fierce rain storm to stand for passion in her story The Storm. In Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s disturbing and yet conveying essay entitled The Yellow Wallpaper, she selects a gaudy yellow patterned wallpaper to some how come to represent a woman. All of these elements play a major role in bringing across the ideas the author is trying to relate to the reader. In the story The Cat in the Rain Hemingway describes a young, American woman stuck in Italy with her uncaring, older husband. He then goes on to add a kitten to the story that he describes as young, wet and most of all, stuck in the rain. The way he selects his words and uses to describe the two objects could almost be interchangeable. He uses words such as kitty (page 56) to describe the youth of the cat and young to describe the woman. He also pronounces them both as lonely. The young woman it is being forced to stay in a country where she knows no one and is being oppressed by her husband, who wants nothing more for her to do than to stand there, always looks innocent, and keep her thoughts to herself. As for the kitten, it is forced to stay out in the cold rain and continue to get soaked because it has no shelter to run to in order to find safety. In the story the woman sees herself in the kitten and that is why she makes such a big deal about getting it for her own. I think this is also Hemingway’s of leaving drops of evidence for the reader to pick up on the symbolism that he sees important to the story. Kate Chopin goes about presenting symbolism in her story The Storm in a different manner than Hemingway. Instead of focusing on live objects in her writing she chooses to use a feeling such as passion and represent it through a furious 2007-03-20T04:11:32-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Symbolism-in-Short-Stories-of-Hemingway-and-Chopin-32853.aspx Puritan Themes in Nathaniel Hawthorne's Writing American novelist and nineteenth century writer Nathaniel Hawthorne was the first writer to apply artistic judgment to Puritan society. There were many transcendentalists during Hawthorne's time period, but his works showed little optimism and self-confidence. Most of his works were written from a Puritan preoccupation (Comptons Encyclopedia, 83). With a series of short stories and novels that brought back the life of New England’s Puritan past, Hawthorne achieved one of the most distinguished literary careers of the nineteenth century (Dictionary of World Biography, 1064). Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts on July 4, 1804. His mothers name was Elizabeth Manning and his father was Nathaniel Hathorne. Hawthorne’s father was a ship captain who died in 1808 in a distant port. Hawthorne was only four. Hawthorne's uncle was Robert Manning. Manning was a very well known Pomologist and was wealthy. John Hathorne was Hawthorne's great – great grandfather who was one of three judges in the Salem witchcraft trials. He was the first of the family to come to America (Cyclopedia of Worlds Authors, 917). Nathaniel Hawthorne's sisters were Elizabeth and Maria Louisa. When Nathaniel’s ancestors came to America they were very rich. For a long time the family had a very rich background, but as years progressed the family began loosing money. Most of Salem declined because of the war. The town and Hawthorne did not seem to recover completely (American Writers, 223). Picture a man of standard build, with dark hair and dark eyes and smart. This portrays what Nathaniel Hawthorne looked like most of his life. Nathaniel was a very quiet person. As a young boy he did not have boy friends that he would go out and play with. As a way of communication, Hawthorne wrote many letters to people (Woodberry, 6). When Hawthorne became older he was often known to join friends at clubs and outdoor sports. He later added the “w” to his last name to make it look the way it was pronounced (Dictionary of World Biography, 1064). During his adolescent years, Hawthorne became a very private person. This evolved from after his father getting killed. Hawthorne's family had to depend on his mothers mother for everything. This made him feel insecure of himself and shy. 2007-03-20T04:06:26-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Puritan-Themes-in-Nathaniel-Hawthorne-s-Writing-32850.aspx The Question Of Truth The goal of any philosopher is to find what can only be referred to as “truth.” Truth is the undeniable, that which can be relied upon in any circumstances, obviously the one thing in life that has real meaning. Unfortunately, truth is quite elusive, as philosophers have been going at the question since Socrates, and no one has produced a definitive answer yet. In the course of my years of reading about the subject, I have accepted only a few concepts as being valid, and I would like to share them now. Rene Descartes essay “The Search For Certainty” should be considered the jump-off point for any discussion about truth. In it, he expounds one of the few hypotheses that possesses no holes—solipsism. It states that a person’s own existence is the only thing that they can truly be sure of. The existence of others or of external objects, while it may be quite likely, cannot be completely relied upon. Firstly, any perception one has cannot be trusted. Our eyes regularly sees things that later prove not to be there, our ears hear voices that do not exist, and so on. If we accept that our senses can deceive us, how can we be sure that they’re ever being truthful? At any given time, or all the time, our sensory perception may simply be playing tricks on us, and therefore it cannot be trusted. Similarly, we can never be sure that other supposedly sentient beings are, in fact, thinking and acting. They could be complete figments of our imagination just as easily as non-thinking things. But now that all these different things have been ruled as “not necessarily in existence,” how can one be sure that they, themselves, exist? At first it seems like a difficult question, and Lord knows that any number of pseudo-intellectual beings have posited that our lives could just be someone else’s dream, but in actuality, the answer is quite simple—thought. Independent, creative thought and action are sure signs of a true existence. Now, while it cannot be proven that other humans think, everyone can be sure that at least they do as individuals. I know I exist, for I feel control over my body, and I actively compose thoughts in my mind. This 2007-03-19T14:10:02-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Question-Of-Truth-32831.aspx Discuss the claim that killing in warfare is more justifiable than other types of killing. Abortion is a type of killing, and brings no peace, whereas wars such as the Nazi overthrowing brought peace and justice to those who were being hurt. Thus, war is more justifiable than abortion, because it is achieving something greater as an outcome. If we justify war, then we justify pre-meditated murder because its still killing that has been planned in advance. If we justify war as a society, then we justify other types of killing such as murder, euthanasia and abortion. Those who feel that Christians should refrain from retaliation point to Jesus' words, "Whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also"(Matthew 5:39). While it might seem that Jesus is calling for pacifism at first glance, a simple analysis of the words used reveals that this is not the case. Note the specification of right cheek. Why would He need to make such a specification? In fact, it doesn't really make much sense, because if someone were to hit you on your right cheek, it means they either hit you from behind or they caught you with a left hook. Most people, however, are right-handed, and have not had boxing lessons. Therefore, in the majority of cases, you are going to get slapped on your left cheek. When is full-scale nuclear war right? Emphasis is obviously given to numbers of lives saved and to the extent to which people’s lives are worthwhile, therefore it would be strange to think it such a war could be justified. It is also remembered that after such a war most of what is valued would have been destroyed and horrendous genetic effects would still be in store for any survivors. President Kennedy said in relation to this issue “the survivors will envy the dead”. The effects of nuclear war to this scale would of course take much longer to resolve than even the worst regime. Also it must be remembered that a widespread or prolonged nuclear war would end the human race. This being the case contingent pacifism is the only sane attitude to a full scale nuclear war. In certain cases such as that of Hitler’s Nazi regime contingent pacifism is not viable, with the II World War being the lesser evil than that which did and could have occurred. However all things considered even 2007-03-19T12:29:16-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Killing-in-Warfare-32816.aspx Examine the via negativa as an approach to understanding the nature of God. Another word for via negativa is the apophatic way. It comes from the Greek word ‘apophasis’, which means negation. It argues that God cannot be known in terms of human categories. God is beyond all signs and languages. The great Jewish scholar Maimonides wrote that we come nearer to knowledge of God through negative attributes, for example God is not evil, or God is not limited. Arguably, speaking about God in negative terms avoids the problem of misrepresenting God. Problems in gaining knowledge about the attributions of God do not necessarily imply God does not exist, nor do they support the possibility of Gods existence. People talking about God do not normally want to talk about God in terms of negation. Believers describe God in positive terms and in personal terms, rejecting the via negativa. Since it is impossible for humans o use human language of God and of humans without confusion, then to speak of God in terms of what he is not may lead us to a full adequate understanding of the nature of God by avoiding serious pitfalls. Peter Cole argues that ‘by denying all descriptions of God you get an insight and experience of God rather than unbelief and a scepticism.’ This full understanding of God leads to true belief and faith in God. Via negativa relies on a common method of the negative way. One moves beyond words and concepts by denying them. Leading them not to a level where one cannot understand, but to a level of understanding whereby we realise that God is beyond all words. The via negativa theory is an important step to understanding religious language and thus the nature of God. Via negativa has been adopted by many scholars to gain an understanding of God and the nature of God. A central tenet of Don Cupits early theology was via negativa. ‘I try to show the restless character of belief in God which continually strives after intelligible content, and yet must be by its own inner dialect always negate any proposed specific content.’ However, when used on itself via negativa cannot distinguish an adequate difference between atheism and theism, since to say that God can only be spoken of in negative terms it effectively denies God altogether. This can be shown when looking at John Wisdoms parable of the gardener 2007-03-19T12:27:23-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Examine-the-via-negativa-32815.aspx In the light of ethical theories discuss arguments for and against pacifism. Pacifism is the theory that peaceful rather than violent or belligerent relations should govern human intercourse and that arbitration, surrender, or migration should be used to resolve disputes. Pacifism is as much an element of Western thinking as is the notion of Just War Theory, the argument that the state may legitimately or morally bear arms. While most people accept the necessity of war, conscientious objectors (or martyrs in much of European history) have often been accorded a special recognition for their moral bravery in refusing to take up arms. The philosophical study of pacifism requires examining a variety of aspects of the broad proposal, as well as an investigation as to its consequences. Pacifism relates to war as well as to domestic injustices and repressive policies. It can be studied in terms of its coherence as a deontological, or intrinsic, value as well as in terms of the beneficial effects it seeks. Examination of the broad theory draws our attention to a vast range of possible ethical meanings and issues that the committed pacifist or critic must consider. The doctrine of absolute pacifism is first dealt with, before turning to an examination of the more flexible doctrines of conditional pacifism and "pacificism". There are three main versions of pacifism are religious, contingent and philosophic. Pacifists hold that violence. Pacifism is the opposition to war or violence as a means of settling disputes. Pacifism covers a spectrum of views ranging from the belief that international disputes can and should be peacefully resolved, to absolute opposition to the use of violence, or even force, under any circumstances. Pacifism may be based on principle or pragmatism. Principled (or Deontological) pacifism is based on beliefs that either war, deliberate lethal force, violence or any force or coercion is morally wrong. Pragmatic (or Consequential) pacifism does not hold to such an absolute principle but considers there to be better ways of resolving a dispute than war or considers the benefits of a war to be outweighed by the costs. The Christian idea of just war thinking has a long history. Its origins go back to Ambrose of Milan, and in particular, to St Augustine, who had to face a new political situation. The Roman Empire in which Christianity has grown- in spite of great and terrible persecution- was pagan. The emerging Christian religion was 2007-03-19T12:24:50-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Pacifism-32814.aspx I believe that to be misunderstood is to be great. If people are not quite understanding what it is you are saying, that is a true sign that you are great. Some examples of people who we now see as great, are Galileo, Jesus, and Thoreau. These are all people who, during their lives, were seen as borderline crazy, and in the first two cases, heretics. Galileo was an Italian scientist who believed, based on discoveries in the sky that the earth actually revolved around the sun, instead of vice versa. For this statement, he was excommunicated from the Catholic Church, an act recently reversed only decades ago when the Church released a statement saying it was wrong. Too bad Galileo died years and years before. People misunderstood Galileo’s discovery for heresy, and in a time when everything was based on religion, it must have been difficult for the Italian scientist to live a normal life. Jesus. The very name sparks controversy even today, yet it is a fact that both historically and religiously, this man was certainly great. Over the course of his extremely well known life, Jesus was understood as one of the following: a great prophet, a second Elijah, or even a rebel against the Roman Empire. Unfortunately for all who thought they knew what they were talking about, each of these suggestions is wrong. Theologically speaking, Jesus was the Messiah, the one who had come to take away sin and restore life. Thoreau, the great romantics writer, was heavily misunderstood in his time, and even now, occasionally. People tend to think of him as a smart person who led a clearly “un-ambitious” life. However, these people are terribly wrong. Thoreau was not un-ambitious, he just had ambitions that most people did not understand or realize. He wanted to understand and prove what life was all about. He wanted to become aware of what how individual parts of his day were made up, exactly how does one build a house, how much does it cost, and how effective is this dwelling? In short, he was a seeker of knowledge like many great thinkers, just not necessarily the same knowledge most people tend to look for. Overall, this proves that the greatest of the historically famous people were actually widely misunderstood, especially in their time. But this is actually a refreshing thought. For those of us who are misunderstood, at least we 2007-03-15T23:49:59-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/To-be-Misunderstood-is-to-be-Great-32800.aspx On the outside, you can decide what I am. On the inside, however, I am only one thing: myself. I think that if people were to see me for what I am on the inside, they would treat me differently. Part of them would most likely want to stay away, because I will be the first to admit that I can be rather cruel to some people. On the other hand, 2007-03-15T23:40:19-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/My-Soul--32797.aspx The graphic, gory, vile, and intense movie called 300 is about two opposing armies constantly battling each other. On one side is the sinister Persian army with thousands of soldiers ready to clobber any foe. On the other side are the audience's heroes, the Spartans. The Persians, led by Xerxes wish to conquer all of Greece. However, the city of Sparta is in their path and the soldiers of Sparta are known for their extraordinary performance on the battlefield. With the Persians wanting to conquer and destroy Greece and the Spartans ready to defend their city, many gruesome battles take place in what is now known as the Battle of Thermopylae. I believe this movie is accurate according to the historical event that took place in 480 B.C. The film gives a good impression of how much more massive the Persian army is compared to the Spartan army. Also, the Spartan army is known for their strong army and this is greatly expressed through out the movie. The strongest characteristic about the movie are the special effects which enhance the reality of the battles. Some of the scenes are so strongly portrayed such as disembodied body parts, obscene pictures, and disgusting images of facial expressions that it is hard to watch at times. There is one view about the movie that does not compliment the past historical battle. There were actually many Greek city-states that united to fight the Persians. In the film 300, the plot revolves around primarily on the Spartan soldiers and a little on the Arcadian soldiers. In 480 B.C. there were many other Greek city-states involved in the battles and it wasn�t until the very end of the war that Sparta was the only army left standing and willing to fight. Of course, creating a perspective of a desperate attempt to save a city by one army instead of many is much more interesting to watch in my opinion. The two stories of the movie 300 and the play Oedipus, contain the theme of hubris. However, the theme is not displayed the same way between the two stories. Oedipus believes he can conquer any foe, but because of his mistakes in the past he is brought to wreck and ruin in his prime as a king. King Leonidas, the leader of 2007-03-12T08:31:57-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Film-Review-Essay-on-the-Movie-300-32789.aspx The Use of Language by Robert Browning Robert Browning utilized the format of the dramatic monologue, the creation of expectation and surprise, and extensive use of figurative language to support the theme of possessive love in his works "My Last Duchess" and "Porphyria's Lover". The dramatic personae in these works provide surprising accounts of their tormented and often jealous love and the results of their actions determine the startling revelations within each monologue. Their possessive love not only drives them to violent acts, but provides them with seemingly rational excuses for their behavior. Though Browning utilizes the format of the dramatic monologue in both "My Last Duchess" and "Porphyria's Lover", there are a number of important distinctions between the monologic persona and the implied audience in each of these works. It is important to note these differences because they demonstrate the interactions that lead each persona to distinguish and excuse their actions relative to possessive love. In "My Last Duchess", it is clear that Browning intended to demonstrate a relationship between the monologic character and the perceived audience, while in "Porphyria's Lover" there is a determined lack of a pre-designed relationship between the dramatic persona and the audience, allowing for a completely impersonal format (Jones 301). The dramatic persona in "My Last Duchess" is developed through the use of a monologue which is actually a non-responsive dialogue between the Duke of Ferrara and an agent, the man he hopes will negotiate his marriage to the niece of the Count of Tyrol in Austria (Bain 373). The history behind this poem suggests the presence of two individuals, and the direction of the work demonstrates this interaction. The dramatic persona, the Duke, presents the painting of the Duchess to the agent, and asks that the agent observe the painting: "Will't please you sit and look at her?" (line 5). Through the single-sided discourse that Browning creates, the Duke almost appears to answer questions presented by the agent: "And seemed as they would ask me, if they durst,/How such a glance came there; so, not the first/Are you to turn and ask thus." (lines 11-13). The use of this second-consciousness that never speaks allows Browning to incorporate participation by the audience in inferring the response of the agent, and this is an effective means of bringing the audience into the 2007-03-05T14:14:13-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Use-of-Language-by-Robert-Browning-32739.aspx Understanding the Essence of Buddhism How can we begin to understand such a diverse and ancient religion? The width of Buddhism is immense. It is a religion without any written rules. Buddhism is based on self-discovery. Buddhists are born with the quest to find their true form. They believe that they are prisoners of the physical plain until they reach nirvana. Nirvana is the ultimate goal for a Buddhist. It is the state that saves them from all suffering and evil. They believe that only nirvana can remove them from the never-ending circle of life. The same circle that puts them back in a world of suffering and pain. The very thing they want to escape from. Buddhists must conquer the mind before they could ever reach nirvana. The mind is full of lust and greed. A Buddhist eradicates temptations like greed and lust by rejecting the source of evil. They live independently from most of the luxuries required by westerners. They rely mainly on the basic necessities of life. By removing temptation, they gain more control of the mind. Buddhists are very spiritual about their surroundings. They cherish all living things. They would remove all living organism with such care before an area is used for construction. Reducing the suffering of others provides a meaning to their lives. They believe that all things have the right to live. By doing good things they ease the mind from all the suffering around them. We cannot remove suffering. We can only reduce it. By controlling the mind, we control most of the suffering we create ourselves. We are neurotic beings that strive on suffering. Most people do not control their suffering. The suffering controls them. Most religions believe in different dogmas. A dogma is an informed idea of what the gods look like. We can never be absolutely sure what God really looks like. Still, we believe in it so strongly that we would start wars over the different dogmas. The Buddhist outsmarted the rest of the crowd by being the individual. They do not believe a god. A major misconception is where people think they worship Buddha. They only believe that the ideas of the first Buddha would lead them to nirvana. The first known Buddha was Gautama Siddharta. He was the first one to teach others the way of a Buddhist. Unfortunately his 2007-03-05T00:22:29-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Understanding-the-Essence-of-Buddhism-32732.aspx Description of Magical Realism Magical realism n. A chiefly literary style or genre originating in Latin America that combines fantastic or dreamlike elements with reality (Dictionary.com). In the novel, Like Water for Chocolate, written by Laura Esquirel, magical realism is used throughout the story to explain the impossible, within the daily life of the fictional characters. This magical realism is a continuous element of story, starting from when the main character, Tita, is born. Magical realism continues to work its magic when Tita’s love, Pedro, marries her sister and lives under the same roof as her, and when she dies at the very end of the story. However, Tita is not the only one within the book that is affected by the magical realism. There are also many other characters whose personalities are heightened by the magical realism. Esquirel creatively uses the magical realism to show the characters’ innermost desires, emotions, and personalities in order to make the novel a sweet and delighting romantic experience. Desire is an emotion that describes a deep longing and wanting is chiefly crafted using magical realism within the novel. One of the many examples of this activity would be the pull of desires were brought by the magical dish of quail and roses. Gertrudis, one of the main characters within the novel, hadn’t been mention much until the entrancement of the dish where she became heated and hot, desperate for passion. In the spur of the moment, she “ran away with one of Villa’s men, on horse back … naked” (pg 58). This describes how the pent up desire that is deeply woven within Gertrudis could only become expose by through some magical means, hence the use of magical realism. It adds a tangy scent of romanticism and illustrates the characters need of love and desires. Gertrudis was not the only character within the story affected by the dazzling inclination of the dish, because Pedro and Tita felt this spark of exigency also. As they sat across from each other in the dining room, Tita penetrates “to the farthest corners of his being, and all the while they could not take their eyes off each other” (pg 52) causing them both to fall into a mutual sexual trance to form a mind link. As delicate meal entrances them, 2007-03-05T00:18:51-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Description-of-Magical-Realism-32729.aspx Critical Analysis of David Boaz's Essays From David Boaz’s essay What Rights Do We Have? it seems that the First Amendment and the Declaration of Independence is getting more and more publicity. Since the 1990s politicians and people jumped on the train of “I have the right to…” which blitz across the nation like a tornado. Boaz tried to draw out the significance of America’s most important document on the issue of rights—the Declaration of Independence. According to Boaz, the theory of rights starts from the most fundamental right, the “Basic Rights.” Inside the “Basic Rights”, he provided us with two of the most important rights—property rights and Freedom of conscience. Of course, none of these would be possible without the “Self-Ownership” which means that every one is the owner of themselves, including their bodies and minds. Boaz later concluded that all human rights can be represented by property rights, because we are the owner of our bodies and we have the right to do whatever we desire to our legally owned property as long as we are not forcing others to serve our needs. If we support Boaz’s point of view, then our government is clearly violating and constantly restricting our rights. “No one has the right to prevent another person from expressing his thoughts and trying to persuade others of his opinion” (Boaz 740). And “murder a person is the greatest possible violation of his rights.”(Boaz 735) It all seems a very agreeable statement right? But Dr. Jack Kevorkian is serving his time for helping his patient taking their legal property away from them when they are voluntarily giving up their own property while some of them are unable to perform the task on their own. Some people might also argue that in Dr. Kevorkian’s case, he actually performed the injection into his patients’ body, which sentenced him to prison for second-degree murder but nevertheless his patient all signed the agreement which granted Kevorkian the right of taking their property away and he did not force any of his patients to die, he just simply “persuaded” others to believe his opinion. People have the right to say whatever they want but there are some things that people should not say, if they know it is not “right to say it” but they do it anyway they are going 2007-03-04T18:49:42-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Critical-Analysis-of-David-Boaz-s-Essays-32718.aspx His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama “For as long as space endures And for as long as living beings remain, Until then may I too abide To dispel the misery of the world”(The Office of Tibet). He often cites this favorite verse, found in the writings of the renowned eighth century Buddhist saint Shantideva, to explain his greatest source of inspiration. He is the 14th Dalai Lama. His Holiness Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso is the head of state and spiritual leader of the Tibetan people. He was born on 6 July 1935 by the name of Lhamo Dhondrub, in a small village, Taktser in the northeastern part of Tibet, to a peasant family. His Holiness was recognized at the age of two as the reincarnation of his predecessor, the 13th Dalai Lama. He began his religious education at six and completed the Geshe Lharampa Degree, the Doctorate of Buddhist Philosophy, when he was twenty-five. His enthronement ceremony took place on 22 February 1940 in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. At 24, he took the preliminary examinations at each of the three monastic universities, Drepung, Sera and Ganden. He took the final examination in the Jokhang at Lhasa during the annual Monlam Festival of Prayer, held during the first month of every year in the Tibetan calendar. The Dalai Lamas are the manifestations of the Bodhisattva or Buddha of Compassion, who reincarnate, to serve the Tibetan people. As Dalai Lama, Lhamo Dhondrub was given the name Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso that means Holy Lord, Gentle Glory, Compassionate, Defender of the Faith and Ocean of Wisdom. People call His Holiness, Yeshe Norbu that means the Wish fulfilling Gem or simply Kundun, The Presence (The Office of Tibet). In 1950 His Holiness was called upon to assume full political power after China's invasion of Tibet in 1949. In 1954 he went for peace talks with Mao Zedong and other Chinese leaders, including Deng Xiaoping, in Beijing, which ended in disaster. But finally, in 1959, with the brutal suppression of the Tibetan national uprising in Lhasa by Chinese troops, the Dalai Lama was forced to escape into exile. Since then he has been living in Dharamsala in northern India (ABC News). Over the decades the 66-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner continued to seek autonomy for Tibet that China considers to be a part 2007-03-04T18:46:07-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/His-Holiness,-the-14th-Dalai-Lama-32716.aspx “The conditions of Just War Theory are both practical and reasonable. They provide the basis to justify any conflict” – Clarify and evaluate this claim. Just War Theory states a collection of criteria that come before choosing to go to war. They are intended to ensure that the decision to wage war is the right one. However, while what they state seems to be reasonable, it appears impractical to expect a war to follow the rules, as war is generally disordered. I also think that it is untrue to say that the Just War Theory justifies conflict as I do not believe that conflict or war can ever be justified completely. Just War Theory attempts to protect the innocent, so that the only people involved in the war are those who chose to be involved. While on the surface this seems a sensible idea, how can we protect the innocent in an event as haphazard as a war? It would be virtually impossible to ensure that no civilian is harmed or killed during a war because soldiers and fighting naturally expands into civilian areas. It also would be difficult to determine which civilians are innocent and which are not – for example, would a munitions worker who agreed and supported the war be a legitimate target? We can see that it is controversial to make a decision on who is innocent and who is not. The theory states that the reason for going to war must be just or fair. According to Aquinas, the war must occur only if it is to confront a ‘real and certain danger’, including protecting innocent life or preserving basic human rights. However, to me it seems hypocritical to justify going to war because it is protecting innocent life, when clearly war itself is going to destroy innocent lives. It seems hypocritical also to say war can be justified if it is protecting human rights, because what about the rights of civilians who are caught in crossfire or bomb attacks? To me, justifying war by saying it is for a good cause is incomprehensible because trying to achieve peace or harmony by introducing conflict and war is clearly not going to work. The theory also states that a war can only be fought with ‘good’ intentions, or according to Aquinas ‘the advancement of good, or the avoidance of evil’. While this rule has sensible grounding, to guarantee there are 2007-02-25T14:35:03-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Just-War-Theory--32694.aspx William Paley argued for the existence of God by reasoning that the world shows such complex structure that it must have been designed. He used analogy to compare the universe to a man made structure such as a watch. He argues that if we were to find a watch on the ground, we would naturally infer that it had not come into being by chance; rather that it had been designed for a purpose. He also argues that regularity in the universe also shows that the world must have been designed – Newton’s laws of motion and gravity alone show there is design in the universe that did not come about by chance. Paley’s argument has both its strengths and its weaknesses. The argument itself is a posteriori and inductive meaning that everyone can understand and relate to it and it is easy to understand. It appears to be a logical argument – most people would agree that if they were to come across a watch they would assume it had a designer. It is therefore easy to follow the argument and agree with its conclusion – that there is a God. By using the analogy of a watch, we can see more clearly the point that is being made; that as like effects have like causes, it is reasonable to assume that an intricately designed object such as a watch has a designer, and it is therefore reasonable to assume that our intricately designed universe has a designer. However the fact that the argument uses analogy can also be seen as a weakness. David Hume criticised Paley’s argument because he believed it was illogical to liken the universe to a vast man made machine. He believed the universe would be more believably likened to a vegetable or inert animal – something growing of its own accord rather than something made by hand. Hume believed that analogies were a poor way of arguing for the existence of God because they leave so much room for argument – for example, the watch that we assume has a designer could have in fact been designed by ten different people, and therefore we can say the same about the universe. I find that using the analogy of a watch makes little sense to me when it comes to proving the existence of God. I do agree that were I to come across a watch I would 2007-02-25T14:33:18-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/How-Succesful-Is-William-Paleys-Design-Argument-32693.aspx Presently, the three largest religions are Christianity, Islam and Judaism. It first struck me that these three all had a single person or prophet that “began” the motility which has lead them to their heights today. Christianity - Jesus, Islam - Mohammad, Judaism - “the nameless God”. Judaism's god Names is represented by the four-letter Name represented by the Hebrew letters Yod-Heh-Vav-Heh (YHVH) It is even stranger that their beginnings were within four to five centuries from each other. Two millennium's have passed and they are still the prevailing faiths in the world. And of those three, two were in the same location, Israel/Palestine. I will start this essay by explaining Christianity, and many things about it. The word Christianity itself, means Believer in Christ. If you are a believer in this religion, you are called a “Christian”. There are many different nongovernmental organizations of this religion, and the things they share are the belief that the Bible is the Word of God, and that Jesus Christ was the Deliverer sent by God through His love. It is hard to say everything about Christianity, because there huge amounts of different Christian groups and many different duty's and activity's. Christians have many beliefs plagiarized from the Bible. They believe in the Sacred Trinity, which is three persons in one Godhead; the Father (God), Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit. They believe that Jesus was the Son of God, but Jesus is worshiped as God. They believe that Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary, and some nongovernmental organization's believe that Mary was also holy, and she is worshiped. Some nongovernmental organization's believe Jesus is now with God in Heaven, but other nongovernmental organization's believe His spirit is living here on Earth with all of us. Basically, the Christian Creation Story is saying that the world was made in 7 days; in which: In the beginning god created the Universe, the earth was full of darkness, so god hovered over the waters and said “Let there be light". And there was light. God divided the day from the night, naming them ' day' and 'night'. On the second day, god made the heavens to separate from the earth. On the third day, god raised up the dry land from beneath the waters and commanded the earth to bring forth new plants. On the forth day, god made the greater light for day and the lesser 2007-02-20T07:59:02-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Analysing-three-religions-32682.aspx Obsession Compulsive Disorder When I was searching for topics I had a few main ideas in mind but I wasn’t sure which one I wanted to choose, Obesity, O.C.D. and Plastic Surgery were some of the ones I wanted to do but I also considered some others. After searching obesity I found that there was not a lot of information on this topic and most of it was not backed up by a person or there site just plainly looked phony. Then I searched for information on O.C.D. and found a lot of information on it but really did not want to select this as a topic because of the load of information. Right before I was going to move on to plastic surgery I realized that one of my friends was already doing that and was pretty sure that it was what she wanted to do and I really didn’t want to do the same thing that someone else was doing. Then I had to decide if I wanted to do my I-search on obesity, O.C.D. or a completely new topic. I knew that if I searched for it new topic it would leave me less time to work on the rest of my paper, writing my paper on O.C.D. would give me a lot of information that my paper would need. I didn't know very much about this topic before researching it but wanted to know what it was because I had heard someone claim to have it. My questions I have for this topic are: What they are doing to help patience’s with this disorder?, Is there a cure?, What are the signs?, Can it be inherited?, And more information on what it is? “Lather, Rinse, Repeat. Repeat. This may sound like a shampoo bottle, but it is not. It is just one of the many rituals that may plague the mind of someone who has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or O.C.D.” (Understanding O.C.D.) Perhaps what is worse though is that people with O.C.D are widely misunderstood, especially as children and teenagers. If the public were more educated about the causes, behaviors, and treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, the people who suffer with it would not have to suffer in silence. I found out that O.C.D. is an illness 2007-02-16T18:21:56-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Obsession-Compulsive-Disorder-I-search-32630.aspx China has represented on the earliest civilizations of the world. China has recorded history of about 3,600 years. China has passed through prehistoric society, slave society and feudal society. China's civilization developed independently of others because the country was separated from other countries and had a great distance from other countries. It is said that after 10,000 B.C the Chinese lived by hunting and gathering plants. Then in 5,000 B.C the Chinese began farming. Rice was cultivated in southern China and millet was grown in northern China. Farmers also learned to make pottery. The Chinese cultural was is very rich in tradition and is famous to the people who are found through the world. The development of such a different and impressive civilization has made China the role model for other countries around the world. Around 1750 B.C the first Chinese dynasty, Shang, began to develop. This era witnessed the birth of modern architecture such as walled towns and productive agricultural systems. However each region of China had its own language and culture. Due to the misgoverning of the dynasty, the Shang lost its mandate of Heaven to the Zhou kingdom. The Zhou dynasty continued much of the technological and the agricultural developments of the first rule. The improved living conditions showed a direct relation between the population and the growth of the cities, as one grew larger the other also grew. In this period roads were being built, land cultivated and irrigation spread. As the development of the lands expanded the surroundings regions became separate states, each culturally different with its own language resulting in constant warfare. Warfare had become more common because the earlier societies were becoming richer. During the 19th century capitalist forces of foreign countries invaded China. China was slowly transformed into a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society. In the 20th century the many people decided that it was time to do away with the old order. Sun Yat-Sen (1866-1925) put forward 3 principles, nationalism, democracy and socialism. The Chinese Republic occurred in 1911 to 1949, this is when the revolution was being planned, but a bomb was set off and the government would now be alerted they decided to start the revolution. China location is Eastern Asia, bordering the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea and South China Sea, between North Korea and Vietnam. The area of China is 2007-02-13T22:54:06-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/China-19th-to-20th-Century--32616.aspx An Analysis of Buddhism Buddhism is one of the more mainstream religions in the world and it is continually expanding throughout the world. Buddhism comes from budhi, which means “to awaken”, the goal of Buddhism. Like all religions, there are many sects of Buddhism. There are over 80,000 different types of Buddhism, the two main ones being Mahayanna and Theraveda. There are about 3-4 million Buddhists in America now (www.pluralism.org/resources/statistcs/tradition.php). Many people have found Buddhism to help them deal with their daily day life. And many others have found Buddhism as an enhancement to their own religion. Buddhism is rich in history and it is discovered by more and more people everyday. Buddhism is based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama. Who is Siddhartha Gautama? Siddhartha was a prince born around 563 BC in India. He realized at the age of twenty-nine how empty his life had been and how much suffering there is in the world. Therefore giving up everything he owned, he started on his conquest for the end of suffering. Meditating under the Bo tree one day, he reached the state of enlightenment. Finally reaching what he had been searching for all his life, he set out to teach and preach to others of what he had achieved. His body of disciples is called the Sangha. Individual males of the Sangha, monks, are marked by their shaved heads and orange robes. There is also and order for the nuns of Buddhism. The goal of Buddhism is to reach enlightenment. Enlightenment is not only for those who are extremely “good”. Every person has the potential to reach that state of Enlightenment. To reach the ultimate goal, all one has to do is follow the core teachings. The core teachings of Buddhism are the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. The Four Noble Truths are as follows 1) “Life is suffering”, 2) “All suffering is caused by ignorance of the nature of reality and the craving, attachment, and grasping that result from such ignorance”, 3) “Suffering can be ended by overcoming ignorance and attachment”, and 4) “The path to the suppression of suffering is the Noble Eightfold Path”. (Encarta) Hence, material wealth is not necessary to living. The Eightfold Path is crucial on the path to 2007-02-02T18:59:50-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/An-Analysis-of-Buddhism--32579.aspx Teachings and Philosophies of Gandhi The roots of civil disobedience exercised today stem from Gandhi's teachings, philosophy and practices. Mohandas Karamchad Gandhi, a.k.a. Mahatma Gandhi, Mahatma meaning great soul, was born in 1869 in India. Gandhi was a great humanist, a social reformer of fight imperialism morally and non-violently. In the early twentieth century, India was a colony of the British Empire. Many people lived in poverty because the British took all the wealth. After school Gandhi went to London and studied Law in a university. He became a lawyer. The idea of offering moral and non-violent resistance to injustice was born when a young man Gandhi, a fresh barrister from England, was thrown out of a train in 1893, while traveling from Durban to Pretoria in South Africa. He had a first class ticket, but was asked to leave the compartment and shift to a third-class coach. He was not a white man therefore; he did not have a right to be traveling first class. He refused to leave voluntarily. He was pushed out and he had to spend the cold night in the Maritzburg railroad station. He started a project called ashram where he had the idea of people from different religions lived together in peace and freedom. It was here in South Africa that he perfected the techniques of 'Ahimsa' and 'Satyagraha', meaning non-violent mass action and civil disobedience. He led the struggle against racial discrimination and imperial domination for almost 20 years. To be one of the people in poverty, he traveled through the country by train and in third class wagon. He also attained a hobby of spinning. He had an opinion that a lot of poverty in India was the result of all the clothes that were produced in and imported from Great Britain to India. Gandhi encouraged the people not to buy any more British clothes but to produce and buy their own Indian clothes. After that, many people started to boycott British goods. People in the British factories got unemployed. Another very important step to independence was that he asked the whole nation to strike for one day. And they did. Nothing worked on that day. There was virtually no traffic, mail was not delivered, factories were not working, the telegraph lines did not work and the British in India were cut off their mother country. Gandhi returned to India 2007-02-02T17:39:55-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Teachings-and-Philosophies-of-Gandhi-32534.aspx [b]Jewish History of the TorahPortion Emor[/b] Can you imagine living a life where hundreds of people look up to you and choose to follow in your footsteps. Where you have to live on a higher level of sanctity above everyone else. When becoming such a significant figure, have many restrictions on who to marry, how to act, who to interact with as well as the interaction between the death of a loved one and yourself. But on top of that, not able to say or express these restrictions because those are the rules that you chose to abide by when becoming such a significant figure. The first part of this week’s Torah portion, Emor, which means “speak” begins with the special laws pertaining to the Kohanim, the priests, but mainly, the Kohen Gadol, the "High Priest", and the Temple service: As you will see, this Torah portion restricts the Kohanim and the Kohen Gadol to follow strict rules. As mentioned earlier, both the Kohen Gadol and the Kohanim are involved in The Temple Service. This means that A Kohen may not become ritually impure through contact with a dead body except for the occasion of death of a close relative. A Kohen may not marry a divorcee or a woman with a promiscuous past; a Kohen Gadol can marry only a virgin. Restrictions go as far as deformities placed at the Holy Temple and animals. A Kohen with a physical deformity cannot serve in the Holy Temple, nor can a deformed animal be brought as an offering.A newborn calf, kid or lamb must be left with its mother for seven days; one may not slaughter an animal and its offspring on the same day. The second part of Emor lists the annual callings of Holiness-- the festivals of the Jewish calendar: The 14th and 15th of Nissan, which are the bringing of the Passover offering as well as the seven-day Passover festival. The bringing of the Omer on the second day of Passover offering from the first barley harvest as well as the commencement, on that day, the 49th-day counting of the Omer culminating in the festival of Shavuot. On the 50th day; a "remembrance of shofar blowing.“ The first of Tishrei; a solemn fast day; and the Sukkot festival -- during which we are to dwell in huts for seven days. Emor concludes with the incident of a man executed for 2007-02-02T17:26:56-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Jewish-History-of-the-TorahPortion-Emor-32526.aspx Criticism of the Biases Found in Nature Writing Many of the earliest stories focused on the state of being, of living and enhancing comprehension of the natural world, or the wilderness. By experiencing nature firsthand, it allows for the possibility of discovering meaning in our own lives and our relationship with the world around us. There is a very personal connection between the individual and the experiences he has accumulated. From these experiences, private points of view are formed within the self, and every human being will react and interpret these experiences differently. Whether it is a moment of “outsight”, an epiphany, or a heightened sense of awareness, the lessons we learn and the truths we take from experiencing nature are infinitely unique. Following such an encounter with the natural world, humans have a pressing need to express themselves, to share their experiences as best they can, to pass on a part of themselves. This is where nature writing falls short. Such personal experiences are meant to be shared, but cannot be taken for the truth - for we all have our own truths, morals and opinions. What must be understood is that what one person may get out of a sunrise or an avalanche is quite different from the next individual. We all have our own interpretations of nature, and by reading another’s viewpoint it not only taints our own experiences of what is but confuses your beliefs. It may not be possible to truly experience nature any longer, because of this phenomena called ‘nature writing’. Too many ambitious author’s have described the world as they see it, that today we cannot help but seeing things through their eyes and not our own. We are told how to experience nature, and this takes away from the personal interaction. Nature exists only when “filtered through out optical nerves, our ’senses’, our fiercely romantic expectations.” (Oates, p.230) We expect what we have been told to expect, and get just that, nothing more. Oates goes on to state that, “a wise man filters his emotions through his brain” (Oates, p.231), and not through his prose. Then why are so many talented writers buying into this? This is exactly what Plumwood explains in “Being Prey”, that “we all want to pass on our story” (Plumwood, p,192). The question is how honest and unbiased by personal experiences can the author’s voice be? Humans have a 2007-02-02T17:04:08-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Criticism-of-the-Biases-Found-in-Nature-Writing-32521.aspx Representations of Male Power Traditionally media representations of men have always involved power and other characteristics commonly associated with males and masculinity. In the past, media texts have generally constructed men to conform to specific ideals understood by society regarding masculinity and the idyllic male qualities. These principles in today’s society describe what is known as dominant masculinity. While it is common for modern society to construct texts reflecting dominant masculine values, new representations of men are evolving. Within modern media texts, the representation of men often challenges the central attitude regarding dominant masculinity. This essay will discuss how media representations of men have transformed over time, and how traditional masculinity values have been confronted with radical ideologies concerning construction of men and multiple masculinities. Historically males have been classed as superior to females, privileged with greater rights and have governed societies through the patriarch system. Another key signifier associated with men is power. The fore-mentioned ideas are the principles on which dominant masculinity is based, and where the concept evolved. The ideologies of traditional masculinity are personified within today’s media through portrayal of strong, tough, cool and heterosexual stars. Archetypal of this being stars such as Clint Eastwood, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone. Similarly the actual characters within films are constructed possessing power and masculine attributes. The media essentially normalizes these qualities within males and creates a desire for men to achieve similarity and conform to societies model of masculinity. The universalism of traditional masculinity was assisted by the development of film early in the twentieth century. Films were predominantly produced in America and as a result the values and attitudes of American society were adopted throughout the Western world. The effect of controlling the film and media production, and subsequently widespread cultural values followed the process of cultural imperialism, where one culture asserts its economic and political control over another country (O’Shaughnessy, 1999, p 99). The primary production of Western film and Gangster films at this time reflected American society and it’s values. Within these texts power, strength and authority were crucial characteristics and these traits were therefore commonly associated with masculine ideologies. Often modern texts and films defy the ideologies presented within dominant masculinity. There are many alternative representations that can be distinguished in modern texts. Contemporary constructions of men often show more feminist characteristics, diverse sexuality and other traits that oppose traditional masculinity such as being less 2007-02-02T16:47:52-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Representations-of-Male-Power-32512.aspx Most people think the theory of evolution was first proposed by Charles Darwin, and rests on scientific evidence, observations and experiments. However, in the same way that Darwin was not its originator neither does the theory rest on scientific proof. The theory consists of an adaptation to nature of an ancient dogma called materialist philosophy. Although it is backed up by no scientific evidence, the theory is blindly supported in the name of materialist philosophy. This fanaticism has resulted in many of disasters. That is because together with the spread of Darwinism and the materialist philosophy it supports, the answer to the question 'What is a human being?' has changed. People who used to answer: 'Human beings were created by God and have to live according to the morality He teaches' have now begun to think that 'Man came into being by chance, and is an animal who developed with the fight for survival.' There is a heavy price to pay for this great deception. Violent ideologies such as racism, fascism and communism, and many other cruel world views based on conflict have all drawn strength from this deception. This article will examine this disaster Darwinism has brought to the world and reveal its connection with terrorism, one of the most important global problems of our time. The Darwinist Misconception: 'Life is conflict' Darwin set out with one basic premise when developing his theory: 'The development of living things depends on the fight for survival. The strong win the struggle. The weak are condemned to defeat and oblivion.' According to Darwin, there was a ruthless struggle for survival and eternal conflict in nature. The strong always overcome the weak, and this enables development to take place. The subtitle he gave to his book The Origin of Species, "The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection or the Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life", encapsulates that view. Furthermore, Darwin proposed that the 'fight for survival' also applied between human races. According to that claim, 'favored races' were victorious in the struggle. Favored races, in Darwin's view, were white Europeans. African or Asian races had lagged behind in the struggle for survival. Darwin went further, and suggested that these races would soon lose the 'struggle for survival' entirely, and thus disappear: At some future period, not very distant as measured by centuries, the civilized races of man will almost certainly exterminate, and replace the 2007-01-27T18:29:04-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Darwinism-and-Materialism-32467.aspx All the information we have about the world we live in is conveyed to us by our five senses. The world we know consists of what our eye sees, our hand feels, our nose smells, our tongue tastes, and our ears hear. We never think that the "external" world can be other than what our senses present to us, since we've been depending on only those senses since the day we were born. However, modern scientific research in many different fields points to a wholly different understanding, creating serious doubt about our senses and the world we perceive with them. This approach's starting point is the notion that any "external world" is only a response created in our brain by electrical signals. The red hue of an apple, the hardness of wood, your mother, father, your family, and everything that you own—your house, your job,—and even the lines of this article, are composed of electrical signals only. Thanks to present technological developments, it's possible to have realistic experiences without the need for an "external world" or "matter." The incredible advancement in virtual reality technology has come up with some especially convincing proofs. To put it simply, virtual reality is the projection of computer-generated three-dimensional images that appear to be real with the aid of some devices. This technology, with its diverse range of applications, is known as "virtual reality," "virtual world," or "virtual environment." Its most important feature is that by the use of some purposely constructed devices, it misleads the person experiencing it into believing the experience to be real. In recent years, the word "immersive'' has begun to be used in front of the term "virtual reality," reflecting the way that witnesses are literally immersed in the experience. The rationale of any virtual reality system is based on our five human senses. For instance, when the user puts on a special glove, devices inside transmit signals to the fingertips. When these signals are relayed to and interpreted by the brain, the user experiences the sensation of touching a silk fabric or ornate vase, complete with all of its surface details—without any such thing actually existing in the environment. One of virtual reality's foremost applications is in medicine. Michigan University has developed a technology that trains assistant practitioners—in particular, the personnel of emergency wards—to learn their skills in a virtual reality lab, in which environment is created by projecting the details of an 2007-01-27T18:16:56-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Scientific-Investigations-into-the-Essence-of-Matter-32466.aspx Some people who say they are acting in the name of religion may misunderstand their religion or practice it wrongly. For this reason, it is a mistake to form any idea of that religion from the activities of these people. The best way to understand Islam is through its holy source. The holy source of Islam is the Qur'an; and the model of morality in the Qur'an is completely different from the image of it formed in the minds of some westerners. The Qur'an is based on the concepts of morality, love, compassion, mercy, modesty, self-sacrifice, tolerance and peace, and a Muslim who truly lives according to these moral precepts is highly refined, thoughtful, tolerant, trustworthy and accommodating. To those around him he gives love, respect, peace of mind and a sense of the joy of life. Islam Is A Religion Of Peace And Well-Being The word Islam has the same meaning as "peace" in Arabic. Islam is a religion that came down to offer humanity a life filled with the peace and well-being in which God's eternal mercy and compassion is manifested in the world. God invites all people to accept the moral teachings of the Qur'an as a model whereby mercy, compassion, tolerance and peace may be experienced in the world. In Surat al-Baqara verse 208, this command is given: You who believe! Enter absolutely into peace (Islam). Do not follow in the footsteps of Satan. He is an outright enemy to you. As we see in this verse, people will experience well-being and happiness by living according to the moral teaching of the Qur'an. God Condemns Mischief God has commanded humanity to avoid evil; he has forbidden immorality, rebellion, cruelty, aggressiveness, murder and bloodshed. Those who do not obey this command of God are walking in the steps of Satan, as it says in the verse above, and have adopted an attitude that God has clearly declared unlawful. Of the many verses that bear on this subject, here are only two: But as for those who break God's contract after it has been agreed and sever what God has commanded to be joined, and cause corruption in the earth, the curse will be upon them. They will have the Evil Abode. (Surat ar-Ra'd: 25) Seek the abode of the hereafter with what God has given you, without forgetting your portion of the world. And do good as God has been good to you. And 2007-01-27T18:07:43-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-True-Islamic-Morals--32465.aspx Have We not given him two eyes…and shown him the two highways (Surat al-Balad; 8,10) All human beings seek a true friend. They look for people to share their happiness with, who will support them in times of trouble, who will show them solutions when they can find none, who will love them unconditionally, be loyal to them, protect them, treat their errors gently, and who will not abandon them when they are ill, in the same way that they will not abandon them when they are healthy, or when they grow old. However, a person has two ways of finding such a friend. One of these is the way of the Compassionate One, a requirement of Qur’anic moral values and the path chosen by believers who seek solely the approval of Allah. The other is the way of friends who seek to serve only their worldly interests, a path based on advantage. In this article, in which we look at the reasons underlying these two states of affairs, we reveal clear differences between the powerful bonds in relationships between believers and relationships between non-believers based only on worldly gain. Friendship that attaches importance to moral values: In order to be a true friend, a person must love someone else solely for their proper moral values. These are a person’s fear and love of Allah, faith, sincerity and takwa. Only friendships built upon these values are permanent. The friendship of people with such elevated moral values achieves an unshakeable nature. A never-ending friendship: There can be no doubt that the true friend that everyone feels the need for and seeks is a great blessing. A true friend is someone who will be there for a person in good times and bad, who unconditionally wishes the same for his friend as he wishes for himself, who wants him to be at least as happy and as well as he wishes himself to be. He is someone who avoids such emotions as jealousy, intolerance and rivalry, who loves the other party sincerely and always wants the best for him. A friendship aimed at the Hereafter: The precondition for being a true friend is to aim for the other party’s happiness in this world and in the Hereafter. One important attribute of such a friendship is speaking honestly and openly, telling the other party of any deficiencies of faith, and affectionately showing him ways by which 2007-01-27T17:58:11-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Two-Paths,-Two-Aims,-But-What-Kind-of-Friend-32464.aspx Your Lord says, "Call on Me and I will answer you. Those who are too proud to worship Me will enter Hell abject." (Qur'an, 40:60) According to the Qur'an, prayer, meaning "calling, giving expression, requesting, seeking help," is a person's turning sincerely to Allah, and seeking help from Him, the Almighty, the Compassionate and Merciful, in the knowledge that he is a dependent being. Illness is one of those instances when a person feels this dependence most and draws closer to Allah. Furthermore, sickness is a test, devised in His Wisdom, that takes place by His Will, and is a warning to remind people of the transience and imperfection of this life, and is also a source of recompense in the Hereafter for the patient and submissive. Those without faith, on the other hand, imagine that the way to recovery is through doctors, medicines or the advanced technological capabilities of modern science. They never pause to think that it is Allah Who causes their physical system to function when they are in good health, or Who creates the healing medicines and doctors when they are ill. Many turn only to Allah when they arrive at the opinion that doctors and medicines are inadequate. People in such situations seek help only from Allah, realising that only He can free them from their difficulty. Allah has revealed this mindset in a verse: When harm touches man, he calls on Us, lying on his side or sitting down or standing up. Then when We remove the harm from him he carries on as if he had never called on Us when the harm first touched him. In that way We make what they have done appear good to the profligate. (Qur'an, 10:12) The fact is, however, that even in good health, or without tribulations or other difficulties, a person must pray and give thanks to Allah for the comforts, good health and all the other blessings He has imparted. One very important aspect of prayer is this: In addition to praying out loud, it is also important for a person to make every effort to pray through his or her deeds. Prayer by action means doing everything possible to attain a certain wish. For example, in addition to praying, a sick person may also have to visit an expert doctor, use medicines that will be of benefit, and receive hospital treatment if necessary, or some 2007-01-27T17:52:29-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/How-Prayer-Accelerates-the-Treatment-of-the-Sick-32463.aspx We are living in an era in which the world is desperately in need of peace, friendship, and solidarity. The tensions and conflicts that so defined the twentieth century continue in this new century, and innocent people all around the world continue to suffer from them. Despite the urgent need for solidarity and cooperation, certain circles are inciting conflict, particularly conflict between the world's two greatest and deep-rooted civilizations. This issue needs to be scrutinized, as the war of civilizations that they envisage would have disastrous consequences for humanity. One of the best ways of preventing such a disaster is to strengthen the dialogue and cooperation between these civilizations. This is not a hard task, as there are no fundamental differences between Islam and the Judeo-Christian western world. To the contrary, there is much common ground between them. Considering the current situation and the nature of the world's problems, these shared values will make the cooperation necessary for solving them possible. Today, ideological struggles continue to divide the world. However, Muslims are not at one pole and Jews and Christians are not at the opposing pole. In fact, one pole represents people who believe in God's existence and unity, and the other pole represents the unbelievers, who believe in such anti-religious ideologies as materialism and Darwinism. There is only one way to defeat the alliance of the various groups of unbelievers on an ideological level: eradicate the negative and destructive influences of anti-religious materialism and further the cause of a society dominated by morality, happiness, tranquility, security, and prosperity. This will be done by forming an alliance of all conscientious people, namely, sincere Christians, along with religious Jews and Muslims, who will come together and unite in this common cause. There have been conflicts and disputes between members of these three religions in the past, but those were the result of the erroneous reasoning and evil motives of certain states, nations, and individuals who pursued their own economic and political gain instead of the central beliefs of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. One of the common aims of these divinely revealed religions is to ensure the happiness, security, peace, and tranquility of all people by opposing conflict. Therefore, this dialogue and alliance will be based on the sincere believers' quest for justice, peace, and support for all people. The resulting dialogue will not be restricted to meetings and conferences, but will cement an alliance 2007-01-27T17:48:13-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Islam-s-Acceptance-of-Judaism-and-Christianity-32462.aspx "But if anyone turns away from My reminder, his life will be a dark and narrow one..." (Qur'an, 20:124) When Allah desires to guide someone, He expands his breast to Islam. When He desires to misguide someone, He makes his breast narrow and constricted as if he were climbing up into the sky. That is how Allah defiles those who have no faith. (Qur'an, 6:125) The failure of irreligious people in submitting themselves to Allah causes them to be in a constant state of ill-ease, anxiety and stress. As a consequence, they are afflicted by various psychological illnesses which reveal themselves in their physical selves. Their bodies wear down more quickly, and they age rapidly and degenerate. However, since believers are psychologically healthy, they do not fall prey to stress, or despondence, and their bodies are ever fit and healthy. The positive effects of their submitting to Allah, their trust in Him and fortitude, looking for the good in all things, and accepting what happens with the hope of His promise, are reflected in their physical selves. This, of course, applies only to those who live by the moral values of the Qur'an, and who truly comprehend the religion. Of course, they may fall ill and eventually grow old, but this natural process does not involve the psychological breakdown it does in others. Stress and depression, regarded as the diseases of our time, not only cause psychological harm, but also manifests themselves in various physical defects. The common stress and depression-related problems are some forms of mental illness, drug addiction, insomnia, skin, stomach and blood pressure disorders, colds, migraines, a number of bone diseases, kidney imbalances, respiratory difficulties, allergies, heart attacks, and brain swelling. Of course, stress and depression are not the only causes of these, but it has been scientifically proven that the origins of problems such as these are usually psychological. Stress, which afflicts so many, is a state of mental anxiety caused by such feelings as fear, insecurity, overexcitement, worry and other pressures, that damages the body's equilibrium. When people become victims of stress, their bodies react and sound the alarm, and various biochemical reactions in the body are initiated: The level of adrenaline in the bloodstream rises; energy consumption and bodily reactions reach their maximum levels; sugar, cholesterol and fatty acids are deposited into the bloodstream; blood pressure rises and the pulse accelerates. When glucose is sent to 2007-01-27T17:44:18-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Stress-and-Depression-The-Results-of-not-Abiding-by-the-Religion-32461.aspx God tells us that with the Qur’an, He brought “glory and honor” (Qur’an, 23;71) to human beings. He gives prosperity to everyone who practices the morality of Islam and follows the path that He has revealed in the Qur’an. And the only way for some women to escape all the anxieties that ignorant societies subject them to, and to gain the respect they deserve, is to be found in the Qur’an, revealed to our Prophet (saas) so that human beings could come out of darkness and enter into light. In many verses of the Qur’an, God protects women and defends their rights, removes wrong ideas about women current in ignorant societies, and grants them a respected place in society. The Qur’an tells us that in the sight of God, the measure of a human being’s worth lies not in gender; but in the fear of God, in faith, moral perfection, sincerity towards God and piety (taqwa). All these verses are proofs of our Lord’s incomparable generosity toward women. O Humanity! We created you from a male and female, and made you into peoples and tribes so that you might come to know each other. The noblest among you in Allah’s sight is the one of you who best performs his duty. Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware. (Qur’an, 49:13) Children of Adam! We have sent down clothing to you to conceal your private parts, and fine apparel, but the garment of heedfulness--that is best! That is one of Allah’s Signs, so that hopefully you will pay heed. (Qur’an, 7:26) Elsewhere in the Qur’an, God says “Whatever good you do, Allah knows it. Take provision; but the best provision is fear of Allah. So have fear of Me, people of intelligence!” (Qur’an, 2:197). He tells us that the best quality a human being can have is piety. Therefore, it must be piety, chiefly, that gives humans their basic value and superiority in God’s sight. In the Qur’an, God says: “The men and women who give charity and make a good loan to Allah will have it increased for them and they will have a generous reward.” (Qur’an, 57:18) This verse reminds both women and men that they will receive a true reward of supreme honor by living the moral life that God has directed. Women and men have different physical characteristics, of course, but this is not the reason for either gender’s superiority. In 2007-01-27T17:38:13-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Lord-s-Mercy-Toward-Women-32460.aspx BLACK HOLES The 20th century saw a great many new discoveries regarding celestial phenomena in the universe. One of these entities, which has only recently been encountered, is the Black Hole. These are formed when a star which has consumed all its fuel collapses in on itself, eventually turning into a black hole with infinite density and zero volume and an immensely powerful magnetic field. We are unable to see black holes even with the most powerful telescope, because their gravitational pull is so strong that light is unable to escape from them. However, such a collapsed star can be perceived by means of the effect it has on the surrounding area. In Surat al-Waqi'a, Allah draws attention to this matter in this way, by swearing upon the position of stars: And I swear by the stars' positions-and that is a mighty oath if you only knew. (Qur'an, 56:75-76) The term "black hole" was first employed in 1969 by the American physicist John Wheeler. Previously, we imagined that we were able to see all the stars. However, it later emerged that there were stars in space whose light we were unable to perceive. Because, the light of these collapsed stars disappears. Light cannot escape from a black hole because it is such a high concentration of mass in a small space. The enormous gravitation captures even the fastest particles, i.e. the photons. For example, the final stage of a typical star, three times the mass of the Sun, ends after its burning out and its implosion as a black hole of only 20 kilometres (12.5 miles) in diameter! Black holes are "black," i.e. veiled from direct observation. They nevertheless reveal themselves indirectly, by the tremendous suction which their gravitational force exerts on other heavenly bodies. As well as depictions of the Day of Judgement, the verse below may also be pointing to this scientific discovery about black holes: When the stars are extinguished. (Qur'an, 77:8) Moreover, stars of great mass also cause warps to be perceived in space. Black holes, however, do not just cause warps in space but also tear holes in it. That is why these collapsed stars are known as black holes. This fact may be referred to in the verse about stars, and this is another important item of information demonstrating that the Qur'an is the word of Allah: [I swear] by Heaven and the Tariq! And what will convey to 2007-01-27T15:49:01-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Some-Miracles-of-the-Qur’an-Relating-the-Universe-32447.aspx The Confessions of Peter in the Old Testament The great confession of Peter, as the representative Apostle, had laid the foundations of the Church as such. In contradistinction to the varying opinions of even those best disposed towards Christ, it openly declared that Jesus was the Very Christ of God, the fulfillment of all Old Testament prophecy, the heir of Old Testament promise, the realization of the Old Testament hope for Israel, and, in Israel, for all mankind. Without this confession, Christians might have been a Jewish sect, a religious party, or a school of thought, and Jesus a Teacher, Rabbi, Reformer, or Leader of men. But the confession which marked Jesus as the Christ, also constituted His followers the Church. It separated them, as it separated Him, from all around; it gathered them into one, even Christ; and it marked out the foundation on which the building made without hands was to rise. Never was illustrative answer so exact as this: 'On this Rock' - bold, outstanding, well-defined, immovable - 'will I build My Church.' Without doubt this confession also marked the high-point of the Apostles' faith. Never afterwards, till His Resurrection, did it reach so high. Nay, what followed seems rather a retrogression from it: beginning with their unwillingness to receive the announcement of His decease, and ending with their unreadiness to share His sufferings or to believe in His Resurrection. And if we realize the circumstances, we shall understand at least, their initial difficulties. Their highest faith had been followed by the most crushing disappointment; the confession that He was the Christ, by the announcement of His approaching Sufferings and Death at Jerusalem. The proclamation that He was the Divine Messiah had not been met by promises of the near glory of the Messianic Kingdom, but by announcements of certain, public rejection and seeming terrible defeat. Such possibilities had never seriously entered into their thoughts of the Messiah; and the declaration of the very worst, and that in the near future, made at such a moment, must have been a staggering blow to all their hopes. It was as if they had reached the topmost height, only to be cast thence into the lowest depth. On the other hand, it was necessary that at this stage in the History of the Christ, and immediately after His proclamation, the sufferings and the rejection of the Messiah should be prominently 2007-01-12T03:53:47-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Confessions-of-Peter-in-the-Old-Testament-32402.aspx Views of Life of D.H. Lawerence D.H. Lawrence used his novels Sons and Lovers and Women in Love to express his unhappy views toward his family and the world around him. Lawrence expressed himself through his other writings as well as these two novels to explain how he felt. Lawrence’s family life, his too close connection with his mother, and the trials he had while growing up may have severely influenced his writings in his conscious and the unconscious mind. D.H. Lawrence grew up in a family of four children. His Father was illiterate and his mother came from a higher class(Harrison, 1997, p.1). This same situation was portrayed in the beginning of the novel Sons and Lovers when the narrator recalls his mother’s family before she was married, “ Mrs. Morel came from a good old burgher family, famous independents who had fought with Colonel Hutchinson, and who remained stiff Congregationalists.”(Lawrence, 1913, p.8). Through the semiautobiographical Sons and Lovers we find out that Lawrence lived a very hard life in a house where there was very little love, “Their marriage life had been one carnal, bloody fight. I was born hating my father: as early as ever I can remember, I shivered with horror when he touched me.”(Boulton, 1979, p.190) Along with the difficult relationships that Lawrence had in his own household Lawrence had a difficult relationship with his hometown. Lawrence was considered a strange child because he was very intellectual like his mother. He enjoyed reading, writing and being academic rather than the idea of hard labour and work. He was a quiet child who kept to himself. (Harrison, 1997, p.1). This idea was portrayed by the narrator, “ So Paul was towed round at the heals of Annie, sharing her game. She raced around wildly at lerky with the other young wild-cats of the Bottoms. And always Paul flew beside her, living her share of the game, having as yet no part his own. He was quiet and not noticeable.”(Lawrence, 1913, p.52). His home town, Nottingham, affected Lawrence very deeply because of the way he was treated and much of his writings used Nottingham as the backdrop. In most of his novels the life and culture he grew up with in the mining town and in his own 2007-01-12T03:43:44-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Views-of-Life-of-D_H_-Lawerence-32399.aspx Women's Rights in Islam In the midst of the darkness that engulfed the world, the divine revelation echoed in the wide desert of Arabia with a fresh, noble, and universal message to humanity: "O Mankind, keep your duty to your Lord who created you from a single soul and from it created its mate (of same kind) and from them twain has spread a multitude of men and women" (Qur'an 4: 1). A scholar who pondered about this verse states: "It is believed that there is no text, old or new, that deals with the humanity of the woman from all aspects with such amazing brevity, eloquence, depth, and originality as this divine decree." Stressing this noble and natural conception, them Qur'an states: He (God) it is who did create you from a single soul and therefrom did create his mate, that he might dwell with her (in love)...(Qur'an 7:189) The Creator of heavens and earth: He has made for you pairs from among yourselves ...Qur'an 42:1 1 And Allah has given you mates of your own nature, and has given you from your mates, children and grandchildren, and has made provision of good things for you. Is it then in vanity that they believe and in the grace of God that they disbelieve? Qur'an 16:72 The rest of this paper outlines the position of Islam regarding the status of woman in society from its various aspects - spiritually, socially, economically and politically. 1. The Spiritual Aspect The Qur'an provides clear-cut evidence that woman iscompletely equated with man in the sight of God interms of her rights and responsibilities. The Qur'an states: "Every soul will be (held) in pledge for its deeds" (Qur'an 74:38). It also states: ...So their Lord accepted their prayers, (saying): I will not suffer to be lost the work of any of you whether male or female. You proceed one from another ...(Qur'an 3: 195). Whoever works righteousness, man or woman, and has faith, verily to him will We give a new life that is good and pure, and We will bestow on such their reward according to the their actions. (Qur'an 16:97, see also 4:124). Woman according to the Qur'an is not blamed for Adam's first mistake. Both were jointly wrong in their disobedience to God, both repented, and both were forgiven. (Qur'an 2:36, 7:20 - 24). In one verse in fact (20:121), Adam specifically, was blamed. In 2007-01-12T03:36:58-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Women-s-Rights-in-Islam--32396.aspx Character Sketch of Kim from "On the Right Track" Many people in today’s world may feel out of place, and feel they have little to no control over their life. This influences them to do the funny things they do to make them feel like they are “somebody”, and that they do have some control over their lives. An example of this would be in the classic “school yard bully.” Every school has at least one, and these kids probably have some problems in their family or at home that they are ashamed of and have absolutely no control over. Their low self esteem leads them to play the role of the “tough guy” by picking on others smaller or weaker then themselves, in order to mask who they really are or how they may be feeling. This control over other people makes them feel as if they now have control over their life, and makes them feel like the have a place in life, even if that place is to make others miserable. In the short story On the Right Tack by Dorothy Chisholm the character Kim has a lot in common with the school yard bully. However, this similarity is not that she picks on people like a bully, but in the way that she feels ashamed of her family life and has the need to mask her true self because of this insecurity. Kim feels as if she has no control over her life, and has to take some sort of action to feel in control. Kim tries to hide her true self, because she is ashamed of her background, and lives her life as almost a lie by trying to be accepted into higher culture. The character Kim has many strong points of view. These views are basically things that she is trying to stay away from because she feels they are lower class, uncultured, and would only hold her back from becoming accepted into a higher class. This makes Kim a very opinionated character. Kim doesn’t like uncultured people, no matter how nice they may be on the inside, “I told Kim I thought Donny was nice but she says, warehouse, talk about downward mobility.” (Page 246). This shows that Kim feels Donny will not be going anywhere in life, and she doesn’t like 2007-01-09T01:45:24-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Character-Sketch-of-Kim-from-On-the-Right-Track-32303.aspx Analysis of Naturalism In Short Story "The Jewels" The main character in the short story, The Jewels, follows the elements of naturalism very well. M. Lantin is displayed without sentimentalism and is followed from an almost scientific perspective. M. Lantin is also driven by greed. M. Lantin is followed almost as if in a scientific experiment. Maupassant describes Lantin with very little emotion. Every now and then M. Lantin will smile, and he loves his wife very much, but Maupassant follows his life with very little emotional interest. Even when a large even in M. Lantin’s life occurred, Maupassant tells the reader in a very brief, uncaring manner: “M. Lantin, then chief book keeper to the Minister of the Interior, making thirty-five hundred francs a year, proposed to her and married her.”(Maupassant, 20) Near the middle of the story, when M. Lantin’s wife dies, Guy de Maupassant writes only three paragraphs about Mme. Lantin’s death and M. Lantin’s grief. The description of Mme. Lantin’s death is very short and uncompassionate: “When she had been to the opera one evening in the winter, she returned home shivering with cold. The next day she began to cough. Eight days later she died from an inflammation of the lungs.” (Maupassant, 21) After Mme. Lantin’s death, Maupassant describes the hardships the M. Lantin goes through: “But life was now hard for him. His salary, which in his wife’s hands, was sufficient for all the household needs, was now inadequate for him alone.” (Maupassant, 21) This description is very brief and very objective, displaying no emotion towards the hardship that M. Lantin would actually be going through. Descriptions like that can be found throughout the story. Eventually, greed becomes a large factor in M. Lantin’s life. Once he discovers that his wife’s jewels are real, he quickly sells them and “inherits” almost two hundred thousand francs. However, when M. Lantin tells his employer he is no longer an employee, he states he has inherited three hundred thousand francs: “I come, sir, to give you my resignation. I have just inherited three hundred thousand francs.” (Maupassant, 25) The amount of money he inherited seemed to grow with everyone he met: “Finding himself near a distinguished-looking gentleman, he could not resist the itch to confide in him, with a certain coyness, that he had just 2007-01-06T20:59:55-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Analysis-of-Naturalism-In-Short-Story-The-Jewels-32254.aspx Philosophy of Free Will and Necessity In his essay, “Freedom and Necessity”, A.J. Ayer maps out his argument for Determinism, the idea that humans act the way they do because of the way already existing factors in their lives incline them to, and not of their own freewill. These already existing factors are known as casual laws. These casual laws are past experiences, feelings, and other factors that make people be who they are. He believes that this theory of Determinism and the idea of freewill can coexist in relation to human behavior. Meaning that even though people are compelled to act a certain way by certain casual laws, they are not constrained to their choices and are therefore responsible for them. He argues this theory by redefining the term freewill. He defines freewill as the absence of constraint. A.J. Ayer said that Freewill and determinism are compatible. He said free will is only free if ones actions could have differed and because of ones actions he/she is held morally responsible. He also stated that if the agent would have acted otherwise if the causes of his actions had been different. But being what they were it seems to follow that he was bound to act as he did. And if there is any causal determinism then there is no way for it to be free will, there for defining determinism. Ayer believes that once you acknowledge your freewill, it is no longer free. He believes it should be in your unconscious. Once you think to yourself “I am acting on freewill.” You no longer are. It is now determined that you will act this way. Also just because you think your will is free. It very well might not be. Ayer tells about a scientist he meet back in the day, who always stops an experiment before he can come to a conclusion. He stops because he thinks it is his lack of knowledge that is keeping him from reaching any conclusions, when really it is just that he is not going deep enough into the experiment. What Ayer is inadvertently saying is that the scientist is acting on free will when he stops the experiment. The experiment is always open for more research, it’s not like he went as far as he could, and 2007-01-06T18:20:27-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Philosophy-of-Free-Will-and-Necessity-32247.aspx Socrates' Controversial Approaches to Philosophy Socrates was a teacher and a very wise man. He was very controversial because of the way he approached things. He often questioned people to get his points across. In the Trial and Death of Socrates, he is charged with impiety, corrupting the youth, introducing new gods, and atheism. He is brought to trial for these accusations. Socrates explains during the trial that a friend of his went to the Oracle of Delphi(a temple of Apollo) and is told that Socrates is the wisest of all men. Socrates goes to the politicians, artisans, and writers to see if this is true. He discovers that none of them are smarter than he. From this, Socrates explains the difference between the wise and unwise is that the wiser people admit when they do not know everything. The unwise pretend that they do know, but Socrates does not see this as wisdom. He believes the only true being is God. As the trial goes on, Socrates defends the charges brought against him. He explains to Meletus, an accuser, that the introduction of new gods charge and the charge of atheism are false. These two things are impossible to have together. Socrates cannot both introduce and believe in gods if as an atheist he does not even believe in gods. Also, Socrates claims that he is not a corruptor of the youth. As he argues, he asks if everyone else improves the youth, and he is answered yes. Then, he says it is not logical that he is the only corruptor of the youth in the whole world and so this accusation is false. Finally, Socrates explains that he is not a sophist. Everyone knows he is poor so how would he be receiving payment to teach. Socrates believes the real reason he is on trial is because others hate him for showing them that they are not as wise as he is. This makes sense because people in power do not want to be made out to be fools, especially in front of other citizens. Socrates sees this whole thing as his mission to show others that they are not as wise as they think. He argues that people need to analyze themselves better to be wiser. Socrates goes on to say that he is not ashamed of his life. The jury would allow Socrates to live if he stops questioning everything 2007-01-03T16:11:30-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Socrates-Controversial-Approaches-to-Philosophy-32188.aspx St. Augustine: City Of God Saint Augustine was one of the foremost philosopher-theologians of the early Christianity and the leading figure in the church of North Africa. He had a profound influence on the subsequent development of the Western thought and culture. He also was responsible for shaping the themes and defined problems that characterized early Christian theology. Augustine was born at Thagaste in Numidia, which is part of present day Algeria. His father was a pagan, who was later converted, and his mother was a devout Christian. She pushed so endlessly for her son’s conversion who in fact was later canonized by the Roman Catholic Church. As a child he was schooled in Latin literature and later went to Carthage to study rhetoric, where he became a teacher. By the age of twenty he turned away from his Christian upbringing. He was repelled by its codes of behavior, but he never completely, but renounced it. At Carthage he became enthusiastic about philosophy after reading Cicero’s “Hortensius.” He considered becoming a Christian, but experimented with several philosophical systems before finally entering the church. For nine years, from 373 until 382, he adhered to Manichaeism, a Persian dualistic philosophy then widely current in the Western Roman Empire. With it’s fundamental principle of conflict between good and evil and it’s claim of a ration interpretation of Scripture, it seemed to supply Augustine with a reasonable amount of ethics. After he realized that the moral code of Manichaesism was unpleasantly strict, he abandoned this way of thinking and turned to skepticism. After reading “On The Two Cities”, Augustine’s thoughts on good and evil are very rational and fit together in my mind. Augustine makes a point that God created evil in order to contradict the good of the earth. There had to be a power or force that tries to draw you away from the right path. His thoughts and impressions of what God created are present in everyday life. If you really sit down and think about it, good and evil are in every movie, story, and tale from the beginning of time. In my own words this is what I believe happened when God created good. God is the supremely good creator of good natures, and he is also the creator of evil. God caused the devil to be evil. The devil was originally an angel that was teetering on the edge 2006-12-29T18:27:04-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/St_-Augustine-City-Of-God-32172.aspx Becoming a Better English Student Last year my ability to write was above the average of my English class. At the time I thought that reading and writing were the only things to English. This year I was handed a light to show me that reading and writing are only the outlines of English. When handed this light I started seeing the interior: the texture, the color, and a lot more about the high lights of English. The texture of English is the thought evolved with it. This past year I have learned how to look at things in different perspectives, and then how to change that into words. We used this “different perspective” when we wrote observational writings. In observational writings we had to write about something that we had observed, but we weren’t allowed say that we were there in any way. This type of writing enhanced our ability to keep our thoughts and ourselves completely out of our writings. When people write English they can’t only write in the observational writing type. So they use the other types, or colors of English. When colors are thought of, people usually think of something such as the rainbow. But when I think of colors, I think of them as something that gives character, and difference. At the beginning of this year I didn’t have a clue about the colors of English, but now I have used my light to see more that just black and white. This year I have come to see that a few of the colors of English are analogies, sonnets, memoirs, and problem solution papers. I have also been able to learn the difference between certain colors. Last year I not only didn’t see that memoirs and biographies are colors, but I also didn’t know the difference that I know now. The textures and the colors of English create a picture, but it’s not a perfect picture until you add some highlights. These highlights would be the depth of English. In the ninth grade I thought that any piece of English that had depth, or meaning, had to be this drawn out one hundred-page article. But after reading some of the most simple sentences, such as this one from the memoir Night by Elie Wiesel, “From the depths of the mirror, a corpse gazed back at me.” I have been able to realize that there 2006-12-29T15:44:02-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Becoming-a-Better-English-Student-32152.aspx Thoreau's Country Thousands of years ago, the Greeks and the Romans gained a powerful estate by establishing a strong and stable government. Likewise, behind every country’s economic stability today, lies its government’s polices. In the “Resistance to Government,” Henry David Thoreau portrays government’s involvement in people’s lives as he says limits the rights of individuals. His opinionated statement that says, “That government is best which governs not at all,” strongly refers to his disbelief in the government’s engagement in people’s lives. Thoreau’s ideas do not prove to be realistic in the present society and lack the potential in people to act upon them. Today, government’s reliability and systematic polices allow a steadiness in the life of the people. The reliability of the government in the United States exists in a strongly manner. Everything, from road construction to public school system obtain their foundation with the organization the government provides. Programs like health insurance, medical insurance and welfare that come from the government benefit the citizens in numerous ways. They provide financial help when people need it the most while suffering through severe times like a medical disorder. Through the military defense system, the government also assists the people with protection from domestic as well as foreign forces. It also maintains peace with other countries; therefore, avoiding wars and any other destructions. Thoreau fails to recognize the reliability of the government and says, “I have paid no poll tax for six years (Resistance to Civil Government, 222).” While taxes appear as a loss in a person’s income, it serves as a source to meet the people’s needs. Taxes enable the government to establish its programs and look after the people’s necessities. Even though everyone does not agrees with what the tax money supports, it evidently benefits him or her indirectly in other ways. The systematic policies acquired by the government also helps in bettering the lives of the people. The government’s divisions into executive, legislative and judicial branches balance out its power and control over the people. When attacking the government Thoreau declares, “The progress from an absolute to a limited monarchy, from a limited monarchy to a democracy, is a progress toward a true respect for the individual (Resistance to Civil Government, 224).” In today’s society, many people probably agree on 2006-12-29T15:42:49-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Thoreau-s-Country--32151.aspx Life Lessons from "The Grasshopper and the Bell Cricket" In his short story, “The Grasshopper and the Bell Cricket,” Yasunari Kawabata shares words of wisdom through the eyes of the narrator. Kawabata presents the narrator as someone who is on the outside looking in. However, his words are a key element to the story because they reflect valuable lessons that the children may need for future reference. The narrator wants to save the children from heartache and disappointment, however he fails to realize that all children must experience these emotions for themselves in order to become mature. As the narrator stares into the lives of the children, it seems as though he is reliving his own life. His comments give the impression that he once made wrong decisions based on immaturity and therefore the children should not follow the same path. As a result, the narrator makes comments (unknown to the children) that gives a warning on what he sees from the outside. Since the children display youth and ignorance, it should not make sense that the narrator understands the children’s actions. Because of Fujio and Kiyoko’s age, the way of handling the grasshopper and the bellcricket took a different perspective then the narrator. When Fujio announced he found a grasshopper and asked who wanted it, he purposely waited for Kiyoko to ask for it. "Oh, I thought. I felt slightly jealous of the boy, and sheepish. How silly of me not to have understood his actions until now,” (63) said the narrator. Fujio did that deliberately to get a closer look at Kiyoko. Through experience, the narrator has learned better and therefore there is no reason he would understand Fujio’s actions, unless he experienced the same. As the story continues, the audience recognizes there is a connection between the grasshopper and the bell cricket. Compared to everyday life, some things are ordinary and there are some that are special. Another one of the narrator’s warnings is introduced as the children are concerned over the grasshopper and the bell cricket. The grasshopper represents something ordinary while the bell cricket represents something that is special. Although the whole time Fujio thought he had something ordinary, he 2006-12-20T02:19:50-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Life-Lessons-from-quot-The-Grasshopper-and-the-Bell-Cricket-32113.aspx The Importance of Bilingual Education The controversial practice of bilingual education has been under fire the last few years from opposition such as “English First,” assimilation activists, and a handful of angry Latino parents. The main argument delivered by these groups is that bilingual education has failed, and the complaints are being ignored and overlooked by school officials. These bilingual, bright children are learning basic skills in their native language before adding English. But for many opponents, that transition just isn’t fast enough. It is my intent to prove that organizations such as “English First” and “U.S. English” are no more than misguided bigots who equate multiculturalism with ethnic separatism and fear that bilingual education discourages assimilation. Alleys of bilingual education say that the opposing suppositions have been proven to be faulty assumptions and hearsay. This hearsay is based on confusion which was inflicted upon the public in order to create opposition. One impediment is that this type of education handicaps children’s cognitive growth due to the confusion of multiple languages. (Crawford-pg.2) This can’t be true because it has been proven time after time that “well developed” native language cognitive skills pave the path for academic growth and can be used as a very valuable asset. (Crawford-pg.4) Another opposing figure is the handful of Latino parents who feel strongly about their children coming out of public education with equal opportunities of transferring, acceptance, and/or scholarships. (Rita Montero-PBS) This is a justifiable expectation for public schools and as Ruben Navarette, Jr states, “Defenders of bilingual education contend that parents are uninformed, misguided, and told that schools know how best to educate their children.” This claim is very serious and if it is misinterpreted or misunderstood by any parent it can influence important decision making insinuated by opposing figures in order to annihilate an expensive program. A major argument of anti bilingual activists is that many Latino parents in LA were outraged with the program in their public schools and insisted on the removal of their children from bilingual ed. classes. (“Double Talk”-Montero) This is a difficult point to counter, yet James Lyons of the National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE) states it clearly: “We have poor schools throughout this country in virtually every state of the union. Bilingual education 2006-12-20T01:46:37-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Importance-of-Bilingual-Education-32102.aspx Contradiction among the Worlds of Socrates Wisdom is an important topic examined by Socrates in Plato’s Apology. Socrates points out that wisdom is admitting one’s own ignorance. Socrates believes that his own wisdom comes from realizing that “in respect of wisdom he is really worthless”(44). Socrates shows wisdom because he is able to admit what he does not know. He does not pretend to have knowledge when he does not have it. Socrates puts different people reputed for knowledge into examination and concludes that they do not really have any wisdom. He finds that “the people with the greatest reputations were almost entirely deficient, while others who were suppose to be their inferiors were much more noteworthy for their general good sense”(43). It is actually those who claim to lesser knowledge who have greater wisdom. This means that possession of human knowledge cannot lead to wisdom. Instead, ignorance and one’s capability to accept it is the key to true wisdom. Even though Socrates shows that knowledge cannot bring true wisdom, he is on a continual search for knowledge and truth. He proposes to the jury, “think of my adventures as a cycle of labours undertaken to establish the truth”(43). Because Socrates had already stated that knowledge is not the way to wisdom, it makes his investigations seem pointless and contradicting. Once a person pursues and gains knowledge, he can no longer admit to ignorance. But Socrates had claimed that realizing one’s own ignorance is true wisdom. I found Socrates to be contradictory in his arguments because he strongly believes in examination for truth and the search for knowledge, but he claims that accepting ignorance instead of acquiring knowledge is true wisdom. In his defense against his old accusers, Socrates centralizes his argument on disproving any personal wisdom that he possesses. He asks himself, “I have no claim to wisdom, great or small; so what can he mean by asserting that I am the wisest man”(42). Socrates’ objections of his own wisdom leads to an examination of what is true wisdom. He examines different classes of people who held a reputation for wisdom. In all of them, the politician, the poet, and the craftsmen, all seem to exhibit the same flaw. In addition to each of their respective lines of work, 2006-12-19T16:16:34-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Contradiction-among-the-Worlds-of-Socrates-32078.aspx The Influence of Gandhi Gandhi was an important man in India, who influenced much of the country. He was born in Western India in 1869 and was raised Hindu. At age thirteen, Gandhi entered his arranged marriage and a few years later went to attend law school in London. In 1893, Gandhi became an attorney in South Africa, where he first practiced passive resistance against the British law enforcers who oppressed the Indian race. In 1915 after Gandhi had made Indians lives better in South Africa, he went back to India to begin his struggle for independence from the British. Gandhi also helped to gain Indian independence, when it came, on August 15, 1947. To be such an influential leader in both South Africa and India, Gandhi had to get through many tough obstacles. Some obstacles are violence, religious persecution, racism, and discrimination of the castes. Gandhi opposed these things in order to attain the freedom of both countries. “To deprive a man of his natural liberty and to deny to him the ordinary amenities of life is worse than starving the body; it is starvation of the soul, the dweller in the body,” this quote is an example of how Gandhi firmly believed in freedom and equality for people. Gandhi believed his main obstacle in life was to end discrimination towards every one. South Africa was one stage in Gandhi’s life in which he tried to end racial persecution. Being thrown off a train when he sat in the first-class section, was the first time that Gandhi experienced racial persecution there. After his realization that the Europeans in South Africa did not want Indians to be in a high status position, Gandhi tried to oppose them. He did this by burning his “pass” that was issued only to the non-Europeans. Other Indians immediately followed him even though it was against the law. This event was the first of many times that Gandhi used passive resistance to illustrate a point. He set up meetings for Indians to gather and protest non-violently. Even in his young years, Gandhi believed that all people should be treated the same and learn to love each other. “In nature there is fundamental unity running through all the diversity we see about us.” Gandhi was arrested after burning 2006-12-19T04:10:43-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Influence-of-Gandhi--32072.aspx Critical Analysis of "Haunted Sister" This story is based on a girl named Janine Palmer and her dead twin sister Lenore. Janine was in a terrible car accident; in the process her dead twin sister Lenore has inhabited Janine’s body with Janine in it. Lenore believes that her twin sister Janine is the reason she is dead so Lenore has come back to try and have the life she believes was stolen from her. Lenore is trying to have a life inside Janine’s body, being able to date guys and doing what she chooses forgetting that it is Janine’s body and Janine’s life not Lenore’s. In the meanwhile Janine hates the fact her dead twin sister is trying to share her body and life and is trying to get rid of her as soon as possible. Janine tells her little brother, William and his friend Anna Mae that Lenore is inside of her but that didn’t help she tried to tell her parents but she knew that they wouldn’t believe her. This story is based on a young girl names Janine Palmer, she was in a horrible car accident, which nearly lead her to death. While she was in her near fatal experience, her dead twin sister encounters Janine and returns with Janine to the real world, in Janine’s body. Janine’s life was spared because it wasn’t Janine’s time to leave; yet Lenore sneaks back in Janine’s body. Through this story Janine is being over-concerned by her twin sister Lenore. Lenore is trying to take over Janine’s life, slowly yet surely Lenore was gaining more power over Janine. -“I couldn’t stop Lenore.” Page 196 -“Lenore you don’t even know what your promising.” Page 134 In this story Lenore is the antagonist in this story because she’s trying to take over Janine’s life, believing that Janine is the reason Lenore dies all those years ago. And now she believes she deserves her part to have a real life; a life she’s missed out on all those years. Lenore is the daring twin she made Janine do things that Janine didn’t want to do, such as take her mothers car, steal the bracelet and go out on dates with Rafe. –“ Lenore, I screamed. Lenore, you don’t know how to drive a car.” Page 197 -“Startled, I watched it reach out, pick up the blue 2006-12-19T03:29:29-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Critical-Analysis-of-Haunted-Sister-32060.aspx Philosophy of Religion There are laws of this universe that humankind do not understand the origins of. Humans are limited by their limited (but growing) knowledge. A God would be greater than the most unlimited force imaginable, for God would be omnipotent. God, if he exists, is perfect. Philosophers try to determine the indeterminable, such as whether or not God exists and what his ideas might entail. Whether or not this is something that is determinable is a better question to ask, considering the lack of limitations of God and the fact that evidence of God would lead to drastic constraints of humankind. As philosophers ponder the many metaphysical questions of the universe, it becomes worth questioning, “what are the ramifications of all humanity having definite answers to these questions?” If God and his will were proven on earth it would undoubtedly have many global ramifications. God, if he exists, is perfect. He is an all-powerful being with perfect morals and perfect understanding. If human beings disagree with a definite God, they must be incorrect. If we knew God, a lot in this universe would be clarified. Religious wars could end, for there would be a definite answer about what religion is most correct. Some (irrational skeptics) might still disagree with this God (or its existence), thus religious wars would ensue. “The sacredness of the cause sanctifies every measure which can be made use of to promote it.”(Hume, 90) If there is a God, he either created the universe or controls it. We would know that life exists for a reason and not due to some freak accident of nature. The universe must therefore be organized. Perhaps DNA is the manner by which God works. Is there any coincidence that solar systems and atoms appear to be designed similarly? There would be a definite reason for every natural law- God’s reasons, which we might not be able to comprehend. God doesn’t act without reason. God’s existence would hopefully enlighten us. Perhaps some scholars would even strive to understand God’s designs to gain a better understanding of the way he works and thinks. Some might claim that God could be indifferent. Would God create a universe or human reason if he didn’t care about either? God obviously 2006-12-19T03:22:02-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Philosophy-of-Religion-32057.aspx Critical Analysis of "The Shadow" by Edgar Allan Poe In layman's terms, The Shadow- A Parable, by Edgar Allan Poe to the untrained eye could be seen as a sadistic, unordered, confusing pile of thoughts that should be banned from the folder of Classic American literature. But to the trained eye, the Shadow is a work of art, a beautifully told story, with details so commonplace today, but yet were so revolutionary in Poe’s time. Classic of all of Poe’s literature the Shadow has many shared Poe motifs, directly meets Poe’s classic standards for storytelling, both of which are characteristics radical for literature of Poe’s time. The story starts out with an introduction to the reader, who as the narrator states could be reading at a time long since the narrator’s death, perhaps even centuries since. Also stating that “…yet a few who will find much to ponder upon the characters here…”, this meaning a few who read will find much more than the obvious to ponder about from the depths of the story. Next the story moves on to start the telling, and the narrator explains details of the setting such that “the year had been a year of terror”, this the a year during the time of the plague. That to him, the narrator, now identified as the Greek Oinos, among others, the “alternation of the seven hundred and ninety-fourth year” the spirit of the skies, “made itself manifest not only in the physical orb of the earth, but also in the souls….of mankind.”, the narrator stating here that a higher power having to do with the coming of the rotation of seven hundred and ninety-four years, has not only affected the physical earth, but also the souls of men. The Narrator then explains over some wine, seven men, shut out from the outside world were gathered around a man named Zoilus, dead a product of the plague, and described as “the genius and the demon of this scene”. The air, atmosphere, and objects of the room are described as heavy, laden with a sense of suffocation and anxiety, among other dark depressive feelings. The seven men are in the process of getting drunk of wine “that reminded us(the men) of blood” , and the narrator, among the others, cannot give attention to the dead man Zoilus, instead looking 2006-12-19T02:33:53-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Critical-Analysis-of-The-Shadow-by-Edgar-Allan-Poe-32049.aspx Short Story Analysis of "Liberty Hall" In the short story “Liberty Hall,” Ring Lardner contrasted the superior to the inferior—Mrs. Thayer symbolizing the superior and Mr. Drake symbolizing the inferior. Throughout the story, Lardner cleverly utilized literary devices such symbolism and irony to strengthen the plot of the story. These devices did not only enhance the efficiency of Lardner’s work, but they were critical in the short story format. With limited space and time, the writer needed to fully develop a complete story from setting point to denouement and possibly resolution. Lardner used these devices to draw both humor and laughter in “Liberty Hall.” The humor allowed the reader to sympathize and accommodate with the main characters of the story. Without the presence of symbolism and irony, “Liberty Hall” would loose much of its meaning. As the story began, Mrs. Drake introduced Mr. Drake as a music writer and a conductor who was part of the “Lambs” club. The word “Lambs” was very significant in which it described and symbolized the weakness of Mr. Drake’s characteristic throughout the story. Not only was he weak, he was also acted like a child in front of Mrs. Thayer. His first encounter with Mrs. Thayer was on the limousine, which he was already following her commands. As the Drake’s arrived to the Thayer’s house, they were amazed of the perfection of the house and the room that was assigned to them. As an introduction to the visits, Mrs. Thayer offered Mr. Thayer coffee and asked if he wanted to try her rich cream. Although he rejected to have her cream in his coffee, Mrs. Thayer gave it to him anyway. Like a child, he was defeated by her argument and was not able to demand for another coffee. With a childish mind, he lied to her and said, “The cream is wonderful.” After coffee, Mr. Drake really wanted to smoke his Jaguar cigar. Once again, Mrs. Thayer stopped him and offered him to smoke her Trump cigar. Although it was the worst cigar he had ever smoked, he continued to follow her command one after another. In this scenery, the word “Trump” was very significant in which it symbolized Mrs. Thayer’s strong personality and superiority toward Mr. Drake. As the story developed, the next symbol that 2006-12-18T22:19:49-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Analysis-of-Liberty-Hall-32036.aspx Critical Analysis of "On Dumpster Driving" by Lars Eighner The essay on “On Dumpster Diving” written by Lars Eighner is about a homeless man, accompanied by his dog, explaining the strategies and guidelines of surviving from dumpsters, thereby exemplifying the wasteful nature of Americans, while explaining the etiquette involved in the process. The author began dumpster diving about a year before he became homeless. He used all of his infrequent income for rent, consequently having to derive all of life necessities from dumpsters. He then goes on to share the valuable information he has learnt as a human scavenger. He starts by outlining the guidelines of what is safe to eat. The main principles involved are, using senses and common sense to evaluate the condition of food, knowing the dumpsters in a particular area and checking them frequently, and always wonder why the food was discarded. He is convinced that a lot of perfectly good food is discarded. Canned goods turn up fairly often in dumpsters and are among the safest foods. However, some canned foods can cause fatal diseases like botulism. Dried foods such as crackers, cookies, cereal, chips and pasta are usually safe to eat, once they are free from visible contaminates. Raw fruits and vegetables are usually safe, except for the rotten ones. Confectionery like chocolate and other hard candies are also safe, since candying is a method of food preservation. Carbonated beverages tend to be good if they still fizz, and alcoholic juice mixes were always appreciated. The author also scavenged pizzas from a dumpster behind a pizza delivery shop. Prepared food was usually not safe, but he retrieved the pizzas immediately after the shop was closed. These extra pizzas were due to prank calls, incorrect orders, or customer rejection, and were perfectly good when discarded. The pizzas shop made efforts to discourage the author but they were in vain. The author was also wary of a number of items. He was cautious of leafy vegetables, grapes, cauliflower and broccoli, because they may contain liquid contaminants that are difficult to wash away. Fruit juices were known to contain nasty molds and were usually avoided. The author avoided game, poultry, pork, egg-based foods and fish, which tend to spoil quickly. On rare occasions he would find large amounts of beef that he was able to cook. He also stayed away from leftovers since they were usually spoilt. Despite 2006-12-18T17:46:57-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Critical-Analysis-of-On-Dumpster-Driving-by-Lars-Eighner-32006.aspx The Three Parts Of The Soul According To Freud And Plato The soul or psyché is the non-physical, spiritual or emotional centre of a person . The soul is the element that survives death. An example of the definition of the soul according to the infamous philosopher Plato is outlined in the ‘Republic’ whereabouts Socrates engages in a discussion between with Glaucon regarding primarily the justice of the city and the justice that exists in the soul. Secondly, another example of the explanation of the soul is outlined in Freud’s ‘The Question of Lay Analysis’. In order to understand which of these accounts is truer of human nature, one must primarily define the theories of both Socrates and Freud and furthermore explain the differences existing between the two accounts. This will in collusion draw together the truer account based upon personal opinion. Within Plato’s Republic, The soul (psyché) is summarised by Socrates to have three definite parts. Man has inside of him the impulsive or appetitive element, the element of thought or reason and between these two, exists an element that can curb impulses and cravings and take orders from thought and reason. These three parts of the soul, according to Socrates, correspond with three different kinds of interests, three kinds of virtues and three kinds of personalities, all depending upon which element of the soul is dominating at that specific time. All the parts of the soul have functions to perform under the leadership of the awakened nous. According to Socrates, the ‘parts of the soul’ are governed by certain inflicting desires. The soul consists of appetite, spirit and reason. Appetite that includes hunger, thirst and sex. Thumos or spirit which includes the ambition and strength of purpose and finally reason, being according to Socrates the highest faculty of our material and immortal soul. Socrates begins, sensibly enough, declaring that the principles which underline the just state must reflect those by which the individual person acquires the good life. Socrates equates ‘appetite’ in his just state to the ‘workers’, who cannot be trusted with many decisions, and whose virtues are industry and sobriety. The ‘spirit’, is associated with the soldiers…who must defend the state and whose virtue is courage. ‘Reason’ is associated with ‘the philosophy-kings’ who make the decisions, and whose virtue is wisdom. Evidently Socrates ideal state is a tight oligarchy in which the few philosophy-kings make sure 2006-12-08T03:26:14-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Three-Parts-Of-The-Soul-According-To-Freud-And-Plato-31955.aspx The Female Role in Quest Stories When we think of “quest” stories what do we see? Knights in shinny armor? Magic? Fantasy? Fighting? Damsels in distress? Yes, in quest stories we do have a hero, which is predominately male, handsome, brave, and smart. His part is to defeat the foe, save the damsel, and ride off at the end, right? Sometimes as readers we focus too much attention on the hero and miss other characters that contributes to his success. No, I’m not talking about the sidekick or companion, but what about the women. The women in quest stories do more than be distressful, but also contribute a lot to making a hero “the hero. Using quest stories like Yvain, Perceval, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and Shakespeare’s, Pericles we can find that woman can play important roles in quest stories.. One of the many roles a woman fills in quest stories are being helpers or provide aid to the hero. In the story, Yvain, we have a knight that rushes out to defend his cousin’s honor and make a name for himself. Yvain defeat’s another knight, but in the process of pursuing and finishing his enemy he get trapped and left to be possibly killed by an any angry mob. With help of a maiden named, Lunete, gave Yvain a magical ring that made him invisible to the bloodthirsty mob. In the context of this story we see a woman helping the hero in a life-threatening situation. It’s with the help of a woman that kept the hero in this story from loosing his head and giving him the chance to develop into the hero. A women character in quest stories has a sort of power in designating and initiating who the hero is. In Perceval we encounter the old fashion “damsel in distress story.” Perceval, eager to be a knight helps out a princess named, Blancheflor, by defeating a tyrant. You may ask, “Now how did a woman in this story contribute to the making of Perceval as the hero?” Will it is simple. Blancheflor, being the princess in distress, told Perceval of her situation of being overtaken by a tyrant. It is here that we must understand that Blancheflor wasn’t asking for Perceval to intervene or help her, she 2006-12-08T03:14:34-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Female-Role-in-Quest-Stories-31950.aspx Quatation Analysis Exercise Quote: Our name is Equality 7-2521, as it is written on the iron bracelets which all men wear on their left wrists with their names upon it. We are twenty-one years old. We are six feet tall, and this is a burden, for there are not many men who are feet tall. (18) Response: In Ayn Rand’s book ANTHEM, the Equality 7-2521 people are the major characters in the story Anthem. From the beginning of the story to the end they have been the most important people. Equality 7-2521 people were always trying to rebel against the Council people for freedom. The Counsel people are treating these groups of people like slaves. They have to always work, and everything there is forbidden for them. All the groups have specific jobs. And Equality’s jobs are street sweepers. They sweep the streets of the council people. For the Council people to know who is who they make the groups wear these iron bracelets that have their names on them. The Equality people are the street sweepers of the state. They work for the Counsel people. The Equality people are the most evil people in the state the teachers and Leaders say. In the beginning of the story they stole a candle form the Home of the Street Sweepers. If the Counsel people find this out they would be sent to the Palace of Corrective Detention. The Counsel people mostly hate the equality group. But anyways the Counsel treats all the Groups like this and gives them no freedom to do anything. There are many other groups but this one is the most important. This group is also trying to get freedom here but they are the only ones that are trying to do so. Equality’s need for freedom is very important in the story. If I were like a slave for a state I would try to fight against it also. I would also hate the idea of wearing iron bracelets with my names on it. I would do anything to run away also to get as far as I could from the State. The work I would have to do, I would make it much easier for my 2006-12-07T19:39:07-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Quatation-Analysis-Exercise-31939.aspx Having a Balance Between Work and Happiness in Life What is happiness? Does money necessarily bring happiness? Many people think that when become rich and successful, happiness will naturally follow. But let me tell me tell you that the world is full of very rich people who are as miserable as hell. We have been reading stories about movie stars committing suicides and dying from drugs. Then what is the key to happiness? I believe that long- term happiness is based on productive work, honesty, and self-esteem. Happiness is not an end; it is a process. It is a continuous process of productive work that makes a real contribution to others that makes you feel like a worthwhile person. As Dr.Wayre wrote,¡± there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way.¡± If you wait for certain things to happiness and depend totally on the external conditions of life to make you happy, you will always feel unhappy. Some may argue that if one have enough money to spend and can live a comfortable life without any real work, why should he have to work to make himself happiness? Yes he may live a comfortable life, but a comfortable life doesn’t mean happiness. I have a female friend who married a very successful businessman. Money is not at all the problem to her. People around her all think that she is lucky. Some even envy her of her wealth. But the fact is that she is far from happiness. She told me that once in a party one of her friend drew a picture of her jokingly: there suddenly stopped a very luxurious car. The door was open. Then came down a Pekinese followed by a well-dressed lady. After seeing that, instead of felt flattered and envied, she got a very strange feeling. She felt that her life was so meaningless and that she almost lost her own her. So she started her own business all by herself. Thou she is now very busy and have to work very hard but she felt most happy. Long-term happiness is a process of moving towards worthwhile goals and contributing to happiness of others. It does not mean you should give away your own wealth. It means that continuously creating values for others through productive work. It means doing what you love and loving what you do. It mean achieving 2006-12-07T19:37:36-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Having-a-Balance-Between-Work-and-Happiness-in-Life-31938.aspx How Characters Determine Incidents and Outcomes “Character determines incident. Incident illustrates character.” In other words, a person’s character will decide how he or she acts in certain situations, and a person’s actions will show aspects of their character. Using Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein as an example, Victor Frankenstein is a man whose character determines incidents and whose actions or incidents illustrate his character. Character determines incident; Mental or moral constitution, a personality will settle or decide something that occurs. Victor Frankenstein is a selfish, conceited man. He never thinks about anyone else until his reputation maybe at stake, then he becomes concerned about the future of mankind. He does not think about the consequences of his work. How it will effect his family, friends, etc. This is how the monster came into being. Thoughtlessly in terms of what could happen, and selfishly. Victor believes that “a new species would bless [him] as its creator and source; many happy and excellent natures would owe their being to [him].” Victor only considers how he would be ‘blessed’ by a new species, and essentially how his creatures would praise him as a sort of god. He never thought about how others would be affected by the creatures, just himself. Even when the creature comes into being he only thinks about himself. “I considered the being whom I had cast among man kind, and endowed with the will and power to effect purposes of horror…nearly in the light of my own vampire, my own spirit let loose from the grave, and forced to destroy all that was dear to me.” Even when he is thinking about the destruction the monster is causing he talks about himself, his creation, all that is dear to him, not ‘the monster’, or the people he is actually killing. Victor’s arrogance and lack of care for others is the cause of his creation. Victor Frankenstein’s selfish moral or mental constitution decides the making of the monster. Incident illustrates character; something that occurs makes a person’s moral or mental constitution clear. Frankenstein’s reactions to the monster’s actions show the selfish aspects of Frankenstein’s character. “I paused and reflected on the story I had to tell…I well knew that if any other had communicated such a relation to me, I should have looked 2006-12-07T15:31:32-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/How-Characters-Determine-Incidents-and-Outcomes-31925.aspx On the Importance of Reading Despite the fact that most people feel that reading is a leisure activity, it has enormously effected their lives in many diverse ways. I feel that something as simple as reading or writing will have an impact on a future job, position, or even a game show. I feel that the different texts and contents you read, will eventually turn out to be the more knowledge in different areas and fields you will come acquainted with. When I first started out reading, I read 100-paged fiction stories on dragons and medieval war. Then, as this subject became one of my top interests, I started reading non-fiction books about medieval warfare and even about different countries during that time. In comparison, my writing started out very poorly as I used run-on sentences and improper grammar and punctuation. This has advanced greatly overtime as I wrote more and more essays, papers, and short stories. Not only does reading and writing enhance over time, it also opens the door to absorb information which effects school performances. To begin with, it has helped me learn things that are not taught in school or by a teacher. Reading magazines and newspapers daily informs me with what is going on in the outside world, and in my community. Most of the contents in newspapers are about current events and issues. By reading these articles, I can now read faster and more efficiently. Also writing e-mails to my friends and relatives definitely enhances my way of writing a "friendly letter" which is not taught in school. This method teaches me the different techniques used for writing a friendly letter. For example, instead of starting my letter out with a formal introduction, I could just talk about what I have done today. Friendly letters are a type of writing which is not required to be taught, but is learnt on my free time. Lastly, reading short poems increases my knowledge of many different poetry methods and ideas. Since there are so many different poets in the world, I have learnt tons of styles just by reading a few poems. Poetry is a type of writing, which is not thoroughly taught in school, but I feel it is very important to learn. Every poem I read whether 2006-12-07T15:30:22-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/On-the-Importance-of-Reading-31924.aspx Equality Between the Sexes in Paradise Lost Upon reading Paradise Lost, Milton’s viewpoint on woman’s role in society can be viewed as barbaric. Milton also creates an idealized world in which the woman is content with duties associated with women that were created by society. Milton is a product of his time. During the time of Milton’s literary career, women were looked upon as the weaker species. Many different ideas and characteristics were used to define women. Women were meant to be seen and not heard. This view is conveyed within the lines of this work. Paradise Lost does indeed depicts a world that can be considered the woman’s traditional sphere In this context, the Garden of Eden is depicted as being the home and traditional sphere of woman. Rather than create a world that revolved around war, Milton chose to create one that satisfied his idea of the home for women while ridiculing the idea of glorifying war. Allusions about the war in heaven are used to illustrate the contempt Milton had for war-related epics. Milton illustrates various instances that coincide with the idea of the traditional sphere of woman. In this particular epic, marriage is one of the main subjects of the work, but is not the sole main subject. The main subject of the work involves describing the ways of God to man. Though marriage is not main subject, I do agree that the active role is shared, but not equally, between the two individuals. Milton’s descriptions of Eve’s actions and characteristics and conversations held between Adam and Eve indicate the non-equality of roles between the sexes. Milton’s views on a woman’s place in society are personified through Eve. Though biblically-based, many of Milton’s descriptions derive from the tenants of his time. Women had very little to do that could make them a charitable asset to society. Their main duties included maintaining the household and tending to the needs of their spouses and children. They were thought to be unknowledgeable about anything that was outside of housework. In Book IX, Milton describes Eve’s role. She is described as an “associate sole” to Adam (Paradise Lost 227). Eve’s role is furthered discussed when Adam says: “In woman, than to study household good, and good works in her Husband to promote” (Paradise Lost 233-34). These lines state that women should study household duties and promote goodness in their 2006-12-07T05:28:46-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Equality-Between-the-Sexes--31915.aspx Jubilee Jubilee is a historical novel written by Margaret Walker. Mrs. Walker’s full name was Margaret Walker Alexander and she was born in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1915. As a child, her mother and father helped start her interest literature by teaching her philosophy and poetry. Margaret Walker's novel Jubilee, 2006-12-07T05:26:53-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Jubilee--31914.aspx Theodore Dreiser was a part of the naturalist movement. His works depicted real-life subjects in a harsh and gritty manner. Many of his novels were controversial and considered amoral. Dreiser grew up in a poor, working-class family in Terre Haute, Indiana. An American Tragedy, his most commercially successful novel, tells the story of young man searching for success and fame. An American Tragedy is told from a naturalistic and deterministic point of view. Determinism deals with an individual’s fate being determined by his environment and heredity. This ideal is based on Charles Darwin’s views. It shows the dark side of the American dream. An American Tragedy was based on a criminal case, the Gillete-Brown murder case, the drowning of a pregnant woman in a New York lake by her boyfriend in 1906. It is a story of corruption in regards to achieving the American dream, money and status. The time frame the story is set in has a great deal to do with how Dreiser builds his story. The story had multiple settings but one of the main settings is New York in the 1920s. All over the country, people saw New York as the “city of dreams.” The 1920s is a time frame that was known as “the Roaring Twenties.“ During this time, many people flocked to New York in hopes of attaining their individual dreams as Clyde did in the story. Many Americans became very rich because of the booming stock market. The Americans that possessed an average income even become wealthier in worldly goods by being able to acquire cars and indoor plumbing. During this period, morals were not important. Prostitution, bootlegging, and racketeering were a sign of the times. Dreiser portrayed the characters in the story according to what occurred, no matter what the level of immorality was. New York is associated with being fast-paced and very socially and economically inclined. Clyde Griffiths, the protagonist of the story, has no judgments about how he achieves his American dream. Material things such as clothes meant a lot to him because they were a sign of wealth and prestige. He moves to New York in hopes of escaping his humble beginnings and starting a new life. With Clyde, everything is only a means to an end. He 2006-12-07T05:24:51-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/An-American-Tragedy-31913.aspx The Importance of Having Dreams There is no person alive that isn’t filled with dreams, 2006-12-05T16:21:53-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Importance-of-Having-Dreams-31905.aspx The term race is very hard and almost imposible to define, eventhough many people think they have a clear understanding of its meaning. Many people confuse human races to the different cultures that exist within races and it is not a true basis for racial distinction. There are four different races consisting of Caucacians, which refer to white Americans with light color skin, and it is also called the white race. We also have Mongoloids, which refer to an Asian race consisting of the Orientasl and also called the yellow race. Another race is Negroid, which consists of colored people from Africa and which is also called the Black race. The last of the four human races is called Australoids, which consists of people from Australia which is also called the Red race. A clear definition for race might say: “Race is a group of persons connected by common descent, blood, or heredity characterized by a more or less unique combination of physical traits.” (American College Dictionary) It is not appropriate to apply the term race to national, cultural groups, or religions, nor can it be compared with mental characteristics, such as personality, intelligence, or character. To which race a person belongs can be determined by the DNA, Skull Structure, and various traits such as skin color, hair form, and their body shape. In the United States and other countries the term race refers mainly to culturally created realities rather than biological differences. One of the major four human races is Caucasian Race or White race. It is used almost exclusevely in North America to refer to “Whites White” or any White person of European ancestry. In the United States, it is used primarely to distinguish skin color. It was once considered as a category of human racial groups based on geographic, linguistic, and genetic origin. The Caucasoid were found in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East to North India. They are characterized with fine texture light blond to dark brown hair, and it can be staright or wavy. Their skin color is characterized as pale reddish white to olive brown, and of medium to tall stature with a long or broad head form. They have light blue to dark brown eyes and their nose bridge is usually high. The word Caulcasian derives from measurements in craniology from the 19th century. It steams from the fact that 2006-11-17T04:36:41-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Human-Races--31814.aspx The Symbolism of Baptism Baptism is the introduction into the body of Christ, the Christian faith. All members of the body of Christ have at one time in their life been baptized. Baptism is a ritual, which brings an individual from a life of sin to a life of service through God, and welcomes individuals to the faith. Baptism also washes people of original in, a sinful state in which all people are born. Historically it has been administered to adults at the Easter Vigil. The adults who are going to be baptized are called the Catechumate, and they study for several months prior to baptism. Today infant baptism is becoming very popular. This has both a positive and negative side. The positive aspect is that the infant will be able to live almost its entire life with God in the body of Christ. Critics argue however that it takes away the free choice associated with baptism. In many ways baptism is very symbolic. Baptism can be both a positive and dark symbol at the same time. Baptism can be a positive symbol of life, as it brings people into a new life with Christ, very symbolic of creation. However despite its positive image baptism also has a dark image, death. Baptism is symbolic of death because the water used can represent flooding, and drowning, which is appropriate, because the baptized person leaves a life of sin. The movie The Mission is closely related to the conversion associated with baptism. The Indians very closely resemble the Catechumate or elect who take part the ritual of baptism, as they learn about, and prepare to enter the faith. Father Gabriel represents the life of loving service one enters into at baptism. Also he takes the role of a sponsor in the conversion of Rodrigo Mandosa who becomes a missionary. Mandosa is an excellent example of conversion. At the beginning of the movie he was a slave trader, who captured Indians and sold them for profit. He led a life of sin and darkness, until one day he caught his brother in bed with his lady friend and killed him. After this event he fell into the care of the Jesuits. Trying to rehabilitate Mandosa the Jesuits, led by Father Gabriel took him to the mission of San 2006-11-17T01:04:03-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Symbolism-of-Baptism-31762.aspx Information on Hindu Practices and Teachings Hinduism has many ceremonies and rituals. First off, they all believe that the priest had to read the newborn baby’s horoscope to determine the name. The looked at the stars and drew the nights sky. That helped to show the baby’s future. If the name were not informed there would be a naming ceremony the following week where the priest chooses. There are lots more ceremonies like; the threading ceremony when the baby is nine or ten. There are also festivals like; the Raksha Banbhan, which is a family, feast that takes place in august. A festival Holil celebrates the coming of springtime. There are even festivals to this day, almost once a month. On January 14th, the holiday Makara Sankranti occurs. On February 22nd, the festival Maha Shivarati takes place. On march 9th, a feast on the holiday holi happens. In April, Rama Navmi, Souram, and Yugadi take place for the arrival of spring. Lots of Hindus believe that the festivals are good to help the children learn more about their teachings. The Hindus only had women for medics because they thought their gods wanted the men to do more important things. The Hindus thought very much of their gods. The people believed the gods acted as the sky. When it was sunny they were graceful. When the sky was when the sky was being black and blanketed they were being angry. When it rained they were crying. When it snowed the gods was very cold. The Hindus also believed the universe was like an egg and they were the egg yolks. All the Hindus have similar traditions like the medicine method called Ayureda. Most of the stories come from one of the Vedas. When they, make films they usually contain 18 or more songs. Agni is a sculptor the people worship. It is a sculptor of Agni one of the many gods. The word Hindu came from a word in Sanskrit, Sindu (“river” or the Indus). The religion of Hinduism really started with the Aryans when they came and brought horses and the language Sanskrit. With the religion they brought the belief of reincarnation. Every one thought the gods needed them to worship them so the gods could 2006-11-15T22:53:54-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Information-on-Hindu-Practices-and-Teachings-31756.aspx Interpretation of the Rose in "A Rose for Emily" My interpretation of the story “A Rose for Emily”, is that of a women from the old south or reference to other people from the old south that are trying to hold their dignity of the southern gothic heritage. It seems that Miss Emily had been raised with the mindset of Confederate rule and slavery and when her father died she become insane or at least lost her sense of being. It appears that she locked a room in her house after her one love had left her and in this room lye the dead body of her father on the bed. She probably entered the room only to lye next to him and have conversations about her day. I think that the old black man that lived with her was because he could not adjust being free and he wanted to maintain loyalty to a white master, in this case Miss Emily. The smell that was in the house was due to that the black man probably had worked in the field as a slave and did not know how to clean house well. Surely a southern dignified women like Miss Emily was not going to stoop to doing slave work. It appears that the man that she loved had left her heart so heart broken that she could never love again. This explains why she only had one other male that she had ever entertained, after her love, he was a gay man that chased young men in the town. The fact that Miss Emily could not sense time was probably due to the fact that she believed time was not moving forward and she could not mentally see that physical changes around her were happening. In her lost appetite for desire she just sit around and grew fat with no youth left, just bones. I think that her father’s body was rotting away and she bought rat poison to make sure that the rats would stay away from him. Colonel Sartoris was the only person left that knew Miss Emily and her father and could relate to her situation. He provided work for her to 2006-11-15T02:44:37-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Interpretation-of-the-Rose-in-A-Rose-for-Emily-31736.aspx Descartes' Skeptical Method of Doubt Descartes’ main task in the Meditations was to devise a system that would bring him to the truth. He wanted to build a foundational philosophy; a basic structure from which all further intellectual inquiry could be built. It was essential that his foundational beliefs were sound. If any one of them were at all in doubt, then it put the credibility of the whole structure of knowledge in jeopardy. Thus, Descartes utilised a method of systematic doubt to weed out those beliefs of which he could not be entirely certain. This approach is called the Method of Doubt. There are two parts to Descartes’s overall method. The first part is the skeptical Method of Doubt. The second part is a constructive phase where he would rebuild the structure of knowledge based upon the truths that remained after the employment of his Method of Doubt. The main problem with Descartes’s method is that when he reconstructed his body of knowledge, he made use of many assumptions that he had not shown to pass the Method of Doubt. The principle behind Descartes’s approach is that there is a distinction between belief and truth. For example, having made a pot of tea five minutes ago, I may well believe that it is now full and ready to pour. But in truth, perhaps, someone else may alreald have drunk the tea and emptied the pot while I was out of the kitchen waiting for it to brew. Although I think this is unlikely, and I continue to believe the pot is full of tea, I cannot be sure of it. Thus it is possible that I may believe something, but to my surprise find that it is not true. This situation is not inconsistent. The Method of Doubt ultimately involves the task of removing all uncertain beliefs, ensuring that only beliefs that are certainly true beliefs remain in one’s philosophy. Descartes states in the first paragraph of Meditation 1 that ‘I had accepted, even from my youth, many false opinions for true, and that consequently what I afterwards based on such principles was highly doubtful; and … I was convinced of the necessity of undertaking … to rid myself of all the opinions I had adopted’. Descartes saw that the Method of Doubt could be 2006-11-11T18:35:47-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Descartes-Skeptical-Method-of-Doubt-31712.aspx The Art of Story Telling Since the earliest days of earth, the art of storytelling has been the primary form of communication for all civilizations. It is present in the hieroglyphics of ancient empires and even in the movies in which our present cultures find so dear. Although countless stories have been told, only a handful of the plots that guide these stories are completely original. It is true that various elements of many stories are original, but once you chip away these elements, many revised aspects of previous works are unveiled. The originality of these rare plots is the exact attribute that makes these plots unforgettable and often remade. One of the most known of these plots, is also the plot which is the basis of William Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew”. This particular plot consists mainly of a confident man who is determined to discipline a strong-willed woman. The characters often develop throughout the story to leave the readerwith a strong sense of finality at story’s end, but as the years pass, the finality is commonly sacrificed for entertainment. These elements have allowed it to be remade numerous times and to be the basis of many other stories. The original play consisted of love struck gentlemen attempting to persuade a traveler to marry a stubborn woman in order to cause her youngest sister to be available. The character development takes an unusual turn as the supporting characters develop more quickly than the main characters, but suddenly halt, allowing the main characters to surpass them. This effect led to an ending with mystery, but finality. The ending also uses some fable elements to construct a code of conduct for women of that time period. Another interesting aspect of this plot is its use of humor. As I evaluate famous works of this period, I rarely recall any that use an immensity of humor to reveal certain thoughts of the story’s characters. An example of this is the conflict between Petruchio and Katherine concerning the crest of Petruchio’s family. The plot was revisited with the release of “Kiss Me Kate” during the height of Broadway. This remake was not actually the play, but rather, the story of the actors performing the play. Although the story had experienced changes, the basic plot elements were still the same. By this I mean that 2006-11-04T18:57:32-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Art-of-Story-Telling-31694.aspx Analysis of "The Death of the Author" In his essay “The Death of the Author”, Roland Barthes attacks the tradition of “Classic criticism” (which he describes as being “tyrannically centred on the author” ), presenting the argument that there is no such thing as the “Author” of a text, but merely a “scriptor” whose ideas are not entirely original; the author is subject to several influences when writing, and as Barthes says we can never know the true influence because writing destructs “every point of origin” . It is not the author (whose voice vanishes at the point of writing), but language that speaks, therefore, the text requires an analysis of language and linguistics, rather than a speaking voice. Barthes emphasises that once the author is removed, it is within the reader of the text that any meaning lies, as the text is open to multiple interpretations by the reader, that the author may not have originally intended (deeming the reader as the more creative force), making the author seem an insignificant figure in literature. Barthes enhances his theory by presenting several examples to illustrate his reasons for believing that the author is “dead”, before finally delivering his main declaration. Beginning the essay by pointing out the disappearance of the narrator in modern literature, Barthes uses the example of the story Sarrasine by Balzac to illustrate the claim that the author disappears at the point of writing, for the reader is able to distinguish more than just a solitary voice in the lines of the text. The notion of the author being merely the “medium” through which writing is presented (it is not the author’s “genius” but “mastery of narration” which is admired) is first examined in the following paragraph, as well as the conflicting Classic criticism - “The explanation is always sought in the person who produced the text…” where the belief has always been that the work is the sole responsibility of the author. Barthes then goes on to refute this by presenting the example of Mallarme, who stressed the importance of linguistic analysis (“it is language that speaks, not the author”) , as well as Proust’s contribution to modern writing, showing the reversal of the roles of author and writing; author creates text becomes text creates author. The lack of meaning in a text (found in Surrealist works, which Barthes mentions) also emphasizes the 2006-11-02T15:46:54-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Analysis-of-The-Death-of-the-Author-31672.aspx Langston Hughes Mother To Son & The Negro Mother Comparison Americans in the early 20th century have been through a series of pivotal events that has affected the country greatly such as the Women Suffrage Movement, The Depression, and two World Wars. However, in my opinion the Harlem Renaissance is the most critical moment in our nation’s history especially for African-Americans. The Harlem Renaissance is during the 1920s and 30s when in the upper Manhattan district of Harlem had become the flourishing capital of African-American culture as writers, musicians, artists, photographers, philosophers, and intellectuals created works that probed the black American heritage with a psychological intensity and fierce pride. African Americans such as Countee Cullen, Angelina W. Grimke, James Weldon Johnson and much more have been remembered for their writings during the Harlem Renaissance as well as Langston Hughes, who was known as the “king of the Harlem Renaissance.” James Mercer Langston Hughes was born in Joplin, Missouri, on February 1,1902 to a lawyer and a teacher. Hughes did not live a normal childhood; his parents were divorced and he was forced to move from town to town living with relatives. As a child Hughes had taken up an interest in writing poetry. His career as a poet began, rather abruptly in the spring of 1916 when he was voted class poet even though he had never written a poem. However, he written six poems for graduation and began taken an interest in writing from then on. Hughes wrote novels, plays, short stories, essays, but he was most known for his poetry. The realities of the black experiences and the possibilities of hope and advancement were constantly present in his poetry. He displayed his message in various ways, one in particularly through a mother’s point of view, which is shown in “Mother to Son” and “The Negro Mother.” Langston Hughes’ “Mother to Son” is written entirely from a mother’s viewpoint. I found this interesting because most poets usually write in their outlook. The title implies that the poem is written or spoken from mother to son. “Mother to Son takes the form of a dramatic monologue; that is, a poem spoken in a imagined speaker in this case, a mother to her son. The son has either asked his mother a question or complained 2006-10-31T22:52:03-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Langston-Hughes-Mother-To-Son-The-Negro-Mother-Comparison-31653.aspx Critical Analysis of Milton's "Paradise Lost" It was a time of turmoil, confusion, and frustration. The people were without a leader, they had no direction, and the country was in a state of confusion. The Parliament had rebelled against King Charles I. England blamed God and did not understand why God would put the country in such a state of misery and be the cause of much suffering. The people turned to one of the greatest writers of their time, John Milton, for answers. Milton says that Satan is the true cause of our earthly pain and suffering. In his epic poem, Paradise Lost, Milton attempts to reveal the truth about the character of Satan and "justify the ways of God to men" by showing Satan’s fall from glory, his loathing for the Garden of Eden, and the effect he had on it’s human inhabitants. In Heaven, Satan swelled with pride and envy. He tried to raise a war against the monarchy of God with his host of rebel angels but all was in vain. God cast him down to dwell in a fiery inferno where "rest can never dwell, hope never comes, and torture is without end". Doomed to live with the knowledge of both a "lost happiness and lasting pain." This fallen angle was haunted by the memory of a once better like and also of an eternal physical pain. Although he was surrounded but such a constant agony, Gods grace was still readily available to him. But Satan was swallowed up buy his pride and lust for glory. How could he go groveling back now? And with his whole host of rebel angles behind him? Satan choose himself. Calling together his host of angles he tells them, "Consult how we may henceforth most offend Our Enemy." To do aught good never will be our task, But ever to do evil our sole delight. Out of our evil seek to bring forth good, Our labor must be to pervert that end, And out of good still to find means of evil. Satan knew that he would eventually lose the battle with God. Therefore, to get revenge, he vowed to take down as many as he could with him. He chose to make a hell for himself 2006-10-31T22:42:02-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Critical-Analysis-of-Milton-s-Paradise-Lost-31648.aspx Attitudes Towards Love in "A Birthday and "The Story of an Hour" Christina Rossetti’s poem "A Birthday" and Kate Chopin’s short story "The Story of an Hour" present conflicting attitudes toward love. In particular the speaker in Rossetti’s poem is anticipating and overjoyed by the arrival of her new found love, whereas the character in Chopin’s story, after the initial shock of her new found freedom , was overjoyed by the loss of her love. In the poem and short story several literary elements and techniques were used to convey these different attitudes toward love. A simile is comparison with one thing described as if it were another, using the words "like" or "as". In the poem similes are used to portray the joy of the speaker. Example of the joy of the speaker are found in the liens "My heart is like a singing bird", and "My heart is like a rainbow shell". In the story a simile is used in expressing the initial shock of the character. The words describing the characters shock are "a sob came up into her throat and shook her, as a child who has cried itself to sleep continues to sob in it’s dreams". Symbolism is the use of an object which represents itself and something beyond itself. A tree is a symbol used in both selections to convey there attitude towards love. In the poem the line "My heart is like an apple tree whose boughs are bent with thickset fruit" shows the happiness of the speaker and the fullness of her heart do to her new love. In the line "She could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all quivering with the new spring life" The symbol of the tree is used to convey a different attitude towards love. It shows the excitement of the character for her rebirth and freedom obtained by the loss of her love. A character is a fugue who takes part in the action of a literary work. In the two selections the authors use two very different characters in conveying there different attitudes on love. In the poem the character is a young woman who by finding her love dreams of being like a queen at a banquet in a lavishly decorated room. This can be seen in the line "Raise me 2006-10-31T22:23:27-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Attitudes-Towards-Love-in-A-Birthday-and-Story-of-an-Hour-31641.aspx Issues Surrounding Atheism in Global Society Can we ever decide whether or not a certain world view is righteous and true? The society we live in has become misguided and confused. One of the many issues that stands to be faltering our religious stance from getting where we want to be, is the question of whether or not atheism is a realistic world view. How can we say we are ‘for’ a certain notion when we ourselves cannot even back up what we believe in? How much information must we hold before we entirely believe something? From today’s debate we were all bombarded with a load of information, and I’ve come down to this. Though I already believed that atheism was not a realistic world view, I knew I had to give the opposing team a say. I believe nothing is entirely true or just until I’ve heard both sides to the story, because for all I know I could be wrong. Despite the fact that everything I heard today comes only from theories, these theories could change the way our world/society sees everything. When evaluating a debate we must look for clarity and proof. When a reason is stated, we members of society must know why. This was the one main reason I chose to stand with the Government party. The Government party stated countless persuasive ideas which they, surprisingly, were able to elaborate thoroughly even within the limited 3 minutes. Many ideas which they stated, I had never even come across. There is really no way to prove whether God is real or not, He is a supernatural being and cannot be tested. How can we say we are accidents, more so the earth itself was an accident? It is no accident the earth was created the way we see it, the universe we belong to is way too perfect to be distinguished as an accident. When scientists, mathematicians, astrologists, etc.. do their testing, how is it that somehow in the end they are capable of coming across a perfect solution. It is no accident the universe was formed the way it was, if one minor portion of the earth was miscalculated when it was formed, there would’ve been no way we nor the creatures 2006-10-29T22:33:30-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Issues-Surrounding-Atheism-in-Global-Society-31626.aspx Summary and Thmes of "Holdout" by Robert Scheckley The short story, “Holdout”, but Robert Scheckley, is a story about racism and how it affects everything around it. On a spaceship, captain Sven discovers that his radioman, Forbes, will not serve with a new replacement four-hours before take off. This in turn will affect how the crew run and act on the ship. Captain Sven then goes on to ask different people why his radioman might not want to work with this new replacement. Every single crewmember he asks say it is nothing personal, but it is only racial grounds and therefore, Forbes will not work with the new man. The Captain then wonders how this can be, for the whole crew is racially different. There is an Israeli, a Venusian, Chinese, some Russians, New Yorkers, Melanesians, Africans, and so many other races that the captain could not see why Forbes would not work with this one member. After talking with Vilkin, the Israeli, Sven discovers he hasn’t read or know any about Forbes race, Mountain-Georgian. Vilkin suggests that Sven read two books. Sven ends up taking the advice, but comes to no conclusion about the matter. While this is going on, Sven finds out he must blastoff at the time when scheduled, which makes him very concerned. He decides to go to Forbes himself and find out what the problem is. By talking to Forbes, he finds out that Mountain-Georgians don’t get along with each other. He then tries and reasons with Forbes, telling him a story to make him see things in a big picture. He then asks for Forbes to give the new man, Blake, a shot. Forbes agrees, but after the meeting the man, he has trouble keeping his word. The two Mountain-Georgians stood next to each other in silence when Forbes blurts out “You all white?” By doing this, he finds that Blake is one-eighth Cherokee. This in turn doesn’t make Blake a full Mountain-Georgian and Forbes becomes real friendly with the guy, like he was someone new. The crew then gets along and the ship is able to takeoff on time. In the story “Holdout”, the author, Robert Sheckley, tells of a racial world and all the problems that it holds. He uses the 2006-10-29T22:25:45-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Summary-and-Thmes-of-Holdout-by-Robert-Scheckley-31622.aspx Analysis of "The Cask of Amontillado Edgar Allen Poe authored many short stories. Each story depicts a mysterious adventure, or a scary tale of murder or torture. In each of his stories, he usually goes beyond what is real and ventures into a magical and impossible tale. A few of the short stories in which these characteristics are present include, “The Tell-Tale Heart”, “Murders on The Rue 2006-10-29T21:35:30-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Analysis-of-The-Cask-of-Amontillado-31614.aspx Analysis of the film Queen Margot in French Le film La reine Margot raconte les evenements qui entourent le massacre Saint-Bartelemy qui a commence la nuit du 23 aout 1572 et a continue pendant des semaines dans la provence. Ce massacre de protestants par les catholiques s’est declenche pendant que Paris etait plein de protestants venus pour le mariage de Marguerite de Valois et d’Henri de Navarre. Catherine de Medici, la niece d’un pape et la mere de Charles IX, etait une femme exceptionnelle, ambitieuse, et sans scrupules. Elle n’a pas hesite a tenter de tuer Henri de Navarre ou Coligny, qui conseillait une guerre contre l’Espagne et etait le favori protesant de son fils. Henri de Navarre, le roi protestant de Navarre et le futur Henri IV de la France, montrait de la generosite quand il a offert la Navarre comme terre asile a Margot et son amant, ainsi que quand il a sauve la vie de Charles IX et a refuse de partir car ce serait une trahison. De l’autre cote, il etait plus attache au pouvoir qu’a la religion. Il s’est converti au catholicisme pour sauver sa propre vie, puis au protestantisme, et encore au catholicisme pour pouvoir etre roi de France. Margot, femme d’Henri et soeur de Charles IX, etait une combinaison de fidelite et d’infidelite. Sexuellement, elle n’etait jamais fidele a Henri pendant leur mariage, cherchant premierement le Duc de Guise, son amant ambitiuex et cruel qui a joue un grand role dans le massacre, et puis un etranger sur sa nuit de noces ; mais autrement elle protegeait Henri, et ne l’a jamais trahi. Charles IX, le roi malade de la France, etait faible et le savait. Il etait content que Coligny prennait control du pays pour lui. Il etait aussi un peu fou en ordonnant la mort de l’homme qu’il appellait pere, et les morts de tous autres protestants. Cependant il a preserve la vie d’Henri de Navarre et lui a donne la liberte. En derniere analyse, ce film avec ses nombreuses morts et trahisons, demontre le cote impitoyable de la nature humaine. Le philosophe Martin dans Candide trouverait dans la cruaute de Catherine et du Duc de Guise, la folie de Charles IX, l’infidelite de Margot, et surtoutdans les atrocites saignantes du Saint-Bartelemy bien de preuves de sa philosophie « qu’il 2006-10-29T21:34:07-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Analysis-of-the-film-Queen-Margot-in-French-31613.aspx Critical Analysis of "The Telegraph Relay Station" The Telegraph Relay Station, a short story written by Norman Lavers, focuses on the plight of a stranded traveler. The traveler, referred to as the narrator in this essay, is stranded for the winter in a telegraph relay station. His only companion is the operator of the station who teaches him Morse code. When the narrator learns that the operator has been tampering with messages and has created his own little world, the narrator is shocked. He is appalled that the operator could interfere with so many people’s lives with such ease. The narrator is quick to point out the operator’s mistake. Realizing his error, the operator disappears into the blinding snow. The narrator is left alone to transmit messages. Shortly after the operator’s departure, the narrator finds himself considering whether or not a message should be changed. Soon, he is altering messages and has created his own world; he abandons his role as the created and becomes the creator. In this paper, I plan to show that the evolution of thought and actions of the narrator demonstrate that though the narrator acknowledges and respects the existence of some divine being whose role is to control the world and its destiny, when presented with the opportunity to exercise that same power, he cannot resist the temptation of wielding that absolute power over a human life. The narrator is not happy about being trapped in the relay station, but the lonely host is obviously thrilled to have company. The two make small talk to pass their time and the operator, eager to have a companion, “cannot seem to stop talking” (651). Eventually, the narrator begins to read the only material available in the station: a Bible, which the host has wrapped in a cloth package. The Bible is described by the narrator as a “true treasure” (652) that holds a “whole great nation’s compendium of wisdom and philosophy and morality” (652-3). His description and the reverence he shows toward the Bible shows that he cherishes it, believes its content, and believes in God (“such is the state of my spiritual nature”) (653). From the outset, the narrator acknowledges that there is a higher being that has the world under His control. The first passage from the 2006-10-28T20:21:50-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Critical-Analysis-of-The-Telegraph-Relay-Station-31603.aspx Critical Analysis of "The Black Cat" by Edgar Allan Poe The short story entitled, “The Black Cat”, written by Edgar Allen Poe is a dark and twisted tale of a man who commits an evil deed early in his life that he is never able to forget or forgive himself for. There are many supernatural elements in this story, such as references to apparitions, God, and inescapable acts. It is the latter that is the theme of the story and the strongest reference to unmentioned, unseen forces. This unmentioned force is a strongly believed Buddhist belief, called Karma. Belief in Karma implies that a person who commits good, just acts will be rewarded with better life conditions in their next incarnation. Unjust acts lead to worse conditions in their next life. This story deals with a modified version of that belief, and that is that horrid, unjust acts, like those committed by the narrator of the tale, cannot go unpunished forever. In his early years, the narrator seems like any other man. He falls in love, marries that special girl, and they decide to get a few pets. Some of these pets appear to be quite unusual, but they seem happy and therefore to each his own. They end up with birds, goldfish, a dog, rabbits, and a black cat. This black cat proves to be the man’s faithful companion in his youth, and he and the cat quickly become very attached to one another. However, as this man sunk into the depths of alcoholism, he quickly became intolerant with everything around him, everything including his wife, and his faithful companion, Pluto, which was the cat’s name. He constantly maltreated each of the animals, all except Pluto, whom he left alone because of their early friendship. However, Pluto could not understand that his master had changed and continued to try to stay close to the man, further and further aggravating the man, and eventually driving the man to a fit of madness that caused him to drive his pen into Pluto’s eye, effectively removing the eye from the socket. The cat obviously avoided the man from then on, but the man was so aggravated that he hung Pluto in a near by garden. The man’s house was then burnt to the ground, and because of the actions of one of his neighbor’s, Pluto’s dead body ended up saving the man’s 2006-10-28T19:19:59-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Critical-Analysis-of-The-Black-Cat-by-Edgar-Allan-Poe-31587.aspx History of Stigmata In the last seven centuries the event of Stigmata has been recorded, how the patient reacts, feels, behaves and even speaks. Most of these qualities are very unusual and have no scientific explanation. Stigmata are a factual event that happens to very religious people of the church and comes from the Divinity of Christ and His heavenly father. Many people do believe that stigmata is just another way of saying “wanting to be like Jesus” but many others think that the wounds of stigmata come from Christ Himself. The event of Stigmata has been baffling scientists for centuries. Stigmata is a factual event that comes from the Divinity of Christ and His heavenly father. It has occurred to many people in the last seven centuries. Some people think that Stigmata is a hoax and is not a real occurrence. This event has to come from a supernatural force because the people affected by this are people of the church and it is against the Bible to self-inflict pain. Everyone knows the story of the crucifixion of Christ in the Bible. He was nailed to the cross through his hands and feet, stabbed in the side, and a crown of thorns made his forehead bleed profusely. Since the thirteenth century wounds identical to the ones on the body of Christ have been made on saints. These wounds have no place of origin and have been baffling scientists and men of the church for ages. Now the only thing to know is that these priests and priestesses know the suffering of the body of Christ. In a survey, when they were asked if they thought that Stigmata was a factual occurrence 17 out of the 20 people asked, believed that the wounds came from a supernatural force. The actual recorded Stigmata event numbers at 321 in which there is every reason to believe in a Divine action. All of the stigmatics don’t remember anything other than the pain of someone harming them. During trances of the Stigmata some begin to speak and write in Aramaic, the semetic language spoken by Christ and his Apostles. Some high clergymen believe that the Stigmata come from Jesus Christ himself. “Some of the wounds are from Christ himself. He wants to show and bless the 2006-10-28T19:01:43-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/History-of-Stigmata-31580.aspx Polygamy in Islam: The Myth, the Reality. Historical Overview In order to understand the practice of polygamy in the religion of Islam, it is first necessary to examine the practice of polygamy in other world religions. Upon examining polygamy in the Old Testament one finds in the Book Exodus, verse 10,“a man can marry an infinite amount of women without any limits to how many he can marry”. Then in the Book of Samuel 5:13; 1 Chronicles 14:3, King David had six wives and numerous concubines which quotes: And David took more awives at Jerusalem: and David begat more sons and daughters. And the list goes on. The verses from the New Testament allowing polygamy, I would like to firstly prove that Jesus (peace be upon him) did honor the laws stated in the Old Testament. Jesus said:” Do you think that I come to abolish the law ( the Old Testament) or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish the law but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law (the Old Testament) until everything is accomplished” (Matthew 5:17- 18)” Father Eugene Hillman a Massachusetts-born Roman Catholic missionary in Africa speaks out against Christians rejection 2006-10-28T00:21:04-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Polygamy-in-Islam,-The-Myth,-the-Reality-revised-edition-31573.aspx Why A Skeptic Can Have Religious Faith Ockham’s Razor, the God of the Gaps, and Yearning and Learning, as used by Raymo, show us that a Skeptic can be a person of religious faith. What exactly is religious faith? Must a person be a True Believer to have religious faith? Ask ten different people these questions and you will receive ten different answers. Some answers may be similar, yet at the same time, some can be the complete opposite of the others. Having faith in something is having some belief in whatever it is. However, complete belief is not necessary to have faith in something. A person could have faith that he is going to receive an A on his calculus test, but he could also have a small amount of doubt in his mind that he could make mistakes causing a lower grade. A person of religious faith believes in God or higher spiritual beings, but the person could also have his own questions as to if that higher being truly was the cause of something, which then makes him a Skeptic. If a Skeptic is defined as a person who habitually doubts accepted beliefs, we should then consider Jesus a Skeptic. “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” With that question, Jesus is doubting the beliefs of the religion. If Jesus, the son of God, can be considered a Skeptic, any Skeptic could be a person of religious faith if so desired. Take, for example, a young woman, whom has never smoked anything, with lung cancer; a person can tell you why this young woman has cancer. Her genes have a problem which caused this disease to occur. However, no person can tell us why she was burden with the disease instead of the man down the street whom smokes four packs of cigarettes a day. This could be where a person’s religious faith answers questions. “God is the reason she got cancer instead of him.” This is called the “God of the Gaps.” Also, if you look at the case of the Shroud of Turin, you will see that a Skeptic does not believe the cloth is the winding sheet of Jesus. There is evidence to show that the cloth is only a few 2006-10-27T19:38:43-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Why-a-Skeptic-can-have-Religious-Faith-31568.aspx The Life and Writings of Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe’s life seemed to be cursed almost from the day he was born. Abandoned by his father and losing his mother to pneumonia both happened before Edgar turned three years old. His wife died only ten years after marriage. Two important people in Poe’s life died and one abandoned him. So Poe was a lonely person. Poe’s loneliness was shown in his writings of short stories and poems. Poe’s father left him when he was just a baby. The feeling of abandonment shows in one of Poe’s first writings. In The Gold-Bug, Edgar Allan Poe writes about a man who abandons his family to start a new life, “…Mr. William Legrand. He was of an ancient Huguenot family, and had once been wealthy: but a series of misfortunes had reduced him to want. To avoid the mortification consequent upon his disasters, he left New Orleans, the city of his forefathers and took up a his residence at Sullivan’s Island, near Charleston, South Carolina”(The Gold-Bug). In Tamerlane (he wrote while attending college) Poe repeatedly refers to “father” which is his way of talking to his own father even though he could not remember who his father was. “Unshelter’d - and the heavy wind Rendered me mad and deaf and blind”(Tamerlane). Poe never was homeless in his childhood but the feeling of not having a home can come from the fact that his father left him and never made an attempt to contact him (www.search). Poe did not seem to have high respect for his father. “Kind solace in a dying hour! Such, father, is not (now) my theme…I would not call thee fool, old man. But such is not a gift of thine”(Tamerlane). Edgar Allan Poe also had a feeling of resentment against his father. “From childhood’s hour I have not been As others were; I have not seen As others saw; I could not bring My passions from a common spring. From the same source I have not taken My sorrow; I could not awaken My heart to joy at the same tone; And all I loved, I loved alone.” (Alone). Poe was telling his father in this poem that he might have been a different person had his father not 2006-10-27T19:36:19-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Life-and-Writings-of-Edgar-Allan-Poe-31567.aspx A History of Christianity Somewhere in the sixth century BCE Buddhism was born, born from a single man Siddhartha Guatama, the Buddha. After gaining his enlightenment under the Bodhi tree, the Buddha didn’t think that the rest of the world could handle all that he had learned. He did not want to teach others, nor did he want to spread his wisdom. Until at last his great compassion came over him and he started to gain the respect of few by going to his old peers first. By starting with other intellectuals he secured that they at least had the capacity to learn what he had to teach. From this point on he spread his philosophy on the middle path with everyone who would listen. He preached pacifism and that it was wrong to take any life be it a man’s or any lesser being’s. He taught that the noble eightfold path was the route to end all suffering, and that the individual was the most important factor in achieving enlightenment. The Buddha taught about the five aggregates, the notion that the human being is made up of matter, sensation, consciousness, perception, and mental formations. In all of his teachings however the Buddha did not do so much as a lay a groundwork for which his followers could build a society on. The Buddha was acting out of compassion in that he had found the way to end his suffering and wanted to help others do the same. He was not however trying to build himself up as a God, and create a religion under which he was the focal point. Since this was not his goal, he did not get into politics, social formations, or anything else of the like. However, sooner or later, with the rapid growth of Buddhism in India, and the whole of Southeast Asia, these were the things that would determine the survival of its followers. That is, an entire society of Buddhists had emerged, far greater numbers and organization than even the Buddha had imagined. With this emergence of community came more and more problems with which the leaders had no frame of reference to combat. For instance, what to do when pacifism doesn’t work in protecting your community. How to maintain peacefulness when outside forces are conquering violently. 2006-10-27T19:28:42-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/A-History-of-Christianity-31563.aspx The Need for Humans to Find Faith “Life is a battle between faith and reason in which each feeds upon the other, drawing sustenance from it and destroying it.” Reinhold Niebuhr (1892–1971), a famous American theologian, wrote this quotation. It is Niebuhr who understands the concept of faith and accepts it as reality. What binds faith into reality is the decision to believe. Faith is more than a concept of belief and disbelief; it is the comfortable acceptance of truth; however, the insecure nature of belief sometimes causes faith to be forgotten and lost. Faith is not gained or acquired; it is accepted through the belief in one’s true self. Faith gives reason to one’s questions and answers, with the hope of its truth. With reason one allows one’s mind to be free from congestion of worries, with faith. It is faith which allows one to take on tasks and adventures into the unknown; it is faith which allows one to make decisions, and it is faith, which allows one to love. This faith is what confronts Antonio Marez in the novel, Bless Me, Ultima, written by Rudolfo Anaya, the godfather of Chicano literature. In the novel Bless Me, Ultima, Antonio Marez is the protagonist of this coming of age adventure. Antonio is a young boy who at the tender age of six (through age seven) is faced with many challenges and temptations in his life. All of these obstacles deal with the concepts of faith and belief in what is right and what is wrong. Antonio grows up with the religion of Catholicism from his mother and is later exposed to the concept of dualism from his friend Cico. Ever since Antonio can remember, his mother has taught him to have faith and belief in God. His mother, Maria Marez y Luna is a strong Catholic who preaches faith in God, whenever and however she wants. Antonio doesn’t choose to have faith in God out of self-will but with his mother’s word. For Antonio to have faith, it must not be fed. It must come from his heart. Then the meaning of faith will be complete and accepted with understanding and reason. The novel then takes a course of action where Antonio experiences several deaths. These deaths cause Antonio 2006-10-27T19:25:57-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Need-for-Humans-to-Find-Faith-31562.aspx Siddhartha, Inner-knowledge And Self-realization Siddhartha realized that happiness comes from spiritual peace and he spent his entire life searching for spiritual completion. His quest for inner-knowledge and self-realization developed in four stages. The first stage is that of an orthodox Brahmin’s son. In this stage he read scriptures and performed ritualistic sacrifice. The second is ascetic stage in which he practices the Samana austerity of self-denial. In the third stage he is caught in the vortex of the material desires of the world, Samsara. The final stage is that of self-realization achieved in the presence of Vasudeva, the ferryman. It is through this cycle that Siddhartha discovered the path to salvation. Siddhartha’s life is based on experiences of its author, Herman Hesse and that of Gotama Buddha. It is imperative to point out that river is an important motif in his quest and has many meanings for Siddhartha. In the first chapter, the river is a place of symbolic cleansing and ritual, yet later it will act as a metaphor for boundary crossing of two worlds, a spiritual and material one. At the end of the book, the river becomes a symbol of oneness and unity. Siddhartha is a person of tremendous complexity. His motives are not religiously enforced. His goal is not to be one with God but one with himself. Although, some people are unaware of their personal quest, this cannot conceal the fact all of us are pursuing the inner peace and happiness. However, not all of us are going to desire the path that was selected by Siddhartha. According to the philosophy he utilized in his life, we would have been unable to achieve inner peace and happiness by reading about his experiences. We would have to go out and discover our own spiritual objective. However, we can be immensely influenced by Siddhartha’s approach to his mission of self-realization. I was given a chance to meet people that have become aware of their inner peace in their lifetime. In most cases this revelation happened because they believed in God. However, I have met people that have embraced religion but have never discovered their inner peace or happiness. Life can be a long journey to true inner peace as we can see in Siddhartha’s example. He got to be an old man when he finally understood who he really is and he achieved his inner peace. Only when he 2006-10-27T19:12:36-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Siddhartha,-Inner-knowledge-And-Self-realization-31561.aspx Philisophical Examinaiton of Plato's Dialogues In Plato’s dialogues, Euthyphro, Apology and Crito, Socrates demonstrates his belief that “the most important thing is not life, but the good life”(Crito 48b). Socrates believed that a good life is equivalent to one that is just and honorable. The good life is also one where the beliefs and morals of a person are not put aside in order to save one’s own life and wealth should not be desired. The true purpose of philosophy is not to give answers to questions but to raise more questions to the answers given. By doing so, Socrates teaches or at least suggests the idea of living a good, moral, honorable, and just life to his friends and his fellow Athenians. Socrates is portrayed as a religious man who spent most of his life obedient to what he believed was a divine being. He had a profound faith in the spiritual meaning of life as well as the belief in God as the source of a person’s morals. Acting in accord with the voice that he hears, Socrates was accustomed to do what he believed was right and would not leave this way of life in order to save his own life. In Euthyphro, Socrates raises the question of “What is piety?” to see if Euthyphro is as wise as he claimed to be. After various answers, Socrates exposes the shallowness of his claim. Euthyphro believed in piety in terms of religion as a relationship between gods and men. This relationship is by the means of giving and receiving. This is what Euthyphro meant when he said that “what is dear to the gods is pious, what is not is impious” (Euthyphro 7a). Also he replies that making something dear to the gods is by attending to their wishes by making sacrifices and offering prayers. Socrates disagrees with Euthyphro’s differentiation between service to the gods and service to men. He does so because he does not believe that a person’s duty towards a divine being should be separate from his duty to his fellow man. Also the purpose of religion, instead of it being a tool in order to get something one wants, should be to bring harmony between a person’s life and God’s will. Socrates believes that religion and morality are very closely 2006-10-03T20:27:20-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Philisophical-Examinaiton-of-Plato-s-Dialogues-31492.aspx Short Story Analysis of "Araby" by James Joyce In James Joyce’s short story "Araby," the main character is a young boy who confuses obsession with love. This boy thinks he is in love with a young girl, but all of his thoughts, ideas, and actions show that he is merely obsessed. Throughout this short story, there are many examples that show the boy’s obsession for the girl. There is also evidence that shows the boy does not really understand love or all of the feelings that go along with it. When the boy first describes the girl, you can see his obsession for her. He seems to notice every detail such as "her dress swung as she moved her body and the soft rope of her hair tossed from side to side" (Joyce 548). You do not usually remember every minute detail of someone unless you are very intrigued by them. Also, note the way he describes her hair as "soft rope." This shows the intricate way the boy views her. Another way you can see the young boy’s obsession for the girl is through his actions. Every morning, he waits for the girl to appear, and then he follows her. The way in which the boy waits for the girl definitely shows that he is obsessed with her. The young boy lies "on the floor in the front parlor watching her. The blind was pulled down to within an inch of the sash so that [he] could not be seen" (Joyce 548). This sounds like spying, and spying on someone usually indicates that you have a fixation with that person. In this case, the young boy does demonstrate this fixation. For instance, while the young boy is following her, this is the way he describes his adventure: "I kept her brown figure always in my eye, and when we came near the point at which our ways diverged, I quickened my pace and passed her. This happened morning after morning. I had never spoken to her, except for a few casual words, and yet her name was like a summons to all my foolish blood" (Joyce 548). This shows that the boy always watches where she is going, and then goes out of his way to get physically closer to her. In this example, you can plainly see that the boy’s actions are being controlled by his obsession for the girl, 2006-10-03T20:17:20-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Analysis-of-Araby-by-James-Joyce-31485.aspx Critical Analysis of "The Kuglemass Episode" There are many humorous short stories. Some sitcoms are based on short stories. For example they all have plots, rising action events, and resolutions. Take “The Simpsons” in every episode the characters make the watchers laugh with their dumb jokes, use of mockery, and clumsiness. Coincidently, they have the elements of a short story. On the other hand in a book you can feel the same humor. “The Kuglemass Episode” by Woody Allen draws the reader into the story by Sidney Kuglemass’ (the main character) use of adulterous acts, sarcasm, and foolish mistakes. When Sidney Kuglemass complains of what a boring love life he has, he figures only a magician can help him. His recent marriage with Daphne starts fading away. He receives a call from a mysterious man “Persky” who is a (what luck) magician. Sidney Kuglemass goes to Persky’s home and gets “zapped” into the book Madame Bovary. Sidney develops over time a close bond with Madame Bovary and revisits the book ever so often. Finally, after one of his visits his affair explodes on page three hundred and forty four Sidney says “I can’t believe I’m doing it with Emma Bovary, me who failed freshman English,” Sidney, being only human, makes the reader realize how much he was looking for attention and how much he didn’t care if he committed adultery. As the audience gets into the story, the reader realizes, Sidney’s extensive use of sarcasm. When told to tell no one about the magic box that transports Sidney into Yonville (Emma Bovary’s hometown) he states on page 343 “Yeah I’m going to call Rupert Murduk” The reader knows Rupert Murduk is a wealthy publisher of a newspaper in New York city. This sardonically means he would make sure all of New York knew the secret. People can get themselves into somewhat of a muddle. Sidney Kuglemass is perfect at doing so. On page 346 He and Emma decide the right time for her transport into the big city (a.k.a. New York City),by use of Persky’s magical box. The reader at this point in time does not realize the fault. Everything goes fine at first. Emma explores the city while Sidney hides the secret well from Daphne. The time comes for Emma to go back to Yonville, but a bad turn of events on page 347 the magic box brakes and Emma 2006-10-03T20:10:24-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Critical-Analysis-of-The-Kuglemass-Episode-31480.aspx What "Home" Stands For The word home can be defined in a variety of ways. Many writers use different techniques to control their style of diction. This allows the Arthur to choose how the reader will define a particular word in a story. In “Eveline” by James Joyce and the “Soldiers Home” by Ernest Hemingway both Arthur’s use the word home to depict different meanings. The word home can be compared and contrasted by Krebs in the “Soldiers Home” and Eveline in “Eveline” because they both have similar but different interpretations of home. Home, in comparison, for Krebs and Eveline is shown greatly through their mothers and fathers attitudes, but on the other hand they both have different situations which force them to make a decision to stay or leave home. Krebs’s and Eveline’s mothers and fathers attitudes are similar in many ways, which provides information leading anyone into their state of home. Eveline’s father “[began] to threaten her and say what he [will]” not do for her because she was unmotivated to move on in life (Eveline 428). Krebs and Eveline motivation towards moving to a new home was forced by both of their father’s threats. Krebs’s father also showed force because he “always wanted the car to be at his command” (Hemingway 140). The functions of both fathers had a huge impact on the way Krebs and Eveline lived in their home. On the other hand the mother’s of Krebs and Eveline where somewhat different in the way they treated the children at home. Eveline “[promises] to her mother” that she will “keep the home together as long as she could” (Eveline 429). The mother’s of Eveline and Krebs try to keep their children at home by making them feel wanted. This is explained better when Krebs and his mother “[kneel] down beside the dinning-room table and Krebs’s mother [prays]” for him to make it safely home. The mother’s of Krebs and Eveline are similar in the way they both treat their children. By this the comparison of home is greatly shown in the attitudes of both the mothers and Fathers of Krebs and Eveline. Home, as seen with the “Soldiers Home” and “Eveline”, can portray many things to someone, but how an Arthur chooses to use a word can force a totally different outcome. Krebs parents do not “[allow] him to drive 2006-09-20T03:41:36-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/What-quot-Home-quot-Stands-For-31454.aspx Student Weaknesses in Writing Some strengths of mine in writing are not as common as compared with my weaknesses. Spelling is my favorite technique in writing. I know that it may be difficult for others, but it is not for me. Spelling can trick many people, because so many words are pronounced differently, than they are when spelled out. As a student, I feel that I have many writing weaknesses. I know that on my own, and because teachers have told me so. Some of the complications I face with writing is not using enough 2006-09-20T03:35:39-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Student-Weaknesses-in-Writing-31451.aspx Polygamy in Islam: The Myth, the reality. By: Sabah Kunle-Muhammad One should regard monogamy as the norm and polygamy as the exception to the rule. We have quite often seen the abuse of polygamy through various time, but under certain circumstances, we can prove its viability. Firstly, I must emphasize that Islam does not impose polygamy on any culture. By no means is someone expected to practice polygamy even as a Muslim. It must however be known that polygamy is an ancient practice of many societies. When one looks at the history of Islam; the prophet of Islam, Muhammad (S.A.W) was monogamous for the most of his married life. He married his wife Khadijah at the age of twenty-five and she was his only wife until she died. He was fifty years of age by that time. The prophet, however later took women as wives, whereby he demonstrated to his followers and to mankind as a whole, the true practice of polygamy. Polygamy is a sacred law absolutely requiring men to treat their wives equitably. Equitable treatment includes but is not limited to: a) financial support and maintenance 2006-09-12T03:22:17-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Polygamy--31440.aspx Analysis of the Use of Dreams in Writing Examples In this essay, I will discuss the similarities and differences between two texts. The first text is a poem by George Gordon, know as Lord Byron, called “The Dream” and the second text is an extract from Martin Luther King’s speech entitled “I have a dream.” The main difference of these two texts is the different purpose. In the poem, the intention is to be read individually and several times to understand the meaning. The prose, which is a speech, has for aim to be listened and for this reason, powerful speech techniques are use so that the ideas, which are repeated over and over, get threw to the listeners. The poem by George Gordon is writing in one stanza with a regular metrical arrangement of 10 syllables per verse. It discusses in the first four verses, the two different worlds of dream; one of being away, and the other of being asleep, as a comparison of life and death. In the verses five to ten, the poet describes how dreams, without existence outside our mind, take a place our everyday reality reflecting the emotions of the dream. In verses eleven to fifteen, Lord Byron makes reference to the past, which transforms us, to make us what we are in the future. In the final section of the poem, he describes dreams as a creation by the mind of a superior world, a better one. The prose by Martin Luther King relates is a speech in the 1st person singular but address to 2nd person plural. In general, the writer talks about the reality of today and his promise of a better tomorrow. In the first two paragraphs, his dreams to the American dream, which says, “All man are created equal.” In all the following paragraphs, he compares to the unbearable and unjust present with a future in peace and equality of race. In the last paragraph of the poem, he again pressures the unfair present and dreams of a better tomorrow, where all people, ignoring color of the skin, races and culture, shall be able to do anything together. The themes of the prose and the poem are very similar with a remarkable difference. The theme emitted in the poem by Lord Byron is the contrast of dreams made with 2006-08-31T17:28:46-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Analysis-of-the-Use-of-Dreams-in-Writing-Examples-31395.aspx Responsibilities and Freedoms In Hinduism Hinduism is more of a way of life than a Religion. It abounds with every possible name and form for Truth or the Divine. This is because Hinduism requires that we see the same reality in all the diversity of creation - that we see the same Self in all beings. It is not because Hinduism is trapped in the diversity of name and form but because its sense of unity is inclusive. Hinduism is not attached even to its own names and forms, however diverse. It can accommodate the names and forms of all religions into its view. This universal view pervades the form of the teachings of Hinduism, which consists of many different approaches to the same One Reality. It allows the teaching of Hinduism to encompass all time and all religion, and affords it a characteristic tolerance and syncretic view of life. In this paper, I will be contrasting the freedoms with the responsibilities of Hinduism. Hinduism believes that freedom or liberation is the true goal in life. True freedom is freedom from all external conditioning influences, whether of body or mind. This is the freedom of Self-realization, complete independence of time, space and causation. We all seek freedom. One does not enjoy boundaries or limitations. However, often, we seek freedom in the outer world, through more possessions, power and pleasure, which, according to Hinduism are forms of limitation. It says we must redirect seeking of freedom within ourselves, where alone it can be truly realized. Freedom is not the ability to have more things or gain more experiences but the inner completeness, which no longer requires external support for happiness. Hindus have complete freedom in their spiritual life. They have any number of holy books to choose from and are not required to literally believe in any one of them. They have their sacred sites everywhere that they live. Hinduism does not require that we all have the same view of Divinity but encourages unique and diverse views for the complete unfolding of creative intelligence. It says that there is something unique about each person that is their special connection with the Divine, and that there should be no standardized religion for all people. According to scriptures, a Hindu’s mode of living is governed by what is called the ‘Caste System’. “The word Caste comes from Portuguese 2006-08-29T15:42:42-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Responsibilities-and-Freedoms-In-Hinduism-31377.aspx Existensial Elements in Shakespeare's Works One may find it ridiculous to contrast between Shakespeare and existentialism in its 20th century form, however one must keep in mind, that existentialism does not appear as a single philosophical system. It is more an attitude of life, a general vision - existentialist Jean-Paul Sartre is known to have stated that existentialism was never invented, it has always existed as the ultimate foundation. Upon that light, why not seek the foundations from the work of the forefather of all dramatists? It is above all naïve to claim Prospero’s Epilogue in Shakespeare’s play The Tempest a mere conventional appeal for applause or the stripping of the imaginary glamour built up by the plays magic. Even the greatest of artists would rather give away his life than surrender his art to be judged solely by the public. Art for an artistic genius is practiced for its own sake; art for the purpose of art. Existence for the sake of existence itself - stripped of meaning, of value and of subjective interpretation. In its bear meaningless form, something still remains: the necessary Natural Law, a philosophical concept considered the basis of human well-being, a system of the values that determine human existence. Throughout The Tempest Prospero’s character portrays an image of a nearly Nietzchean superhuman capable of disclaiming authority, killing God. He is in control of every situation and event as if the chain of causes and effects would be a conductible melody waiting for an artist’s touch. On the other hand he is very human: a wronged duke and a father, a symbiosis which Shakespeare displayed with the use of Prospero’s garment as a theatrical tool. An artist is the creator, the maker of realities yet he remains human, an animal with feelings and urges, ties only waiting to be cut. The view implied is not far from the ideologies that emerged from the great suffering of the second world war: a man is capable of constructing himself a framework of personal and social meaning, but his true animal nature remains unchanged. In the heart of existence, life has no predefined meaning, it is a mere passage of survival from necessary birth to necessary death. Prospero's and his daughter's situation on the island was hopeless, however Prospero had chosen a function for his life - revenge. Prospero created a meaning for his life, built a synthetic reality to keep 2006-08-28T00:07:50-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Existensial-Elements-in-Shakespeare-s-Works-31359.aspx Philosophies on Beauty Wolf's basic thesis states that there is a relationship between female liberation and female beauty: "The more legal and material hindrances women have broken through, the more strictly and heavily and cruelly images of female beauty have come to weigh upon us...During the past decade, women breached the power structure; meanwhile, eating disorders rose exponentially and cosmetic surgery became the fastest-growing specialty...pornography became the main media category, ahead of legitimate films and records combined, and thirty-three thousand American women told researchers that they would rather lose ten to fifteen pounds than achieve any other goal...More women have more money and power and scope and legal recognition than we have ever had before; but in terms of how we feel about ourselves physically, we may actually be worse off than our unliberated grandmothers." Wolf's research shows that there is a cultural backlash against feminism that uses images of female beauty to keep women "in their place." How many folks have succumbed to the idea of the ugly feminist activist who is only a feminist because she's too undesirable to get a man? That popular concept first showed up on the scene to describe suffragettes lobbying for the vote. Wolf shows that, throughout the years, there have been forces in culture that attempt to punish women who seek more control over their lives and their environment. The Beauty Myth is the last (and most dangerous) of a long line of lies concerning the "rules" of feminine attributes and behavior. It is the most dangerous because it has succeeded in effecting women's internal sense of themselves. It has created a standard of femininity that is impossible to attain, and women are reacting with increasingly obsessive behavior in their attempts to measure up. Energy that might be used to further positive goals is turned inward instead--dissipated in guilt, shame and unhappiness at one's physical faults. Wolf traces the historical path of these lies: "A century ago, normal female activity, especially the kind that would lead women into power, was classified as ugly and sick. If a woman read too much, her uterus would 'atrophy.' If she kept on reading, her reproductive system would collapse and, according to the medical commentary of the day, 'we should have before us a repulsive and useless hybrid'...Participation in modernity, education and employment was portrayed as making Victorian women ill...Victorians protested women's higher education by fervidly imagining the 2006-08-27T23:05:41-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Philosophies-on-Beauty-31338.aspx The Legend of the Pheonix The Phoenix is a legendary bird who is thought to be God’s servant. Ancient myths say that the Phoenix lives for 500 years and then burns itself to death, only to rise from its ashes as a young Phoenix and live for another 500 years. It is a symbol of immortality and spiritual rebirth. In Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path,” the main character’s name is Phoenix Jackson. It is not a coincidence that Eudora Welty chooses Phoenix to be the protagonist’s name, for Phoenix Jackson portrays the legendary Phoenix in many ways. Welty’s physical description of Phoenix is as a little old Negro woman who uses an umbrella as a cane, wears a red rag on her head, and walks around with her shoelaces untied. This first impression makes Phoenix appear to be quite frail and futile. Paradoxically, Phoenix happens to be a remarkable human being capable of doing many extraordinary things. As she begins her journey, she talks to herself and warns, “Out of my way, all you foxes, owls, beetles, jack rabbits, coons and wild animals!...Keep out from under these feet, little bobwhites,” because as she says, “I got a long way.” Phoenix demonstrates a great deal of self-determination. She might be old and appear to be worn out, but the burning desire to make her little grandson smile gives her the will to keep on going. Her path is much like life; it has its ups and downs. She encounters many obstacles along the way but somehow manages to get through them. Trusting her instincts gives her spirit to get through difficult moments. For example, when she gets to the creek and has to get across the log in order to reach the other side, she walks across, swinging her umbrella, “like a festival figure.” “I wasn’t old as I thought,” she says. She does not trust her eyesight in this case, for she closes her eyes as soon as she sets foot on the log. She is confident that her feet will get her across, although her shoelaces are untied. Another case where Phoenix takes a leap of faith is when she runs into the ghostly silhouette in the cotton field. Not knowing what it might be, she shuts her eyes once again and extends her 2006-08-27T22:50:54-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Legend-of-the-Pheonix-31332.aspx Indian Religion and its Influence on Daily Life Does your religion affect your daily life? In The Ramayana, gods and religion play an important role in the Indian life. Having an encounter with a reincarnated being, talking to one of the multiple gods, or assuming another form to make life easier are only three ways the Indian religion affected Rama’s daily life. Respect by definition means, “to feel or show high regard for”. As a result of their belief in reincarnation, Indians have a greater respect for life, animals, and each other. They know they will only be in their current form for one lifetime, so they cherish all life greatly. Most ordinary men would not explain right from wrong and good morals to a monkey, but Rama did. Since the Indian culture has respect for all beings, Rama knows a monkey possesses enough intelligence to understand this, and that is why he explains morals to Vali as if he were a human. While Rama explains this to Vali he says, “I am not misled by either your explanation or appearance of being a monkey…” Since this culture appreciates every tiny aspect of life, it has a god to go along with every phase of life. The Indian culture believes in multiple gods who each have different roles, such as the god of death, fire, wind, etc. Each god is addressed separately and has an important position. At one point in the story, Sita said, “O Agni, great god of fire, be my witness.” After that, Sita threw herself into the fire, and instead of dieing, the god of fire protected her and left her unharmed since she was pure. Because of her close relationship with her god, she was able to vindicate herself. Assuming other forms is a privilege of the gods, or a power hey can confer on others. This tremendous power is used to their advantage, but it is also deceiving to others. When Ravana wanted to capture Sita, his uncle assumed the form of a deer and lured Sita. Another time, Mahabali wanted to take over the world, so asked for land the size of three of his footsteps, then transformed into a giant! The most significant time this was used was when Hanuman made himself into a 2006-08-27T16:36:49-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Indian-Religion-and-its-Influence-on-Daily-Life-31319.aspx Philosophies on the Existence of God Aquinas, Anselm, Paley and Kant all famous philosophers, have proven that god exists; yet people still question God’s existence. As Anselm said, “We are like students who, unable to solve a mathematical problem, are given the answer to it and then discover they can reason out why that answer is correct.” For thousands of years, philosophers have given evidence proving the existence of God. The evidence at hand should prevail but some philosophers beg to differ. In this paper I will try to go over and give the best arguments to both sides, but in the end, like I, all non-believers will believe. I will start off by discussing the evidence and opinions of Saint Anselm. St. Anselm was one of the greatest thinkers of the Middle Ages and became known for being an “ontological arguer.” An ontological argument is an argument, for the conclusion that God exists, from premises, which are supposed to derive from some source “other than the observation of the world.” Anselm proposed the first and most popular of these arguments in the 11th century AD. These famous arguments are recorded in his Proslogion. He expresses his opinions on the existence of God, and says no greater being can be conceived than God himself. He argues that nothing can be greater than a being “than which no greater can be conceived.” While his theories are not the easiest to believe, philosophers are still fascinated with his work and give him the most amount of respect. What amazes philosophers the most about Anselm is his ability to combine the roles of saint, ecclesiastical leader, and major philosopher. Anselm’s famous Proslogion mentions that the idea of the perfect being cannot be separated “from its existence.” To put it in simple fashion, the first version of his argument says the following three main points: 1)“The term God describes the greatest conceivable being.” 2)“ Existence in reality is greater than mere existence in the understanding.” 3)“Therefore, God must exist in reality, not just in the understanding.” Heres an example of the ideas Anselm provides which may make it easier to understand. Major Premise: The extra mental EXISTENCE of X is a greater perfection than the IDEA of X. Minor Premise: God is a ‘something than which nothing greater can be thought”. Conclusion: God must exist. There is a weakness to this argument. Like I mentioned 2006-08-27T14:53:25-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Philosophies-on-the-Existence-of-God-31293.aspx Freedom and Slavery in the Book of Exodus The book of Exodus is mainly about a liberator named Moses. Moses became one of the first liberators in the history of man. He was able to eventually free the slaves that were being used as slaves to build monumental building in the land of Egypt. I think that it is part of the human condition for people to want to be free. They want to have free will, as well as basic freedom and rights. This has always been the case throughout history. There has been slavery throughout history, and there have been people who thought that there should not be slavery. In the case of Moses it was his people, the Israelites who were being enslaved. It is part of the human condition to naturally assume that you are a free individual to be able to make your own choices, and that you have the right to live and do what you please. Moses grew up in the Egyptian court with pharaoh, but his own mother was paid to nurse him, so he knew of the condition of the Israelites pain and suffering. When Moses had grown up, he saw an Egyptian beating an Israelite one day, and he killed the Egyptian. The pharaoh found out about this, and tried to kill Moses, but Moses then fled to the land of Midian. When he reached the new land, he settled down and married, and even had a son. One day while Moses was tending one of the flocks of his father-in-law, God came to Moses in the form of a burning bush, and told him that he had observed the suffering of the Israelites. He said that Moses was to go to the pharaoh in Egypt, and to set them free. God did not want to see the Israelites enslaved in Egypt, and chose Moses to free them. He knew that they were not happy, and he heard them crying out for someone to help them in their time of need. Although Moses was reluctant to do this, he conceded, and chose to trust in God. Like Moses with the Israelites, there are several examples of people in history who wanted to have their own freedom, and their own identity. Some in American included Washington 2006-08-25T17:07:50-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Freedom-and-Slavery-in-the-Book-of-Exodus-31266.aspx The Book Of Enoch : Authentic Or Heresy In studying Christianity many questions have been posed as to what text was truly intended to be included in the Bible. What was chosen to be included in the Bible by the Nicene Council is said to be divinely inspired. The Nicene Council was a group of people overseen by Constantine that elected what text was to be chosen to be in the Bible. Throughout times however there has been conflict over what has and has not been included in the Bible. Protestant and Catholic Bibles are not identical and yet they are all Christians. The Dead Sea Scrolls have brought up much discussion and controversy related to the Bible as well as other books that are called the “Apocrypha” and the “Lost Books” of the Bible. One of the lost books is the book of Enoch or Henoch. In the resurfacing of this text many biblical scholars are left with a challenge to the question of the text of the Bible and whether or not these “Lost Books” are acceptable or merely heresy. Enoch was from the lineage of Adam and Eve and is the seventh descendant or generation. He is also the father of Methusela. He was said to have “walked with God and he was not, for God had took him.”(Genesis 5:24) In his walking with God special revelations were made apparent to him. Encoh’s walking with God was considered a time when he was given revelations of prophecies to come on God’s people. His mysterious departure from earth, it is understood Enoch was assumed into heaven, is what lead to much of the apocolyptic literature that was written and attributed in his name. The Book of Enoch however, has many authors. The Book of Enoch (or 1 Enoch or Ethiopic Enoch) consists of seven sections. The first section introduces the theme of the book, which is God’s coming judgment of the world. The second section deals with matters of fallen angels and their punishment from God and also tells of Enoch’s journeys to places of final punishment and reward. The third section prophesies the coming of a Messiah who will pronounce judgment on all human and angels. This section also describes the heavenly kingdom of God. The fourth section includes revelations about the end times and all that will occur with heavenly bodies 2006-08-13T10:00:11-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Book-Of-Enoch-Authentic-Or-Heresy-31251.aspx Philosophies of Hume Hume accepts that the problems of philosophy are those Descartes isolates; he rejects all of Descartes solutions. Hume asks the questions how does the mind work? What are the principals that the mind follows when it thinks? These questions are answered in Hume’s “ Enquiry concerning Human understanding” section II. -Of the Origin of Ideas. There is a great difference between the perceptions of the mind. When a man feels the pain of a wound or the pleasure of comfort, when he remembers this sensation or anticipates it by his imagination, these memories may be copied by the perceptions of the senses. The memories will never fully reach the same feeling as the original. Sometimes there is an object, which is so lively, one should say they almost feel or see it. But the mind disordered by disease or madness, which would make all these perceptions undistinguishable. The most well written poetry that illustrates our minds with beautiful images, can never illustrate natural objects to be taken as real. “The most lively thought is still inferior to the dullest sensation.” (10) Our minds memories and thoughts are mirrors of situations from our past. These images are faint and dull in comparison of those in which our original perceptions are derived. Therefore we can divide all the perceptions of the mind into two classes or species. The classes are distinguishable by their different variations of force and vivacity. “The less forcible and lively are commonly denominated thoughts or ideas.”(10) Other species want recognition, they do not want to be ranked under general terms or label, and rather they would like individuality. Hume uses a little “freedom” to give distinction by calling them impressions, meaning that the world impression is different from usual. By term impression Hume means that all our more lively perception such as when we hear, see, free, love, hate, desire and will. Impressions are distinguishable from ideas because impressions are less lively perceptions of which we are conscious of there presence. When we reflect on any sensations or movements that we have felt the feeling is not as “real” as the original. Nothing at first glance may seem more unrealistic then the idea of a man, whom managed to escape all human power and authority. Yet is not restrained within the 2006-08-12T16:49:17-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Philosophies-of-Hume--31244.aspx Embracing Free Thought If the law is of such a nature that it requires you to be an agent of injustice to another, then I say, break the law."(HDT) In the past and present, non-conformists have tried to change the benchmarks of society, but were suppressed and chastised for their tenets, even though they were correct in their speeches. Such activists of the change movement were Copernicus, Galileo, and the ambiguous duo of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. The late fifteenth and early to mid-sixteenth centuries were the times of Nicolaus Copernicus's revolutionary ideas in Poland that contradicted the latest ideas of astronomy. In the sixteenth and seventeenth century, Galileo Galilei furthered the Copernican Theory, and openly disagreed with Aristotle's claims. Eventually leading to his arrest and death. Finally, in the eighteenth century, Emerson's teaching of Transcendentalism to Thoreau lands Thoreau in jail for not paying his taxes. This was an open defiance, a smack in the face to the all-mighty United States government. The changes these people tried to bestow on society were extremely cost worthy, but were worth it. They were actual law and fact. After years and years of more suffrage and proof from other dedicated scientists and non-conformists, though, these inevitable changes were finally ingratiated into the common world, but at great expense to the creators and supporters of them. Society, and change, just moves too slow for the over-achieving non-conformist. In 1473, Nicolaus Copernicus was born in Poland. His entire life he studied astronomy and mathematics in many different institutes and universities. Starting in 1500, he began speaking on these topics all over Europe, this one being in Rome. He openly put down the closely held beliefs of Ptolemy from one thousand years ago. He believed that the Earth was not the center of the universe, but the sun was, and that the earth rotated once per day on an axis plane and one revolution per year around the sun. He called this his heliocentric, or sun-centered system. He knew that Ptolemy couldn't possibly be correct in his ideas because on March 9, 1497, he and his mathematics professor both witnessed an eclipse of the star Aldebaran by the moon. As he went throughout Europe he preached his own ideas of the heliocentric universe and returned to Poland in 1503, when he started work on his first of many major works. These works supported and endorsed 2006-08-12T15:22:53-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Embracing-Free-Thought-31237.aspx A Study of Biomedical Ethics Understanding that everyone is different, will greatly improve our willingness as a society and as a people to accept change. What any given care provider deems correct may not be a shared views by all, or even a select few. Generalizations tend not to work for most of life, however in Bioethics, we base everything on generalizations, and from time to time, specific cases. Controversies arise when what a patient wants differs from what the care provider deems necessary and at times crucial. Most care providers rely on the marvel, which is modern day medicine to cure illness and to save lives. Some cultures and religions have a difficulty in accepting this fact. There are cultures in which a child being circumcised is an everyday occurrence, however not in America, not here. Controversies arise when what a particular person or family deems their specific norms; override those of the vast majority of us. Why? Because not everyone here in America was brought up the same way, with a station wagon, or a Barbie doll. America is a land of freedom and prosperity for most, and it is the melting pot of the world. Every race and ethnicity is welcomed here, and whether the people of Haiti share the same views on medicine as, lets say a doctor from Alabama, has nothing to do with one another. When people are ill, they need to be taken care of regardless of the means, as long as they survive. CHOSING ALTERNATIVE HEATHCARE TRATMENT, In Mrs. P’s case where she takes herbal remedies to combat high blood pressure and diabetes, cannot be told which is the correct choice of action for her. She should however be informed of consequences, and the dangers of not treating an ailment effectively and what the results and side effects may be. In WHAT IS QUACKERY? This relates to the practice of those health professionals, who look to benefit from a service they are not qualified to give or not educated enough to make a basis upon. Such is the case of Dr. U, and when he tells his patients the benefits of herbal remedies, and also has products people can purchase though him. DIVERSITY AND LIMITS: FEMALE CIRCUMCISION deals with the difficult situations that physicians at time 2006-08-12T10:44:49-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/A-Study-of-Biomedical-Ethics-31222.aspx Essay On Influence Of Myth And History In Fiction It is often said that a great work of art is like a dream, full of colours, greatness and splendour . The playful authors of Kiss of the Spider woman and Double Hook don’t escape that definition, providing theirs readers with a writing that perpetually dance on the boundaries of fantasy, oscillating between realism, fairy- tale and dream. The resort to history and particularly to myth is a prerequisite for the entrance in this imaginary realm. In the two fictions, the mythical element w more used than the historical referent , introduces a balance between clarity and ambiguity in the sense that it breaks up with the coherent causality of the traditional plot. Why both Puig and Watson have decided to ornament their fictions with fragments of myth and history while they could have been following a well- made linear plot? The first part will analyse the use of myth in the respective fictions of Watson and Puig the second part will examine the effects of including myth and history into their stories. Watson’s extensive use of mythical referents informs almost every element of the narrative plot from the depiction of the physical landscape to the characters shaped after archetypal figures and united by the pattern of the quest, a reoccurring scheme omnipresent in several myths. The first telling argument for believing this assumption to be true is that , in Watson, the landscape displays traces of mythical roots emphasising the quintessential purity of earth and light. The setting presents itself as the closest reflection of the Shakespearean tale “midsummer dream.” According to Jung, when an artist uses his personal unconscious, he creates art with a strictly personal vision . But Watson chooses to use her racial unconscious which is more apt to capture meaningful archetypes, myths and symbols. Through the process of writing, the author reaches the collective roots of the memory of human race . Similarly to a faithful director staging a theatrical play, the writer Watson transfers her own vision of a mythical world into the fictional realm of the novel. The landscape in The Double Hook offers to its readers the bareness of a setting on the borders of 2006-08-12T10:40:36-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Essay-On-Influence-Of-Myth-And-History-In-Fiction-31220.aspx Comparisons of Islamic Fundamentalism to Fascism This is the age of fear, inequality and extreme forms of government. The 20th century has seen the rise and fall of totalitarian governments and the terror and loss of human lives as a result. Today in the West, there is a new kind of terror – Islamic Fundamentalism, which in many ways mirrors Fascism of the past century. Even thought they are two completely different philosophies, they have some similar goals. Both ideologies require fanaticism of devotion to the causes of these regimes. Islamic Fundamentalism encourages suicide bombings, like the one we have seen in the tragic events of September 11, promising the one who dies a path to heaven and eternal glory of Allah. Fascism preached that fighting and dying for fatherland, killing Jews and their allies who were “threatening the civilized world” was an honorable thing to do and was strongly encouraged. Fascism tends to celebrate masculinity, mystical unity, and the regenerative power of violence, just like Islamic Fundamentalism. The ideals of Islamic Fundamentalism are opposed to human rights. Freedom of expression, information, freely choosing, changing and discarding one’s religion and the right to life are some of the fundamental Human Rights, which are threatened by fundamentalism, going to the extent of advocating death for non-believers and freethinkers. Fascism also rejects the liberal doctrines of individual autonomy and rights, political pluralism, and representative government, yet it advocates broad popular participation in politics and may use parliamentary channels in its drive to power. Both Islamic Fundamentalism and Fascism are involved in dehumanization and scape -goating of the enemy, seeing them as an inferior or subhuman force, perhaps involved in a conspiracy that justifies eradicating them. In the first instance, it is the non- believers and most importantly, it is the U.S. and the Americans, in the latter the hatred of racially inferior people like the Jews, gypsies, mentally disabled, homosexuals or any other group that did not fit a strict set of qualifications as a pure and loyal Aryan. Fundamentalism has been a major source of violent conflict in society. The amount of bloodshed inspired and motivated by religion has been terrible. Apart from open religious wars like crusades and jihad, there is also the problem of what are known as "communal riots" which are between two religious groups. During such riots, persons belonging to one religious group deliberately destroy life and property 2006-08-12T10:33:57-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Comparisons-of-Islamic-Fundamentalism-to-Fascism-31217.aspx Religion Essay on Sikhism Sikhism is the world's fifth largest religion. Sikhism is one of the younger faiths of the world, as compared with religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity or Islam. It is a monotheistic faith, preaching the existence of only one God, and teaching ideals that may be universally accepted today and in the future: honesty, compassion, humility, piety, social commitment, and most of all tolerance for other religions. Sikhism is free from any claims and dogmas. To attain salvation, Sikhism rejects all rites, rituals, and fasts. It rejects the claims of mortification of body, self-torture, penance or renunciation. It does not believe in worship of gods and goddesses, stones, statues, idols, pictures, tombs or crematoriums. Devotees are supposed to desist from working miracles, uttering blessings and curses, and believing in omens. They wear God's name as a necklace and try to practice Nam (remembrance of God's name), Dan (charity) and Ishnan (purity), truthfulness and openness, self-restraint in temper, labor for the purpose of mutual benefit, profitable and edifying speech, humility and forbearance. Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji in the Punjab area, now Pakistan, founded the Sikh faith. He began preaching the way to enlightenment and God after receiving a vision. After his death a series of nine Gurus (regarded as reincarnations of Guru Nanak) led the movement until 1708. At this time these functions passed to the Panth and the holy text. The tenth Guru, Gobind Singh, compiled this text, the Shri Guru Granth Sahib. It consists of hymns and writings of the first 10 Gurus, along with texts from different Muslim and Hindu saints. The holy text is considered the 11th and final Guru. Sikhs believe in a single formless God with many names, who can be known through meditation. Sikhs pray many times each day and are prohibited from worshipping idols or icons. They believe in samsara, karma, and reincarnation as Hindus do but reject the caste system. They believe that everyone has equal status in the eyes of God. Sikhs follow a strict code of conduct called the Sikh Rahit Marayada. Some of the requirements are: A Sikh is not permitted to have any allegiances to other religions. Sikhs must accept the teachings of the Gurus in their entirety. A person who does not follow all the requirements of Sikhism is not considered a Sikh and may be excommunicated from Sikh society. I was going through 2006-08-12T10:32:40-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Religion-Essay-on-Sikhism-31216.aspx “Ethical Egoism versus Virtue Ethics” Theories concern ideas of how things are or how things ought to be. Ethical theories are concerned with what morally ought to be the case. There are three types of general ethical theories: Consequentialism, Deontology, and Human Nature Ethics. Consequentialism is mainly concerned with bringing about proper ends of acting. Its descriptive claim is that every action seeks a particular end. Deontology concentrates on moral duty, i.e., the general principles that ought to guide our actions. Moreover, it claims that humans are rational and free; the intention of the person determines whether an action is moral. Human Nature Ethics concerns with what it means to live a good life. That is, one should act in such a way that one lives a good life depending on how one defines ‘good’. It claims that humans are basically good. Ethical Egoism and Virtue Ethics are two ethical theories that fall under one of these general ethical theories. The focus of this paper is on these two ethical “sub-theories”. I will start with Ethical Egoism. The authors of “Ethical Issues in Business” state that this consequential theory interprets “right action as action whose consequences, considered among all the alternatives, maximizes my good- that is, action that benefits me the most or harms me the least.” (3) Thus, ethical egoism falls under the consequentialistic theory that claims that moral conduct is determined solely by a cost-benefit analysis of an action’s consequences. The normative claim of ethical egoism is that one should act so as to maximize good and minimize bad for oneself. The foundational claim for this theory is that humans are poorly self-interested and there are no moral demands beyond self-interest, i.e., no obligations to anyone other than ‘myself’. Therefore, under this theory, it is understood that humans should act selfishly if they wish to live healthy and meaningful lives. The second theory to be discussed is Virtue Ethics. Virtue Ethics falls under the general theory of Human Nature Ethics. This theory is traditionally associated with Aristotle. The human nature approach, as described in “Ethical Issues in Business”, “assumes that all humans have inherent capacities that constitute the ultimate basis for all ethical claims. Actions are evaluated in terms whether they promote or hinder, coincide with or conflict with, 2006-08-09T15:35:54-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Ethical-Egoism-versus-Virtue-Ethics-31202.aspx Aristotle on Selfishness Aristotle is often thought of as the best philosopher who ever existed. He was the first notable philosopher to say that the world we see is reality, and that the best way to live in this world is through the use of reason. In the course of Politics Aristotle condemns selfishness, believing it an unhealthy extreme of self-interest. Aristotle says “life according to reason is best and pleasantest, since reason more than anything else is man. This life therefore is also the happiest.” He then mentions, “in a secondary degree the life in accordance with the other kind of virtue is happy.” This may be where Aristotle’s confusion starts. If a life according to reason is the happiest, why would anyone want to live in any way other than according to reason? For, if one were to live a life in accordance with some other virtue, and not completely in accordance with reason, his life would not be the happiest that could be. So, we see that Aristotle has already compromised reason for “other virtues.” If Aristotle had not compromised on reason, would he have found selfishness to be a virtue rather than a vice? We have already established that reason is itself a virtue, so now it must be demonstrated that selfishness follows logically from reason. Aristotle has said, “The objects of reason are the best of knowable objects.” Thus, using reason to produce must be a truly virtuous activity as not only is man using the best in him (reason), but he is also creating the best objects (anything produced through reason being an object of reason) that can exist. A better adjective for these objects (rather than best) would be valuable, as a man of reason surely values all objects of reason. In the same way a man of reason also values all men who are ‘of reason.’ While a man of reason values others, he values most those who bring his life happiness (happiness being the goal of all men, and reason being the means). Such a man certainly values his wife and his friends. Now, what is a selfish man, but a man who wishes to bring as much value into his life as possible? This man is merely trying to bring as much reason into 2006-08-09T13:25:39-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Aristotle-on-Selfishness-31197.aspx Analysis of Siddhartha’s Thinking Siddhartha had one single goal - to become empty, to become empty of thirst, desire, dreams, pleasure and sorrow - to let the Self die. No longer to be Self, to experience the peace of an emptied heart, to experience pure thought - that was his goal. When all the Self was conquered and dead, when all passions and desires were silent, then the last must awaken, the innermost of Being that is no longer Self - the great secret (14) Siddhartha, according to his actions, was constantly in search for knowledge, regardless of what kind, or what he had to do to obtain it. In the book titled Siddhartha, by Herman Hesse, this is shown to us by Siddhartha's leaving home to join the Samanas, and all the actions leading to his residence alongside the river. Leaving his loving family and home where all loved him, shows us that Siddhartha not only knows what he wants but will do anything to attain it. As described on pages 10 through 12, Siddhartha did not leave his father's chambers until he had gotten his way, until his father had submitted to Siddhartha's wishes and agreed to let him leave home to join the Samanas. This stubbornness, this patience with people and situations is also a large part of Siddhartha's character. It enables him to out wait anyone or anything, which teaches him how to do without and also helps him through his time with the Samanas. "Siddhartha learned a great deal from the Samanas he learned many ways of losing the Self" (15). Despite the new knowledge he acquired, Siddhartha realized that it was only " . . . a temporary palliative against the pain and folly of life" (17). And with this, his next decision was to leave the Samanas and go in search of the Buddha in order to learn perhaps something he did not already know. Through this we learn that Siddhartha, having learned all that is possible in one place, moves to another in search for more wisdom in search for the secret of how to obtain inner peace, how to find the Self. This action also shows his change by showing us that Siddhartha no longer has the patience to stick to certain routines as he did when he was at home in his youth. Finding the Buddha in a garden, Siddhartha and Govinda 2006-08-09T12:34:07-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Analysis-of-Siddhartha’s-Thinking-31192.aspx Virgil’s influence on Dante’s Inferno An excellent poet in his own right Dante greatly admired the success and personal character of Virgil. Virgil is an interesting character greatly influences Dante as a poet and as the main character in the Inferno. In the Inferno, Dante turned the poet Virgil into the guiding character that was to be responsible for teaching and leading him along his pilgrimage through hell. Throughout the Inferno there are specific situations that demonstrates Virgil’s influence among Dante, as a poet and, as the main character. There are also other specific situations that demonstrate Virgil’s ignorance of Catholicism, which relates to his placement in hell. Virgil not only aids Dante as the guiding character in the Inferno, but also aids Dante in his writing of the Inferno as a poet. Dante calls Virgil his "master and author (Canto I)," which emphasizes how important Virgil has been for Dante as a poet and a philosopher. “Dante borrowed as well from Virgil the poet much of his language, style, and content.” Because Virgil is made out to be an atheist, Dante being Christian could not copy Virgil’s exact outline but instead created a hell distinct from, yet still reminiscent of Virgil’s Underworld of Book VI. Dante’s interpretation resembled a more Catholic understanding of what hell should be like and modernizes Virgil’s perspective into what sort of people and crimes are deserving of hell’s occupancy. Dante’s positioning of Virgil in hell’s hierarchy is important as a character and mentor of Dante’s. According to Christian doctrine no one outside the Church without the first Sacrament, baptism, can be saved. Dante going along the Catholic doctrine chooses to put Virgil among the souls suspended in Limbo. Souls are assigned to Limbo because they were virtuous individuals who had no knowledge of Jesus and His teachings, because they preceded Him in time, or after His coming died un-baptized. Although physical torment is absent, the shades, along with Virgil, suffer mental distress. This distress is due from being aware that there is a living God and they are forced to have to “live in desire” without any hope of joining Him in heaven. As comfortable as Virgil seems to be with his eternal fate he will start to show signs of remorse in the further Cantos. Thus far in the 2006-08-09T12:22:54-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Virgil’s-influence-on-Dante’s-Inferno-31187.aspx Proposal for Institutionalized Revenge in Society Restorative justice facilitators today are taught to cringe at the word “retributive”. We learn that retributive justice is the antithesis to restorative principles, and is a necessary evil at best. However, the logic behind this assumption is flawed, and hence not conducive to the optimum restoration that restorative justice ideally hopes to achieve. In this paper, I will endeavor to show that retribution, especially a specific sub-category of retribution: institutionalized revenge, are not antithetical to, but rather, compatible with current restorative justice principles and practices. In order to present a sound argument for the compatibility of restorative justice and institutionalized revenge, we must first have a clear understanding of the term institutionalized revenge. I will begin the paper by discussing what is meant by retribution, revenge, and institutionalized revenge. Second, I will briefly clarify what are commonly held to be the principles and practices of restorative justice. Finally, I will describe in what ways institutionalized revenge can be compatible with, and facilitating of, restorative justice principles and practices. Let’s begin with a discussion of what is meant by the terms retribution, revenge, and institutionalized revenge. In the arena of punishment, there are several motives on which punishment can be based. These include consequentialist motives such as rehabilitation or deterrence; however, the motive with which we are concerned is retribution. Retribution is a de-ontologically based motive, based in the idea that punishment should be imposed upon wrong doers, because receipt of punishment for wrong is their just desert. The next key term that we must address is that of revenge. In Getting Even, Barton defines revenge as a sort of sub-species in the greater genus of retribution. More specifically, he defines revenge as personal retribution. Unlike the doling out of just deserts by an anonymous or detached party such as the court system, revenge is personal in that the enactor of revenge has a closer relationship or tie to the victim than she does to the recipient of the revenge. We move on now to the concept of institutionalized revenge. Because our culture connotatively associates revenge with wild, unfettered barbarism, the idea of revenge within and institution may seem alien. However, if we are to accept Barton’s definition of revenge as nothing more than a personal giving of just deserts, the idea of revenge within an institutional framework becomes much more comprehensible. Institutionalized revenge would simply be a 2006-08-08T09:41:56-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Proposal-for-Institutionalized-Revenge-in-Society-31163.aspx Ancient Religious Philosophy of Jainism Jainism is one of the world's oldest religions whose roots go back to times before recorded history. Those who follow Jainism are known as Ajaina or the followers of Jinas, from whom the teachings of this religion have been derived. Jainism's teachers of old whose wisdom and spiritual evolution are most revered are known as tirthankaras or "builders of the ford." The teachings of these builders ultimately lead humans across the endless cycle of rebirth to spiritual release. Symbolically, this endless cycle is compared to a river that only those enlightened by the teachings of the tirthankaras may hope to cross (Basham 100-101). Originating on the Indian subcontinent, Jainism -- or, more properly, the Jain Dharma -- is one of the oldest religions of its homeland and indeed of the world. Having prehistoric origins before 3000 BCE, and before the propagation of Indo-Aryan culture, the Twenty-four Crossing-Makers guided its evolution and elaboration by first achieving, and then teaching. The first Tirthankara of the present declining era was Lord Rishabhanath, and the last was Lord Mahavira (599-527 BCE) (Smart 80). In Jain philosophy, time consists of infinite millennia that come and go in cycles of several million years. In our current cycle, twenty-four tirthankaras have appeared and Mahavira the 24th, tirthankara has been the last to appear. Like all preceding tirthankaras, Mahavira, whose name means "the most courageous one," was an actual historical figure who lived some time between 599-527BCE. Mahavira was a contemporary of another great spiritual teacher--Gautama Sakyamuni--who would come to be known in history as Buddha. According to most accounts, Mahavira was also a highborn member of a warrior caste who renounced the world when he was thirty to pursue a life as an ascetic. His moment of enlightenment came after twelve years of spiritual pursuit. He then gathered twelve disciples around him, and it is through these disciples that his teachings were eventually documented and disseminated (Basham 100-101). Jain religion is unique in that, during its existence of over 5,000 years, it has never compromised on the concept of nonviolence either in principle or practice. It upholds nonviolence as the supreme religion and has insisted upon its observance in thought, word, and deed at the individual as well as social levels. Both in its philosophical essence as well as in its rituals, Jain religion invokes an intense and constant awareness of communion and understanding of not 2006-08-07T22:10:13-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Ancient-Religious-Philosophy-of-Jainism-31154.aspx The Existence of God Periodically someone will say to me, "I don't understand how anyone can be an atheist. How else could one account for the origin of the universe itself?" The Christian apologist, Hugh Ross, makes an argument much like this. He argues first for the thesis that the universe had a beginning, the moment of the big bang. Second he assumes that there must be a cause for the big bang. Next, if all physical reality, including time and space, arise out of the big bang, then, whatever the cause may be for the big bang, it must be something that transcends the physical universe. Coupling this consideration with the apparent fine tuning of natural law which makes life possible and the claim that it would take a super intelligent being to so arrange natural law, Ross concludes that this transcendent cause is God. Those familiar with the traditional arguments for the existence of God will recognize that Ross' argument is a combination of the design argument (here from apparent fine-tuning) and the first-cause argument (the argument that the universe could not be its own cause). At a later time I will mention and discuss the hypotheses that atheistic scientists have been advancing to account for the origin of the universe—they do not accept the assumption that one must postulate a transcendent cause—but in what follows I will restrict my comments to an older objection to the first-cause argument, an objection which may be given the label "What caused God?" It is an objection that one often encounters in introduction to philosophy classes and one which the instructor usually takes to be persuasive. The philosopher Bertrand Russell is one of the many who have voiced the what-caused-God objection. In his essay, "Why I Am Not a Christian?"1 he states the first-cause argument as follows: "everything we see in this world has a cause, and as you go back in the chain of causes further and further you must come to a First Cause, and to that First Cause you give the name of God."2 According to Russell, the fallacy in the argument is that "If everything must have a cause, then God must have a cause." What's more, "If there can be anything without a cause, it may just as well be the world as God."3 Russell's argument can alternatively be stated as follows. The principle that everything must have a cause 2006-08-07T22:03:22-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Existence-of-God--31150.aspx Are Americans Over Influenced by Christianity in Society? How did Christianity originate? According to the official teaching of the Christian Churches, “it originated in certain unique events which occurred in Palestine under the Roman emperors Augustus and Tiberius” (Robertson 63). Christianity is a religion in which events are claimed to have occurred but which can never be proved. Those who practice it live by different morals than are preached by the most holy texts. It is an institution in which the most Holy Scripture is contradictory, and wherein the Supreme Being, by the very definition, cannot exist. Christianity is, therefore, a fundamentally flawed religion. According to the Bible, events have occurred which are even more miraculous than the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Events such as the stopping of the sun by Joshua (Joshua 10:12-14), the reversal of the sun's course by Isaiah (Isaiah 38:7-8), the resurrection of the saints, and their subsequent appearance to many (Matthew 27:52-53) were witnessed by thousands of people. The stopping and reversal of the sun would have been visible worldwide. The idea that people could have witnessed these events without having been amazed by them is, quite simply, ludicrous. Other cultures having witnessed this would certainly have offered their own explanations in keeping with their own cultural and religious beliefs. Surely a society existing at the time would have documented this miraculous event. Yet nowhere have such works been found. In the instance of the resurrection of the saints, Matthew is the only person to mention this occurrence in the Bible. Surely other first-century Christians would have used this as further proof of Jesus' divinity. It would fall to reason that Paul and the gospels would have mentioned it. This is not, however, the case. Nowhere else in the Bible is this mentioned or even hinted at. These events are then, at best, highly unlikely to have occurred. The fact that Matthew is alone in writing of the resurrection of the saints leads us to believe that certain writers of the Bible had differing views on Christianity. Pannenberg said it best when he stated “that there is almost no other subject in modern theology so difficult to deal with as the doctrine of the Holy Spirit is” (13). The Christian Bible is highly contradictory, not just to modern day 2006-08-07T17:48:14-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Are-Americans-Over-Influenced-by-Christianity-in-Society-31146.aspx Langston Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance During the Harlem Renaissance, writers such as Zora Neal Hurston and Langston Hughes gained fame and respect for their ability to express the Black American experiences in their works. Langston Hughes was one of the most original and versatile of the twentieth – century black writers. Influenced by Laurence Dunbar, Carl Dandburg, and his grandmother, Carrie Mercer Langston Hughes, Langston Hughes began writing creatively while still a boy. Born in Joplin Missouri, Langston Hughes lived with both his parents until they separated and at the age of seven, he had to go and live with his maternal grandmother. Although she told him wonderful stories about Frederick Douglas and Sojourner Truth and took him to hear Booker T. Washington, Langston did not get all the attention he needed. Furthermore, Hughes felt hurt by both his parents and was unable to understand why he was not allowed to live with either of them. These feelings of rejection caused him to grow up very insecure and unsure of himself. Because his childhood was a lonely time, he fought the loneliness by reading. “Books began to happen to me, and I began to believe in nothing but books and the wonderful world in books where if people suffered, they suffered in beautiful language, not in monosyllables, as we did in Kansas” (Hughes 16). Langston Hughes began writing in high school, and even at this early age was developing the voice that made him famous. Hughes writing talent was recognized by highschool teacher and classmates, and Hughes had his first pieces of verse published in the Central High Monthly, a sophisticated school magazine. An English teacher introduced him to poets such as Carl Sandburg and Walk Whitman, and these became Hughes’s earliest influences. Many other things aided him in his writing development. “Before he was twelve years old, he had lived in six different American cities. When his first book was published, he had already been a truck farmer, cook, waiter, college graduate, sailor, and a doorman at a nightclub in Paris, and had visited Mexico, West Africa, the Azores, the Canary Islands, Holland, France and Italy.” (DLB) He was very fascinated and influenced by Harlem’s people and the life itself, there. The Big Sea, the first volume of his autobiography, provided “such a crucial first person account of the era” that much of what we know about the Harlem Renaissance we 2006-08-07T12:19:12-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Langston-Hughes-and-the-Harlem-Renaissance-31123.aspx Critical Analysis of the Poem "Romance" The poem “Romance” is about a couple that has living together and loves each other deeply. It also illustrates that men are more practical; act by the mind, not the heart when they are in the relationship, they show their love to women through doing things. In contrast, women are more perceptive and sensitive than men. They have very different points of view. Women tend to think more than men do. But they make a good couple. In the real world, it is not easy to find true love; therefore, we should treasure every relationship we have. However, some people do not know how to maintain a good relationship. So I have few points to make in improving this relationship so that men and women can enjoy each other better. From the beginning, a couple has to be realistic to each other. You must not try to turn your partner into something he or she is not. For guys, there is only one Pamela Anderson in the world, and even she has had her implants removed; so give your girl a break and understand that her physical appearance is not going to change overnight. And ladies, Brad Pitt has already been taken, so you have to make do with what your guy is like. You should love each other for what you are. There is more to your partner than what meets the eye. Secondly, you should always talk thing out. Learn from previous experiences. Couples fight when they do not express their feeling clearly. Therefore, it’s important to learn to express to each other well, so that your partners understand why you are angry hurt, or be happy. When you stop talking each other from the heart, it could be the beginning of the end. Don’t make empty promises when you are in a relationship. Let your partner feel important and don't disappoint them. It is really terrible when someone promises to take you to dinner, and then calls to cancel it. Don't make promises you cannot keep. If your partner starts to feel that he/she is not important enough to you, you may just lose him/her. You should always stay committed to each other. In addition, I think couples should have some common things they do together. If not, they should make an effort to do things together. I believe through those activities, you can 2006-08-07T08:27:22-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Critical-Analysis-of-the-Poem-Romance-31113.aspx "On the Rainy River" Essay Analysis The relationship you have with others often has a direct effect on the basis of your very own personal identity. In the essay “On The Rainy River,” the author Tim O’Brien tells about his experiences and how his relationship with a single person had effected his life so dramatically. It is hard for anyone to rely fully on their own personal experiences when there are so many other people out there with different experiences of their own. Sometimes it take the experiences and knowledge of others to help you learn and build from them to help form your own personal identity. In the essay, O’Brien speaks about his experiences with a man by the name of Elroy Berdahl, the owner of the fishing lodge that O’Brien stays at while on how journey to find himself. The experiences O’Brien has while there helps him to open his mind and realize what his true personal identity was. It gives you a sense than our own personal identities are built on the relationships we have with others. There are many influence out there such as our family and friends. Sometimes even groups of people such as others of our nationality and religion have a space in building our personal identities. In the essay O’Brien is faced with a conflict, a moral dilemma. He had to decide whether he was either going to go to the war and fight or was he going to run away and avoid the draft. The relationship he had with Berdahl was not of friends or even regular acquaintances. Rather they were perfect strangers. That goes to show you that anyone can be a major influence on your life. Berdahl helped to open O’Brien’s heart. He realized who he was and where he had come from, his past and what he has been through. How all the events of the past helped him to become the person he was right now. How his past helped form his personal identity. The formation of our own personal identities often begin at birth. As you grow up your parents are a major influence on you. They teach you many things and help to shape your personal identity. They teach you the basics, from knowing right from wrong to your basic 2006-08-07T08:04:18-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Essay-Analysis-On-the-Rainy-River-31098.aspx Critical Analysis of the Story "The Use of Force" I chose to read and respond to the story “ The Use of Force.” This was my first choice because I can find myself in the story and can feel the message that it is putting across. There is a time in everyone persons life when they lie in order to hide something that they are ashamed of their problem, or they don’t want to show that they are weak, or they don’t want to be helped. That’s the case with the little girl Matilda in this story. She is very sick, she had a fever for three days and her tonsils are covered with membrane. These are the symptoms of diphtheria, the life threatening sickness. The little girl was asked if her throat hurt, but she lyed saying that it didn’t. The doctor wanted to check it, just to make sure that everything is OK, but the little girl put up a big fight. The doctor was full of rage when the little girl wouldn’t open her mouth, “I could have torn the child apart in my own fury and enjoyed it. (36)” said the doctor. At the end the girl gave away after a lot of pain and hurting! I didn’t have exactly the same problem, I didn’t have diphtheria and have to fight the doctors to open my mouth, but I did keep things away from my parents. Few years ago I got sick but I kept it from my parents because I didn’t think it was serious. I thought it was just like a common cold, but it turned to be much more serious. I got pneumonia and ended up being strapped on a breathing apparatus in order to breath! Luckily, with the right medications, I got better in few days. Reading the story this episode with having pneumonia just flashed in my mind and I found relationship to my personal life. Details are different, I didn’t fight with the doctors to open my mouth, but I hide for days that I didn’t feel well and refused to be taken to see the doctor. This is because when I was little I used to dread of taking needles and I just hated doctors. Finally I realized that something serious going wrong and I talked to my parents. The same thing did the little girl in the story. That 2006-08-06T09:58:08-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Critical-Analysis-of-the-Story-The-Use-of-Force-31062.aspx Hypocrisy Among People Hypocrisy is pretending to be someone you are really not or pretending to be better than someone else. Hypocrisy takes place everyday in America. It can be found in lots of locations, especially churches. Hypocrisy’s inside 2006-08-05T23:57:33-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Hypocrisy-Among-People-31056.aspx Immanuel Kant’s Principals In the Foundation of the Metaphysics of Morals, the author, Immanuel Kant, tries to form a base by rejecting all ethical theories that are connected to consequences, and then focusing on our ethical motivations and actions. Kant wants to derive good characters out of contingently right actions. He believes that everything is contingent (everything can have good or bad worth, depending on how it is used). So he is trying to find the supreme principal of morality in all his reasoning. Kant also believes that an action is right or wrong based solely on the reason by which it was performed. However, a Utilitarian, like John Mill, would reject Kant’s reasoning of originating good characters out of actions alone, and instead argue that if an action has bad consequences, then the action was morally wrong. Kant believes that an action has moral worth only if it is done out of respect for our moral code. He names this moral action a ‘duty.’ Kant also believes that in determining the moral worth of an action, we need to look at the maxim by which it was performed. So, we need to look at one’s reason for doing an action to determine if it is a duty. If the reason for performing the action is justified, then the action is a duty. However, Kant says there are two different types of reasons for performing an action. Kant calls these reasons ‘imperatives.’ The first reason for performing an action, the hypothetical imperative, is based on consequences and on our personal preferences. They are also contingent, meaning that they can be good or bad depending on how they are used. People choose to perform a given action because of the hypothetical imperative. The second reason for performing an action according to Kant is called the categorical imperative. These are not based on our preferences, don’t deal with consequences of an action, and are derived a priori. They are completely separate from hypothetical imperatives. We all have knowledge of categorical imperatives before experiencing them first. They are kind of a second nature for us, which needs to be recognized according to Kant. These are the most important reason for performing an action. These imperatives also have the characteristics that Kant 2006-08-05T11:12:43-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Immanuel-Kant’s-Principals--31027.aspx Comparing Stunt Pilot by Dillard and Spring by Ehrlich “The Stunt Pilot” by Annie Dillard and “Spring” by Gretel Ehrlich are two very different essays and I enjoyed one and not the other. “The Stunt Pilot” was much more engaging and you felt as if you got into the story. “Spring” was sporadic and I felt as if the essay kept jumping from one thought to the next. Throughout these two essays, the reflection was a lot the same but the tone and voice were very different from one another. Annie Dillard’s essay was a great look into the stunt pilots world. Her tone was light but serious at the same time. Her themes include the beauty, violence and mystery of nature. She uses great detail throughout the essay and I felt that I could actually see the plane as she wrote about it. She talks about how beauty is in the eye of the beholder and how a stunt pilots job is really about art. Dillard’s use of details and descriptions are very ironic and vivid and it speaks of a life on the edge. She uses powerful details such as “…very high until he was barely visible as a mote, and then seemed to fall down the air, diving headlong, and streaming beauty in spirals behind him.” Another great detail is, “We stuck the to plane’s sides like flung paint. All the blood in my body bulged on my face; it piled between my skull and skin. Vaguely I could see the chrome sea twirling over Rahm’s head like a baton, and the dark islands sliding down the skies like rain.” In “The Stunt Pilot” there is danger and power everywhere yet everything is so peaceful and graceful. It is somewhat of a paradox. This essay treated us to a deeper insight into the human world and the natural world. Gretel Ehrlich’s essay, for me, was a little harder to understand. I felt as if it jumped from one idea to the next too much. Throughout it all she did have great reflection and ideas. Her tone was very depressing and a little sad. She speaks of things that most people do not like to talk about. Ehrlich says “how fragile death is, how easily is opens up into 2006-08-05T10:27:39-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Comparing-Stunt-Pilot-by-Dillard-and-Spring-by-Ehrlich-31013.aspx Innocence of Socrates “Virtue and justice are man’s most precious possessions,” Socrates once stated (Plato 55). I was present when Socrates gave his compelling argument as to why he could not possibly be guilty of the crimes of corrupting the youth of Athens, and creating his own gods in lieu of the gods already recognized by the city. It is unfortunate, however, that even with his prolific dialogue, he was not able to save himself from his own death. Out of the five hundred and one jurors, including myself, listening to Socrates’ defense, he lost his case by a marginal difference of a mere thirty six votes. Many of the jurors present that day claimed that Socrates did not possess a strong enough argument for his freedom, but to these nay Sayers, I tell them this: Socrates was able to convince a good portion of the jury, a majority of which previously held biases against him and came into his trial with a predetermined vote, to choose innocence for him. Socrates’ plea for innocence was one that was well deserved, and therefore, one of which we wrongly denied him. There are only two charges Socrates was guilty of, the first being that he would not conform to the norm of society. He was one who constantly contradicted the common belief of the city, not because he did not respect these beliefs, but because they needed to be proven to him. The courts charged him with creating his own gods and trying to institute them instead of recognized gods of the polis. The common misconception is that Socrates created entirely new gods; this idea is wrong. Socrates did not invent new gods, but simply attempted to redefine the existing gods. He challenged people to look away from the standard belief of the gods. I have not yet understood how Socrates was found to be guilty of attempting to institute new gods if during his defense he willingly admitted to believing in divine beings. Socrates proved to the court his belief in the gods during his trial. He questioned Meletus as to what divine beings can be classified as, and they both came to the common conclusion that divine beings are gods or the children of gods. Socrates goes on to state that “since I do believe in divine beings, 2006-08-05T10:21:54-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Innocence-of-Socrates-31010.aspx Does knowing we are going to die help us to live? How? We often take our lives for granted especially when we're young. We think we're going to live forever. But, from one moment to the next, nobody knows what will happen. A person could be alive and well one moment and dead the next, this shows the value of life and the uncertainties of death. Death is the “great unknown,” and that's why it's so frightening. Also, we perceive the inevitability of death long before it happens, which can be worrying, even tormenting. This fear and suffering keeps us from thinking seriously about death as it impedes our happiness. We need to know how to do this, how to live in freedom, not being imprisoned by the future and not being carried away by things in the present. When we can live our daily life deeply and genuinely, we begin to feel free and are able to live; we can see the true nature of life, we arrive at a great freedom with in you and freedom is the essence of happiness. All of us are equal as far as life and death are concerned; we are all going to die. So it is very equal, death will happen to everybody. Everyone has to die however, before we die, can we live properly? Properly being living life and enjoying life, not being sucked in by your surroundings and thought. I am determined to live properly until I die. If we are going to die, then we have to live the best we can. If we don’t live the best we can why should we live? You are given an extraordinary thing, which is life, and you should use it to fulfil everything you desire, that is how life should be lived. The saying, “To live well is to die well,” takes on great meaning. If our life is filled with being caught in the restraints of pain and suffering, then our life doesn’t have the same kind of meaning as if we live in freedom. Knowing that we have to die, I am determined to live my life properly, deeply. If we aren’t able to live with peace, joy, and freedom before we die, then we live as if we are dead already. Hearing the doctors’ words, “You have cancer, you may live for six months.” This completely overwhelms 2006-08-02T03:16:54-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Death-and-Life-Philosophy-30997.aspx Biblical Significance of the Character Joshua Joshua’s personal history prepared him well as a leader for the great conquest. The conquest of Caanan began about 1405 B.C. Joshua’s leadership of Israel covered about twenty-five years. Living near the end of Israel’s oppression in Egypt, Joshua witnessed God’s dreadful ten plague judgments, the first Passover, the miraculous Red Sea crossing, and the supernatural signs and judgments during Israel’s wilderness journeys. Joshua served Moses as military leader in many battles of war, and he alone accompanied Moses up to Mt. Sinai when God gave Israel the Ten Commandments. As Moses’ assistant, Joshua demonstrated an intense devotion and heart for God by often tarrying long in the presence of God. Joshua was a mighty warrior who trusted God with all of his heart and soul. He had an earnest faith and trust in the great God Jehovah. He was a man who treasured the presence of God. Joshua learned much from Moses, his trusted counselor and guide, about the ways of God and the difficulties of leading His people to the promised land. At Kadesh-barnea, Joshua served Moses as one of the twelve spies that scouted the land of Caanan. Along with Caleb, Joshua gave to the people an encouraging report of victory. Under the direction of God, Joshua sent spies into Jericho, crossed the Jordan, fortified a camp at Gilgal, and kept the Passover. Many years before being chosen to replace Moses as Israel’s leader, Joshua demonstrated himself to be a man of faith, vision, courage, loyalty, obedience, prayer, and dedication to God and his holy Word. Joshua was God’s choice for completing Moses’ work. His task was to establish Israel as the covenant people in the land of promise. In his roll of leading Israel into the promised land, Joshua was an Old Testament type or foreshadowing of Christ, whose roll was to bring God’s people into the promised land and victories over their enemies. In a closing assembly of the Israelites at Shechem, Joshua delivered to the people his final address just as Moses had done before his death. He reminded them of their own wonderful history, of the many miracles God had done for them, and of the precious promises of God. Joshua highly exhorted them all to be 2006-08-01T20:36:26-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Biblical-Significance-of-the-Character-Joshua-30996.aspx Aesthetics and the Concept of "Beauty" If you took the time to analyze each person you encountered, touch every blade of grass you walked upon, or reenact every event you possess in your memory, then you would successfully know what beauty was. A pretty face is not a complete definition of beauty, nor is the quality of one being kind and compassionate. To contain beauty, someone or something doesn’t have to physically be beautiful. Beauty is everywhere. Take a simple flower. Your first glance at a flower would not establish it’s beauty. You look at its whole appearance; the color(s), structure, scent, design, and even ponder for awhile about it’s growth process. All of these observations of a flower lead to its defining beauty. Now take a simple person and relate it to a flower. In many cases a person is defined to be beautiful by one thing; the physical appearance. But think about it…Would you think a flower was still beautiful if it’s smell was outrageously disgusting? The color of the flower is like the personality of a person. The structure, is like one’s confidence and impact upon others, the scent, is like someone’s over all aura, the design but one’s individualism, and a flowers growth process is merely like an individuals over all history. If all of these qualities are needed to make a flower beautiful, then why not a person as well? Beauty is more than just a word to define someone or something. As Webster says :beauty is the quality or aggregate of qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit. However if you think about this deeper, is beauty just a quality in a person or thing? Or can beauty be something overlooked and abstract? Can situations be considered beautiful? What about conversations, memories, or even life in general? The feeling of seeing two young people in love is beautiful. A brush stroke in an insignificant painting can be beautiful. Even the tiniest pebble lost in a sea of other rocks and boulders can simply define beauty to some people. Beauty is how you see it. There is beauty in the tears of a new mother who had just given birth to a child. There is beauty in the emotions expressed by high school friends as they depart to 2006-08-01T20:04:29-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Aesthetics-and-the-Concept-of-Beauty-30980.aspx Symbolism in "The Red Convertible" “The Red Convertible” was a very interesting story of how one simple object as in a car can bring someone back to the reality in which they lived. The car was a symbol that related to many of the conflicts that where shown in this short story. In the beginning as they travel the states only to pick up a girl by the name of Suzy. Once they take her to her home they talk about how the family accepted them as their own, that it self was a memory that was made by the car. No, it did not have conflict but it was a symbol of life. Once the story progress it begins to talk about Henry a character in the story being taken off to the war of Vietnam. As Henry leaves he gives the car to Lyman his younger brother and asks that he take care of it. This at first does not seem to be a problem until he returns home and is not the person that left. Lyman realizes that Henry doesn’t act the same, he doesn’t smile, or crack jokes, and not once has he taken a look at the car, which Lyman carefully took care of. At this point in the story Lyman goes in attempt to trash the car thinking that it will bring his brother back when he realizes what has happened. This is a symbol of where the car is used in the conflict. As Henry finally notices the car he becomes angry and stays with it until it is fixed again. He is still not smiling, not joking, and not being the same brother that left. As Lyman waited for a chance Henry would want to be friendly he didn’t know how to deal with the loneliness his brother was displaying. Finally Henry asked to take the car out for a spin and Lyman glowed and accepted the invitation. After this trip in the car not a lot changed until a few months later when Henry wanted to see the river. As they loaded in the car Lyman began to understand Henry and some of what he was feeling but he couldn’t stand it so he acted upon his feeling toward Henry and they began to talk. Henry explained that 2006-08-01T19:55:34-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Symbolism-in-The-Red-Convertible-30976.aspx Barnlund on Individualism Barnlund states, Access to the world view and the communicative style of other cultures may not only enlarge our own way of experiencing the world but enable us to maintain constructive relationships with societies that operate a according to a different logic than our own. (66) Barnlund believes that if people learn aspects of other cultures, people will be able to maintain associations and communications between different cultures within a society. The meaning of appreciation of other cultures is what Barnlund specifies as the survival of a global village. Barnlund would say that Baldwin’s process of renewal might work, because comprehension of other cultures will bring people together and revitalize the differences between people. This would help explain a solution for discrimination and communication complications between Blacks and Whites in Baldwin’s essay. I believe that acceptance and knowledge of cultures are essential in order for people to understand and respect each other. Barnlund states, What seems most critical is to find ways of gaining entrance into the assumptive world of another culture, to identify the norms that govern face-to-face relations, and to equip people to function within social systems that is foreign but no longer incomprehensible. Without this kind of insight people are condemned to remain outsiders. (63-64) This passage from Barnlund’s essay reestablishes the fact that learning and understanding other people relieves the tension amongst how others cope. Baldwin would say that the path when whites begin to learn and understand Blacks, will eventually relieve the problems and intolerances between Blacks and Whites. I believe that if White or Blacks do not want to try to respect or learn from each other, then each race will become isolated and ignorant towards each other. Bellah describes how people tend to isolate themselves by trying to separate their private and public lives. Bellah suggests that people should realize that their public and private lives interrelate with each other. Bellah writes about how each person eventually found a “renewal of their own lives” by correspondence of their public and private life in his essay. In the case of Les Newman, his life became renewed when he found his place in church. Bellah states, “His church community has helped Les Newman find a language and a set of practices that 2006-08-01T09:31:21-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Barnlund-on-Individualism-30915.aspx Compare and Contrast Maggie and Wanergo of "Everday Use" The comparison of characters is something an author allows us to do while reading a story, by telling us about the character’s looks, their personality, their lifestyle, and any other traits that may describe someone. In the story Everyday Use, written by Alice Walker, there are two characters, which I have chosen to do a compare and contrast essay on. The names of the characters I have chose to write about, are Maggie and Wanergo; both characters are females and are sisters. The story is told from the mother’s (Mama’s) point of view. Through out the story Mama describes both of the girls and tells how different they are, even though they are sisters. The girls both grew up together along with their mother. The mother describes herself to be “a large big-boned woman with rough, man-working hands”(pg.66). The first contrast I made between the girls was their difference in looks. Maggie is jealous of Wanergo’s beauty and it seems as if Maggie is ashamed of the way she looks. In the story, Mama and Maggie are waiting at home for a visit from Wanergo, Mama explains Maggie as being nervous while her sister is around. Mama then goes on to say that, “she will stand hopelessly in corners, homely and ashamed of the burn scars down her arms and legs, eyeing her sister with a mixture of envy and awe”(pg.65). Mama then compares Wanergo’s beauty to Maggie’s looks, she says, “Dee (Wanergo) is lighter than Maggie, with nicer hair and a fuller figure”(pg.66). The difference in the way Maggie and Wanergo look, plays a large role in what makes them so different from each other. Maggie and Wanergo had completely different personalities from each other. Throughout the story Mama made it seem as if Wanergo had an outgoing personality and that she always got what she wanted. Mama even says that Maggie “thinks her sister has held life always in the palm of one hand, that “no” is a word the world never learned to say to her”(pg.65). Mama made Maggie out to have a very shy personality, due to how ashamed she was of the way her burn scars made her look. Wanergo wanted to go to a good school in Augusta so her mother, along with the church, raised the money to 2006-07-31T19:24:17-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Compare-and-Contrast-Maggie-and-Wanergo-of-Everday-Use-30910.aspx Analysis of “The Gypsy Enchantment“ by Carla Jablonski Prue’s assignment for 415, the magazine she works for, is to photograph the behind-the-scenes excitement at the Carneval Cavalcade. Prue has to take a series of shots of a Circus for the 415 magazine. Prue hates circuses and clowns in particular but Piper and Phoebe are all excited and ready to go check out the action. Prue meets Ivan, who has an unusual gift of violin playing where he mesmerizes the animals in his act along with the audience. While Prue is snapping pictures of Ivan, the Gypsy animal trainer, Piper decides to pay Madame Olga, the fortuneteller, a visit. Olga immediately senses a dangerous and unsettling aura about Piper. She told Piper to leave the circus. But when Phoebe has a premonition of Piper being strangled by a handsome stranger, the 2006-07-31T18:53:40-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Analysis-of-The-Gypsy-Enchantment-by-Carla-Jablonski-30900.aspx On the Philosophy of Descartes Seven men have come to stand out from all their counterparts in what has come to be known as the ‘modern’ period in the history of philosophy: Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume and Kant.” Essentially these modern philosophers, with perhaps the exception of Kant, have been classified into two distinctive streams of philosophical thought rationalism and empiricism. The following discussion will focus on understanding the division between these streams of philosophy. The focus will primarily concentrate on understanding the contrasting views relating to the origin of ideas, with particular emphasis on Descartes theory of innate ideas. The report will argue that Descartes provided not only a more optimistic and encouraging understanding of the faculties of the mind, but in relation to the empirical response, also a more plausible one. Undoubtedly the father of modern philosophy, but more specifically of rationalism Rene Descartes approached philosophical dilemmas influenced predominately by the progress and success of science and mathematics. Descartes attempted to answer epistemological issues with the assurity of math and science. Similarly Spinoza and Leibniz, inspired by of Descartes developed his philosophical arguments with the same level of exactness in mathematics . The rationalists set out to formulate clear rational principles that could be organized into a system of truths from which accurate information about the world could be deduced. Fundamentally their emphasis was upon the rational capacity of the human mind, which employed the principle of reason which had precedence over other ways of acquiring knowledge. Contrastingly developed the school of philosophical thought of empiricism, which John Locke has been attributed with being the founder of this style of thought. Empiricism evolved with a more modest objective, “clearing the ground a little and removing some of the rubbish that lies in the way to knowledge.” However, Locke developed a bold and original interpretation of how the mind works and one that challenged rationalist understanding. The scope of our knowledge according to Locke, “is limited to and by our experience.” Locke called into question the assumptions of Descartes that there was no problem that human reason could not solve if the correct method was employed. Locke developed a resistance “to the assumption that the human mind has capabilities that enable it to discover the true nature of the universe.” Descartes and other rationalists contrastingly viewed the workings of the mind 2006-07-31T18:48:35-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/On-the-Philosophy-of-Descartes-30896.aspx Tituba's Ordeal from the Salem Witch Trials Tituba’s confession of guilt in Act I highlights the insecurities of the Puritan religion. While Puritans worship God and mean good, their absolute intolerance contradicts their whole vision of the new world, and similarly presents a totalitarian community incapable of freedom of any kind. The governing of the community may seem democratic, but the decisions are always unanimous. This is because the 2006-07-30T20:45:06-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Tituba-s-Ordeal-from-the-Salem-Witch-Trials-30832.aspx Status And Role Of Women In Hinduism Her father protects (her) in childhood, her husband protects (her) in youth, and her sons protect (her) in old age; a woman is never fit for independence. (Manusmriti 9.3) Historically speaking, whether it was in ancient India or medieval India, the status of women in the subcontinent was never good. A present day woman would feel outraged, and rightly so, if she goes through the contents of the Manusmriti, which is particularly harsh against women and treats them with disdain and suspicion. But we have no evidence to believe that the contents of the book were followed by all sections of the society. Probably the Brahmin women were its worst victims and suffered more compared to women of other castes. According to Hinduism, a woman is a form of energy (shaktiswarupini) or an aspect of Shakti. She is mata, the Mother Goddess, or devi the auspicious one. As a young child she is kanya, the goddess Durga. As a wife she is patni and saha dharma charini, a partner in her husbands religious duties. As a mother she is worthy of worship (matrudevobhava). As a child she is supposed to remain in the custody and care of her parents. Once married, she becomes a property and responsibility of her husband, who is supposed to take care of her needs and expectations and keep her in his custody. As his wife, she performs four roles: 1. as his servant (dasi) in duty, 2. as his minister (mantri) in decision making, 3. as a mother (mata) to his children and 4. as a lover (rambha) in his bed. And when she becomes old, she lives in the house of her son or sons and has to lead a very solitary and forlorn life. In ancient times, when a Hindu died, his wife either committed sati on his funeral pyre or retired into a life of social damnation, religious contemplation and perennial solitude. Now the situation has changed. Sati is illegal and an anathema. A widow can now keep herself busy in many ways, and if she gets an opportunity, like Mrs. Gandhi, she can join politics and dream of becoming the Prime Minister of India! The situation is gradually changing. In a changing world, Hindu society is trying to redefine the role of women in the institution of family and society. 2006-07-30T20:28:25-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Status-And-Role-Of-Women-In-Hinduism-30823.aspx Modern Analysis of Utilitarianism Before diving into the depths of Utilitarianism let me first lay the foundation on which ethical philosophy is based. When conducting any type of business in today’s society it is generally expected that you follow a strict code of ethics. In my profession as a Real Estate Agent we have a very specific “Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice” that must be followed. Without these “descriptive ethics” many of the benefits we have in our free market economy would be jeopardized. Once the descriptive ethics are laid out we as individuals must stand back and analyze the specific conclusions that were derived. Instead of describing the beliefs & values, “normative ethics” prescribes what we should or ought to believe & value. The final level of ethics is that of the “philosophical ethics” which will be the main focus in this paper. Philosophical ethics is that which analyzes and provides justifications for certain basic concepts of ethics. In this paper the ethical theory of Utilitarianism will be delved into and dissected. It will discuss the characteristics and attributes of utilitarianism as well as the problems associated with it. This paper will also attempt to show how a utilitarian can justify the laissez-faire free-market system and what problems arise from it. Utilitarianism is an ethical theory developed in the modern period by Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) and John Stuart Mill (1806-73) to promote fairness in British legislation during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries when the interests of the upper classes tended to prevail and the sufferings of the lower classes were neglected. Utilitarianism is an ethical theory that calls for putting benevolence into action. Mill interprets the term utilitarianism as signifying any moral theory in which acts are judged on the basis of their utility. Mill further specifies that there is no one conception of what constitutes utility and there is no implication of a sect. Also known as universal hedonism, utilitarianism is an ethical philosophy in which the most moral or ethical acts are those which serve to increase the happiness for the most people and/or decreases the suffering for the most people. The Principle of Utility says: "Follow those rules, the following of which will result in the greatest good for the greatest number." Two important distinctions 2006-07-27T12:55:01-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Modern-Analysis-of-Utilitarianism-30731.aspx Analysis: Essays from "Leaders and Men of the Easter Rising" Leaders and Men of the Easter Rising is a compilation of essays that were originally part of the Thomas Davis lecture series broadcasted on Radio Telefis Eirann (Irish Public Radio) in 1965. The lectures have been edited for print by F.X. Martin, who also produced the original radio series. In the editor’s words, “The contributions are intended to cover as many aspects as possible of the events of Easter Week, 1916.” Martin considers his compilation “…the first attempt at a cool appraisal of the Easter Rising in the context of the Ireland of its time.” The essays are organized loosely by topic. The first few chapters review Ireland’s governmental structure of the time, how its current leaders came to be, and how their predecessors had ruled Ireland. It goes on to the members of parliament and their history, and then the remainder of the book details the movements of the men and their followers who started Ireland on the path to independence from England The essays do cover many aspects of the events leading up to the rebellion, so in that way the book accomplishes what it sets out to. However, the lectures do not convert well to print, and tend to be repetitive, making the timeline somewhat confusing. Also, since the lectures are meant for an Irish audience, some details are left unexplained. For example, the editor assumes I know what Radio Telefis Eirann is . . . I have to guess that it’s Irish Public Radio. Overall, I thought the book was repetitive and a little hard to follow, but I was able to learn a lot about Irish politics, and the events leading up to the Easter Rising of 1916. Ireland’s Pre World War I governmental structure consisted of three central figures; The Lord Lieutenant, The Chief Secretary, and The Under Secretary. Lord Wimborne, who was appointed in 1914, filled the role of Lord Lieutenant, and acted primarily as a state figurehead. Ireland’s real policy maker was its Chief Secretary, a position held since 1906 by Augustine Birrell. Birrell was a member of England’s Parliament, and opposed to complete separation from her. The Under Secretary was Sir Matthew Nathan. His role was primarily that of policy enforcer. 2006-07-27T12:32:40-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Analysis-Essays-from-quot-Leaders-and-Men-of-the-Easter-Ri-30719.aspx Critical Analysis of "Anitgone" The Greek drama Antigone, written by Sophocles, has many antitheses. Among them are love versus hate, life versus death, and the state versus the individual. However, the dominant antithesis is the one of pride versus wisdom. Polyneices and Eteocles, two brothers, had killed each other in battle. Their uncle Creon, the new king, buried Eteocles with military honors, but forbad the burial of Polyneices as he considered him a traitor. Antigone, the sister of them both, feels she has to bury her own brother even though it is against the king's will. The play begins with an argument between Antigone and Ismene, her sister. Ismene tries to dissuade her against burying Polyneices, because she is afraid that Creon will punish Antigone by death; but her effort comes to no avail. Creon became the king of Thebes after the death of the former king, Eteocles. Originally, Creon tries to do what is best for his country. However, he is a proud man. Even when he is wrong, he does not back down. Aristotle believed that some error or frailty brings about the misfortune of a character in a tragedy. For Creon, this frailty is a weakness in his character. His excessive pride brings about his own downfall. I have nothing but contempt for the kind of Governor who is afraid, for whatever reason, to follow the course that he knows is best for the State; and as for the man who sets private friendship above the public welfare-I have no use for him, either. I call God to witness that if I saw my country headed for ruin, I should not be afraid to speak out plainly. Creon, being a new king, is determined to establish his authority. He is self-righteous and swears to do only what is best for Thebes. When he finds that Antigone has disobeyed him, he is outraged. He is harsh and unforgiving in his judgment of her. This is only amplified by the fact that they are kin. For Creon wishes to prove to his subjects that he is impartial, and does not lessen the punishment, even for his own family. Antigone is proud as well, and does not back down. Even in the face of death, she maintains her ideals and continues to believe that her actions are justified. 2006-07-26T12:28:30-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Critical-Analysis-of-quot-Anitgone-quot-30678.aspx The Value of Questions “I may not agree with what you say, but I will fight to the death for your right to say it.” When I hear that statement, I automatically think of “The Freedom of Speech” an idea America was based on. However, that quote is not at all American, it was taken from Voltaire, a French philosopher who’s thoughts changed the world as we know it. In fact, Victor Hugo said that the name Voltaire was to characterize the entire eighteenth century. For just as surely as the geological periods in the earth's history have left their stratified imprint on the earth's formation, so the work and influence of Voltaire are unmistakably impressed upon the progress and intellectual development of mankind. One of the most important days in the history of mankind was November 20, 1694, when Francois Marie Arouet was born to humble parents as a puny, sickly, ugly child. This anemic and cynically faced individual made the time in which he lived momentous (10). Before he was ten years old, it was plain that the young Voltaire had a clever mind. At that age he was sent to a boys' school in France. His body was lean and thin and his mind was keen and active, and neither his body nor his mind changed these characteristics to the day of his death. At the school he says he learned "Latin and nonsense," and nothing else. Voltaire was not like the other boys. He did not care for games or sports. While the other children were busy with youthful games he was talking with the fathers, who were the teachers in the school. He turned his eyes to his professors and said, "Everyone must jump after his own fashion." This was an idea Voltaire always carried with him his entire life (28). At the age of fifteen, his father decided to make him an advocate. He picked out the profession for his son, because it was his own; but Voltaire's early efforts at poetry had given him the ambition to write and he insisted that he should not follow his father's footsteps, but devote his life to literature. "Literature," said the parent, "is the profession of the man who wishes to be useless to society, and a burden to his relatives, and to die of hunger." Bur even Voltaire's father could not make a 2006-07-26T12:20:51-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Value-of-Questions-30675.aspx Humanity's Fascination With Immortality Humanity has always been fascinated with the allure of immortality and although in the beginning vampires were not a symbol of this, as time passed and society changed so did the ideas and perceptions surrounding them. The most important thing to ask yourself at this point is ‘What is immortality?' Unfortunately this isn't as easily answered as asked. The Merriam Webster Dictionary says immortality is ‘the quality or state of being immortal; esp : unending existence' while The World Book Encyclopedia states it as ‘the continued and eternal life of a human being after the death of the body.' A more humorous definition can be found in The Devil's Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce: ‘A toy which people cry for, And on their knees apply for, Dispute, contend and lie for, And if allowed Would be right proud Eternally to die for.' While all of these are accurate interpretations to some extent none of them encompass all of what immortality really is. The reason for this is simple; there is no true definition or guideline by which to follow. Immortality means something different to each and every person on this earth. Down through the ages people have been immortalized by deeds, words, songs, poetry, and a number of other endeavors, but some have always sought the elusive Philosopher's Stone; the answer to true immortality Since the beginning of recorded history, everlasting life has been pursued by old and young, rich and poor. One need only look to the Gilgamesh Epic, the oldest story in the world, to discover where these roots lay. Gilgemesh, the mighty king and warrior, fearing his own demise, seeks out Utnapishtim, a mortal made immortal by the gods, in the hopes that he'll reveal the secret of eternal life. The immortal tells the king of a flower, which when eaten, bestows eternal life. Note that the answer is tangible and real, something that can be seen and held. Not immortality for the soul, but for the body. In the end Gilgamesh fails at his quest, but he is all the wiser for his journeys. The Greeks, too, sought immortality, but it tended to be of a spiritual nature only, because generally the gods were the only ones considered 2006-07-26T12:08:21-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Humanity-s-Fascination-With-Immortality-30671.aspx Meaning of Buddha Images In keeping with their emphasis on the oldest and most fundamental teachings, Theravada Buddhists produce only a narrow range of Buddhist imagery. Nearly every Southeast Asian Buddha image is made in one of these postures (mudras) that can easily be identified by the position of the hands: Dispelling Fear: Hand raised with palm facing outwards and fingers extended in a universal gesture of protection, benevolence, and peace. Teaching: Hand raised with palm facing outwards and index finger forming a circle with the thumb. Teaching the First Sermon: Both hands together at the chest with fingers on one hand forming a circle representing the “wheel of law” while the other hand touches the wheel to set it in motion (representing the beginning of Buddhist teaching) Meditation: Hands resting together on the lap. The gesture symbolizes perfect balance of thought and tranquility. Calling the Earth to Witness: With palm inwards, the right hand touches the ground and “calls the earth to witness” the Buddha’s enlightenment. The gesture symbolizes unshakable faith and resolution and is the most common posture for Southeast Asian temple images. Passage to Nirvana: The reclining Buddha representing the Buddha’s death. The posture symbolizes complete peace and detachment from the world. Offering or Wish Granting: Hand points down with palm facing out. The gesture represents the offering of Buddhist teaching to the world. Sometimes the teaching, and its benefit, is symbolically represented by a small piece of medicinal myroloban fruit. One particularly majestic style of standing offering image with the robes flared out is also known in Thailand and Laos as the “Calling for Rain” posture. Each of these positions can be associated with a moment in the Buddha’s life that has an important lesson, although the description of these scenes varies considerably. For example, Burmese temple murals of the moment of the Buddha’s enlightenment depict the seated Buddha being challenged by an army of demons summoned by the devil, Mara. The Buddha’s hand touches the ground to summon the Earth Goddess who wrings out her hair to unleash a flood that sweeps away the demons. A substantially different version of the story has Mara verbally challenging the Buddha: “Who knows that you have attained enlightenment?” The Buddha touches the ground and 2006-07-25T12:30:15-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Meaning-of-Buddha-Images-30626.aspx Widespread Influence of Gandhi There is not a single country in the whole world where the name of Mahatma Gandhi is not known. He became famous because he dedicated his whole life to the service of the motherland, and service of humanity. Today, I am going to tell you in brief, the story of Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the Nation, or Bapuji, as he is affectionately called. Gandhi's father Karamchand Gandhi, popularly known as Kaba, was a Minister there in Porbandar. Kaba Gandhi was an honest, upright man, a strict disciplinarian, and very hot tempered. His wife Putalibai was a extremely religious person. She would not have her meal until she had worshipped the sun. Hence sometimes in the rainy season, she would go hungry for two-three days at a stretch. She was a very loving person, and immensely hard-working. To these parents a son was born on October 2nd, 1869. He was their youngest son. He was called Mohandas. He was our Gandhi. The strict discipline of his father, the religious bent of mind of his mother, all influenced Gandhi greatly. He was deeply attached to his parents and brothers. The values of truthfulness, honesty, integrity were instilled in him from the very beginning. As a child he was not very brave. He was mortally afraid of the dark, of ghosts and spirits, and also of snakes and scorpions. At night he would cry in fear. The maid who looked after him scolded him very often. "You should be ashamed of yourself" she would say. "What will you do when you grow up?" She then told him that every time he was frightened he should take the name of God Ramah. Gandhi took her advice, and gradually he overcome his fear. Soon it was time for him to go to school. As his father was in Rajkot at that time, he attended the school there. Being extremely shy, he did not mix with the other children. Most of the time he kept to himself. In the beginning he did not like some of the subjects that were taught to him, but with encouragement from his teachers he studied them, and began to enjoy them. From then onwards he took his studies very seriously. Mohan was very shy. As soon as the school bell rang, he collected his books and hurried home. Other boys chatted and stopped on the 2006-07-24T14:18:19-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Widespread-Influence-of-Gandhi-30593.aspx Use of Symbolism in "A Good Man is Hard to Find" The short story, “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” represents symbolism which leaves the readers of Flannery O’Conner’s work with many images and ideas of what he really means. O”Conner grew up in the south in Savannah and Milledgeville Georgia and believes the most important influences on her life were “being a Catholic and a Southerner and a writer.” (Discovering Literature 318) Her early life explains why she writes about the south in this story and provides symbolism between the grandmother and the Old South. The grandmother represents the Old South with her knowledge of historic homes and wanting respect. Because she is the oldest of the vacationers, the grandmother is an opinionated woman whom tries to control every situation. People who grew up in the Old South are very educated about historic homes and the history of their native state which influences old southerners to become more interested in sight seeing places of this character. In the beginning of the story the grandmother is trying to persuade her son and his family of traveling to East Tennessee rather than Florida. She supports her idea by telling her son, Bailey, that East Tennessee will be more educational for the children since they have never vacationed there before. Later in the story when they are traveling to Florida she mentions a plantation she knew and expressed interest in taking a short detour to see the home. The grandmother again wants to educate the children of the plantation and mentions some of the qualities of the home such as the “beautiful glass in the front door way and the candle lamp in the hall,” although the kids were more interested in the secret panel that she had lied about just to get their attention. Another characteristic that the grandmother has that represents the Old South is her morals and values of respect. She comes on very strong with this important issue when the young boy, John Wesley, ordered to go through Georgia fast so that he wouldn’t have to look at it much. The remark the boy made struck the grandmother in the wrong place and came back with “In my time,” said the grandmother, folding her vein fingers, “children were more respectful of their native states and their parents and everything else.” Furthermore a characteristic that is more 2006-07-24T08:15:24-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Use-of-Symbolism-in-A-Good-Man-is-Hard-to-Find-30570.aspx Reflections and Questions on the Flood of Genesis The debate of the extent and authenticity of the Genesis flood is by no means close to a conclusion. Theories and assumptions of every kind from all directions of biased beliefs have been analyzed, supported and negated. Reviewing publicized scientific and literary texts of the last decade have, however, shined a bit more light on the issue of Moses’ account in the Pentateuch. Whether biblical or scientific, scholars do not argue the fact that a tremendous natural force of water did splurge into the lands of ancient Mesopotamia. Contrast between these analysis’ begin when measurements are attempted to be placed onto this vast natural disaster. Measuring where the shores of this flood began and ended or even if it had an ending are quite broad, it is debated using terminology of either local or universal ( Wolf 101). To support the universal flood assumption requires extensive analysis of the book of Genesis. For instance, chapter 7:19-20 says “ all the high mountains under the entire heavens were covered to a depth of at least twenty feet.” How could water cover every high mountain without covering all the land? (Wolf 102). Also in Genesis, God commands Noah to take with him every single living creature. This preparation task would only be necessary if a world wide flood were to occur. Otherwise, the animals of the surrounding lands would survive and prosper. Other literary evidence enlightens an entire Earthly flood considering the size of the ark, which by Genesis’ calculations reaches its maximum of four-hundred and fifty feet long, seventy-five wide, and forty-five feet high. Such a massive ship, according to Wolf, could house thousands of animals and would be excessive if only a local flood were in order. Scriptural and archeological accounts also coincide when God clearly states that the purpose of the flood was to wipe out all of mankind. Looking at the duration of the existence of humans, and archeological dating of remains, man was quite noticeable spread out over a vast continent. A thorough investigation into Biblical data can lead to the conclusion of a global flood. A paradox exists between the universal 2006-07-23T19:39:30-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Reflections-and-Questions-on-the-Flood-of-Genesis-30551.aspx Mythological Figure: Poseidon Mythology is filled with endless stories about warriors and gods, which tell tales of quarrels and battles that went on a long time ago. Greek Mythology is very interesting in that it is filled with tales of ironies and adultery, and many conflicts between the gods. But one god popped up in a lot of myths about adultery or murder or disputes with humans. His name was Poseidon. Poseidon stands tall as one of the most infamous gods in Greek mythology. He was a very bold god with quite a temper and he was often viewed as being violent. He was involved in many battles and was often known to hold a grudge. Powers and Domain Poseidon was the Greek god of the sea and of earthquakes. He was the protector of all waters, and could cause storms at sea. He was especially important because people used to think that the earth was carried on the sea. His main weapon was the trident, a three-pronged spear, which was believed to be able to split boulders and cause earthquakes. The trident was thought to have originally been a long handled fish spear. He obtained the trident as a gift from the one-eyed Cyclops when Zeus released it from the underworld. Poseidon also had the ability to change his shape; he used this skill often. He lived in a golden palace in the depths of the waters, where sea creatures danced at his passing. Conflict with Humans Poseidon had many conflicts with human beings. Poseidon built the walls of Troy but, after he built them, Laomedon didn’t pay him for his work. So, Poseidon sent a sea monster to ravage the Troad. Many years later he helped the Greeks during the Trojan War and was believed to protect the Greek ships with surging waves surrounding them. Poseidon also had a grudge against the Greek hero Odysseus for blinding his son Polyphemus, a one-eyed monster. Another conflict was with Clito and her sons. After Poseidon fell in love with Clito, he built a paradise island for her and her sons. On this island, they founded the kingdom of Atlantis. The brothers ruled the island in wisdom, but later rulers became greedy and corrupt. So, Poseidon sent a tidal 2006-07-23T17:44:44-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Mythological-Figure-Poseidon-30538.aspx The Nature of Transcendental Meditation A surface definition of Transcendental Meditation pictures it as a natural practice of relaxation for two 20-minute periods each day. During the process one repeats a word, known as a *mantra*, in such a way that its rhythmic repetition aids the relaxation effort. The promoters of TM present it as a "scientific" practice based on biological and psychological laws. They repeatedly declare that it is a nonreligious activity in which men of all faiths may participate with great benefit. After initiation and careful instruction in TM, for which one pays a fee, faithful use of the technique reportedly produces near-miraculous results in all areas of life-- physical, psychological, social, and spiritual. Advocates of TM present what purports to be research data, and numerous testimonials from politicians, educators, sports and theatrical celebrities, as well as religious leaders, to support their claims. However, an in-depth study of Transcendental Meditation reveals that not all of its story appears on the surface. Serious examination of TM materials shows it is more than a relaxation tool. It is a religious activity. Transcendental Meditation has its root in Hinduism. All of its teachings about reality, God, man, and salvation are from the Vedas, the scriptures of the Hindus. The inclusion of the ritualistic initiation ceremony and the use of the secret *mantra* in TM are in keeping with the mystical practices of the cults of the East. Maharishi, world leader of TM, explains the benefits of the technique in religious rather than scientific language. THE ROOTS OF TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION By definition, then, meditation is emphasized in TM as the best means of "transcending" or experiencing unity with Being. It is clear that Transcendental Meditation is a religions activity in point of origin. Aspects of it can be traced to Hinduism. There are seemingly millions of gods in Hindu worship, but three stand out among them as most prominent. The first is Brahma, the creator of all things material. The second is Shiva, the god of destruction, disease, and death, as well as the god of vegetable, animal, and human reproduction. In Indian thought, death is but a prelude to rebirth. Thus, the god of death is also the god of sexuality. The third is Vishnu, the god of love and benevolence. However, above these is the all-pervading, impersonal god-force, the being called Brahman. The literature of TM refers to Brahman as Creative 2006-07-23T17:42:07-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Nature-of-Transcendental-Meditation-30537.aspx The Cause and Effect of One Man's Actions Can one man alone affect the way a whole world thinks? Albert Einstein, Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, and others have all impacted the way many think. However, how vast and wide have their insights and knowledge spread? So, can one man alone affect the way a world thinks and works? The answer to this question can be answered with one person’s name, Jesus Christ. This one poor carpenter became the greatest teacher the world has ever known. His teachings have lasted for more than 2000 years and the messages have not weakened in time. The cause of his creation and the effect his creation has been by all accounts uncanny and immeasurable. “And she will bring forth a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1: 21). These are the words an angel, according to the Bible, spoke to Joseph about the son his wife would bear. The biblical message given to Joseph states a great deal about the cause of Jesus’ creation. His creation was simple; he was created and born of woman to save people, his people, from their sins. This message for his cause and purpose is further evident and confirmed when Jesus said himself, “I am the light and the way, all those who follow me shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 11: 25-26). This statement by Christ displays that he was here to guide and save his people from death or the sins that would lead them to death. His cause, purpose, and mission was to show his people the way and the path to eternal life after death. The social impacts of Jesus’ life and teachings have affected all of his people. Who exactly are his people? Many might argue that due to their faith in other religions they are not “his people.” However, as is stated many times throughout the gospels, all people are children of God whether they choose to follow him or not. Therefore, Jesus, who is proclaimed by the gospels to be God, made into man, his people are in actuality, all people. Martin Luther King, Jr. is a perfect example of impact Jesus has had on society. Martin Luther King absolutely refused to make his battle a physical one. He was determined to make his dream a reality. 2006-07-23T17:09:10-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Cause-and-Effect-of-One-Man-s-Actions-30526.aspx Critical Questions about "Utopia" To read Utopia is to be shuddered into asking ourselves this momentous question "What is the relation between our possessions and our souls?" Are the conspicuous illusions of wealth injustices? What truth about us resides in Raphael's passionate declaration towards the end? Since the beginning of the Renaissance age, man has tried to accomplish a perfect society and government. Utopia as More sight it is politically, economically and socially perfect. But as we study it accurately it might seem to be perfect in the theory of it however, if it is to be practised it might not seem to be that perfect after all in my point of view. I will bring you to have a closer look and in the same way analyse the political system in the element of government and legal system, the economic system in the sense of their no monetary values, we will argue the social injustice as in the view of society and the structure and lastly I will write about the education revolution among the Utopians. All this factors mostly reflects the ideas of Renaissance Humanism. In Utopia we see how the political system might develop in a state that try to balance these two impulses human depravity and a communist system aimed at checking the destructive individualism of corrupt human nature. The government of Utopia practices republicanism as said by Logan (1983:262) “the fact that Utopia a republic rather than hereditary monarchy…”. In addition to that “… elects an official called Styward every year” (More Utopia Extract 1516:74). This very much reflects the Renaissance Humanism that facilitated by a fundamental reassessment of every human-made system in light of its purpose and function. Which is proved by Davis (1981:43) “…enable men to realise their full humanity as participating citizen”. Institutions exist to serve humans. Humans do not exist to serve institutions. As Utopia is a politically self-rule by local citizens (Nauert 1995:17). A responsible assessment of the systems that serve Humanity is an understanding of who they serve, which involves an understanding of the nature of humans. The laws that govern the Utopia are 'the law of Humanity' and 'the law of Harmony'. I think that 2006-07-22T18:50:49-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Critical-Questions-about-quot-Utopia-quot-30492.aspx Mark Twain's Method of Teaching For as many years as I can remember there has been a set of rules and regulations regarding a young person’s behavior. In this essay I will explain how Mark Twain’s method of teaching is very useful and intelligent given that he is talking to young students. The entire speech, which was made by Mark Twain, was split up into several different areas concerning one’s behavior, but in totality they all support the same theme. This theme has to do with how youth is perceived. Normally every parent teaches their children how they should act with the people in their surrounding and usually these sets of rules are told to them in a warning tone to impede them from braking these rules. As a child ages these rules which have been repeated to them by many different people which sometimes can be more destructive than productive. This is why Mark Twain’s speech adds a spin on the rules in a way that the students find what he is saying comical and at the same time they can grasp what he is saying without having a state of warning imposed on them. By saying the opposite of what he and everyone really mean it has opened up a sense of friendship between the speaker and his audience, therefore making it easier for them to communicate with one another. This is a far better method than that of a stuck up scholar lecturing on what is defined as proper. Another point of discussion is that on the topic of adults. In certain areas of his speech Mark Twain made comments on adults which show that every adult brakes his/her “law” of rule which he/she set for the child .For example, speaking about the topic of lying Mark Twain points out that as one gets older their lying ability seems to increase with practice. He comically invites the young students to start lying at a young age to benefit from experience. This is ironic because adults are no better than children in certain situations where the same rules, which are stressed on their children, are not followed by the parents. In conclusion, I believe that Mark Twain’s speech tells us a lot about how certain issues can be discussed because the best way of doing something is not always the old-fashion way. (I understand that Mark Twain’s essay was 2006-07-22T18:20:06-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Mark-Twain-s-Method-of-Teaching-30480.aspx Royce on the Problem of Evil Before spelling out why I think Royce’s loyalty-centered ethics is best understood as part of his response to the problem of evil, let me indicate what I take to be other clues that Royce was thinking about loyalty in conjunction with the struggle against evil for many years prior to the publication of The Philosophy of Loyalty in 1908. The structure of The Religious Aspect of Philosophy is such that the practical precedes the religious. In Book I, Royce discusses “the moral insight,” which can be (too) briefly summarized as the insight that ultimately all of life is related, is one, is a part of the Absolute. But, Royce warned — in words that James stubbornly refused to hear — “The moral insight discovers harmony not as already implied in the nature of these blind, conflicting wills, but as an ideal to be attained by hard work” (RAP 162, my emphasis). Then, at the end of Book II (“The Search for a Religious Truth”) when Royce reminds his readers of the practical consequences of his discussion, he invokes loyalty as the best description of that life of work. In words that preface his ethical treatise published over two decades later, in 1885 Royce writes: This chief present work of ours, this extension of the moral insight, is best furthered by devotion to our individual vocations, coupled with strict loyalty to the relations upon which society is founded. The work thus set before us demands the sacrifice of many ideal emotional experiences to the service of the Highest. Our comfort however in it all must be that the Highest is there above us, forget it as we may… (RAP 473). Loyalty appears in the pages of The Spirit of Modern Philosophy several years later as Royce tries to steer between the Spinozistic view, whereby God is the laws of outer nature, and Kant’s admonition that we can only postulate, but never fully take hold of, the divine. For Royce, we are one with the divine, “just in sofar as we have vitality, courage, loyalty, wealth, strength, sanity, of will and of understanding. We know of him just so much as we are. And we are of him just so much as we are morally worth to be” (SMP, 142). A few years later, in a lecture at the Brooklyn Institute 2006-07-22T18:14:17-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Royce-on-the-Problem-of-Evil-30477.aspx The Voice of Authority in Religion The Voice of Authority by George W. Marston asks a very important question: “Is the Voice of Authority God or Man?” Everyone has their own believes on truth and conduct. Whatever generated those believes inside each person, is that person’s voice of authority. That generator is either God or man. People have numerous sources that they consider to have a voice of authority. Some of them are the conscious, public opinion, the church, parents, bosses, witchcraft, or God. All of theses sources derive from either man or God. For example: you cannot have public opinion unless you have human beings, you cannot have witchcraft unless you have someone to practice it, and You cannot have a church if their is no God. Sadly, for many the voice of authority is man. The main reason that man have made themselves the voice of authority is because of what happened thousands of years ago in the Garden of Eden. When Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, they not only disobeyed God, they rebelled against Him. Since then, this rebellion against God has been passed down through today’s generations, and will continue to be passed down to further generation. Rebellion against God is the foundation of the belief that man the voice of authority. Rebellion against God is the same as rejecting God and the Bible. Why do men reject God? There are two explanations. The first is that men cannot fully understand God. God is unlimited in power, wisdom, holiness and many other unnumerable characteristics. Man is so limited in those traits, that God is way beyond full comprehension. The second reason that men reject God is because He threatens their freedom to do evil or immoral acts and not feel guilty of what they have done. Also they don’t want to be responsible of their actions. Men do not want to face the fact that they are in need of a Saviour. They don’t want God, and don’t want anything to do with him. Those who make man the voice of authority, reject the paradoxes ( truths that cannot be explained by human reasoning) found in the Bible. If God says that certain things are true, we must accept them as true. Yet, there are some who reject God’s truths. The main truth 2006-07-22T17:52:42-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Voice-of-Authority-in-Religion-30473.aspx The “Spirit” and Its Role 1. Introduction What role does the Holy Spirit play in our lives? It played a big role in the Dead Sea Scrolls and in Paul’s letter to the Galatians. The people being addressed in the Dead Sea Scrolls are Jews and Christians, so they do not yet know the modern day Holy Spirit. However, they do deal with spirits that affect their lives the same way the Holy Spirit affects the lives of the Galatians. In both cases the audience is being tested by falsehood, vanity, freedom and slavery. The Holy Spirit is the tool used to bring the people back to the Word of God and the Gospels. 2. Leaders of the People There are some major similarities and dissimilarities between the Dead Sea Scrolls and the First letter to the Galatians. The Dead Sea Scrolls are addressing the Jews and preaching to them not to stray away from the teachings of God. The leader or preacher in the Dead Sea Scrolls is the Master or leader of the community (1QS, 4Q55-264, 4Q280, 286-7,4Q502,5Q11,13). This is the same role that Paul takes with the Galatians. The new Christians look to him for guidance and for the word of Jesus. The master in the Dead Sea Scrolls teaches and preaches from the Book of Community Rule. Paul is teaching the Galatians the Gospels. In the Dead Sea Scrolls, God Himself hands down His word to Moses and to his people. The word that Paul was preaching to the Galatians was given to him by Jesus Christ (Gal 1:11). Both the Dead Sea Scrolls and Paul’s Letters were addressing the people straying away from the Word of God and the Word of Jesus. Both sources are dealing with false missionaries trying to preach fallacies. 3. Vanity Paul’s letter to the Galatians and the Dead Sea Scrolls both address the issue of faith and vanity. Paul wants to know if the Galatians received their faith from the Spirit or from the works of the Law (Gal 3:2). The Galatians were crucified with Jesus and born with the Holy Spirit. But through vanity, and fallacy by false prophets they were becoming flesh. In the Dead Sea Scrolls (4Q255) the author tells the people to keep away from all things that 2006-07-22T13:27:56-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Spirit-and-Its-Role-30459.aspx Analysis of "No Ideas but in Things" I am going to show the implications of Williams’ maxim by demonstrating the effects it has on his poetry, and most notably himself. First of all I would like to divert our attention to duality as a major theme, and affecting factor of such a maxim. For my introductory explanation I would like to consider the criticism of J. Hillis Miller. In his famous essay on William Carlos Williams in Poets of Reality (1966), J. Hillis Miller contends that the world of Williams is beyond dualism. According to Miller’s pre-deconstructive argument, "A primordial union of subject and object is the basic presupposition" of Williams’s poetry ("Introduction" 6). Citing Williams’s dictum, "No ideas but in things," and such poems as "The Red Wheelbarrow," Miller claims that–in contrast to the duality inherent in the idealism of the classical, romantic, or symbolist traditions, wherein the objects of the world signify transcendent "supernatural realities"–the objects of Williams’s poetry signify themselves and nothing more, existing "within a shallow space, like that created on the canvases of the American abstract expressionists" ("Introduction" 3), exposing the poem not as a representation of an object, but as an object in itself. Miller finds in Williams’s verse "no symbolism, no depth, no reference to a world beyond the world, no pattern of imagery, no dialectical structure, no interaction of subject and object–just description" ("Introduction" 5). For Miller, this triumph over duality represents nothing less than "a revolution in human sensibility" and an "abandonment" of the ego: "There is no description of private inner experience. There is also no description of objects that are external to the poet’s mind. Nothing is external to his mind. His mind overlaps with things; things overlap with his mind" (Poets 288 & "Introduction" 7). Accordingly, Miller echoes Williams’s claim that a good poet "doesn’t select his material. What is there to select? It is”. (Poets 306) Clearly Williams was no symbolist; his poetry does consistently foreground the surface value of ‘things.’ And critics of Williams’s poetry owe a good deal to Miller’s essay, which, among other things, considerably solidified Williams’s position in the canon of twentieth-century American literature. As Paul Mariani notes, "However we view his approach and strategy, J. Hillis Miller’s is one of the most important and seminal encounters in the sixty-year history of Williams criticism. Miller can be argued with and perhaps 2006-07-22T13:22:00-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Analysis-of-No-Ideas-but-in-Things-30456.aspx Mythology Paper on Gods and Stars Millions of years before man was created, there thrived a planet much like Earth. It’s inhabitants were the creators of the universe and the masters of all that lived. These beings were later called gods and goddesses. For millennium’s these gods and goddesses lived at peace with each other, living off of their own creations. Then from the ashes of the fallen beings rose one god, said to be the most viscous, ruthless, and evil god to have ever risen. His name was Memnoch, often referred to as Memnoch the devil. After a few short years he gathered a massive army made up of not only gods, goddesses, angels, devils, nymphs, and all other creatures ever created, but the very first of the titans, Cronos. The war was started the battlefield was set, and the evil god made the first move. In one fowl swoop he slaughtered every creature that did not surrender to his will. It was a stalemate for most of this war, until Cronos made a discovery. He found, by dipping any weapon with the blood of a golden centaur he could kill a god or goddess. With this new finding memnoch quickly overtook the remaining gods and goddesses enslaving them for generations. The once thriving beautiful planet now turned to ashes and burning flames, it had been completely turned from it’s once glorious self. Then the year when the third and first planet were in alignment a child was born, the only breed of his kind, titan, and god. He was impervious to the gold centaur blood, and as strong as a god. He was raised as a king next to Cronos and memnoch he held the power. His name was Desmes, he was married to the fairest of all goddesses, Atlanta, goddess of the sea. Then it happened, Desmes rebelled, it happened in the blink of an eye. He turned against the evil ruler of the gods. Desmes approached Memnoch one morning and formally challenged him saying “ A great poverty has stricken our home because of you.” His breath was heavy and he sounded as if he were about the burst, “I challenge you, all or nothing!” Slightly amused memnoch just laughed at the young half breed. “Foolish little boy,” he replied mockingly. “Fine I accept, but as you say all or nothing, after you are dead your wife 2006-07-22T10:40:29-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Mythology-Paper-on-Gods-and-Stars-30416.aspx Traditional Role of Women in the Christain Church Most roles in the Christian Churches are male dominated due to varied interpretations of the Bible. In some denominations within the Christian faith, such as Roman Catholicism, women are not allowed to have important religious roles within the Church. In some Christian Reformed Churches women are allowed to be elders and ministers, but in others, they are forbidden to do so. Some other denominations, such as United or Presbyterian, allow women to have religious roles within the Church and are viewed as equal to men. Each group uses the Bible to support their policy on women’s involvement in the Church activities. Women in the first century Church were very active. They preached, were elders and deacons, and were viewed as equal to men. This is shown best in Acts 2:17-18, “In the last days…your sons and daughters shall prophecy…even my bond slaves, both men and women.” This passage says that men and women will be leaders in the Churches and spread God’s word around the world. In 441 AD women’s roles in the Catholic Church were totally eliminated and women were to be silent in the Church. Women were told to serve but to never have authority over men. Since the mid 1900’s women’s roles in the Church have been looked at in the Bible, and many Churches have re-evaluated women’s roles in church activities. The Roman Catholic Church is against having women in clergy. The Catholics believe that women can never be priests due to the Bible and that Jesus excluded women from priesthood and the church has always followed his example by never ordaining women. There were never any priestesses, and some Catholics believe that female priests are contrary to the Lord’s plan. There are very many arguments that try to show that women should not be in clergy. The first is the icon argument, which is based on the opinion that the priest is an icon of Jesus, and those who preach about him must be males that represent him. Another argument is the Sovereign will of Christ. This argument is established on that “Jesus was not culturally conditioned, that he was not obliged by his surrounding culture and societal norms to choose only males to be his apostles.” Jesus was not worried 2006-07-19T12:53:14-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Traditional-Role-of-Women-in-the-Christain-Church-30395.aspx Analysis of Plato's "The Allegory of the Cave" The moist air of the cave hovers in a homeostatic manner around the man’s conditioned skin. He sits, staring at the flat, cold surface of rock in front of him. Nothing that he sees surprises him. He just stares blankly at the recurrent shadows dancing in a dull glow. He is motionlessly caught in a state of a calm, content trance. The cold chains around his neck match the vacancy of life his face. The only expression seen is a small rising in the corners of the man’s mouth, producing a strangely content smirk. Nothing is heard except a constant, repetitive drip of water forming a stalagmite deep within the cave. Suddenly a voice awakens the man out his trance. The voice whispers into the man’s ear, “I can show you a path to knowledge and bring you out of your cave and into the sun. I can show you a life without the chains, a life of absolute freedom. All you have to do is follow me.” The man sits, contemplating the reliability and safety of this advice. These cave walls are all he has known. Why should he want to leave the familiar to follow an untrustworthy voice to what he claims to be a better existence? Suddenly the world around him collapses. He is confused by what the voice says, and is driven emphatic by his curiosity of what this path to the truth of life really is. In “The Allegory of the Cave,” Plato addresses one of the most controversial and recurrent themes of human existence. He is the philosophical voice that tempts the man of the cave to join him in a journey to enlightenment. He views most of the population as prisoners, chained in a dark cave, watching shadows dance on the wall. They do not care what causes the shadows, nor do they try to resist the chains that hold their head in place. If someone were to break free, they would see that the shadows are the effect of people dancing around a fire. If they dared to venture even further then they would eventually find there way out of the cave and see the sun, the ultimate truth, for the 2006-07-19T12:28:53-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Analysis-of-Plato-s-The-Allegory-of-the-Cave-30383.aspx The Little Horn Of Daniel To clarify my view on the little horn, I am a Seventh-day Adventist and I believe the Roman Catholic Church is the little horn. I have always felt this way, and actually, I didn’t know that anybody else thought otherwise until I was in this class, Studies in Daniel. In this report I will try to prove the little horn is the Roman Catholic Church and not Antiochus Epiphanes. What or whom exactly is the little horn of Daniel? Well, it depends on whom you talk to. First let’s look at the views of other religions than Seventh Day Adventists. According to James Hastings, who was a Scottish minister and editor, the “Little Horn refers to Antiochus Epiphanes (Hastings, 587). Then further looking in the Wesleyan Bible Commentary, Bert H. Hall, Dean and Professor of Religion and Philosophy at Houghton College, claims, “Much of the historical material leading to the conclusion of a literal fulfillment of Daniel 8; 9-12 is found in the book of I Maccabees, which led expositors as early as Josephus to interpret the little horn as the person and activities of Antiochus IV” (Hall, 540). Then moving to the views of the Roman Catholic Church, we find that they also believe Antiochus Epiphanes to be the little horn, “This new symbolism for Antiochus IV Epiphanes is taken from [Daniel] 8:9. Three of the previous horns were torn away to make room for it: This translation is based on the interpretation supposing that three of Antiochus IV Epiphanes’ predecessors died violent deaths so that he could succeed to the throne” (Brown, 416). In fact every Bible Commentary I looked at other than Seventh-Day Adventist claimed Antiochus Epiphanes to be the little horn. Can all of these denominations be wrong and Seventh-Day Adventists be the only one with the truth about the little horn? Seventh-Day Adventists believe the little horn is not just one person, but the Roman Church, or papacy. “It’s [Papacy] opposition to God and Christ is represented in the 2d vision under the symbol of a little horn with a blasphemous mouth, in the 3d by the little horn in its later phase, and in the 4th - according to one interpretation – as a willful king who exalts himself against God.” So, who is right, Seventh-Day Adventists or 2006-07-18T13:05:55-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Little-Horn-Of-Daniel-30355.aspx Analysis of Ion by Plato In Ion, Plato presents a dialogue between his influential teacher Socrates and a distinguished rhapsode, Ion. While Socrates considers himself “a common man who only speak the truth” (47), Ion is proud and boastful, regarding himself as a rhapsode who can “speak about Homer better than any man” (47). The primary issues between these two contradictory characters’ are the difference between gift of speech and knowledge of speech, as well as the attending of oneself to moral by understanding an idea as a whole rather than superficially understanding. Ion is a rhapsode, a professional narrator of Homer, who obtained the first prize in the festival of Asclepius. Despite his “talent” for dramatics, intonation, and voice of inflection, the seemingly necessary vocal tools of a reciter, his knowledge and understanding of Homer, specifically in terms of those various arts featured in Odyssey, fails to extend beyond his ability to memorize the epic poem. Socrates speaks candidly about such paradox Ion is experiencing; “Of whom, Ion, you are one, and are possessed by Homer and when any one repeats the words of another poet you go to sleep, and know not what to say; but when any one recites a strain of Homer you wake up in a moment, and your soul leaps within you, and you have plenty to say; for not by art or knowledge about Homer do you say what you say, but by divine inspiration and by possession.” (50) Socratic theory of inspiration is a divinity that is moving a person. Socrates speaks metaphorically, saying that such is like a magnet that attracts iron rings and magnetizes them along a chain. Muse inspires poets, and poets inspire rhapsodes or critics. Socrates also mentions, “And every poet has some Muse from whom he is suspended, and by whom he is said to be possessed, which is nearly the same thing for he is taken hold of.” (50) Socrates has caught arrogant Ion in a contradiction: if Ion is a good judge of Homer, whose content does not greatly vary from other poets, Ion should also be able to judge these other poets. Ion’s lack of understanding of literature becomes crucial when one considers the role of such Greek rhapsodes as interpreters of Homer, and in that capacity, as essentially rewriters of the text. The danger is apparent 2006-07-18T12:53:49-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Analysis-of-Ion-by-Plato-30348.aspx George Carlin's Comedy and the Battle of Censorship The FCC v. Pacifica Foundation: GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS ON RADIO BROADCASTING In 1978 a radio station owned by Pacifica Foundation Broadcasting out of New York City was doing a program on contemporary attitudes toward the use of language. This broadcast occurred on a mid-afternoon weekday. Immediately before the broadcast the station announced a disclaimer telling listeners that the program would include "sensitive language which might be regarded as offensive to some."(Gunther, 1991) As a part of the program the station decided to air a 12 minute monologue called "Filthy Words" by comedian George Carlin. The introduction of Carlin's "routine" consisted of, according to Carlin, "words you couldn't say on the public air waves."(Carlin, 1977) The introduction to Carlin's monologue listed those words and repeated them in a variety of colloquialisms: I was thinking about the curse words and the swear words, the cuss words and the words that you can't say, that you're not supposed to say all the time. I was thinking one night about the words you couldn't say on the public, ah, airwaves, um, the ones you definitely wouldn't say, ever. Bastard you can say, and hell and damn so I have to figure out which ones you couldn't and ever and it came down to seven but the list is open to amendment, and in fact, has been changed, uh, by now. The original seven words were s**t, p**s, f**k, c**t, c**ks****r, motherf****r, and t**s. Those are the ones that will curve your spine, grow hair on your hands and maybe, even bring us, God help us, peace without honor, and a bourbon. (Carlin, 1977) A man driving with his young son heard this broadcast and reported it to the Federal Communications Commission [FCC]. This broadcast of Carlin's "Filthy Words" monologue caused one of the greatest and most controversial cases in the history of broadcasting. The case of the FCC v. Pacifica Foundation. The outcome of this case has had a lasting effect on what we hear on the radio. This landmark case gave the FCC the "power to regulate radio broadcasts that are indecent but not obscene." (Gunther, 1991) What does that mean, exactly? According to the government it means that the FCC can only regulate broadcasts. They can not censor broadcasts, that is determine what is offensive in the matters of speech. Before 2006-07-18T12:40:56-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/George-Carlin-s-Comedy-and-the-Battle-of-Censorship-30342.aspx Philosophy Analysis of The Apology by Socrates In The Apology, Socrates talks positively about an instance in which he committed an act of civil disobedience, but in The Crito he argues that civil disobedience is not an acceptable option. These two claims are irreconcilable. Although Socrates claims that civil disobedience is never alright, he insists he would practice philosophy even if it were against Athens’ law. Although Socrates gives himself an out when he says that one must either accept the law or argue that it’s unjust, I do not think this allows him to use his argument to practice philosophy if there were such a law against it. He may argue against a law that outlawed philosophy, but practicing philosophy would be breaking the state’s law and therefore committing an act of civil disobedience, which he denounces in The Crito. As part of examining our lives through the practice of philosophy, we must be able to perform acts of civil disobedience when necessary. When Socrates says that “the unexamined life is not worth living” (Apology 38a), he forces himself to agree to the principles behind civil disobedience. Socrates believes that philosophy is the root of the human soul, and without it life is not worth living. I think this is an accurate claim, and that this is Socrates’ principle of life. Without the practice of philosophy, and the questioning of virtue, the world would become a stagnant environment, never evolving from past cultures and past ideals. I agree with his principle, and therefore I cannot agree with his other claims against civil disobedience. Socrates says “…it is the greatest good for a man to discuss virtue every day and those other things about which you hear me conversing and testing myself and others, for the unexamined life is not worth living for man…” (Apology 38a). If he believes in this statement, then Socrates claims against civil disobedience cannot be held in high regard. Without civil disobedience, we are missing a crucial part of the examined life. He says that discussing virtue is the “greatest good” and without it “life is not worth living.” Socrates claims against him were that he “is guilty of wrongdoing in that he busies himself studying things in the sky and below the earth; he makes the worse argument into the stronger argument, and he teaches these same things to others” 2006-07-18T12:31:16-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Philosophy-Analysis-of-The-Apology-by-Socrates-30337.aspx Examination of Human Values and Goals A value is something that a person considers to be important. Financial values vary from person to person. Not everybody wants the same lifestyle. Some people dream of having expensive cars, spacious homes and many possessions. Others search for the simple life, uncluttered by material goods. Our values influence the way we earn, spend, save, invest and spend money. Personal values are influenced by family and friends, by television and movies, and by what attracts us in the marketplace. For example, you may want to go to college, yet you want to earn money to buy a new car. If you cannot afford both, you must make a choice. A goal is a preferred future condition. It is more than a hope.Goals help you to get more of what you want out of life. They represent the ideal state to which you aspire, guiding all your actions towards this aspired state. What do you need to set goals? You need to know who you are (identity), your values, goals that you want to achieve, an action plan to achieve these goals, what motivates you, flexibility and self-discipline. Knowing who you are will keep you focused as you set priorities and accomplish challenges in your personal and professional lives. When you engage in self-reflection, it is helpful to avoid defining yourself in terms of external trappings, others' expectations or stereotypes. Establishing your values will help you to set goals in priority. Without values, all goals will be important, making it difficult for you to decide which should take precedence. Goals need to be specific. They should have a defined objective and deadline that allow you to assess your progress. Goals need to be challenging but realistic. Set intermediate short-term goals that bring you closer to your ultimate goals. Keep the vision of your goals clear and compelling by using visual representations like tree diagrams and mind maps, which will allow you to create goals into organized patterns. Personal motivation and stamina help to ensure that we are on track with regards to our goal achievements. What motivates you will depend on the consequences of your actions- that is, you will be motivated to select a particular task if it gives you more positive rewards than the other, like enhanced sense of pride and or accomplishment. Being flexible means being able to 2006-07-17T23:02:39-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Examination-of-Human-Values-and-Goals-30328.aspx Personal Philosophy on Life I have no single philosophy for life, but rather three philosophies. Each of which has different meaning. My three philosophies include the following: work hard, take pride in myself and the accomplishments that I make, and also everyone is on this planet for a reason. In the following paragraphs I will explain each of my three philosophies. From this, I hope that others will understand why I look at life the way that I do. The first of my three philosophies, to work hard, can be very easily explained. I feel that if money or a gift given to me by another person because I earned the reward is much more valued. In other words, knowing that I worked hard, did a good job, and deserve a reward makes me feel good inside. I also feel that all persons should have to work and support themselves. If a person doesn't wish to put forth any effort and work hard to support themselves, then that person deserves nothing. The next of my three philosophies is to take pride in myself and the accomplishments that I make. I have found that if I don't take pride in myself and what I do than I might as well give up on life. My reason for this being that no one else will think highly of me if I, myself, don't. I always set goals for myself before I begin a project or take part in an activity. My rule is to "Set my goals high, but obtainable," and although I may not always reach all of my goals that I have set, I should always be proud of what I have done. My final philosophy, everyone is on this planet for a reason, may be looked at from numerous different views. A very small part of the population may be put here for obvious reasons such as curing diseases and saving the environment, and the majority of people think that those persons are the only ones that are here for a reason. However, I feel that all people have a reason for being here whether they cure diseases or do a deed as small as helping disabled people. Numerous people do not realize what they are here for until they are older, and 2006-07-17T22:54:29-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Personal-Philosophy-on-Life-30325.aspx Philosophy Essay: Socrates on Definitions Late in his life Socrates went around the market place having discussions with the countrymen. He believed that if someone claimed to know what X was then they should be able to define it. So he would usually ask a question such as, what is X? Socrates would not be pleased by just any answer; it had to be a solid definition. According to Socrates a solid definition consists of three conditions. The first is that the definition of X must hold true for all things that are X, but not for those things that are Y. The second is that a definition cannot be an example of the word. The third is the definition must be a description of X not an evaluation. Since Socrates never kept a record of his dialogues, we must rely on the dialogues that Plato wrote about him in Euthyphro, Apology, Crito and Meno, which are a close approximation of Socrates’ discussions. Euthyphro and Meno have a lot of questioning, which allows us to understand Socrates’ style of questioning and his expectations for a definition. Euthyphro deals with what is pious and impious, while Meno deals with what is virtuous. In these two dialogues Socrates rejects many attempts made by Euthyphro and Meno to define pious and virtue. In the dialogue Euthyphro Socrates asks Euthyphro. “What is the pious, and what the impious (5d)?” Euthyphro suddenly gives an answer that pious is what he himself is doing now. Impious would be not to prosecute his own father for murder (5d-e). Socrates is not satisfied by Euthyphro’s answer. Socrates understands that prosecuting his own father maybe an example of what is pious, but there are many pious actions. Socrates was looking for the definition for what all pious actions are (6d-e). I agree with Socrates that examples make it difficult to truly understand a word. For example, if I were to say this is an “A” paper to the five GSI’s at the same time, there is a great chance that they will all interpret my claim differently. Charles might think an “A” paper is merely four 8.5 X 11 inches of paper stapled together. Josh may believe a bunch of small black words written on a blank white page 2006-07-17T13:18:49-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Philosophy-Essay-Socrates-on-Definitions-30300.aspx Analysis of Follies in Religion I believe that religion is a crutch for the weak minded. Religion extends to those who believe in it a sense of knowledge and understanding of the universe. It does not, however, offer any proof to back up its claims. Furthermore, people who devote all of their reasoning to a simple illogical answer are merely mindless automatons of a bygone era. It not only brainwashes countless people, but divides them into factions that wish to slay each other simply because their religion dictates. Any intelligent person can find falsities and outrageous absurdities within any religious text, and for that reason shun its simple answer to everything. I am Jewish by birth, but atheist by choice. During the first 12 years of my life I was raised in an environment that fostered strong religious dogma. It was not uncommon for me to miss several days of school for the myriad of religious holidays I would attend. All the people I knew, as well as most of my friends, also fit within the microcosm of Judaism. I can remember with clarity sitting across the desk from my rabbi as he translated the portion of the Torah that I would read during my Bar Mitzvah. It spoke of a man’s right to kill his son because he was being disrespectful. From that point on I no longer viewed religion as an infallible institution. It is why I now base my opinions on what I have experienced and deduced from my experiences. That is why I try to show others some of what I see when I view religion. For the purpose of this paper, Christianity will be the religion focused on. It is the most widely know and accepted religion in the western hemisphere. To the millions of people who are members of the religion, it is a simple and unquestionable way of life. Everything in the world happens for a grand reason only God knows. This simple ideology offers nothing in the way of answers that one would expect from an omnipotent being. It merely shows how easy people give up their ability to reason and to scientifically and philosophically explore this immensely complex but not entirely incomprehensible world in which we live. It is unfathomable to believe how so many people can have faith in a god whose grand plan involves letting children be born in such 2006-07-17T12:41:10-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Analysis-of-Follies-in-Religion-30277.aspx Analysis of Plato's "The Republic" I am going to describe Plato’s theory of justice and sophist theory of justice in relation to a happy life. I will describe Plato’s theory on form and how things derive their “being” or “essence” from it and an analysis of the Allegory of the cave. Plato says that justice, in short, is a virtue, a human excellence. His next point is that acting in accordance with excellence brings happiness. Then he ties excellence to one's function. His examples are those of the senses -- each sensory organ is excellent if it performs its function, as the eye sees, the ear hears. Therefore, the just person is a happy person is a person who performs his function. Since these are tied together, injustice can never exceed these virtues and so justice is stronger and is the good. Justice is coupled with the virtue of temperance, the harmony and self-mastery that results when all elements agree as to which should do what. Thus the rule of reason is not a tyranny but the harmonious rule of the happily unified individual and society. The Sophist shows how a proper understanding of appearance depends on an account of being and nonbeing and of the relation between particulars and Forms. I agree with Plato’s opinion on justice how all the body must come together as a whole and be just for example if all you do is see and hear bad thing then that is what you will do and act out on. The Form is introduced as a principle explaining individual instances of being X, the very thing itself that is meant by the name X and that is the transcendent object of understanding what it is to be X. The Forms constitute a realm of unchanging being to which the world of individual changing objects is subordinate. The Form of good enjoys a unique status, responsible for the being and intelligibility of the world as a whole. Plato sees the world of being itself governed by the Form of the good, as also the source of value and the object of proper desire. The philosopher is thus pictured as in love with the Forms, that is, in love with the world as it truly is. His wish to see through the world of flux to the true principles of its being is thus basically an act of 2006-07-16T20:32:04-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Analysis-of-Plato-s-The-Republic-30250.aspx The Virtue of Silence Of all the virtues that most men and women disregard, it is silence. People go about in their everyday lives not even noticing the beauty of one's "inner silence." Try an experiment: Close your eyes. Tune out the sounds from everything that's surrounding you, and focus on what is going on inside you. Take a deep breath and just listen. How many inner voices did you hear? Most people do not even realize the amount of noise that is carried around in the human body. As you can see, even in the remarkably noisy age we live in, the real noise is on the inside. But even these noises can disappear if one wishes. All one needs to do is study one of many religions, such as Buddhism, Christianity, and Judaism. Each of these religions have many techniques for meditation, and their reasons for wanting to find "pure silence" are generally the same. This reason for finding your inner silence is basically the same for every religion, but to go about and reach this perfect sense of serenity can be accomplished in many ways. Each religion has their own set of steps to reach Nirvana, or utter bliss and perfection. Buddhism, for instance, has many different levels of meditation. Each level reached will take you into a deeper silence of meditation until you reach "rightful meditation." Rightful meditation is the "sinking into total silence. Silence of the senses, silence of inner muscular tone, silence of feeling" (Da Passano, 23). Although it takes much time, this method is not difficult. One has to be able to drown out all sounds so that there is no sound to be heard. It's as though it doesn't exist. The Christian and Jewish methods, however, differ greatly. These two separate religions believe that to go about reaching a state of perfect silence and meditation, one must pray to God. Both of these religions teach that if a person wanted to drown out the rest of the world, including one's own self, that person must pray. A meditative prayer where people fall into a trance, allowing only thought to occur. No sound can penetrate their thoughts. Absolute, utter silence. Christianity, and mainly Monasticism, believe that silence keeps the 2006-07-13T15:40:54-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Virtue-of-Silence-30227.aspx Examples of how Creationism Portrays its Societies Stories of creation can be found in almost every culture and are the basis of most religions. Man created stories to explain where he came from and how the world came into existence. Though they originated in the same part of the world, the Babylonian Enuma Elish and the Hebrew book of Genesis are two very different stories about the creation of man. These two stories of creation portray the two societies that created them: the Babylonian society of brutal servitude and the society of the recently freed Hebrews. In the story of Enuma Elish, the gods are continuously quarreling and feuding for power. The gods acquire this power by killing other rival gods. The brutality of the struggle for power is shown when Marduk kills Tiamat, “he releases the arrow, it tore her belly, it cut through her insides, splitting her heart. Having thus subdued her, he extinguishes her life.” The Babylonian society is also governed by brutality and this is shown through the Code of Hammurabi. An example of these brutal laws is Code 195 “ if a man has struck his father, his hand shall be cut off.” The Code of Hammurabi suggests that the Babylonians created Enuma Elish to justify the brutal society that they live under. In the Book of Genesis the story of creation is portrayed very differently. The Hebrews believe in a single omniscient God. Unlike the Gods of Enuma Elish, the God of Hebrews shows mercy instead of brute force. God’s mercy is evident through his interactions with Adam and Eve. God states, “of the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shalt not eat of it: for in the day that you eat of it you shall die”. However, when Adam and Eve do eat the apple, though he gives them a harsh punishment, he allows them to live. His merciful actions are also shown in the story of Cain. After Cain murdered his brother, not only does God not kill but also shows mercy in his punishment, “Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.” These stories in the Genesis suggest that the Hebrews believe that they were created by a merciful 2006-07-10T18:12:57-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Examples-of-how-Creationism-Portrays-its-Societies-30190.aspx Views of Beauty on the Indian Sub-Contintent If there is one thing that can be said about the underlying philosophy of Indian culture, it is “Beauty is Truth and Truth is Beauty”. There are many implied meanings of this phrase. The word “Truth” stands for reality, the nature surrounding us, the understanding of any concept or situation without any bias etc. The word “Beauty” also has several interpretations. It may mean: the clarity with which one can see, the sense of elation that one feels both physically and mentally, the kind of sensation from which one can get spiritual strength, motivation and good will. With this kind of philosophy, the Indian culture reflects the concept of beauty in every walk of life. I am going to speak about the beauty as reflected in the practices involved in a Hindu marriage. Also, I will provide an understanding of the usage of flowers, Rangoli and Kajal in this culture for various social events. As prescribed in the Hindu scriptures (2000B.C), marriage unites mentally, physically and spiritually the man and the woman in a firm bond for raising a family, for serving the society and for continuing the race and the spiritual heritage. The auspicious day selected for the marriage is further reinforced by Vedic mantras (holy hymns and chants). These hymns are very powerful as they provide a sense of inner beauty and peace. This is similar to what one gets from deep meditation during yogic exercises. One of the main events of a Hindu wedding is Kanyadanam. In Vedic law, Kanyadanam is considered to be the highest form of a pious duty performed by the bride’s parents. This act corresponds to the bride’s parents giving their daughter to the groom. The next major event is Sumuhrtam, which is when the bride and the groom are supposed to look at each other for the first time (according to ancient custom). Each of them places their palm on the crown of the other’s head. It is believed that a form of energy is believed to enhance their attraction for one another. The bride and groom will then walk four times around the sacred fire, taking holy vows that they will lead a life of: Dharma-life of righteousness, Artha-life of prosperity, Kama-life of a happy life, and Moksha-life towards the path of God. The next step is called SAPTAPADI (seven steps), where the couple 2006-07-10T18:08:30-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Views-of-Beauty-on-the-Indian-Sub-Contintent-30188.aspx Scope of Impartial Philosophy In a society that molds individuals to think in particular ways, it is rare for someone to defy its aimless influence. Aimlessness can be defied only by having an aim. This aim must not be a pursuit of one's emotions and whims, or of an arbitrary goal one chooses. Only one goal is therefore left to pursue, which is to find purpose. A person who defies society in this way is called an impartial. The essence of an impartial is to follow logic alone. His philosophy is that of wanting nothing. He is therefore open to anything and may have the appearance of being aimless. It would be so, if not for his belief that logic and reason can be used to devise a strategy to achieve the goal. His life he spends optimizing that strategy to the best of his ability. Derivation of the goal It is clear that either there is a purpose or there isn't. And if there is none, it does not matter what we do, so that case is covered no matter what. An impartial is therefore interested in the case in which there is a purpose; the alternative need not concern anyone. As no specific purpose has logical basis, the impartial pursues the non-specific one, to find it. An impartial's criticism of present economic systems Human needs are few and limited, requiring a small workforce to satisfy. In today's society, most people are working to satisfy non-existent needs, or are working for businesses that make each other necessary. In a more efficient society, money, ownership, and entrepreneurship would be obsolete. An impartial's criticism of aimless evolution Information in today's society spreads largely according to how well it fits into the market (how well it catches attention and is able to replicate). The purpose of humans in our social structure is primarily to serve as willing hosts to various ideas. In a more efficient society, random evolution of information would be obsolete. The nature of the impartial's defiance The impartial never loses sight of his aim and he never takes an action for which there is no logical reason to believe that it will help achieve the goal. Purpose of this web page The purpose of this page is to define impartiality sufficiently for you to recognize, so that you will consider joining us in a 2006-07-10T16:17:57-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Scope-of-Impartial-Philosophy-30180.aspx Essay Analyzing the Human Condition Evil is not taught, or developed, but it was born inside of all of us and it is our task to control it. The Oxford Senior Dictionary defines evil as morally bad or unpleasant. In theory, a fraudulent though is considered morally bad. So does thinking something mean or unpleasant make you evil? In my opinion it does. If you look back to the source of an unpleasant or morally bad thought, the most likely candidates would be anger, frustration, etc. put bluntly, emotions. But how can a person be born without emotions? They can’t, but they do have the ability to recognize right from wrong. This ability is what separates us from the animals, we don’t live on instinct, but rather on freewill. Therefore, man is blamed for his wrong doings. Everyone has a fragment of evil within themselves. They are judged by the way they use it. Every country, even the so called “free” countries have laws with which society must revolve around. If the nature of man was good, we could dispense of all the enforcers of law, and forget about ritual principals. But because man is generally evil, we must honor ritual principals. When thought about, man only honors the enforcers of law because he knows he has to do so, and if we did discard of all of this then man would naturally create a society living in chaos. This is caused by that temptation inside of us to test the law in some way, big or small. For example, speeding when knowing very well of the hefty penalty, and ignoring all safety precautions. What makes man evil is what possesses him to do these things. A form of evil can be developed. It is through society that it is brought out. By living in a bad society a person is challenged regularly to cave in, and become more evil than he already is. This can only prove if a person has a sense of decency and good within. By living in a society with little or no disruptions, a person who is evil could much easier turn it into a corrupt society. For example, Hitler lived in a decent society. He hated the Jews just because he wasn’t well and for no other reason. When he needed a scapegoat for his misfortune, he chose to blame the 2006-07-09T14:55:52-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Essay-Analyzing-the-Human-Condition-30141.aspx Comparing and Contrasting Anecdotes of Edwards and Whitman If everyone thought the same, if everyone’s form was alike, if everyone had no distinctions, then life would not be the same. Nothing is ever the same. Our thoughts and ideas differ, as we think in different levels, but even our ideas have similarities. The foundations of our ideas are connected through the various uses of languages and techniques. Though Edwards’s and Whitman’s anecdotes differed abundantly in theme and explanation, they had similarities in regard to tone, imagery, diction, poetic devices, and their reflections on human nature, as well as differences. Both Edwards’s and Whitman’s anecdotes can be analyzed in the areas of tone, diction, syntax, and figures of speech. The tone within anecdotes can be caught, as it is expressive of a mood or emotion. Words that are often used express their differences of meaning. Tone is the style or manner of expression in writing that gives the passage a general character, quality, trend or frame of mind. In other words, the tone, itself, sets up a mood within the passage. Edwards centers himself on the main topic of damnation. The tone he uses is one of rage, pity and demand, which makes the reader feel downcast and unworthy of one’s self. Whitman’s tone is of hope. It channels through discovery, exploration and opportunity. The idea that salvation is reachable is expressed in his tone. As in the following: “And you O my soul where you stand, surrounded, detached, in measureless oceans of space, ceaselessly musing, venturing, throwing, seeking the spheres to connect them, till the bridge you need be formed, till the ductile anchor hold, till the gossamer thread you fling catch somewhere, O my soul.” Edwards believes that one is only a puppet held together by strings held by the puppeteer, who thinks of one as nothing more than if he were dust. “He looks upon you as worthy of nothing else but to be cast into the fire.” Jonathan preaches on nothing other than damnation. He can not relate to the idea that life has significance. He himself cannot connect to the deep meanings of life, because he thinks of life as some pit or punishment. Whitman, on the other hand, discusses how even a spider explores his surroundings. Though the spider’s surroundings may seem miniature to the human eye, to a spider they are vast and full 2006-07-09T14:54:46-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Comparing-and-Contrasting-Anecdotes-of-Edwards-and-Whitman-30140.aspx Religions of the Republic of Ireland In The Republic of Ireland 93% of the citizens are Roman Catholic, 3% are Church of Ireland, and 4% are either Presbyterian or agnostic. Religion affects all aspects of society, especially politically because nearly all of the political leaders in The Republic of Ireland are Catholic; therefore the Catholic Church guides the government. Non-Catholics have very little say in the governmental decisions made in The Republic of Ireland because of this strong presence of Catholic political leaders. In Ireland, a greater percentage of Catholic people attend church at least once a week than any other Catholic nation in the world. Priests are very important people to each town, families boast if they are related to a priest or a nun. The Irish people pray at holy wells, these wells were considered holy even before the Christians came to Ireland. Saint Patrick is a man who is believed to have converted many Irish people to Catholicism back in the 1600’s. Saint Patrick was captured by a Gaelic raiding party, then taken to Ireland where he tended to sheep on a mountainside for about 6 years. Saint Patrick then escaped and went back to England with his family, but he felt the Irish people were calling him back to Ireland. St. Patrick returned to Ireland as a missionary, he set up monasteries, and built churches. One church that is believed to have been built by St. Patrick is the cathedral at Armagh in Northern Ireland near an ancient Celtic capital of the North. St. Patrick is now remembered in Ireland and many other nations by the celebration of Saint Patrick’s Day, which is celebrated on March 17th. Other Religions in Ireland are a small percentage of Church of Ireland and Presbyterians. The Church of Ireland came to Ireland as the Church of England, which was founded by Henry VIII than later got its name as The Church of Ireland. The Church of Ireland is much like Roman Catholic but is more liberal on topics such as abortion, and divorce. The Presbyterians arrived in Ireland in the 16th and 17th centuries by Scottish settlers whose mission was to convert the Irish people to Presbyterianism. The Presbyterians are led by Lay’s and Clergy’s, both of them preach but only the Clergy can baptize and give 2006-07-09T14:21:44-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Religions-of-the-Republic-of-Ireland-30126.aspx Many philosophers have argued against the verification and the falsification criterion of meaning, and its challenge to religious languagee. However the falsification theory in religious language can be considered “meaningless” since true believers exercise faith, but do not allow any evidence to count against their ideas. Criticism of logical positivism came from many philosophers which include; Ayer, Hare, Mitchell, Swinburne and Wittgenstein. The principle behind the idea of falsification was first suggested by Karl Popper, “Science is more concerned with falsification of hypothesis than with the verification.”(Tillman ,195) Popper recognized that science did not move from observation to theory but rather the other way round. The falsification theory isn’t without its criticisms. It has been argued in various ways that theory does not rule religious language to be meaningless. Hare was one such philosopher; he argued that religious statements were never intended as assertions, but alternative ways of looking at the world. Hare illustrates this by argueing against Anthony Flew. He claims that Flew does not realize that different people have very different standards for verification and falsification. What counts as falsifying evidence for one person might not count for another. In Hare’s terms, not everyone has the same blik. A blik is a frame of reference in terms of which data is interpreted. Hare says: “without a blik there can be no explanation; for it is by our bliks that we decide what is and what is not an explanation.”(Stewart, 229) Hare illustrates this with the parable of the paranoid man. “A certain lunatic is convinced that all dons want to murder him. His friends introduce him to all the mildest and most respectable dons that they can find, and after each of them has retired, they say, “You see, he doesn’t really want to murder you; he spoke to you in a most cordial manner; surely you are convinced now?” But the lunatic replies, “Yes, but that was only is diabolical cunning; he’s really plotting against me the whole time, like the rest of them; I know it, I tell you.” However many kindly dons are produced, the reaction is still the same.”(Stewart, 227) The paranoid man’s entire frame of reference is paranoid. Any evidence that might count to falsify the claim that dons are all killers simply does not count as evidence in a paranoid’s frame of reference. Many kindly dons 2006-07-08T19:46:43-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Religous-Language--30100.aspx Philisophical Defintion of the Meaning of Evil Evil has been described throughout time and in all places of the world in numerous ways. Tradition has taught both scholars and average individuals to appreciate the delicate balance between good and evil; right versus wrong; bad versus good. Hell has long been feared by many as the permanent resting place for tortured souls that committed unforgivable sins on Earth. To some, it is the simple fear, such as a monster underneath one's bed, which lingers from that person's childhood continuing to challenge the senses. To others, it is the inner voices within the mind expressing the ultimate freedom that can only be obtained by taking another life in a gruesome fashion. History has even allowed for the celebration preceding the Christian feast of All Saints Day. The observances connected with Halloween are thought to have originated among the ancient Druids, who believed that on that evening, Saman, the lord of the dead, called forth hosts of evil spirits. (Halloween np). Clearly, evil has a past, and a very active future. The many variations of evil will be compared and contrasted through instruments such as poetry, art, and musical selections to gain a heightened awareness of what existed in the past, and still exists today. Webster defines evil as, "morally wrong or bad; wicked; causing pain or trouble; threatening or bringing misfortune; unlucky; offensive, or anything causing harm." (Neufeldt 471). Although large in breadth and depth, this definition is symbolic of what most people relate to when they think of evil. However, the non-typical association with evil arrives in the form of mental torment or torturous thoughts ranging from negativity to self-destruction. Obvious to many, yet hidden from some, evil can manifest itself into one's very being and begin a dangerous journey. The first poem to be analyzed is "The Slave Auction" by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper. (Harper 13). [see appendix A]. This piece of work expresses evil in the states of brutality and sadness. Slavery is thought by some, as being "morally wrong." In the poem, a woman describes the ruthlessness of the slave auction and the sadness which it induces. The woman speaks of young, defenseless girls crying and heartbroken mothers losing children and spouses. Tyrants tore apart families and ultimately dictated the 2006-07-05T23:48:52-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Philisophical-Defintion-of-the-Meaning-of-Evil-30057.aspx Character Analysis from the Story of Adam and Eve Satan: The main dude of the story. He was a top angel who wants to rule Heaven. He hates having to follow or be second to God or his son, Jesus. Satan gets pissed when God’s son is given more power. After losing his revolution in Heaven, he can’t handle the loss, so he ruins the lives of God’s newest favorite creation, Adam and Eve. Satan’s not an ass all the time -- he doesn’t want to mess too badly with Adam and Eve, and misses the beauty of heaven, but he feels he has to do evil. He struggles to be free, but his huge ego and pride get in the way. Beelzebub: Another fallen angel, better known as Lord of the Flies. He supports Satan when he’s down in the beginning of the story. God: He knows Adam and Eve are going to sin, but is pissed at them for breaking his rule -- they weren’t supposed to eat from the Tree of Knowledge. He wants them to stay innocent, like children. But through his son’s pleading, he allows them to later be saved. He gives his power to his son, Jesus, to fight Satan. God’s Son: Jesus, though never called so in the story, since he didn’t come to the earth as a person until his virgin birth through Mary. He beats Satan and saves the future of mankind by his later sacrifice. He’s the middle-man between God and Adam and Eve. Raphael: An angel who is sent by God to warn Adam and Eve of Satan’s plan. He tells them all about the war in heaven. Adam: The first man. He’s loyal to God and really loves his wife, Eve. After she eats the apple, he knows she’s lost, but out of his love for her, he eats it, too. He’s also curious about the universe and creation, and asks a lot of good questions. Eve: The first woman and Adam’s wife, who really gets the short end of the stick. She takes the bite of the apple, but Satan does an amazing job of convincing her to become more knowledgeable. She was working all day in the hot sun, when Satan shows her the juicy fruit. How couldn’t she? PLOT Satan and all the other angels who fought against 2006-07-05T23:41:17-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Character-Analysis-from-the-Story-of-Adam-and-Eve-30053.aspx Themes Common among Angels in the North Country Angels are our guardians. They perform special acts of benevolence to help and assist people in their daily lives. Although humans may never see angels in their lifetime, they are here spiritually and play a special role in protecting them. Wolves, on the other hand, may be represented as a symbol of evil, but in fact, they are very much like angels. Like angels, wolves are watchers. They do not harm but are just there. The wolves were send as a cure to protect the people, much in the same way that angels are here to give them hope. Without hope, people are left with no desire to do anything. Angels do not need to resemble humans. In fact, in the film, Never Cry Wolf, the are just the opposite, they are wolves. Wolves have much the same characteristics as angels. They roam peacefully in search of tranquility. Their mysterious eyes are so intimidating and ominous yet the movie implies they are tame, innocent and peaceful. To illustrate this, the individual in the story, Tyler, was able to approach the cubs in the cave and they did not even make a threatening gesture. He was able to film and pictures of them without being harmed. Also, wolves are vigilant, always aware of their surroundings. In the movie, the wolf made sure that he and the person had their boundaries set. The wolf respected the man’s space. Although they have boundaries they are free and wild much as angels are free and know no limits. Tyler went to the North to do some research on the wolves. He was seeking out for the answers to the dwindling caribou population and believed that the wolves were the cause. After a period of experiencing the North, he uncovers the real truth; that is; humans are the real enemy and not the wolves. It is so ironic that men are killing what protecting them. Men are too arrogant to believe that it is their own wrong doing. They ignore the wolves, like how they ignore the angels inside their head. Angels are like our conscience. They try to help us distinguish between right and wrong. Though men never think about their actions, they usually go for the first that pops into their mind and this may be disastrous. For example, in the movie, that 2006-07-05T23:00:54-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Themes-Common-among-Angels-in-the-North-Country-30039.aspx Definitions of Knowledge In order to answer this question, must assess whether each of the above are necessary to having knowledge, and then consider whether any other requirements must be added. Traditionally, knowledge is believed to constitute three requirements. They are that the thing which is known must be true, the person who knows it must believe the fact to be true, and he must have justification for his belief. This idea can be shown in the following way. s only knows q if 1. q (meaning that q is true) 2. s believes in q 3. a's belief in q is justified. This is known as the tripartite definition, due to there being three parts to the definition. Let us consider each aspect and decide on its value in this definition. The first principle claims that one can only know q if it is true. This seems reasonable. I could not be said to know anything that was false. I cannot know that the Battle of Hastings took place in 1061 if the idea itself is false. Truth is a crucial criterion for knowledge. The second principle claims that one can only know q if one is in a state of belief concerning it. This also is reasonable. If I do not believe something to be the case, I cannot possibly be in a state of knowledge. If I do not believe that The Battle of Hastings took place in 1066, then I cannot be said to be in a state of knowledge concerning such a fact. If one fails to agree with something, he cannot have knowledge concerning its truth. The third principle is equally important. If criteria one and two were satisfied, I might still not be said to have knowledge. For example, I might believe that a football match took place yesterday between Ipswich football club and some other team. If this turned out to be true, I would have belief in a truth. However, it was just a fortunate guess, there was no justification for such a belief, and hence it cannot be considered knowledge, because there was no foundation to my belief. Therefore, the aforementioned principles of belief seem to be essential criteria for having knowledge. However, they are not enough on their own. E.L. Gettier in 1963 composed examples where the above are satisfied and still do not lead to knowledge. For example, 2006-07-05T22:47:59-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Definitions-of-Knowledge-30035.aspx The Sovereignty And Goodness Of God Several factors played a part as to why Mary Rowlandson endured her captivity. One factor was that she had good housewife skills. Her status in the English community was also a factor. Pure luck is always a factor in a situation such as hers. But, the single most important factor was her religion. Facing one of the most adverse times in her life, Mary never lost her faith in God. Her housewife skills made her useful to the Indians. She was asked to knit clothes for them. She knitted caps, shirts and socks for the Indians, as well as fix clothes that were either too big or that were torn. The Indians also had her help in gathering food such as corn, groundnuts and water. When the Indians decided to remove themselves from one location and move to another, they had Mary help them carry some their belongings on her back. Mary’s status also affected her captivity. Due to the fact that she was married to the minister of Lancaster, Joseph Rowlandson, she had a higher status than most in her community. Being a minister, Joseph achieved an elite status in Lancaster. He was addressed “mister”. “In status-conscience England and its’ colonies, “mister” was reserved for men of authority and learning such as magistrates, ministers, military officers, and the very wealthy merchants.” Mary was addressed “mistress”; in fact, she was the only woman of her town to be addressed in this manner, due to her being the wife of the minister. This status made her very valuable to the Indians. They could use Mary as collateral to bargain with the Englishmen to acquire food, supplies, possibly even land. During the first few days of captivity, Mary and her daughter were still suffering from the wounds that the Indians inflicted during the attack of Lancaster as well as being spiritually wounded. Her daughter, Babe, was extremely sick with a violent fever that was caused from lack of food, water, shelter and her wounds. They were forced to sleep outside in the snow. Mary credits the Lord for allowing them to awake in the mornings. Babe was closely encroaching death a bit more as each day passed. Mary continued quoting passages from the Bible to 2006-07-05T16:01:52-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Sovereignty-And-Goodness-Of-God-30021.aspx The Crucible It is obvious to any soul that Abigail Williams is a very determined character. She will not take the slightest slice of blame for any of her actions or wrong doings. Abigail would even sacrifice the life of others to save her own back. She is very persuasive and excessively persistent. As soon as people start to utter words of dancing and witchcraft Abigail repeatedly insists she has nothing or as little to do with the matter. She comes across as very consistent. Parris asks her the same questions over an over showing obvious doubt; though Abigail keeps to her word and over and over she repeat the same lies. Abigail comes across as very well educated. Her grammar, style and use of vocabulary would seem to be at a much higher standard than most in the village of Salum. She almost definitely uses these skills to deceive and worm her way out of situations. Abigail also has a prominent way with her words. When describing a scene or thing to someone else she tries to make it come alive in there imaginations. In act one page 18 Abigail speaks, “I know how you clutched my back behind your house and sweated like stallion whenever I came near!” When she said this proctor she undoubtedly wanted to tiger those feelings off once more in him. It seems that Abigail will do anything to get what she wants. She is a very cold hearted person. The possible catastrophic consequence of her actions upon others doesn’t seem to bother her in the slightest. The threat of death upon innocent beings doesn’t even stop her. Abigail knew far well that she was conjuring spirits and also knew that she was drinking blood to take the death of Anne Proctor. But there was no chance she was ever going to admit to that. Oh no! Instead Abigail passed the blame on to Barbadian Tituba. On page 36 act one Abigail speaks, “She makes me drink blood” and “She sends her spirit on me in church!” Abigail could be risking the life of this woman just for her self. All in all my judgements on Abigail are, heartless, reckless and a truly devising girl. Not someone id particularly enjoy crossing my wires with! By Sasha 2006-07-05T15:23:49-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Cruciable--30010.aspx King Creon's Choices in the Play Antigone People of power such as kings are often forced to chose between family and law. In the play Antigone by Sophocles, King Creon has to make such a decision. He issues the edict to outlaw the burial of his traitor nephew, Poleneices. In reaction, his niece Antigone disobeys the law and burys her brother out of loyalty to her family. Creon is now faced with the decision to uphold the law or pardon his family. Despite Creon’s right decision to uphold the law, his family perishes at their own hand. Creon’s decision to punish Antigone is a right decision and is one that any good leader would make. He is not an evil man but one who is looking out for the state. While Creon is also looking for the respect of his countrymen, all those who disobey the law must pay the price. King Creon’s major decision throughout this play is to punish Antigone for her misdoings. Creon’s philosophy of government helps elaborate his reasons for his punishment of Antigone the most. Creon ". . . [has] nothing but contempt for the kind of Governor who is afraid, for whatsoever reason, to follow the course he knows best. . . .” (196). In other words law must be held over all, and also over what course a person chooses for his/her state. Since Antigone does not uphold the law, Creon knows that the best thing is to punish her. By not upholding the law against Antigone, Creon would be going against his precedents. To Creon “the man who sets private friendship above the public welfare. . . .” (197) is useless. If Antigone is excused and put over the public welfare Creon is made a hypocrite. Another factor is that “no Ruler can expect complete loyalty from his subjects until he has been tested in office” (196). Creon’s test is whether or not to hold the law against Antigone. If he does not he is failing his test and would not be accepted by his State. This would lead to chaos amongst his people. To have complete order all laws have to apply to all people. If Antigone is excused from a law, havoc is bound to break out all over the state because people would see the state’s laws as biased. Creon is trying to live up to what 2006-07-04T16:20:39-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/King-Creon-s-Choices-in-the-Play-Antigone-29998.aspx The Kibbutz Of The Eightneenth Century Long before the state of Israel was established in 1948, the pioneers beginning to settle in Israel at the turn of the century envisioned and eventually put into action their idea of a “perfect” society. Living by their motto “Work and Believe”, these immigrants established settlements, known as a kibbutz, where everyone, men and women, young and old, were given specific responsibilities to help the community function as a whole. All individuals living on the kibbutz were seen as equal and each do their job, and in a sense live their lives, to benefit their society. This ideal society, where social roles are innate and living for the community are the very essence of their survival, is depicted, in Swifts imaginative construct of the Houyhnhnms society in Gulliver’s Travels and throughout Blake’s Songs of Innocence and Experience, particularly in The Chimney-sweeper (Innocence) and London (Experience). The Houyhnhnms society, as seen through the eyes of Gulliver, was pragmatically simple. Their principle virtues were based on friendship and benevolence. They are concerned more with the community than with their own personal advantages, even choosing their mates to promote the race as a whole. The Houyhnhnms believed in breeding industriousness, cleanliness, and civility in their young and exercise them for speed and strength. Gulliver reaches a stage in his stay with the Houyhnhnms were he no longer cares about mankind as an individual. He becomes consumed with the simplicity of the Houyhnhnms belief system and admires their style of living, to the point where he doesn’t want to return to his own homeland. Gulliver is forced to eventually leave the Houyhnhnms, however finds it very difficult to leave their society. Leaving aside their class system, amongst themselves and between the Yahoos, the satire portrayed in the Houyhnhnms culture resembles those ideas, which became the foundation for life on the kibbutz. Each individual, both on the kibbutz and among the Houyhnhnms, recognizes their place in the bigger picture. The Houyhnhnms would gather every four years to discuss what could be done to better their community. Similarly, when settlers on the kibbutz would meet their goals were more focused on improving their community life rather than their own individual lives. The love and sense of community imposed on the individual from birth, on the kibbutz and among the 2006-07-03T23:42:45-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Kibbutz-Of-The-Eightneenth-Century-29968.aspx Allusions (For The Handmaid's Tale) Imagine a time and a place in the future where women are not allowed to show their face and are forced to wear long red garments. A place where love and romance are forbidden and to participate in such a way is punishable by death. Margaret Atwood's novel "The Handmaid's Tale" shows what life would be like in a place like this. Atwood uses biblical allusions to show similarities between the society and the characters with the events in the bible. One of the first biblical allusions is the Republic of Gileade. In the Bible the Gilead is a land where families went to live because the soil was fertile and the livestock was prosperous. The Republic of Gilead was prosperous because of its fertile soil. However, in "The Handmaid's Tale", it was the woman who could have children, not fertile soil. The allusion applies in this society because their prosperity was procreation. If you could not have children, you were worthless, unless you were wealthy and have your children through your handmaid. Therefore, in this society the richest is not in the soil, but in the womb of a woman. Another biblical allusion is the epigraph "And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister, and said unto Jacob, Give me Children, or else I die...he said...who hath with held thoe the fruit of the womb? And she said, Behold my maid Bibah, go in unto her, and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her." (Genesis 30:1-3). This allusion applies to "It's not the husbands you have to watch for, said Aunt Lydia, it's the wives, you should always try to imagine what they must feeling, of course, they will resent you. It is only natural. You must realize they are defeated women". (pg 61) Rachel was unable to bare children just as the commander's wife, Serena Joy, was unable to. The whole purposes of the Republic of Gileade is to procreate and those who couldn't were worthless or had a surrogate mother, the handmaids. Serena Joy, was angry and saddened that her husbands had to sleep with another women, which explains the attitude she has towards Offred. Biblical allusions are found throughout the 2006-07-03T23:22:22-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Allusions-For-The-Handmaid-s-Tale-29957.aspx In this essay I am going to talk about how the media portrays religious broadcasting. There are two main types of religious broadcasting these are worship and magazine, a religious programme will usually broadcast an entire Christian service. This service will include hymn singing, prayers, interviews and testimonials. A magazine programme will include a number a reports, interviews and features. Most religious programmes will be shown during a timeslot called the God slot. This time slot is positioned between 10:30am to 6:00pm on Sunday’s. Religious broadcasting is broadcasting religious organizations, usually with a religious message. In the United Kingdom, Christian organizations are by far the most widespread compared with other religions. Religious broadcasting is targeting a whole range of people, It depends on what programme you are watching. For example a programme like ‘Songs of praise’ could be targeting viewers who can’t go to there Sunday church like they would normally do. On the other hand programmes like ‘Tricks of the Bible’ could be targeting viewers who are not Christians but are curious into looking up Christianity. An example of a magazine type program is ‘Heaven and Earth’. In this program a women presenter presents a range of reports, interviews and discussions. This program is not completely Christian based; there are other religious views on certain subjects. Heaven and Earth are trying to use current affairs that could link in with religion. For example the program is using the topic of the football world cup. They are talking about Wane Rooney’s broken foot and how the tabloids and supporters are thanking God that his food was healed. In this topic there are several reports, two interviews and a chance for the viewers at home to email in and voice their opinion. The program is using viewer interaction which is very common in a magazine style program. Viewer interaction is when the presenter or presenters use technology like e-mail and phone to ask the viewers opinion on a certain subject. This shows that the program is not old fashioned and that they are up to date with modern aspects of human life. Most people believe that religious programmes are old fashioned are only about people singing and praising god, this program has defied this view. The presenter of the show is Gloria Hunniford, she is roughly in her 60’s and has appeared in many other programmes like; ‘This Morning’, ‘This is your Life’ and 2006-07-03T21:43:40-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Religious-Broadcasting-29945.aspx Comparing the Bible and the Rig-Veda The Rig-Veda is a collection of hymns, which contain the mythology of the Hindu gods, and is considered to be one of the foundations of the Hindu religion. The Rig Veda was passed on orally for many generations. When they were written down, they were first written in Vedic, an early form of Sanskrit. Then around 300 B.C. the Vedas were written down in the form we have them today. The Rig Veda, Book of Genesis, and the Book of Psalms are all fundamental to the thought of each of the followers. Although the Rig Veda and The King James Version of the Bible are quite different, they have a various quantity of similarities. The first similarities between the two texts (The Book of Genesis and the Rig Veda) are the ideas of creationism. The two manuscripts both imply that earth was nothing before our creator. The documents use sensory detail to include that before the creations of earth everything was dark there was nothingness. “And the earth was without form and, void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep and the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” (1:2 The Book of Genesis.) “The non-existent was not; the existent was not at that time. The atmosphere was not nor the heavens which are beyond. What was concealed? Where? In whose protection? Was it water? An unfathomable abyss?” (Creation hymn from the Rig Veda) Each insisting that earth would be formed and flourish under the power of its creator. A further comparison with the idea of creationism is water. In and around the same point in both texts water was created. In each ancient script water was brought down from the heavens to earth through the rain. In the Rig Veda the creator of rain is also the god of war and the sky. “The one who, having killed the serpent, released the seven rivers.” This piece from the Rig Veda is praising the god for making rain after a very long drought, which released streams and gave the people water. “And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” (1:6 in The Book of Genesis.) This shows how god wanted to create water for the earth. In the Bible God creates water 2006-07-02T22:18:24-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Comparing-the-Bible-and-the-Rig-Veda-29900.aspx How does Mary Shelly engage the Victorian readers of Frankenstein and why is it still relevant today? Mary Shelly engages the readers by pretending to be a male writer. Female authors were less thought of than male authors, so Mary Shelly didn’t put her name to the book for 13 years. I 2006-07-02T17:56:56-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Mary-Shelly-Engages-the-Victorian-Readers-of-Frankenstein-29897.aspx Differences of Buddhism and Hinduism Throughout the history of mankind, most civilizations have had some kind belief system or religion. In Asia, two of the belief systems that they practice there are Buddhism and Hinduism. 2006-06-27T03:44:14-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Differences-of-Buddhism-and-Hinduism-29888.aspx Christmas List of an Atheist AGAIN, we celebrate the "birth" of your child in the manger of an inn (with all your power, couldn't you have done a little better in selecting a birthplace?). Again, we celebrate the rise and triumph of commercialism, hanging $9.95 decorations on a $249.95 tree. And again, we pay tribute to empty pockets and devastated bank accounts. Amen. Forgive me for my atheism dear Mr. Christian God, as I celebrate the endless preaching of your preachers on this glorious day (for just how many homosexuals would live free and how many fetuses would feel safe without them?). I hope that in your total/partial wisdom you will hear my Christmas wishes on this O so majestic holiday. Since Santa Claus died yesterday (at least according to my mom), I can't ask him for anything. First, I ask that, if you in fact exist, that you hear my prayers through the hearing mechanism of your choice. I will be brief, as, if you exist, you must be pretty busy, given that you're probably answering the billions of letters sent by other atheists. Here is my wish list for the holiday season: 1. Dear Mr. Christian God, please give me some nice stuff. Maybe a sports car, or, if you have the power, a really good condo near a lake or ski resort or something. Even better, tell your carol singers to shut the hell up. 2. If indeed there is a complicated theological structure to the universe, and if that structure contains some kind of hell/fire-area/penalty box, please make sure that I don't go there. Since I admit that there is a probability that demons exist, I really would like to avoid being put in a position where they get to eat my lungs. So, please give me a hand in that department, if in fact you can. 3. Please heal my sick friend Jim. If you exist and have some kind of divine plan that calls for Jim's death, well that's kind of a bummer but I'll understand. However, if Jim is going to die then make his congregation take care of his illegitimate children as a result of some random molecular interaction, it would be nice if you could use any divine power which you might well possess to intervene. Thank you for your time and sincerity. I apologize for 2006-06-27T03:08:40-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Christmas-List-of-an-Atheist-29880.aspx Style Analysis of "The Company Man" In “The Company Man,” the main character, Phil, literally works himself to death after decades of hard work and dedication to his company. Ellen Goodman, a columnist, wrote this newspaper article in order to show that hard work does not always have its benefits. In life, we must slow down from our hectic schedules to appreciate life itself. The vivid diction describes the sarcasm that Goodman has towards Phil. Goodman composes her paragraphs with careful rhythm and beat; she repeats “finally,” “precisely” and “perfect” three times. Phil’s constancy and lack of variation are embodied in rigid words such as “always,” “of course,” and “Type A.” Extreme diction such as “overweight,” “nervous,” and “workaholic” convey Phil as a worrywart with no fun at all in his life. These words mock Phil as a man solely obsessed with work that had lost track of his priorities. The descriptions of Phil in “The Company Man” are sardonically accusatory of the present way people live in society. Goodman makes light of how Phil is a heart attack waiting to happen, his seventy-hour workweeks and egg sandwiches. “Of course,” used thee times, translates as the acceptance that we have towards intolerable living conditions in order to fulfill the American dream. Like many Americans, Phil is constantly obsessed about his work and whether or not he will ascend to the top position. Through these details she describes the monotonous, repetitive way that society exists today. Throughout the column, images negatively portray the lifestyle that Phil lives. Superficially, all seems well because his family lives a comfortable existence. Emotionally, however, his family has missed his emotional support for years. His wife, Helen, gave up “trying to compete with his work years ago.” All of his children grew up in a so-called normal family with a father and mother. At his funeral, though, they do not have enough memories about him to say a proper eulogy. Phil himself was “overweight” and unhealthy, obsessed with work and negligent with his personal life. Goodman condemns the lifestyle that Phil leads by using negative and poignant imagery. Goodman utilizes this column as a caveat to the overworked, overstressed characters in society to seize the day. In this day and age, after the attacks on America on September 11, 2001, this article applies even more 2006-06-27T02:45:23-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Style-Analysis-of-The-Company-Man-29873.aspx Evaluation of Candide and Leibnitzian Optimism “Everything happens for the best, in this the best of all possible worlds.” This is a statement that can be found many times within Voltaire’s Candide. Voltaire rejected Lebitizian Optimism, using Candide as a means for satirizing what was wrong with the world, and showing that, in reality, this is not the best of all possible worlds. The philosophy of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibnitz, which Voltaire called “optimism,” is one of the main themes of Candide. The two main points of Leibnitzian philosophy are that God is beneficent, and that in creating the world, He created the best possible one. Leibnitz did not argue that the world was perfect or that evil was non-existent, but thanks to God’s goodness and His constant concern with his creation, right finally emerges. It is all a matter of being able to see the Divine plan in its totality and not to judge by solitary parts. This theory was attractive to many because it answered a profound philosophical question that mankind had be struggling with since the beginning of faith: if God is all-powerful and benevolent, then why is there so much evil in the world? Optimism provides an easy way out of this. Voltaire’s experiences led him to dismiss the idea that this is the best of all possible worlds. Examining the death and destruction, both man-made and natural (such as the Libson earthquake), Voltaire concluded that everything was not, in fact, for the best. As a Deist, Voltaire’s God was one who initially created the world, and then left it to its own devices. Voltaire does most of his satirizing through the character of Dr. Pangloss, an unconditional follower of Leibnitz’s philosophy and Candide’s mentor. Pangloss’ ramblings are not personal attacks on Leibnitz, but in some way represent the thoughts of a typical optimist. He is a very hopeful character in the story because he refuses to accept bad. When Candide encounters Pangloss after a long period of time, Pangloss explains how he was almost hanged, then dissected, then beaten. Candide asks the philosopher if he still believes that everything is for the best, and Pangloss replies that he still held his original views. Voltaire frequently exaggerates his point on optimism; there is nobody in reality who is positive about everything all the time, especially after so many horrible experiences. One could say that Pangloss is irrational 2006-06-26T17:33:08-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Evaluation-of-Candide-and-Leibnitzian-Optimism-29855.aspx Critical Analysis of The Battle of Maldon They way of life during the time period of THE BATTLE of MALDON was very different than the way we live today. In that day and age, violence played a huge role in social status of individuals as well as the society as a whole. The will and skill of Kingian non-violence would be met with laughter and disbelief. To the people living in this time period war was a way of life. The soldiers who fought, Eadwaeard, Aetheric, and Godric, among others, were honored for their bravery and willingness to sacrifice their own lives for their lords and their people. The soldiers would probably be bombarded with comments of cowardice had they tried to win a battle using non-violent methods. Much like the sons of Odda, who fled the battle, were deemed cowards by this poem. In a more modern society, people are still skeptical if non-violence is and effective way to bring about change and win “battles.” Can this controversy of violence and non-violence be solved by stating that, if the will and the skill are followed correctly and with enough determination, all conflicts can be solved using non-violent methods? I believe “yes” is the correct answer to this question. If the Anglo-Saxons had a set of principles and steps to follow they would not have lived such a violent way of life. “More violence does not result in a non-violent situation. A violent force might quiet a lesser force of violence, but it cannot create non-violence.” Dr. King’s first principle states “non-violence is the way of life for courageous people. It is a positive way to be rid of forces of injustice.” During THE BATTLE of MALDON, violence was not necessarily used as a tool against injustice, rather it was a way to gain more land and provide better lives for the people behind the violence. The men who supported the violence, and fought the battles were looked up to as heroes and noble men of great courage. Had society heard of King’s first principle these men may have been seen very differently. I think that this first principle of Dr. King’s is the keystone for the others. If this first principle had caught on, the other 5 principles would follow closely behind, and a system of non-violence would be feasible. “The beloved community is the framework for the future.” The Anglo-Saxons 2006-06-26T16:39:39-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Critical-Analysis-of-The-Battle-of-Maldon-29841.aspx Philosophy of Equiano's "Interesting Narratives" The most fascinating issues in Equiano’s Interesting Narrative are his portrayal of his homeland and his primary cultural values. Why does Equiano’s Igbo heritage follow him throughout his vast experiences of other lands and cultures? Equiano’s idealization of his tribe and their culture dominates his memories and actions. Equiano’s acceptance of Christianity and an English lifestyle is possible only due to the integrity of Christian values to the primordial culture of his childhood. The Igbo culture seems the stronger of the two influences, having been an integral part of his consciousness at the time his worldview formed. From the beginning of the book, Equiano’s description of his African homeland takes on a rather factual tone, “Of these the most considerable is the kingdom of Benin, both as to extent and wealth, the richness and cultivation of the soil, the power of its king, and the number and warlike disposition of the inhabitants” (32). The tone alters from encyclopedia-like and general to personal and specific, the narrative voice being doubtlessly that of an adult. This narrative tone was common at the time and resembles Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels. This confident tone, however, doesn’t take away from the authenticity of the narrative, but rather highlights the importance of the experiences and culture Equiano’s African childhood provide, these being vital to his worldview and self image. His land is a rich “nation of dancers, musicians and poets” (34) and yet the people of Essaka live in a “simple” manner, their art replicating real life. The aspirations, which are exemplified in Igbo life are cleanliness and convenience, the qualities exemplified in its people, “hardiness, intelligence, integrity and zeal” (38), both bear a resemblance to western ideals as well. Equiano slightly idealizes the brilliant memories of his homeland and his people, in hindsight. Nevertheless the Igbo cultural values he takes from them are very real. These principles become his own, idealized or not. Equiano holds on to his original values throughout his experiences, because the cultural values of the Igbo are easily integrated. Both Igbos and westerners were competitive, individualistic, status-conscious, and practical. Thus, Equiano can keep his native ideals even after he meets the Christian world. The values of freedom and religion are compatible in both cultures, whereas the idea of slavery 2006-06-26T15:46:42-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Philosophy-of-Equiano-s-quot-Interesting-Narratives-quot-29826.aspx Controversy over Religion in Schools The controversies are raging today as to whether prayer should be allowed, or even mandated, in public schools. People of religious control over secular institutions and public schools argue that it is well within the first amendment to allow prayer in public schools, while opponents argue that this changes the rights of others who do not wish to partake in such sectarian activities. Who is right, and should it really be left up to politicians to decide? This issue is hard to bare and complex for those who believe religious freedom is precious. These people make many competing demands to balance church and state and the right to exercise religion. On the side of the religious right, Newt Gingrich, current Speaker of the House of Representatives stated: "The Supreme Court's decision of 1963 was bad law...if the court doesn't want to reverse itself, then we have an absolute obligation to pass a constitutional amendment to instruct the court on its error." The decision-makers must get in the mind of the religious and the non-religious. Decision-makers look toward a vision of America that is opening and welcoming to everyone, even religious minorities. This subject is important and should be clear to everyone. School districts should set clear policies about religion in public schools that satisfy the First Amendment. Parents should become involved in the process of creating those policies with teachers and the whole staff involved in the education of all the students. An understanding of the mistakes underlie many of the problems that typically arise in this area. These prayer issues are still important and those are involved should not underestimate those extremely complex issues. They also should not shy away from their concerns. Yet, all if us should know that our common goal is going to be different but to ensure that our religious liberty is intact and preserved. Few Americans would disagree that our individual religious freedom is precious and important. Freedom is what this all comes down to, and whether you call it freedom of religion or freedom from religion, you are talking about the same thing. The Anti- Defamation League had been fighting for the rights of religious minorities to practice prayer and other religions freely and without government interference. The prayer practice of individuals at school is forbidden but some religious clubs are active today 2006-06-22T14:31:57-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Controversy-over-Religion-in-Schools-29803.aspx Defending God's Existence Does God exist? I guess that’s the question proposed to everyone at least once in their lives. It is a strange topic with so many views, opinions, and debates. If asked what a person perceived God to be or the ideas that God dictates, each individual scrambles from the depth of their mind to find a definition and words to describe the feeling of God that runs through their hearts. With that in mind, each individual’s own interpretation and feelings arise from their own personal intangible encounters of God and religion as they see it in all its entirety. God, in my heart and soul, does exist. He is a man, a soul, a creator, an all-knowing being. He knows the answers to the questions that have no obvious answers, and explains the unexplainable . He dictates my creation and provides me with everything and everyone that is significant in my life. In my opinion, no one can sit down and debate on the existence of God. It is impossible to discuss and differentiate one’s facts as a pro or con in regard to His existence. A person can only speak from their heart what God means to them, and how God affects their life. Although He is my creator and dictates my creation, He does not dictate my life. He has provided me with everything necessary for my existence but at the same time I control my own destiny. For example, I am allowed to make mistakes and learn from them; however, He gives me the strength to not make those same mistakes again. Though I do base my existence on the theory that God exists, He does not control my every thought and action. My existence is based solely on Gods will and power. Then, I suppose in terms of my existence, He is my creator and the only reason I am alive is because He is my lifeline. He gives my life meaning. Without Him, myself and the people around me would not be alive. God is real to me and I have opened my mind and heart to Him. On the other hand, if God does not exist, then my life does not have meaning, and there is no explanation as to why I am alive. If He does not 2006-06-21T16:36:14-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Defending-God-s-Existence-29776.aspx Ellen White and the Ministry of Healing Whenever I tell someone that I am a Seventh-day Adventist they immediately respond with, “Oh, you’re a vegetarian.” For some reason our faith has become widely known from the writings of the prophet Ellen White on health and diet. Her writings have directed many Seventh-day Adventists to a diet consisting of “grains, fruits, nuts, and vegetables” which is the diet she says is “the diet chosen for us by our Creator” (113). She advocates this diet because she believes that this is the best way to provide “strength, a power of endurance, and a vigor of intellect that are 2006-06-21T15:23:01-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Ellen-White-and-the-Ministry-of-Healing-29761.aspx The Definition of Life The definition of Life is being alive, the ability to function and grow. I never thought about what life means to me. We always act like we are going to live forever but we actually don’t know when it’s are last breath. About half our existence we plan what we are going to do in our life. We don’t live every day to the fullest. Are society is institution that is consist of all this planning and not taking pleasure in life. When you are a child your parents create this protective shields for you. You are care free nothing on your minds just friends and adventures you had. This is the phase when you are so eager to start your day. This time when you are so full of life you see no restriction you only see possibilities and the word can’t is not in your vocabulary. You have so much ambition and dreams that fill your mind that you can’t retain it. When your parents said that is impossible you would say that you would be the first to do it. I think how child see life is how we should perceive life. The change between child and adolescent is phase that can change your whole perception of life. The regulation and limitation start come into view and obstacles seem to be only thing ahead. As in plain words reality starts hitting you hard. Every little childhood dreams seem to dissolve when social statues, requirements and money seem to be issues instead of your capability. You begin to lose faith in what you believe in and you’re in potentials. You stop dreaming at nights and losing that eagerness for life. In adulthood you are already operate in the institute that has been established in society. That’s limits you in your ability and constructs a procedure. Instruction and guidelines seem to be only thing that contains our life and if we pursue these guiding principles does assure our security and our values. We live in institution that eliminate your dreams and turn you into a robot that only takes commands. We live in society that you can’t fulfill your dreams and your bound of their short coming experience in life. Society set a boundary around you, which limits your ability to achieve your dreams. If we take 2006-06-20T18:10:31-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Definition-of-Life-29739.aspx Conflicting Beliefs in Islamic Religion According to much of the Western culture Islam has been seen as a backwards and dangerous religion. This may be because of the ignorance of the Western culture or just the failure to completely understand the teachings behind the actions. The Western culture also only looks at the aspects that make the Western culture seem better. The teachings of Islam came from Allah but from the mouth of Muhammad. To understand the teachings of Muhammad we can look into his past before he became the “seal of the prophets”. The tragedies began in Muhammad’s life as soon as he was born. His father had passed away a few day before Muhammad was even born this was to be the first but definitely not last tragedy to come to Muhammad. When Muhammad turned six his mother too had passed away leaving him in the care of his grandfather. At age eight his grandfather then also passed away and thereafter Muhammad’s uncle had adopted him. Because of financial situation in his family Muhammad at a very young age was forced to work hard minding his uncles flocks, but with all this misfortune Muhammad had found a loving welcome to this new family he had found himself a part of. All this misfortune that came to Muhammad had made him sensitive to suffering of all kinds. He grew to be loving, compassionate and charitable. This all affected the religion known as Islam and the religion hadn’t even been formed yet. With all the qualities Muhammad possessed he still kept separate from society because of all the evil and deception that he seen around him so Muhammad stayed mostly to himself despite being the good natured person that he was. This let Muhammad reflect upon himself, society and what would have to been done to make a change in the world of such disorder. Now whether what he taught to the people were actually the word of god or his own words I’m not going to discuss but it’s the purpose and the teachings themselves that I will shed light onto. With only a few exceptions the theological concepts of Islam are virtually identical to those of Judaism and Christianity. At the time Muhammad started his teachings the single hardest belief to teach was the belief that there was one and only one God who was everywhere at once yet at the same 2006-06-20T17:33:19-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Conflicting-Beliefs-in-Islamic-Religion-29724.aspx Intracisies of Buddhism Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, who lived in northern India from 560 to 480 B.C, founded Buddhism Buddhism, one of the major religions of the world. The time of the Buddha was one of social and religious change, marked by the further advance of Aryan civilization into the Ganges Plain, the development of trade and cities, the breakdown of old tribal structures, and the rise of a whole spectrum of new religious movements that responded to the demands of the times (Cones 10). These movements were derived from the Brahmanic tradition of Hinduism but were also reactions against it. Of the new sects, Buddhism was the most successful and eventually spread throughout India and most of Asia. Today it is common to divide Buddhism into two main branches. The Theravada, or "Way of the Elders," is the more conservative of the two; it is dominant in Sri Lanka, Burma, and Thailand (Berry 23). The Mahayana, or "Great Vehicle," is more diverse and liberal; it is found mainly in Taiwan, Korea, and Japan, and among Tibetan peoples, where it is distinguished by its emphasis on the Buddhist Tantras (Berry 24). In recent times both branches, as well as Tibetan Buddhism, have gained followers in the West. It is virtually impossible to tell what the Buddhist population of the world is today; statistics are difficult to obtain because persons might have Buddhist beliefs and engage in Buddhist rites while maintaining folk or other religions such as Shinto, Confucian, Taoist, and Hindu (Corless 41). Such persons might or might not call themselves or be counted as Buddhists. Nevertheless, the number of Buddhists worldwide is frequently estimated at more than 300 million (Berry 32). Just what the original teaching of the Buddha was is a matter of some debate. Nonetheless, it may be said to have centered on certain basic doctrines. The first of the Four Noble Truths, the Buddha held, is suffering, or duhkha. By this, he meant not only that human existence is occasionally painful but that all beings; humans, animals, ghosts, hell- beings, even the gods in the heavens; are caught up in samsara, a cycle of rebirth, a maze of suffering in which their actions, or karma, keep them wandering (Coomaraswamy 53). Samsara and karma are not doctrines specific to Buddhism. The Buddha, however, specified that samsara is characterized by three marks: suffering, impermanence, and no- self, or anatman. 2006-06-20T17:00:24-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Intracisies-of-Buddhism--29707.aspx Critical Analysis of "The Necklace" Short Story The short story, The Necklace, by Guy De Maupassant, follows the life of a woman and her husband living in France in the early 1880’s. The woman, Mathilde, is a very materialistic person who is never content with anything in her life. Her husband, a lowly clerk in the Ministry of Education, is not a rich man, but he brings home enough to get by. He enjoys the simpler things in life, yet his wife, Mathilde, cannot. Nothing is good enough for her. Her selfish ways are evident in her attitude toward the material things in her home environment and in the way she treats her husband. Mathilde’s materialistic attitude is primarily shown by how unhappy she is with her surroundings and her home environment in general. One night, Matilde’s husband brings home, from work, an invitation to a dinner party. When he mentions the invitation, Mathilde’s first thought is of what she is going to wear to the party. She does not worry about her husband, his feelings regarding the invitation, or how much fun they may have at the dinner party. She only worries about how she will look and what other people will think of her. Mathilde is unhappy with her darkened rooms and furniture and desires better things: She imagined large drawing rooms draped in the most expensive silks, with fine end tables on which were placed knickknacks of inimitable value. She dreamed of the perfume of dainty private rooms, which were designed only for intimate tête-à-têtes with the closest friends, who because of their achievements and fame would make her the envy of all other women. (4) These dreams and aspirations demonstrate that Mathilde’s thoughts are in the wrong place; and go to show how materialistic she really is. Mathilde first rejects the invitation. She only agrees to go to the party after her husband painstakingly bargains with her, and ends up having to buy her a new dress to get her to come. Even after getting a new dress, Mathilde still wants more. She complains to her husband that she, “[doesn’t] have any jewels to wear, not a single gem, nothing to dress up [her] outfit.” (6) She whines to her husband that she would rather stay home than go to the party looking like a vagabond. But finally, after more griping, she is persuaded by her husband to 2006-06-20T14:23:50-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Critical-Analysis-of-The-Necklace-Short-Story-29669.aspx Research Paper Analyzing Mythology Mythology is the study and interpretation of myth and the body of myths of a particular culture. Myth is a complex cultural phenomenon that can be approached from a number of viewpoints. In general, myth is a narrative that describes and portrays in symbolic language the origin of the basic elements and assumptions of a culture. Mythic narrative relates, for example, how the world began, how humans and animals were created, and how certain customs, gestures, or forms of human activities originated. Almost all cultures possess or at one time possessed and lived in terms of myths. Myths differ from fairy tales in that they refer to a time that is different from ordinary. The time sequence of myth is extraordinary, another time, the time before the conventional world came into being. Because myths refer to an extraordinary time and place and to gods and other supernatural beings and processes, they have usually been seen as characteristics of religion. Because of the inclusive nature of myth, however, it can illustrate many aspects of individual and cultural life. From the beginnings of Western culture, myth has presented a problem of meaning and explanation, and a history of controversy has gathered about both the value and the status of mythology. In the Greek heritage of the West, myth or mythos has always been in tension with reason or logos, which signified the sensible and analytic mode of arriving at a true account of reality. The Greek philosophers Xenophanes, Plato, and Aristotle, for example, dignified reason and made sarcastic criticisms of myth as a proper way of knowing reality. The distinctions between reason and myth and between myth and history, although essential, were never quite absolute. Aristotle concluded that in some of the early Greek creation myths, logos and mythos overlapped. Plato used myths as metaphors and also as literary devices in developing an argument. Despite its central position in both private and public life, Greek religion was especially lacking in an organized professional priesthood. At the sites of the mysteries, as at Eleusis, and the oracles, as at Delphi, the priests exercised great authority, but usually they were merely official representatives of the community, chosen as other officers were, or sometimes permitted to buy their position. Even when the office was traditional or limited to a certain family, it was not regarded as presenting upon its holder any particular 2006-06-16T19:08:24-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Research-Paper-Analyzing-Mythology-29656.aspx Fundamental Beliefs of Hinduism Hinduism is the name given to a family of religions and cultures that began and still flourish in India. Like other Eastern religions, it doesn't fit comfortably into the same box as Western religions like Christianity. Hindus do not separate religion from other aspects of life. For Hindus in India, Hinduism is an inextricable part of their 2006-06-16T15:38:04-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Fundamental-Beliefs-of-Hinduism-29633.aspx Biblical Summary of The Book of Matthew MATTHEW 1 In the first chapter of Matthew at the very beginning of the chapter Matthew explains how the prophecy that Jesus would come from the line of David. It also explains the love and compassion that Joseph had for his wife. Because he did not know right away that Mary had not been with another man, but he did not make an example of her like most men in those days would have done. But when the angel came to Joseph and told him that it was the Holy Ghost that was inside of her and to take her as your wife he obeyed. MATTHEW 2 In this chapter Matthew tells us how the wise men came and found Jesus by the bright star that was over the place where He stayed. He also tells us how the wise men had a dream that they should not return to Herod the King because he wanted to kill the Savior. Also how God protected Jesus by giving Joseph another dream that he should go to Egypt until Herod is dead. But when Herod died God came to Joseph in a dream telling him that it was safe to go to Israel and as they left Joseph found out that Herod son was reining in Judea Joseph became afraid and took his family to Galilee. This was another prophecy fulfilled that Jesus would be a Nazarene. MATTHEW 3 This chapter talks about John the Baptist and how he would go from place to place baptizing people. There was also another prophecy fulfilled in this chapter, the prophecy was that someone very rugged would come out of the wilderness and prepare the way for Christ. As John the Baptist was baptizing these people he was dressed in camel hair the bible says. Toward the end of the chapter Matthew says that Jesus came to John the Baptist and asked him if he would baptize Him. And when John the Baptist had baptized Jesus the Bible says that the heavens opened and a dove came out and God said, “This is my Son in whom I am well pleased.” MATTHEW 4 The beginning of this chapter explains to us what we need to do when the devil tempts us the devil tempted Jesus three times and all three times Jesus quoted scripture to him 2006-06-16T15:35:29-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Biblical-Summary-of-The-Book-of-Matthew-29631.aspx Religious Comparison of Christianity and Islam You had to know history to understand what Bosnia and Kosovo were all about. That conflict proved that the war between Christianity and Islam has never ended. Over the ages, it simply took on different forms. Because we live in such a highly secularized society, we cannot believe that America could ever become involved in a religious war in this day and age. Yet ferocious religious wars have been going on all over the place: in Northern Ireland, Israel, the Balkans, the Sudan and Russia. But history is a very harsh taskmaster and refuses to let us Americans escape into our secular fantasies and hot houses for long. Thus, it is vitally important for us to reconnect with the human race's never-ending history of religious struggle. That a group of Islamic terrorists, living in a remote, war-torn, famine-ridden, hell-hole in Asia could organize the kind of mind-boggling attack against America that took place on Sept. 11, means that America is not only not exempt from history, but has been dragged kicking and screaming back into the middle of it. Back in 1588, Christopher Marlowe, master of historical drama, wrote his famous Tamburlaine 2. In it, there is a fascinating scene in which the Christian King Sigismund of Hungary and Orcanes, the Muslim King of Natolia, both former enemies, decide to establish peace between them in order to join forces to defeat Tamberlaine the Great, the cruel, pagan conqueror of Asia. Both men confirm their commitment with an oath. King Sigismund vows: "By Him that made the world and sav'd my soul, The Son of God and issue of a maid, Sweet Jesus Christ, I solemnly protest and vow to keep this peace inviolable!" King Orcanes vows: "By sacred Mohamet, the friend of God, Whose holy Alcoran remains with us, Whose Glorious body, when he left the world, Clos'd in a coffin mounted up the air, and hung on stately Mecca's temple-roof, I swear to keep this truce inviolable!" But as the story goes, it was King Sigismund who later broke the truce and was defeated and killed by the Muslims. While the history of the struggle between Christians and Muslims for control of Europe was for a time settled after the Muslims were expelled from Spain in 1492, and driven back from the gates of Vienna to Asia and Africa, the Islamic enclaves that remained 2006-06-16T15:15:45-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Religious-Comparison-of-Christianity-and-Islam-29620.aspx Capitalist Nihilism in the Works of Glass The primary theme of the works of Eco is not dematerialism, but subdematerialism. Lacan's analysis of Foucaultist power relations states that society has intrinsic meaning. In a sense, Sontag promotes the use of the postdialectic paradigm of consensus to challenge class. The subject is interpolated into a capitalist nihilism that includes consciousness as a whole. But Derrida uses the term 'Sartreist absurdity' to denote the bridge between sexual identity and society. The subject is contextualised into a Debordist image that includes sexuality as a reality. 2. Capitalist nihilism and constructivist capitalism "Culture is dead," says Lyotard; however, according to de Selby[1] , it is not so much culture that is dead, but rather the absurdity, and therefore the rubicon, of culture. In a sense, in The Name of the Rose, Eco reiterates materialist rationalism; in The Island of the Day Before, although, he affirms Sartreist 2006-06-16T14:57:59-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Capitalist-Nihilism-in-the-Works-of-Glass-29610.aspx Understanding the Dialect of Ebonics What exactly is Ebonics? No one can tell you what exactly it is. It is part English, but at the same time there is a lot more to it than English. There are certain structures that dignify Ebonics, or AAVE (African American Vernacular English), as it’s own niche in the English language. It is considered a dialect of English and not a separate language. In this essay, I will try to explain and show examples of what Proper Ebonics are, history of Ebonics, and current issues of Ebonics. I have found in my research of Ebonics that there are many types of English. This is why Ebonics is thought to be slang when it is really a dialect. It works much like English language but with little differences. The biggest difference is that of the sound th, in Ebonics the th sound is d. So words like those are pronounced dose. Ebonics has many patterns that signify that it is Ebonics. Here are some examples of Ebonics: Standard English Ebonics -He walks -He walk -He is walking -He be walkin’ As you can see from my example, Ebonics seems to be what would be considered bad English, but because of its structure, we can’t say that it is (McWhorter 1998.) There are many words in Ebonics that are exclusive to the dialect. The word be is used frequently in Ebonics. This word is also frequently used in standard English. In fact, the English language itself would not work without the word be. Sometimes the word be is taken out of a sentence for example “ He your father”. Another common word is the word done. It is a simple and a complex word at the same time, for example “I done see her yesterday.” The word done helps to intensify a past action where in standard English the verb have (equal to done) does not intensify the action (McWhorter 1998.) Now that I have helped you understand a little of Ebonics, I would like to tell you the history of Ebonics. Many linguists trace the development of Black English back to the time of slavery and the slave trade. Thus, the history of Black English must date back to about 1619 when a Dutch vessel landed in Jamestown with a cargo of twenty Africans.(Smitherman, 5) 2006-06-16T14:55:20-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Understanding-the-Dialect-of-Ebonics-29609.aspx Relativism versus Ethical Absolutism Relativism is the denial of any absolute or objective values (truth, moral goodness, beauty, etc.) and the affirmation of the individual, community or culture as the source of values. Absolutism is the view that values (truth, beauty, and/or moral goodness) are independent of human opinion and have a common or universal application. The absolutist's view is that some statements are "objectively true," that is, true independent of whether anybody recognizes their truth. Objectivism is another name for absolutivism. The general relativist denies that are any objectively true statements; general relativism is the view that statements are true only from a point of view (individual, community, or culture). Relativism and Absolutism About What? As with skepticism and dogmatism, many people are relativists only about some areas, and dogmatists or epistemological optimists about others. You might be a relativist regarding ethical matters--saying that moral correctness is merely in the mind of the individual, or maybe the dominant group in the society, but remain an absolutist about mathematics, saying that 1+1=2 regardless of whether you or I or anybody else thinks so. Relativism related to moral issues is called ethical relativism: the denial of any absolute or objective moral values and the affirmation of the individual, community or culture as the source of moral values. A relativist might say that there are no absolute moral rights for women to walk the streets unaccompanied by men; they do have that right in the U.S., but not in Afghanistan, and who are we to judge what another society believes? The opposite of ethical relativism is ethical absolutism: there are universal moral standards--not in the sense that everybody accepts them, but in the sense that those who do not accept them are wrong. Thus, a person who defends universal human rights is an ethical absolutist, on at least some ethical issues. An ethical absolutist might say, "Women have the human or moral right to walk unaccompanied by men, even if this right is not recognized by others. So the current practice in Afghanistan is wrong." There are aesthetic relativists too. An aesthetic relativist will say that beauty or coolness or awesomeness or whatever is in the eye of the beholder. "My kid may think Ace Ventura is cool, but that's his opinion, not mine. But nobody is absolutely right or wrong--it just depends on who you are, what your background is, your personal perspective, 2006-06-16T14:26:13-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Relativism-versus-Ethical-Absolutism-29590.aspx The Importance of Ibn Khaldun in Islam In the modern world Islam is seen as many things, but rarely is it viewed as a source of inspiration and enlightenment. Though it is a force of enlightenment and it is not only verses of the Quran that testify to that fact, but also the great body of scholarship produced during the middle Ages. While Europe was in the midst of darkness, it was the Muslims, spurred on by the light of their new Deen who picked up the torch of scholarship and science. It was the Muslims who preserved the knowledge of antiquity, elaborated upon it, and finally, passed it on to Europe. Although every person earns what they do and pass on, it is important for us to learn about and appreciate the contributions of the Islamic civilization by the early Muslims. Colonialism, the institution of the Western educational model, along with Euro centrism often portrays Islam as backwards, incompatible with science and technology and anti-educational. Muslim school children never learn of their glorious past and often the only thing passed on to them is the inferiority complex of the generation before them. From the past we can learn from our mistakes and use the analysis of those great examples such as Ibn Khaldun before us as role models to enrich us in the future. Ibn Khaldun is the most important figure in the field of History and Sociology in Muslim History. He is one of those shining stars and has contributes so much to our western world. In order to understand his work, one must understand his life. He lived a life in search of stability and influence. He came from a family of scholars and politicians and he intended to live up to both expectations. You can probably imagine what his family would expect of him. He would succeed in the field of Scholarship much more so than in any other field. Ibn Khaldun had many names. These are his names: Abdurahman bin Muhammad bin Muhammad bin Muhammad bin Al-Hasan bin Jabir bin Muhammad bin Ibrahim bin Abdurahman bin Ibn Khaldun. His ancestry according to him originated from Hadramut, Yemen. Through the help of Ibn Hazem he traced his ancestry. He learned about his grandfather who was the first to enter Andalusia. He also traced his ancestry 2006-06-15T22:49:20-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Importance-of-Ibn-Khaldun-in-Islam-29577.aspx Themes from a Passage by Joyce In this passage, Joyce develops motifs and images present throughout the book to create a moment of epiphany, where the speaker realizes a moment of artistic innovation in a poem In addition, this passage reflects important themes in the novel. Joyce uses the motif of “dawn” to suggest that this is a breakthrough moment in the speaker’s life. He begins by saying “Towards dawn, he awoke.” This is a foreshadowing of the new and innovative moment that is about to come in the passage. He is describes as “waking to a morning knowledge, a morning inspiration.” The narrator also describes the time as the “hour of dawn when…plants open to light.” This idea of light and inspiration will be discussed shortly, but it is important to note how Joyce relates them directly to dawn. Dawn is when the sun’s light first appears in the sky, and in this passage, Joyce uses dawn as a motif to imply the speaker’s epiphany. Joyce employs water imagery throughout this passage. At the beginning, he ties water to the morning imagery by referring to dew. “His soul was all dewy wet.” This line is explained by the next line: “Over his limbs in sleep pale cool waves of light had passed.” As discussed above, the speaker has been inspired by the time dawn has come, and this reference to cool waves suggest that the water refreshed the speaker or soaked him in a fluid of creative innovation. This is why his soul is described as wet, and later as laying “amid cool waters.” Also, his spirit is described as “pure as the purest water, sweet as dew.” This reference to pureness and earlier to the pale waves both refer to the idea of a clean soul and freedom from sin. The theme of purity has been developing throughout the novel, but here it is developed somewhat differently. Although the water is pure, earlier Stephen saw purity and religion as boring and dull, but now he associates them directly with this literary moment of creativity that he has. So, here we begin to see that although the water is associated with freedom from sin, it is also linked to art. This passage has a strong development in the use of water, as earlier in the novel, water was associated with sickness and death, since Stephen became sick from the water 2006-06-15T22:42:12-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Themes-from-a-Passage-by-Joyce-29573.aspx The Power of Fate and Predestination in our Lives In our lives, certain things may lead us to believe that our lives are mapped out, are predetermined by some higher authority. Other things may make us think that our lives are decided solely by our own actions, by our own free will. In my opinion, I believe that our lives are a concoction of both. There are times in our lives when we think that the decisions we make our purely our own, but are they really? Are we ALWAYS the ones who “decide” what is best for ourselves? I think certain choices and actions are left up to us. The real question is: which ones? How do we know which choices are our own and which ones are already decided for us? That is a question that only He can really answer. To me, our lives are mapped out, to a certain degree. We have many aspects of our lives predetermined. For example, I think that the field in which we work is already decided for us. I think that God has planned for me to become a nurse, and that He has planned for my best friend to be a psychologist. I also believe that our soul mates are already chosen for us. There is a reason people meet and marry, and there is also a reason people meet and break up. When people break up, it is God’s way of showing us that this person is not our soul mate. Let’s say that you break up with someone, and then you get back together. I can’t see why God would “let” you get back together for any other reason than to show you that this other person is, in fact, your soul mate. When it comes to moving and relocating, I believe that this is also already established. For example, I have moved three times in my life so far, since the age of eight. There has to be a reason for that. God decided this for us; these types of things happen for a reason. Sometimes these reasons don’t seem fair or just, but there is always a reason. As E.B. White once stated, “I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man 2006-06-15T22:28:07-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Power-of-Fate-and-Predestination-in-our-Lives-29566.aspx Emerson's Transcendentalist Compromise Within the Western liberal tradition, the most frequent way of moderating excessive bearings of national law has been to beef up individualism. Liberal ideology has been said to originate from a celebration of laissez-faire government, stressing the right of the individual, including what he says and what he owns, to be free of outside, governmental interference. Emerson, in this view, is most often read as a laissez-faire individualist, and radical individualism is usually thought to be his distinctive contribution to American culture. According to his personal doctrine of rejecting the authority of “society” or “custom” and lauding the superior merits of self-reliance, truth and power depend on adhering to one’s own instincts first, making sure those governed must be able to accept outside legislation. From this theory one can infer that Emerson does not reject submission to American governance as a limit of personal liberty, but instead allows for it as long as reliance on the self is not compromised. Liberal tensions are extremely apparent in contemporary American society, as established political institutions commit themselves to large state programs while keeping a hand private interests’ teakettle, making sure one does not boil over into the other. However, Americans believe in the traditional democratic value of a rapport between the individual and the community, or, in this case, the individual and the government; despite problems that shake citzens’ trust in our legislative bodies, Americans still expect the government to provide for them while maintaining a great deal of slack on connective puppet strings. Essentially, Emerson believes the liberal balance of individualism and Western democracy will function properly only if both exist in equilibrium; American government must guarantee the right of the person is greater than the right of the state to insure voluntary submission to the state. However, Emerson does not repudiate democracy in favor of radical individualism (as is often suggested), and his viewpoints and opinions of the aforementioned theory are often crisscrossed and contradictory. Emerson’s detailed descriptions of self-reliance contain several anomalies; he repeatedly states the necessity of personal emancipation and exploration of one’s own uniqueness – revolutionary statements normally associated with his mode of thought. However, he immediately pulls a 180-degree turn and redefines individual freedom in terms of a give-and-take relationship with the governing body. For example, in “Self-Reliance,” his transcendentalist prototype, Emerson begins the third paragraph 2006-06-15T22:22:54-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Emerson-s-Transcendentalist-Compromise-29563.aspx Greek God of the Underworld, Hades Hades was the ruler of the underworld. Hades name means sightless or unseen. He was from the first generation of Olympian gods. His brother Zeus ruled the skies and his other brother Poseidon ruled the sea, which left Hades with the underworld. Hades ia always represented as a stern dark bearded man. He is always shown with tightly closed lips, a crown on his head, his scepter in one hand and a key in the other, the key was to show how closely he guarded those who entered his kingdom. No temples were dedicated to him, and statues of him are very rare. Hades ruled the underworld alone until he fell in love with the goddess Persephone. Hades abducted Persephone and whisked her away in his chariot, then married her. His most famous trip to Earth was to kidnap his wife. He did not frequent Olympus and remained mostly in his underworld empire and therefore wasn’t considered a ruling dietie. Hades’s symbol is a double pronged pitchfork which he used to shatter anything not to his liking. His other identifying possessions were the famed helmet which made him invisible, and his dark colored chariot drawn by 4 coal-black horses. Also the guard of the underworld gates was his giant three headed dog with a dragons tail (sometimes with snakes growing out of its back).His name was Cerberus. Hades also controlled the 5 rivers in the underworld the river are: Acheron (river of sadness), Cocytus (river of lamentation), Lethe (river of forgetfulness), Phlegethon (river of fire), and the Styx river (river of hate). Everyone was sent to Hades, the three judges decided who had a happy afterlife and who would suffer. Black sheep were sacrificed to Hades at this time. Those who offered the sheep could not look straight at Hades and the judges. They were made to turn their heads away. After the judges decided what your afterlife would be like, you would drink from the Lethe river and forget your past life. It became a Greek custom to bury a person with a coin in their mouth. The coin would be used to pay the ferryman, if you didn’t have a coin you would spend eternity wondering the shores . This is 2006-06-15T19:28:58-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Greek-God-of-the-Underworld,-Hades-29556.aspx Character Sketch of Allice Trask from East Side of Eden I think that Alice brings a lot of irony to the story. It is like she is unwanted or has no importance to other characters in the story. Cyrus only wanted a woman to keep the house clean and take care of Adam, and he didn’t want to pay for a servant. Thus, he ends up falling for Alice. Cyrus married and impregnated Alice within 2 weeks after they had met each other. I think that this made Alice seem a little weird because at first she was single 2006-06-15T16:27:22-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Character-Sketch-of-Allice-Trask-from-East-Side-of-Eden-29552.aspx Women Gospels There are numerous passages in the gospels dealing with women. Some of the images presented are almost casual in nature; but others are highly important as they present God's unchanging view of women. These passages form the foundation of a guiding teaching from which the apostles try not to stray. Women are portrayed as equal to men by the parables, teachings, healing, and treatment by Jesus Christ, and also in their roles in the events immediately following the crucifixion of Jesus, the Son of God. Matthew 24:39-41 and Luke 17:34-36 each give representations of the second coming of Jesus. Each shows both men and women being taken up to be with Jesus. The short story of 'two men shall be in the field' is followed by a one for women: 'two women shall be grinding at the mill'. With this, Jesus indicated women to be “co-heirs” to the Kingdom of God, an idea never shown in the Bible before. In the modern Christian churches, this notion is not unordinary, but the concept of "co-heirship" including women was not normal in the day when Jesus said it. Another example of the parallel of male and female stories is found in Mt 24:45-51 and Mt 25:1-13, where the parable of the honest and dishonest male servants is followed immediately by the tale of the wise and foolish virgins. Each account stresses the importance of being diligently prepared for the Lord's return. These stories are made to fit to the two genders. Both men and women are to be saved. Not only through his stories but also through his healings, does Jesus show the equality of men to women. One of Jesus' earlier healings in the Gospel of Luke was of a woman. Jesus healed her on the Sabbath. (Lk 13:10-17) He rebuked the ruler of the synagogue who showed scorn toward the Sabbath healing. In doing so, Jesus uses a rare phrase, "daughter of Abraham", to describe her. The phrase "son of Abraham" was commonly used to respectfully refer to a Jew, but "daughter of Abraham", was an unknown phrase. It occurs nowhere else in the Bible. Jesus promotes the equality of men and women with this phrase. Along with healing women, Jesus also shows us how to treat them. In the case of adultery, Jesus showed mercy when he freed a woman caught in the act (Jn 8:2-11). 2006-06-15T15:51:28-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Women-Gospels-29537.aspx Thematic Analysis of Flannery O'Connor's Short Stories When people encounter realties that are too harsh, they often try to escape to a fantasy world that is more comforting. In stories, children are always escaping, whether it is to “a secret garden” or down a rabbit hole to Alice’s Wonderland. In Flannery O’Connor’s triad of short stories, “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” “Good Country People,” and “Everything that Rises Must Converge,” she uses characterization, setting, and ironic tone, to help the reader understand that fleeing from life’s consequences can lead to dangerous outcomes, both psychologically and physically. In one way or another all of the protagonists think that they are superior to others. This trait impedes any real engagement with reality. Hulga, in the short story “Good Country People,” believes that she is intellectually superior to her mother, housekeeper and the townspeople. Although, she has a Ph.D in Philosophy, her philosophy on life is rather pathetic. “She believes in nothing but her own belief in nothing.” Although she thought, “she could smell the stupidity of young men” and was “face to face with real innocence,” she is the one who ends up being taken advantage of. In “Everything that Rises Must Converge,” Julian’s mother refuses to believe that her grandfather’s plantation with 200 slaves does not have any social significance in the next generation. She feels that blacks “were better off when they were slaves, they should rise, yes, but on their own side of the fence.” Amusingly, she claims Julian, “doesn’t know a thing about life, he hasn’t even entered the real world.” Simply because she is an older woman and has white skin his mother seems to think that she is God’s gift to the world and should give everyone below her “a bright new penny.” The grandmother in “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” is superficial and manipulative. She thinks that, because she is old and loves her family, she can get what she wants in life. When the Misfit begins his shooting rampage, she says “you’ve got good blood, I know you’re a good man,” as if her reassurance will change his mind. Another trait that all of the main characters share is their fearfulness. Hulga is scared of happiness. By changing her name to Hulga, “the ugliest name that she 2006-06-15T00:45:56-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Thematic-Analysis-of-Flannery-O-Connor-s-Short-Stories-29526.aspx Analysis of the Epic of Gilgamesh The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the masterpieces of world literature. Exploring mankind's universal longing for immortality, the poem tells the story of a Babylonian hero's quest for glory and flight from death. A feeling of resentment is something each and every one of us felt throughout our lives. Some say it is a phase we go through, I say it's common. The more you try to appease others the less you feel about yourself. Is it truly important to consider this hatred and opinion of others, as Dimmesdale has? Or, deny yourself opportunities, that as an end result you ruin. Originality can be discovered by accepting situations or can be dealt by revenge. By refusing to believe what truth may bring, you are always aware of your sins. You simply just blind yourself to the facts that surround you. Hence, trying to destroy the creative source only leads to self-destruction This is a brief discussion of the Gilgamesh epic as it relates to the Old Testament. The most well-known parallel between the epic and the Bible is of course the story of the Flood, in Genesis 6-7. This is essentially equivalent to the story that Utnapishtim, the Sumerian Noah, tells to Gilgamesh on Tablet XI. Even the way the narrative is laid out is similar – the gods put a bug in Utnapishtim’s ear; a description of how the ark is built (“daubed with bitumen,” a common glue or mortaring agent in Mesopotamia); everyone piles in, and it starts to rain. When it’s over, Utnapishtim releases a dove, then a swallow, and finally a crow, however – an interesting change of detail. However, the section of the Bible that really seems linked to Sumerian mythology is the book of Ecclesiastes. The writer of that book informs us, in Eccl. 12:9-10, that in the course of composing it he read widely, presumeably everything that he could get his hands on in those days before inter-library loan and the Internet. From internal evidence it’s obvious that he read some version of the epic of Gilgamesh. It’s fascinating to see that the story, already very ancient by Biblical times, circulated so widely in the Middle East. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (in the Revised Standard version) runs, “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his 2006-06-14T23:25:15-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Analysis-of-the-Epic-of-Gilgamesh-29497.aspx Decisions that may shape our Destiny “ Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved”(William Jennings Bryan) Both Septimus and Clarissa, two unrelated narratives, fell into the superego stage. They both believed that what they had to do were necessary to be expected and what was necessary to be achieved. Clarissa’s relationship with both her childhood love, Peter Walsh, and her present husband, Richard Dalloway, helped to clime from the id to the superego. Her life has been spent in regret and sorrow, forcing her to think suicidal thought like Septimus and living everyday not knowing real love. Clarissa always believed in finding her own destiny, she found it, she just took the wrong road path too it. Clarissa is very heart broken woman who made the wrong choice to her destiny and future. In the novel Mrs.Dalloway, Virginia Woolf uses the element of conflict to illustrate the theme that one shapes their own destiny and future. Through the character of Peter Walsh, Woolf uses conflict to show how one makes their own destiny. Peter sat down beside Clarissa, and everything seemed to race past him “he just sat there, eating, and then half way through dinner he made himself look across at Clarissa for the first time”(61). Peter was very much in love with Clarissa. Every time Peter saw Clarissa it was like for the first time, his eyes would light up and in his mind he would think she was my destiny that’s filled with our future. He wanted to marry her he thought they where destined to be together. He expressed his love by bringing the fun to her life, meaning taking her to new places and doing new things. Peter wanted to be with her to see their future together but she just didn’t get the picture. Clarissa loved Peter very much but in her mind Peter was the guy “that had no heart, no brain, nothing but the manners and breeding of an English gentleman”(7). Clarissa, at the time, id personality, made her want more and more and his is what she loved most about him, his on going personality. Peter Walsh loves Clarissa very much but he couldn’t give her the kind of life that Richard could. 2006-06-14T21:02:40-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Decisions-that-May-Shape-our-Destiny-29487.aspx Summary of Article on Buddhism This article talks about the interesting religion called, “Buddhism”. The article talks about the history of Buddhism and how it was founded. The article is a very detailed article which makes reading the article very understandtable. Buddhism was founded in the forth or fifth century B.C. in northern India by a man known as Siddhartha Guatama, the son of a warrior prince. This article talks about Gautema’s life, he was troubled by the inevitability of suffering in human life, he left home and a pampered life at the age of 29 to wander as an ascetic, seeking religious insight and a solution to the 2006-06-14T20:58:41-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Summary-of-Article-on-Buddhism-29485.aspx Analysis of Alexander Pope's Essay on Criticism In his Essay on Criticism, Alexander Pope states that, “True ease in writing comes from art, not chance / As those move easiest who have learn’d to dance.” Not only do I agree with Pope’s statement, but I extend his idea to say that my writing is a dance. My writing is the dance of the pen and the paper. It is the crowd of strangers brought together by a common dance, or the lone man dancing naked in front of a bathroom mirror. Each may be graceful and elegant, but each may also strike with crassness and discomfort. Each can enlighten. Each can outrage. When I sit down to write, I may doodle in the margin for a while. I examine the topic and get in an appropriate frame of mind. Both of these steps occur when I go to a club. I have to get in the mood to dance, and to write. As I dig further into my mind, searching for ideas, I begin to let loose, just as I do on the dance floor after a few songs. I stop thinking about the correctness and grammar of my writing and begin to let my hand write my ideas as soon as they come to mind. I don’t examine an idea as it comes to mind, I simply write how I feel. This parallels the way my dancing becomes a natural movement. In both writing and dancing, I start out constrained and move into a relaxed flow. Dancing and writing both lead to a discovery of new abilities. When I am engaged in either activity, I manifest uncanny skills that even I was unaware of. This elevated consciousness is my greatest strength as a writer. I have the ability to put my ideas down on paper in a captivating manner. This parallels a choreographer’s challenge. She must have able dancers to perform her design, or it will never be fully realized. I am also fluent with both my sentence structure and the work as a whole. A dancer must be able to execute each move with grace, and the entire production must flow from prelude to curtain call. My most prevalent weakness is my tendency to write only what I want. This assignment has 2006-06-14T20:52:35-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Analysis-of-Alexander-Pope-s-Essay-on-Criticism-29483.aspx Good in-class English Writing Exercise Focused, unified body paragraphs Introductory and concluding paragraphs are a different matter, but the paragraphs that make up the guts of your essays, the body paragraphs, need the following to be effective units of argument or analysis: 1) A topic sentence, a direct statement of the main point of the paragraph. In question-driven essays, topic sentences should answer the intro question directly (from the opposition viewpoint in “opposing views” paragraphs). 2) Unity and coherence: the paragraph should remain clearly focused on one primary point, stated in the topic sentence, throughout the paragraph, proving or backing up the major point the paragraph contributes to the larger thesis. Usually, “body paragraphs” should elaborate only one major point of argument or analysis—one main point per paragraph. 3) Development: the paragraph should offer effective and convincing support to prove or illustrate the primary point of the paragraph—a developed paragraph gives evidence, often through illustrative examples, and detailed explanation of the topic sentence. Topic Sentences: Consider again the hypothetical paper from the second in-class exercise, addressing the question, “Why do so many people commit adultery?” 1st opposing view: One theory as to why so many people commit adultery holds that human beings are not by nature monogamous, that lifelong fidelity to a single sexual partner is unnatural. 2nd opposing view: Another theory would have us believe that the so-called “mid-life crisis” is the reason so many people commit adultery. Author's point 1: It may be that many people engage in adultery from simple boredom—it is a sad but true fact that in many marriages sex becomes “old” within months of the honeymoon. Author's point 2: People commit adultery, too, because some see cheating as method of escape or relief from other, deeper problems in their marriages. Author's point 3: Perhaps the most pervasive underlying cause for the frequent occurrence of adultery is our society's casual attitude towards both marriage and divorce in general. Thesis: Adultery is common mainly because people get bored with their partners, because they have deeper problems in the relationship and seek solace or relief in the arms of others, and because our society has a casual attitude towards both marriage and divorce in general. Recall that essays maintain focus globally by having each topic sentence answer the question you are addressing directly, by repeating "key words" from the question in each topic sentence. 2006-06-14T20:45:50-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Good-in-class-English-Writing-Exercise-29481.aspx Metaphors And Images Of Brahmanism And Jainism When I was young I was one of those kids who asked “Why?” about three million times a day. I feel bad for my mom now, but when I was younger I just wanted to know it all. I wanted answers for everything and I still do, and I don’t think I am alone. I believe that many other people share that same personality trait with me. My mom tried hard to answer as many as she could and she did this with stories, analogies and metaphors. Many belief systems are set up the same way just like Brahmanism and Jainism. When things are complicated and hard to explain people break them down into smaller concepts. Both religions broke each part of nature or occurrence in a person’s lifetime into a smaller thing. These things were either, in Brahmanism, controlled by a higher being whom they had to please by performing a ritual for or in Jainism, controlled by their own actions and karma they each created. Metaphors and imagery are the basis for almost every writing presented in Sources of Indian Tradition, vol. 1, revised edition. Using both allows people to understand very complex ideas at a smaller degree. If someone understands a story about a man trying to kill a snake it allows a channel for him or her to understand the struggle between good and evil. Religions are mostly all made up of simple ideas that yet are very complex and hard to believe. It is the way they are presented that can make them easier to understand and believe in. Creation is still a topic people discuss and cannot come to a conclusion about. The reasons are endless on why there is no answer; some people have beliefs that stem from religion others from science. In Brahmanism there are about 5 creation myths that attempt to answer the question of creation. Each myth has a different approach and base to its story but they all have the same outcome, the world and the creation. The first creation myth that is discussed in Sources of Indian Tradition, vol. 1, rev. ed. involves Varuna “the administrator of the cosmic law” (10). The passage states that he separated the earth and stars from the heavens to create everything. The second creation myth discussed tells a story involving Indra and Vritra. In the Rig Veda 1.32 2006-06-13T19:30:25-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Metaphors-And-Images-Of-Brahmanism-And-Jainism-29478.aspx Philosophy Essay in German Formulierung des Problems (Zusammengefasst): Man nehme an, dass es einen Hügel gibt auf dem eine Straßenbahn fährt und am Ende des Hügels eine Straße verläuft. Nehmen wir an auf der Straße genau auf den Straßenbahnschienen steht ein Schulbus voll mit kleinen Kindern und plötzlich versagen die bremsen der Straßenbahn und sie rast auf den Schulbus zu. Es ist klar das alle Kinder sterben, wenn die Straßenbahn den Schulbus trifft. Zwischen Straßenbahn und Schulbus stehen 2 Männer unmittelbar nebeneinander in der nähe der Straßenbahnschienen, einer ein bisschen korpulenter und der andere, ein brillanter Mathematiker und Physiker. Dieser brillante Mann rechnet in Bruchteilen von Sekunden aus das dass Gewicht von dem anderen Mann die Straßenbahn stoppen würde und die Kinder währen gerettet. Plötzlich ist es, als ob die Zeit stillsteht und er hat Zeit eine Entscheidung zu treffen. Es sind keine anderen Zeugen da, so kann dem Physiker nichts passieren. Er müsste nur sofort handeln und hat keine Zeit zu reden. Was soll der Physiker tun??? Den Mann schubsen und die Kinder retten oder nichts machen und die Kinder sterben lassen??? Dilemma: Das Dilemma in dieser Situation ist ja, dass die Ausgangssituation nur 2 Lösungen übrig lässt, welche beide schlecht sind. Entweder er schubst den Mann, hat ihn Aktiv ermordet, ihn seiner Freiheit beraubt, sich strafbar gemacht und seine Menschenrechte ignoriert, aber er hat eine große Anzahl von Kindern gerettet. Die zweit Möglichkeit ist das er nichts tut, den Mann nicht schubst und weiß das er damit zwar dessen leben geschont hat, aber auch das Leben vieler kleiner Kinder hätte retten können. Nun muss er gegeneinander aufwiegen. Das Grunddillema ist dieses: Entweder er entscheidet sich für den Anspruch der Mehrheit oder für die Freiheit und Unversehrtheit des Einzelnen!! Lösungsdiskussion: Der Physiker könnte den Mann vor die Bahn werfen und die Kinder retten. Somit würde er sich für den Anspruch der Mehrheit entscheiden. Wäre diese Handlung ok ???? Die frage kann man von verschiedenen Standpunkten aus betrachten. Betrachten wir die Situation zuerst mal aus der Sicht des Utilitarismus. Beim Utilitarismus gilt der Merksatz: „ Diejenige Handlung ist gut, welche in the long run den größt möglichen Nutzen für die Größt möglich Anzahl von Individuen bringt.“ Dieser Merksatz kommt von dem Erfinder des Utilitarismus John Stuard Mill und ich werde versuchen ihn aus seinem Text jetzt herzuleiten. Der Utilitarismus wird auch als die Nützlichkeitslehre bezeichnet. Nach dem Utilitarismus ist das Ende des Menschlichen Strebens das Glück, welches sich als Leben 2006-06-13T19:20:29-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Philosophy-Essay-in-German--29472.aspx The Age of Enlightenment and the Age of Absolutism The Age of Enlightenment and the Age of Absolutism were two different periods of time. The age of Enlightenment had new ideas spreading through out the world about government and human rights. The Age of Absolutism was a time of absolute monarchs who had total control of everything. They made laws as they went along and if they didn’t like what the people said the monarchs would throw the people into jail and or put them to death. The Age of Enlightenment is a response or answer to the Age of Absolutism by the new ideas that spread through out the world. During the Age of Absolutism there were many different views on how to run a monarchy. There were so many different monarchs at the time; they all had different ways of running their perspective courts. In Machiavelli’s book, The Prince, he states that a prince must rule independently and not trust anyone but himself or herself. This statement is proven to be true with the example of King Louis XIV. He only trusted himself and nobody else, and by bringing the nobles to live with him at Versailles, it proved that he only trusted himself because he wanted to keep an eye on them. A response to this particular Absolutism idea came from John Locke an English philosopher. In his book Two Treaties on Government, he states that there should not be one ruler but have a democratic form of government. “No one can be…subjected to the political power of another without his own consent…” This quote proves that the ideas of the Enlightenment differed and were an answer to the Age of Absolutism. Although there were many monarchs during the Age of Absolutism, not all of them believed in the same things. King James I of England believed in the Divine Right. This was the believe of some monarchs that they were chosen by God to rule and that they were God’s, “right hand man/woman,” and that they were the sole ruler and didn’t have to listen to anybody. In a statement made by King James, he is quoted as saying, “ Kings are justly called Gods, for that they exercise a divine power.” This statement justly proves that monarchs did believe that God called them 2006-06-13T19:18:42-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Age-of-Enlightenment-and-the-Age-of-Absolutism-29471.aspx Writings of Confucius, Hammurabi and The Book of The Dead Three of the most famous writings from ancient civilizations are the writings of Confucius, Hammurabi's code of laws, and Egypt's Book of the Dead. At first, they seem very different, they're from different times, regions, and religions, but they all offer a peek into what values ancient people considered important. One of the values that all three civilizations is justice and fairness. I feel that this is best viewed in Hammurabi's laws. All of the penalties for the crimes are very stiff, but fair. I feel that it is fair that "If he has broken the limb of a patrician, his limb shall be broken" It's like in the Bible "An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth." In Egypt, in the Book of the Dead, a man couldn't proceed into the after life unless he was found innocent of any wrong doing on Earth. In Confucius' writings, he never actually says the word "justice", but he does say "Great Man cherishes excellence; Petty Man, his own comfort. Great Man cherishes the rules and regulations; Petty Man special favors." To me, that mean "Great Man is fair, Petty man is unfair." The second of these three values is responsibility and respect to one's family and elders, and responsibility and respect to others families and elders. This is most evident in Confucius' writings. He is constantly stressing family values and responsibility. One quote that shows this is "Let the sole sorry of your parents be that you might become ill." This stresses personal responsibility and respect to your parents. Hammurabi showed responsibility by saying "If a builder has built a house for a man, and has not made his work sound, and the house he built has fallen, and caused the death of the man's son, the builder's son shall be put to death." That quote shows a man's responsibility for himself and his family. In Egypt, during the ritual of the dead, it is said that the dead man, in order to pass into the afterlife, must profess that he has not done anything to hurt anyone. This shows responsibility because if the man did not tell the truth, he was responsible for not entering the afterlife. Knowing that they 2006-06-13T18:37:11-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Writings-of-Confucius,-Hammurabi-and-The-Book-of-The-Dead-29444.aspx Benefits to Experiencing Solitude Solitude—the word is scary to some people, but for many, solitude is one of the greatest aspects of their lives. I do not think that people see the advantages of living a solitary life. Most of the time they think that it would be miserable. For many people, their picture of solitude is someone pacing the house trying to escape boredom or loneliness. I think differently. Solitude enables you to grow in many directions: in self-reliance, in enjoyment of life, and in dealing with life’s difficult situations. It is a way of getting to know oneself. Many people misconceive solitude. A lot of people believe that they have to be with other people at all times. They never look inward nor outward—they do not even look back; solitude is left in the dust. When spending time with others, it is difficult to discuss things about yourself with yourself. I know that sounds funny, but it is very true. If you are spending time with others, you usually do what they want to do or you do something that involves all of you. You may learn things about what you enjoy doing—golfing, playing guitar, reading—but you never really learn about what your inner thoughts are. When people make assumptions about solitude, their misconceptions prevent them from learning about themselves. Solitude helps you believe in yourself. If you are always dependent on other people, you will not be able to deal with life’s changes. Solitude, however, helps you become more independent. Imagine yourself trapped on a deserted island. There is nobody else within 300 miles. What would you do? Solitude helps you utilize your independent capabilities. You have to rely on yourself to use your own resources to solve the problems held before you. The same kind of isolation can occur if you live in an apartment in New York City or Chicago. You have to rely on yourself to function. Self-reliance can help you solve not only small problems, like fixing the bathroom sink, it may also help you solve complex problems such as what you want to do with your life. Solitude can bring enjoyment and excitement to your life. I didn’t really believe this at first, but once I tried to live in solitude, I 2006-06-13T18:25:55-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Benefits-to-Experiencing-Solitude-29438.aspx The Process of Transformation described in "Nutting" Throughout a person’s life, reflection upon an experience can bring about wonderful memories. In Wordworth’s “Nutting” he reflects on a day in the woods that changed his view on life and reality. During this reminiscence, Wordsworth experiences the relationship between man and nature. His specific usage of words distorts reality by giving the poem a dream-like feeling. “Nutting” affects the young boy by making him appreciate nature. At the same time he loses focus of reality which gives the poem a fairy tale quality which also reinforces his new-found love for nature. Wordsworth’s experience of entering the woods put him in touch with nature and childhood imagination. Before Wordsworth sets foot in the woods, he has a felling of excitement and childhood joy. He eagerly anticipates the journey in to the woods. “I left our cottage-threshhold, sallying forth…”(line 5). When the boy says he is “sallying forth”, he means he walking or skipping in a way that is happy or carefree. And even when he is telling his story to us, he is very particular by saying he singles out this day (which he remembers so clearly) from the many other days in his life. He is very excited about nature at this point and learns about the relationship between human beings and nature. Another aspect of this poem which adds to the wonderful experience that this child is having is the fact that he is one of the few people to see the beauty he is seeing. He mentions to us the “virgin scene”. Included in this scene is the untouched, unspoiled and even possibly unseen forest splendor. And knowing this only adds to his enjoyment. “The violets of five seasons re-appear And fade unseen by any human eye”(line 31-32). He tells the reader of how happy he is to see with his owns eyes something that not many people get a chance to see. When he mentions “the violets of 5 seasons” he tells the reader that five years could go by without any person seeing the beautiful flowers. The violets of five seasons also give the reader an idea of how secluded this place is, which makes it even more special for the boy. His attitude and feeling of utter joy can be seen through his description of the trip and the “virgin scene”. “A little while I stood, Breathing with such 2006-06-12T20:57:51-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Process-of-Transformation-described-in-quot-Nutting-quo-29375.aspx The Importance of Values in Everyday Life In our everyday lives we encounter situations in which we take many things for granted. These forgotten things become of value to us the moment we find our self without their presence. For instance, a man holding his house keys does not take into consideration the value of those keys. He only thinks that they are odd shaped metals things in his pocket, which annoy him when he walks. Yet the moment he misplaced his keys, they become the most important things to him at that time. We only treasure things when they are gone. This is a sad truth of human nature. One day, I found my self as a witness to a similar situation. It was 5 PM, a typical evening rush hour in New York. I had left work and boarded the “F” train from Queensboro Plaza. When the train arrived, I entered and noticed something unusual. The center of the car had a few empty seats while both ends were crowded with people standing. I didn’t pay much attention and sat down on one of the empty seats. I sensed a funny smell. It wasn’t long before I noticed a homeless person sleeping on three seats in front of me. He was bleeding from his nose. Why isn’t anyone helping him? He looked very filthy. His clothes were torn and he was emitting a foul smell. Along with the smell, his eyes are glazed over, watery, and red. He was unshaven with a scraggly beard. He was shivering from cold weather. He had a trash bag full of empty soda cans and dirty clothes. Occasionally he scratched himself and people looked at him as if he had committed a crime. His mouth was a nightmare for a dentist. Looking at him would disgust them. As the train stopped at stations and more people came in they covered their nose and faced away from him. No one showed any sympathy towards him and his condition. He snuggled like a baby. All the seats around him were empty. He woke up and looked around at the people. He wiped the blood off his nose with his hand. He sat up and stared at the blood on the floor. 2006-06-12T19:14:12-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Importance-of-Values-in-Everyday-Life-29361.aspx Denis Diderot’s Influence on the Enlightenment Denis Diderot was the most prominent of the French Encyclopdiasts, and his attacks on the political systems of France were some of the largest benefactors to the French Revolution. Diderot spent thirty years of his life compiling the Encyclopedie- an immense contribution to the Enlightenment of Europe- and dedicating his the rest of his life to helping others expand their realm of knowledge, thus adding Diderot to the list of prime initiators of the Enlightenment. The roots of the Enlightenment began in the 17th century, beginning with rationalism and the laws of Descartes and Newton. Discoveries in natural science alchemized into the Enlightenment; society began observing and making conclusions on these observations, rather than just accepting what is told to them. The analytic method which Newton, Descartes, Galileo, and the other great discoverers were using became applied to the entire field of knowledge and thoughts, leading to many remarkable ideas. “The real power of reason lay not in the possession but in the acquisition of truth,” said Lessings. Society began looking for truths, looking at everything logically, and breaking the demarcations of dogmatism. Furthermore, unlike Socrates, logic was applied to rid the society of evils and injustice, rather than to just point the wrongs out. The Enlightenment dislodged the majority of society from the grasp that government and religion bestowed upon them, which plays a role in the French Revolution. The Enlightenment is credited to a core group of intellectual people: Voltaire, Hume, LeMettrie, d’Holbach, Pascal, Gibbon, Pierre Bayle- writer of a dictionary of history, he was a Galileo of history-, Montesquieu, Leibnitz, and most importantly, Diderot. Denis Diderot, born in 1713, was educated by the Jesuits from 1728-1732, and then received the master of arts degree from the University of Paris. Diderot’s father wanted his son to study medicine or law, but Diderot wanted to be with books. Over the next few years Diderot had several jobs, mainly translating literature from English to French, married, and soon began writing texts. His first work was the “Essai sur le merite et la vertu” in 1745. During that same year Diderot began a job as an editor for an encyclopedia of math with Jean Le Rond d’Alembert. During that time he learned the encyclopedic process, which became valuable when he began work on his own encyclopedia. 2006-06-12T19:08:46-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Denis-Diderot’s-Influence-on-the-Enlightenment-29359.aspx Critical Analysis of "The Minister's Black Veil" The small, early American town that the story “The Minister’s Black Veil” takes place in is a quite provincial town. Its inhabitants are normal people who, when confronted with a foreign entity, respond with ignorance. Nathaniel Hawthorne uses symbolism and a black veil to convey his message of the incorrectness of early American actions towards things of a foreign nature. The black veil symbolized the all too familiar urge to hide one’s private life, the necessity for people to look past other’s surfaces, and the hypocrisy of a society’s customs. The private sector of a person’s life is something that not many people are allowed to enter. When Parson Hooper begins to wear the black veil, he puts up another form of protection to keep people further away from his private life, something that people already wonder about. The veil symbolizes the barricade that everyone uses to hide his or her personal life, the things that happen behind closed doors. When one of Hooper’s parishioner’s queries, “I wonder he is not afraid to be alone with himself” (189), she exhibits the kind of wonderment that the people of this small provincial town have regarding the private lives of others. The village physician even takes his part in the town-wide suspicion of what is behind Mr. Hooper’s mysterious black veil, when he observes that, “[s]omething must be amiss with Mr. Hooper’s intellects” (189). The simple black veil also indicates the necessity for people to become more accepting of things that are foreign to them. Mr. Hooper’s town stopped communication with him all because of the black veil that he wore on his face. Nothing of his character changed at all but the simple fact that he was now wearing a veil over his face disturbed the people of his town to the point where they ceased interaction with him. When Hooper’s “wife”, Elizabeth, demands, “Lift the veil but once, and look me in the face” (194), she proves the point that she, as well as the rest of the town, has a fear of the unknown that is powerful enough to ruin the bond between lovers. The veil represents many things, courage to be an individual, fear to be unveiled, but most of all, obstinacy of ignorance. The people of Parson 2006-06-12T18:35:21-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Critical-Analysis-of-The-Minister-s-Black-Veil-29341.aspx The 20th Century phenomenon of Globalization has greatly influenced literary texts and language. The notion of the ‘global village’ is in itself an oxymoron, a term coined to play on our innate needs as human – for community, for history, for identity. This word, village, is one that most whose life experience does not transcend the western world, only wish to be familiar with. Today, in a world where one can eat at McDonald’s in Qa’tar and receive news that another child is dead in Iraq as it happens, the warmth of this word, village, is something we long for. However, for many, our ‘global village’ does not suffice. Globalisation is, instead, a terrifying concept. We have become faceless, unrecognised and unnecessary. The increasing popularity of novels such an ‘Under the Tuscan Sun’ and ‘A Year in Provence’ that whimsically recount a retreat from the global are a reflection of our own increasing desire to escape. There is a quaint irony in the popularity of these globally marketed books, the same that underpins McDonald’s claim as a family restaurant and the artificial chalk on the blackboards at Gloria Jean’s. Texts that focus on retreat from the global illustrate the reasons behind our desire to do so. Annie Proulx’s novel ‘The Shipping News’, an episode of the BBC series ‘Black Books’ and the short story ‘How about this?’ by Raymond Carver are three such texts. The issues clear in each text are reflected in my own visual, a comic strip titled “Urban Daze”. The Shipping News is a novel by E. Annie Proulx. It tells the story of Quoyle who moves from suburban USA to Newfoundland, home of his ancestors, when his wife is killed. This move is primarily motivated by the first is the chance of a fresh start. Quoyle is able to find happiness in the local without money, celebrity or beauty – qualities highly valued by the global community. Another reason for his retreat is the intrinsic desire to return to Newfoundland, home to generations of Quoyles. The bad relationship he had with his late parents is another factor in his need to reconnect. The Shipping News has a strong focus on environmental issues. In the chapter, Oil, Proulx’s contempt for the global is shown through the differing opinions of her characters. Quoyle writes an article for the local newspaper making known the environmental and cultural damage oil 2006-06-12T11:39:08-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Globalisation-Literary-Text-and-Language-29335.aspx Women have been an integral part of the expression, development and life of all religious traditions. During the early years of the life of Christianity and Judaism, women have made a contribution that has influenced their respective tradition’s expression. In this essay two important women Deborah and Mary Magdalene will be explored thoroughly with a concise analysis on how these two women responded to their founder or made choices that affected the lived expression of their tradition. The importance of Deborah and Mary Magdalene in their respective faiths is… Deborah was a prophetess and the fourth Judge and only female Judge of pre-monarchic Israel in the Old Testament. Her moral authority was regarded as appointed by the Lord, and her judgement was greatly sought and highly trusted. It was through Deborah’s knowledge she was able to grant advice to people. Her leadership was also what granted Barak the ability to go to war. It was in this way that she was able to protect and continue the religious traditions. The fact that she did not rely on her husband or male relatives also made her an example for contemporary Jewish women today. During the time of Deborah’s rule, the nation of Israel had been under domination by the Canaanites for twenty years. They had suffered terrible atrocities and finally began to cry out to God for deliverance from this enemy. (Judges 4:3) God heard their cries and so He sent forth Deborah to lead the Israelites against Jabin, King of Canaan (Judges 4 and 5). She encouraged her general Barak although outnumbered in strength to attack the enemy while the river was in full flood. The Canaanites were incapacitated by their iron chariots and the Israelites won a famous victory through God. Deborah became a legendary figure because of her faith in God and her charismatic inspirational leadership. She is seen in the Book of Judges 4-5 as one who is obedient to the Lord and who had an immense faith in Him. Her courage, humility and faith reinforced a great deal how the Jewish followers should serve God. Deborah’s song of triumph (Judges 5) is thought to be one of the earliest Hebrew poems in existence and is considered one of the few pieces of inspired writing unequalled by men, showing her faith in God. In the ‘song of triumph’ Deborah sings to the Lord with thanks and praise 2006-06-12T11:16:42-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Mary-Magdelane-and-Deborah-29320.aspx Explain the importance of Ruth (Judaism) and Mary Magdalene (Christianity) to the lived tradition of their respective Religious Traditions, with specific references to variants where applicable? The importance of Rus [as it is spelt in the Jewish Tradition] and Mary Magdalene in their respective faiths can be seen in the way different variant have interpreted their stories into lived tradition [how you apply the stories in to our life or use the stories as an example]. Rus’s story applying mainly to the Orthodox variant of Judaism plays an integral role Jewish ritual and understanding of the past. Mary Magdalene’s, on the other hand, is interpreted differently in the three Christian variants of Lutheran, Catholic and Orthodox but the importance of her story is evident and how the variants receive and live out her message. According to a lecture by Tsiporah Heller "Great Women: Rus and Naomi" on www.torah.org, the book of Rus takes place in a time of anarchy where religion was lost to many of those in Israel. It was during a famine which is stated in the Midrash [text expression of Halakah] to have been sent by God as a “test of faith”. Judaism interprets the story of Rus as an example of laws [Mitzvoth and Halakah] and ways of conduct within the Jewish faith which are challenging but have to be adhered to. Rus is an example of a foreigner who accepted and lived out the rules but is symbolically Israel and how they should follow the laws of Yahweh. This is illustrated for example in Rus’ statements of commitment to Naomi. "Where you go, I'll go": According to the Midrash this refers to the travel limitation laws during “Shabbat” and that Rus is agreeing and committing to such laws as should the Jew in times of Shabbat. "Where you sleep, I'll sleep:" This verse refers to laws of "yichud," which regulate the time in which men and women can sleep together and Rus is pledging to the Jewish limitations of when she can sleep with a man in the same way in which the Jewish people should follow this law. In Ruth 1:16-18, Ruth commits herself fully to Judaism, in the same way through lived tradition so should a Jew. According to the Midrash Rus while she gleans in the field of Boaz is on bended knee as not to expose her legs and 2006-06-12T11:15:44-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Ruth-and-Mary-Magdalene-29319.aspx Cross Religion Study Religion and Women THE ROLE AND IMPORTANCE OF WOMEN 1) a woman who helped from the history if the tradition or who contributed to the historical development and cultural understanding of the religious tradition; a woman who, by her life, teaching and attitude, challenged or preserved the tradition and in some cases made a significant impact on its development. As religious tradition developed there were significant changes taking place, meant the need to reaffirm key teachings or the opportunity to reinterpret another a) CHRISTIANITY: HILDEGARD OF BINGEN - one of the greatest & most original thinkers of medieval Europe. Her life, teachings & attitude, helped shape Christianity making a significant contribution & challenging/preserving traditions. - Performed a number of significant roles including abbess, scientist, leading medieval authority, musician, prolific composer, artist, visionary, high profile political and religious figure - an abbess who contributed to Christian wisdom in relation to creation - a scientist, renowned in Europe for her herbals, medical reference books & scientific treatises - a visionary who was one of the greatest most original thinkers of medieval Europe and helped the evolution of monasteries towards education, care of the poor and evangelism - a high profile political and religious figure who maintained correspondence with other leading medieval thinkers and became very involved in state and church issues - helped set up the scene for the 13th century reforms in the western church - Lived in era where the dominant culture of the church was patriarchal, and anything that threatened the hierarchy was put down, hidden or ignored - Referred to as a ‘renaissance woman several centuries before the renaissance’ - Interests and accomplishments in science, music, theology, painting, medicine and healing, commentaries, and prophecy and social justice and encouraged women with these gifts - Educated by a recluse called Juta, nun at 15, received visions and revelations (contained in the aforementioned scivias She took over as head of the convent which was not conventional as wore colourful ilk dresses and wore jewellery. Which did not seam worried by sin - The monks interfered and tried to prevent the nuns from writing and conversing with people who came to them for guidance - Spoke about abuse of power observed among the clergy attacked the fearsome emperor Frederick Barbarossa and encouraged other nuns to write and criticise. - Book of Divine works attacked anthropocentricism (human centre universe) as wanted readers to have feelings and celebrate the wonders of the world - Threw society of her time into turmoil as the convent became the centre of great change - Her books were banned and burnt. 2006-06-12T11:14:41-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Cross-Religion-Study-Religion-and-Women-29318.aspx Compare and contrast the roles and importance of Mary and Aisha in their respective traditions Both Mary and Aisha are seen to adopt the role of ‘mother’ within their traditions. Mary was to become ‘mother of believers’ in John’s account of Jesus’ death on the cross when she was made mother of his favourite disciple, and in turn, mother of all the church. Aisha also is known as ‘mother of the faithful’ as having no children of her own she became the universal mother of all Muslims. Extreme reverence is thus afforded to both of them, and they indicate the need for a female figure within Islam and Christianity. They are also similar in their roles as learners and teachers. Aisha studied and was taught by Muhummad, going on to teach and become a theologian herself. In doing this, she contributed over 2000 sayings to the Hadith (a 1/6 of it) and thus was involved in the development of the tradition. Mary also learnt from Jesus, and when on to become a disciple of his, as seen in scripture at Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came to her and the 12 in the upper room, and she handed on the faith and taught the good news to others, however she did not contribute to laws and written scripture as Aisha did. They are also similar in their ability to change society. Aisha’s role as a ‘catalyst for change’ can be seen in her influence over the law stating that for women to be convicted of a crime there must be 4 witnesses to condemn her. As such, she improved the rights of women, the oppressed members of society. Mary is also seen to be a liberator, and an advocate for the rights of the oppressed and for social justice. In turning social structure on it’s head to support the lowly, and in her many apparitions such as that in Lourdes and Fatima, and in the title ‘Help of Christians’ she is seen to be legitimising the rights of the oppressed, and mediates on behalf of the needs of the community. The Magnificat (lk 1:46-55 the song of Mary) associates Mary with the lowly, aligning her with the type of Kingdom God wishes to establish, turning social structure on it’s head ‘he has pulled the princes down from their thrones and raised the lowly. He has filled the starving with good things 2006-06-12T11:13:58-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Mary-and-Aisha--29317.aspx Compare and contrast the roles and importance of Mary and Aisha in their respective traditions Both Mary and Aisha are seen to adopt the role of ‘mother’ within their traditions. Mary was to become ‘mother of believers’ in John’s account of Jesus’ death on the cross when she was made mother of his favourite disciple, and in turn, mother of all the church. Aisha also is known as ‘mother of the faithful’ as having no children of her own she became the universal mother of all Muslims. Extreme reverence is thus afforded to both of them, and they indicate the need for a female figure within Islam and Christianity. They are also similar in their roles as learners and teachers. Aisha studied and was taught by Muhummad, going on to teach and become a theologian herself. In doing this, she contributed over 2000 sayings to the Hadith (a 1/6 of it) and thus was involved in the development of the tradition. Mary also learnt from Jesus, and when on to become a disciple of his, as seen in scripture at Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came to her and the 12 in the upper room, and she handed on the faith and taught the good news to others, however she did not contribute to laws and written scripture as Aisha did. They are also similar in their ability to change society. Aisha’s role as a ‘catalyst for change’ can be seen in her influence over the law stating that for women to be convicted of a crime there must be 4 witnesses to condemn her. As such, she improved the rights of women, the oppressed members of society. Mary is also seen to be a liberator, and an advocate for the rights of the oppressed and for social justice. In turning social structure on it’s head to support the lowly, and in her many apparitions such as that in Lourdes and Fatima, and in the title ‘Help of Christians’ she is seen to be legitimising the rights of the oppressed, and mediates on behalf of the needs of the community. The Magnificat (lk 1:46-55 the song of Mary) associates Mary with the lowly, aligning her with the type of Kingdom God wishes to establish, turning social structure on it’s head ‘he has pulled the princes down from their thrones and raised the lowly. He has filled the starving with good things 2006-06-12T11:13:16-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Mary-and-Aisha--29316.aspx a) This ballad poem tells us about a nineteen year old that fought in Vietnam War and has come home. Some of the key issues are Vietnam war was excluded from the world and the main objective of this poem is to tell us about the Vietnam environment the constant diseases, the battles which occurred which didn’t let them go to sleep and the life threatening operations from gun wounds or other explosives. One of the key issues is the Vietnam environment was so tense so scattered with diseases which outside Vietnam people did hardly know about and the bushy landscape which they can easily get ambushed by the Vietnamese soldiers. Another key issue is that the lack of sleep and the constant battles which even occurred while they were sleeping. The many people did not know about so many operations which people had because of mines and gun wounds and how life threatening they were. b) The poet wrote this poem to inform peace activists, pacifists, soldiers who were in Vietnam and for the general population to inform them of what is war. The poet tried to inform peace activist to urge them to put a end to this conflict because he had experience many things in Vietnam war which he would not like others to experience. Also the poet was trying to inform the soldiers enrolling which were going to war to be careful and be on your guard and you can die by many ways in the Vietnam War. He tried to also convey to the world how unstable and how dangerous this Vietnam terrain and warfare is. This poet has been successful in this poem in a way he has changed many minds on the war on Vietnam. c) Through the structural and language features the composer portrays the main messages of the poem and in effect influences the way the reader reacts to this text. This poem has four stanzas some rhyme while others don’t some have question marks which question the reader this poem has seven paragraphs and three chorus. d) I like this poem because it tries to convey a story and gives us first hand information not from someone which hasn’t been to war describing it, it tells about his problems with war as any human would have problems with a war like this and feel very frightened and in need of help. It tells of how hard it is to be 2006-06-12T11:02:25-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Reveiw-on-When-I-was-Only-Nineteen-29310.aspx Blood On The Tracks Blood On The Tracks is an extract taken from an article in Metro Magazine. It is targeted at an intellectual audience hence it offers valuable insights into meaning in media-based texts. This article investigates the notion of the road metaphor being a major element in any type of journey. The text opens in an analytical tone; “the road metaphor is significant in many ways”, an authoritative statement which presents the subject of the article. The sophisticated style of writing and the use of critical language allows the reader to engage in the text as the composer explores the notion road metaphor. The first paragraph demonstrates the significance of the road metaphor describing a road as something which “cuts across…nature and culture”, and “enabling a way”. This positive tone challenges the responder’s imagination and in doing so allows the responder to portray the road metaphor positively. By describing a dilemma as “a life as a crossroad”, the composer is able to through the use of imagination to make a metaphorical connection between life and a road, reinforcing its significance. In the second paragraph, the composer cites examples of the significance of the road metaphor in a long list of genres and example texts, demonstrating the extent to which the road metaphor is significant in various texts throughout time. Describing it as “embedded within…ourselves” and having “paved the way”, the composer reinforces to the responder her perception of the road metaphor as a powerful motif. It is followed by an analysis of Beneath Clouds; an Australian film that the composer perhaps feels is undervalued, debating the notion that it appears to be “a deceptively simple narrative”. Describing it as “hardly groundbreaking in terms of style or approach”, she then points out that it “nonetheless manages to blaze its own trail within Australian cinema”. The word “blaze” connotes speed, and reflects the composer’s personal opinion of it. The metaphorical journey is then explained, describing the characters as “travellers heading for the borders of their respective identities”. Through this the responders begin to use their imagination to absorb the context and claims made by the reviewer. The Town Where Time Stands Still This short extract of The Town Where Time Stands Still by Geok Lim relates well to the concept of journey. It uses formal and complex language to discuss the motivations behind travelling. Lim believes that a combined motive of the search for the 2006-06-12T11:00:53-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Reviews-Blood-On-The-Tracks-Town-Where-Time-Stands-Still-29309.aspx At the very core of every religion is gratitude, love and sincerity which are expressed in a variety of ways and yet they express and celebrate a shared essence. Good morning Sr. Margaret, Mr. Hazzaratti and Mr. Matek Today we will be explaining the common elements in religious expression in Australia highlighting religious harmony and interfaith dialogue and ecumenical developments within Christianity. Appreciation and respect for religious diversity and commonalities are an essential part of harmonious relationships within Australian multicultural, multifaith society. Interfaith dialogue is co-operation between people of different religious traditions. Examples of this in Australia are: -The Council of Christians and Jews (Victoria) which seeks to educate Christians and Jews to appreciate each others separate and distinct beliefs and their common ground. AND -The Muslim Christian council, who together held prayers in Martin place for peace in Ambon, Indonesia. Ecumenism is simply the movement towards the union of all Christians and eventually all people. Ecumenical developments within Christianity are evident on the world stage and on the local level. On the world stage the World Council of Churches was setup as a fellowship of churches which confess the Lord Jesus Christ as God and Saviour according to the scriptures, and therefore seek to fulfil together their common calling to the glory of the one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The WCC brings together more than 340 churches, denominations and church fellowships in over 100 countries and territories throughout the world, representing some 550 million Christians and including most of the world's Orthodox churches and scores of denominations from such historic traditions of the Protestant Reformation. As members of this fellowship, WCC member churches: - are called to the goal of visible unity in one faith and one Eucharistic fellowship; and to promote their common witness in work for mission and evangelism;82 Current WCC programmes include a Decade to Overcome Violence, an international campaign to combat AIDS/HIV in Africa and the Justice, Peace and Creation initiative. Some of the notable successes of the World Council of Churches are in the area of increased understanding and acceptance between Christian groups and denominations. On 2006-06-12T10:52:58-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Interfaith-Dialogue-and-Ecumenical-Developments-29307.aspx Religion assignment Evaluate the impact of European colonisation on Aboriginal belief systems & society. European colonisation on Aboriginal people had a big impact on Aboriginal belief systems and their society. A great example of this is the movie Rabbit proof Fence. The Aboriginal people’s religion, language, and their lifestyles had to change. The British way of life was enforced onto the Aboriginals. In 1931 it was the official policy of the government, that all half-castes (which were children with one parent that was aboriginal and one that was white) are to be taken from their families and raised in orphanages. In these places they were grown up being taught to marry to a white person or to become a domestic servant. To Mr Neville (who was referred to as Mr Deville by the Aboriginals) this policy did not seem cruel, he believed that, that specific race must be helped. The story is basically about three half-caste girls, Molly (14years old), Daisy (8years) and Gracie (10years). Molly and Daisy were sisters and Gracie was their cousin. Molly, Daisy and Gracie were taken from their mothers to live in their orphanage at Moore River, which was more than 1200 miles away from their home. They were meant to learn ‘duty, service, and responsibility’ that every good Christian should abide to. Molly, Daisy and Gracie did not find their new home comfortable and decided to run away at any opportunity they had. In the movie there was a scene which was Molly, Daisy and Gracie were speaking their language and they were told off about it, and were told that the only language they were allowed to speak was English. They were told that it was shiburish. This indicated to us that their culture was not welcomed in their own land. During the movie we never see defeat in Molly’s eyes, indicating to us that Aboriginal people do not tend to give up and will do what they can to gain their rights back. Even though the British’s religion and lifestyle was enforced on them they were not going to give up and still had hope deep within them. These three girls are part of what we refer to do as the Stolen Generation. The reason of removing half-castes from their homes was to improve the Aboriginal people by placing them with white families, hoping to produce children of mixed races, and over the generations they would 2006-06-12T10:45:49-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Religion-assignment-29304.aspx Imaginative journeys Imaginative journeys can be taken through the imagination or psyche of an individual as they explore, reflect and fuse together the seemingly intangible with reality. Imaginative journeys may draw on previous experiences and understandings but move beyond these limited perceptions into more speculative or fantastical realms. Another way of viewing an imaginative journey is its capacity to draw responders into a fictional, speculative setting. Imaginative journeys which will be elaborated below are represented in the Board of Studies Booklet Prescribed text-“The Ivory Trail”, the two Coleridge poems “This Lime Tree Bower My Prison” and “Kubla Khan”, the poetic text “Ode on a Grecian Urn” composed by John Keats and the visual text from the “Calendar of 2003” by Michael Leunig. The composers attempt to create a world in which imagination dominates the perceptions and views of the responders, as they are taken on a journey of magic and discovery. The book cover- “The Ivory Trail” from the stimulus booklet represents that the individual may encounter new horizons by realising the limitless power of the imagination. The text provides an imaginative journey for responders as they are drawn to speculate upon the text and visuals provided. The text type’s purpose is to appeal to readers to purchase/read the book, however the references made to reality challenges responders to question the erratic, mysterious and obscure nature of the journey itself. This is communicated through the ambiguous, photographic montage of the sphinx, face close-up and minarets. An exotic setting is portrayed through the back drop of the eastern minarets and the sphinx’s Egyptian associations. The idea of a rare journey is evoked in the title: “The Ivory Trail”. Ivory is symbolic of the rare material from tusks of elephants and is known for its illegal trade. This exotic and rare allusion also evokes feelings of intrigue and mystery which gives an impression for the responders that this text is an imaginative journey. The caption: “Not all journeys have an ending” is used by the composer to encourage the actualization responders come to after exploring the possibilities presented to them. It expresses an idea of continuum by suggesting that imagination itself does not have an end and that only through imagination continuum can be achieved. The dominant colours of red, black and orange and the use of shadows depict an atmosphere of fear, passion and threat. Subsequently responders do not reach a resolution or 2006-06-12T10:44:03-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Imaginative-journeys--29303.aspx Studies of Religion Topic: Religion is a worldview which acknowledges a Sacred Mystery that is imminent and/or Transcendent. Explain this statement. Religion is a worldview which acknowledges a Sacred Mystery that is imminent and/or Transcendent. Religion is a set of beliefs, values, and practices based on the teachings of a spiritual leader, it can also be an activity practised with devotion or prayer. In this sense imminent means living within you and transcendent means beyond and outside the ordinary range. There are a variety of religions and they all can be put into two groups which are imminent and transcendent. Judaism, Christianity and Islam have transcendent religious worldviews whereas Buddhism and Hinduism are characterised under imminent religious worldviews. Judaism, Christianity and Islam focus on the transcendent religious worldview. They are all similar in the sense that they go back to Abraham. They believe in one God, who created the universe. They also believe that God made himself known to us by sending us prophets (messengers). The prophets showed and taught the will of God to the world. Buddhism and Hinduism focus on the imminent religious worldview. Buddhism and Hinduism have an Indian background. Buddhist and Hindus rely on their inner-self and their experience for religious truth; they do not rely on books or people that have to be followed. The Islam religion is transcendent in a sense that they believe in one God, Allah who has created mankind and all that exists. The Islam religion also believes that Allah is above the heavens raised over the Throne and separated from His creatures (which is a transcendent religious worldview). The Islam religion believes that Allah is settled over His Mighty Throne, but He is with them by His Knowledge, hearing, seeing and other powers. As He said: "Fear not verily! I am with you both hearing and seeing (V,20. :46), from this you get a sense of imminent as they belief that God’s knowledge, hearing, seeing and others are within them. Judaism is transcendent; it is the cultural, religious, and social practices and beliefs of the Jews. They practice together, religion, based on the Torah and the Talmud. It is one of the first recorded monotheistic faiths and one of the oldest religious traditions still practiced today. They believe in one God, Yahew and he is in heaven and they are still waiting for their messiah to come. The Christian religion is transcendent, 2006-06-12T10:41:58-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Studies-of-Religion-29302.aspx Part 1: The Induction Question 1: Using the elements below, identify an example of it in both the Induction and the main play Disguise Induction: Lord: “What think you, if he were conveyed to bed, wrapped in sweet clothes rings put upon his fingers and most delicious banquet by his bed, and brave attendants near him when he wakes, would not the beggar then forget himself.” -The lord decides to play a trick on Sly by making him a lord and seeing if he would forget himself. (Induction 1,35) Play Lucentio: “Thou shalt be master, Tranio, in my stead, keep house and port, and servants, as I should. I will some other be-some Florentine, some Neapolitan, or meaner man of Pisa. ‘Tis hatched, and shall be so. Tranio, at once uncase thee, take my coloured hat and cloak.” Tranio disguises himself as Lucentio and Lucentio disguises himself as a teacher. (Act 1 Scene 1,199) Masters and servants Induction First Huntsman: “I will, my lord.” The huntsman agrees to the command of his master and promises to accomplish the lord’s command.(Induction1,27) Play Tranio: “In brief sir, sith it your pleasure is, and I am tied to be obedient” Lucentio’s servant agrees to help Lucentio as he must be obedient since he is subject to his master’s commands.(Act 1 Scene 1, 208) Relationship between men and women Induction Page: “My husband and my lord, my lord and husband, I am your wife in obedience.”The page states the role of woman/wife to her man/husband. The page acknowledges that the woman/wife must be obedient and always at service for her man/husband.(Induction 2, 105) Play Katherina: “Thy husband is thy lord, thy life, thy keeper, thy head, thy head, thy sovereign; one that cares for thee, and for thy maintenance; commits his body to painful labour both by sea and land, to watch the night in storms, the day in cold, whilst thou liest warm at home, secure and safe; and craves no other tribute at thy hands but love, fair looks, and true obedience- too little payment for so great a debt.”Katherina being tamed acknowledges her position and that she is subject to her husband.(Act 5 Scene 2, 145) Love Induction Page: “Ay, and the time seems thirty unto me, being all this time abandoned from your bed.” The page (acting) displays the love she has for her husband by stating that it has been thirty years not fifteen that she has been absent from his bed, she has exaggerated the time 2006-06-12T10:40:47-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Taming-of-the-Shrew-The-Induction-29301.aspx Examination of Differences in Kantian and Mach Ethics In your class discussions, we learned the basic aspects of Kantian and Machiavellian Ethical standards. I found that it is fairly easy to establish a basic attitude on the subject, depending on how a specific person handles the situations in their life. I chose my preferred ethical standard rather quickly. I did, however, decide to further research the subject and see if I was missing any information. It didn’t take very much research to find a great deal of writing on the subject. In a short time I found that the intricacies of these two ethical classifications are quite well examined by many people, and can be quite open to interpretation. After looking deeper into these philosophies, my beliefs only grew stronger. I believe that Kantian ethical values are the superior form of ethics. For most people, Kantian type values are given to us beginning at a very young age. We are taught to treat others as we would like to be treated. This is referred to as “The Golden Rule.” It is a basic overtone in Kant’s writings, although not specifically stated. It does, however, seem to apply to the moral standards of this belief. “A maxim or rule governing an action which cannot be universalized is unacceptable” (An Ethic of Duty). The Golden Rule seems a perfect fit. When we are young, treating people good is always emphasized. This is especially true in early grade school where anti-social behavior is punished quickly. “Act by treating people, you own person and others, always as an end in itself, never merely a means to an end” (O’Neil). Obviously, at that age we are far too young to understand what that means. But we can still grasp the concept of treating people fairly and not hurting their feelings or hurting them physically. Machiavellian ethics can be fairly easily summarized. “To be called a ’Machiavellian is to be equated with power seeking, political cunning, and a controllable hypocrisy” (Jarvis). I use the word opportunism to describe it. The goal of life is what you get out of it, and it doesn’t matter how this is accomplished. My personal view of Machiavellian ethics is a straightforward one. I do not like to support the attitude 2006-06-12T03:10:19-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Examination-of-Differences-in-Kantian-and-Mach-Ethics-29297.aspx Ethical Analysis of Virtues Everyone strives to do good with their lives. Some people, in certain aspects, try too much or too little to do good. There is no such thing as doing too much or too little good, when something is good it is only good. Although, someone may think that they are still doing good, when they are actually not doing good. We need to try to stay within the mean. Once we start to stray from the mean, we are heading towards the vices. Excess and defect are the vices. When we are doing something to excess or a defect, we may actually be causing more harm than good. Courage is a mean. Courage is when you are brave and you face your fears. In order for courage to be a virtue, the courageous act has to be performed for good and not for some personal gain. Some examples of courageous acts would be standing up for something good against the majority. This one may be especially hard to do because it may seem like everyone is against you, but if you are standing up for the good you will be considered courageous, maybe not by those that you are standing up against, but many of the wise people will see you as courageous. Another form of courage is when you risk your life to save someone else’s life. The people that have done this we name heroes, they have performed very courageous acts that were detrimental to their health just to save someone else from death. This type of courage is mildly easier to perform than standing up against the crowd, because, this type of courage is normally supported by the majority. One type of vice is defect, where you have to little of the virtue. If you have to little courage then you may not stand up for what is right because you are afraid of the crowd or you are too afraid to risk your life to save someone else. If you are a coward you are not doing good, and you are giving in to the aversion of pain. The other vice is excess, where you have too much of the virtue. You may say how can you have too much courage, wouldn't that be a good thing? Having a lot of courage may seem like a good thing but when you really look at it, 2006-06-12T02:06:39-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Ethical-Analysis-of-Virtues-29266.aspx Edgar Allan Poe Short Story; "Cask of Amontillado" Humans are very complicated. For many years, human beings have been trying to figure out how the body works physically and mentally. Researches led to many discoveries in the human physical body, but the human mind is still relatively mysterious. Whenever a person does not follow the society’s guidelines, he or she, often enough, is considered mentally ill. In Edgar Allan Poe’s short story “The Cask of Amontillado”, the highly descriptive imageries demonstrate how Montresor’s preoccupation with pride can easily lead to madness. In addition, with the aid of precise information, the author demonstrates how Montresor can embody human nature and through this character suggests that every human can be driven by madness if constantly obsessing over pride. Montresor’s maniacal actions as well as the symbolic catacombs confirm the presence of madness. Just as the story begins, Montresor “vow[s] revenge” (Poe 866) upon his friend, Fortunado, as he has only insulted him. As Montresor is convinced to take revenge upon his friend, this very first sentence shows clearly how madness overpowers him. Montresor then sacrifices the latter for the sake of his reputation, which he believes has been destroyed by Fortunado. Going to such extend as killing his own friend for a couple of offensive words is, without a doubt, a sign of madness within Montresor. Furthermore, as Fortunado approaches death, his cries and mercies are “reechoed, …aided, …surpassed…in volume and in strength” (Poe 870) by the only person that could possibly save him. Echoing Fortunado’s yells reflects Montresor’s satisfactions as well as his devilish pleasures brought during his friend’s torture. In addition, “the most recesses of the catacombs” (Poe 868) described as Montresor guides his victim to his own death by creating a false sense of security symbolize Montresor’s dark soul where deep down, madness overcomes him and causes his friend’s murder. Montresor, in Poe’s short story, is clearly a victim of his own madness which overpowers him and makes him do horrific things without being really conscious of their consequences. By means of specific details, Montresor is linked to humanity and, therefore, represents the latter. Montresor directly says, "You, who so well know the nature of my soul…" (Poe 866), in order to open up to the reader as if he or she can understand him or personally relate to him. Therefore, 2006-06-12T01:58:13-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Edgar-Allan-Poe-Short-Story-Cask-of-Amontillado-29262.aspx Choices between Good and Evil in the Bible Throughout the Bible there are many examples of which humans must make a choice between good and evil. If the Fall had never occurred humankind would never have the responsibility to make their own choices. The consequences of the Fall provide humanity with the knowledge and characteristics that make them human. While the knowledge may not always result in the right choices, it at least provides people with humanity. Without the freedom to make their own choices people are more like soulless beings. Knowledge is a key human characteristic that often leads to other humanlike qualities, such as modesty, fear, blame, and jealousy. The Fall provides people with those humanlike qualities. Adam is brought into the world when “the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (Lawall 52). However, it is arguable that Adam actually has a soul at this point because he is unable to think for himself. He must wait for God to give him instructions on the way he acts rather than making his own choices. A true soulful being would have the ability and the knowledge to react and do things of their own accord. Not until the Fall are Adam and Eve able to behave with real humanlike qualities. Before the Fall Adam and Eve act as if they do not have a care in the world and live to care for the earth and its animals. In fact, they have no judgments about anything and seem to live for relaxation. “They were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed,” (Lawall 53). Being unashamed of ones nudity is a very unhumanlike quality. Not until the Fall occurs can Adam and Eve gain the modesty that will force them to feel embarrassed when they are naked. Modesty is an important human characteristic that would not exist if it was not for the Fall. Curiosity is actually a trait that becomes apparent even before the Fall. However, it takes a while for Adam and Eve’s curiosity to be aroused and when they first find out that “every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou 2006-06-12T01:49:20-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Choices-between-Good-and-Evil-in-the-Bible-29257.aspx The Symbolism of the Prodigal Son Jesus uses parables when teaching. Parables are earthly stories that have a heavenly meaning. Parables also have a spiritual meaning. In using parables, the Lord is able to teach a spiritual concept in such a way that even the most illiterate person is able to understand. The parable of the “Prodigal Son” is an earthly story that shows how pleased God is when a sinner repents and comes back to him. The “Prodigal Son” is a symbolic representation of Gods forgiveness or our sins, repentance of the sinner, and self-righteousness of everyman. The younger son - the prodigal son - represents the sinner who comes to God in faith and repentance. The prodigal son is impatient with the restraints placed upon him. Therefore, he wants his inheritance now to spend as he pleases. He wants to be free from the household rule of his father. This shows that a sinner is far from God and does whatever he wants without thoughts of the consequences. The prodigal son “takes a journey into a far country”. In this journey, he spends all that was given to him in a wasteful manner. After spending all he has, he lives in destitute feeding the swine and eating their leftovers. He realizes that he has sinned and decides to repent and returns home to ask his father for forgiveness. The father of the “Prodigal Son” represents God who gives his divine love and forgiveness. The father divides everything that he has between his two sons. The younger son - the prodigal son - takes all that he has and squanders it. Although the younger son sins, the father welcomes him home with open arms forgiving his sins. He shows his “fatherly love” by telling the servants “Bring forth the best robe and put it on him; and put a ring on his hands, and shoes on his feet.” “And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it, and let us be merry: For my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.” His father shows him unmerited love as God does all his children. The older son is a representation of the self-righteousness of everyman. The older son faithfully remains home working for his father. 2006-06-11T20:16:11-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Symbolism-of-the-Prodigal-Son-29241.aspx Examination of Language within Social Context What is sociolinguistics? - It is the study of language in its social context. It is a field of investigation which describes all areas of the study of the relationship between language and society. In the late 1960s and the early 1970s, a widespread interest in sociolinguistics developed. The study of language in relation to society has a long tradition, but a recognizable growth in sociolinguistics took place in the 60s and 70s. As most other fields of investigation as well, sociolinguistics is partly theoretical and partly empirical. The development of quantitative studies of speech has coincided with that of sociolinguistics and, for many linguists whose main interest is the structure of language, this part of sociolinguistics apparently makes the most relevant contribution, providing new data which need to be reconciled with current linguistic theories. The work which is done quantitative studies is all based on the study of spoken rather than written language (though in some cases the speaker is reading from a written text, such as a list of words), and its aim has been to find out about everyday speech of ordinary people, in reaction to the high degree of idealisation that is typical of transformational-generative grammar. The aim of this branch of sociolinguistics, like that of the 'dialect geography' branch of dialectology, is explicitly comparative - to compare texts with one another, rather than to make some kind of 'total' analysis of each text without reference to others. It is the purpose of studying texts - to test hypotheses about relations among linguistic and social variables. The fact that the investigator starts with a predetermined list of linguistic variables and their variants shows that he expects the variants in his list actually to occur in the sort of texts he has collected, and he also generally starts with a range of hypotheses about the social variables to which those in his list are related, such as region, social class, or sex. If each text contained instances of only one variant for each variable, then it could be located in the relevant multi-dimensional linguistic space without using quantitative methods. Different variants of the same variable occur together in the same text, and texts can be arranged on a continuous scale according to how often the variants occur. The relations between different linguistic variables are also a matter of degree, some being more closely 2006-06-11T19:39:58-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Examination-of-Language-within-Social-Context-29223.aspx Analysis of Nietzche's Genealogy of Morals The genealogical method is the basis of Friedrich Nietzsche’s work On the Genealogy of Morals. Nietzsche’s genealogy can be illustrated as a way to investigate values. The investigation of values, points out, how certain values were originally initiated. Nietzsche’s genealogy also presents a critique, by Nietzsche himself, on already established values. Nietzsche’s genealogy also creates a future in a revolutionary manner values. In order to understand the Nietzsche’s genealogical method one must first analyze the parts that make it work. One area to analyze is Nietzsche’s critical reversals. He feels that the current values, which are imbedded into society, are in some way a reversal of actual truth. Nietzsche wants society to consider the concept that values that seem to exhibit goodness actually to the reverse. A prime example of critical reversals can be seen in Nietzsche’s concept of Good and Evil vs. Good and Bad. From Nietzsche’s viewpoint, to fully understand the concepts of Good and Evil vs. Good and Bad, one must first understand certain how moral systems developed and how culture played a role in its development. Nietzsche felt that moral systems were not created by exterior beings. He feels that moral systems are developed from within a society. Nietzsche feels that there were two categories for morality. The initial morality conveyed was a Master Morality. This was the morality illustrated by the nobles in the times of Ancient Greece. To better understand the Master morality one must first analyze the thinking of the Nobles. The nobles felt a pathos of distance over their slaves. Pathos of distance is a feeling in which the nobles feel completely set apart from the slaves. The nobles also felt they had the lordly right of giving names. In this concept the rulers control the language. They define the meaning of words. In the concept of master morality the word good means noble, aristocratic, privileged, truthful, master etc. The word bad means common, low simple, plain or in other words the word described a slave. This brings Nietzsche to the concept of Good vs. Bad, which is the main basis for master morality. In the concept of Good vs. Bad, there is no resentment of the slaves on the part of the nobles. 2006-06-11T18:43:52-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Analysis-of-Nietzche-s-Genealogy-of-Morals-29193.aspx How Business has Entered Religion in America As Moses knelt down before the Burning Bush to receive the Ten Commandments, the people were kneeling down before the golden calf to receive their cut. Money and religion have always been a paradox, a test, and a trial to those who struggle to live a spiritual life in this material world. To bring this spiritual life into existence, how much material is necessary? If one says, "one only need the word" then as the message is spread, the word needs to be accessible to everyone. As a result, books are printed for the people and Buildings erected to house the people as they read the books. From these small beginnings, huge corporation-like entities, with tax breaks, loopholes, tremendous budgets, with salaries to match burst forth into a red tape snake pit to rival any government. Religion in the late 20th century has become bigger business than ever. It is not only fleecing the choir, but the unsuspecting unbeliever as well. The famous Biblical account of Jesus over-turning the tables of the money-changes in the temple shows that money and religion have been strange, but necessary bedfellows for millennia. What started out, in Abraham's day, as an animal sacrifice to please God --by the Middle Ages had turned into buying a way into heaven. The clergy of the Church were sanctioned to sell indulgences-- which were payments to the Church to ensure a short wait in Purgatory. In the 20th century, pleasing God takes many forms and most of those forms are currency. Religion is very big business, and saving souls costs a lot of money. There are many ways that the religious money machine gets funds. There is the tithe--a percentage of a person's given to the church or religious organization for its up-keep. This is usually 10 percent. Then there is the sale of items from the innocent bake sale to raise money for the Church to the huge play/ park hotel complex of the Jim and Tammy Bakker of the late eighties. Waving the poor in the face of the rich has always been a good method to get money for corporate religion--but it is usually the poor who open up their wallet and give. Another popular method is the doctrine of "prosperity" taught by many of the more fundamentalist groups. There are stories in many religious traditions that say, "the more you give--the 2006-06-11T02:35:13-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/How-Business-has-Entered-Religion-in-America-29180.aspx A Critique of the Works of Immanuel Kant But if the mind actively generates perception, this raises the question whether the result has anything to do with the world, or if so, how much. The answer to the question, unusual, ambiguous, or confusing as it was, made for endless trouble both in Kant's thought and for a posterity trying to figure him out. To the extent that knowledge depends on the structure of the mind and not on the world, knowledge would have no connection to the world and is not even true representation, just a solipsistic or intersubjective fantasy. Kantianism seems threatened with "psychologism," the doctrine that what we know is our own psychology, not external things. Kant did say, consistent with psychologism, that basically we don't know about "things-in-themselves," objects as they exist apart from perception. But at the same time Kant thought he was vindicating both a scientific realism, where science really knows the world, and a moral realism, where there is objective moral obligation, for both of which a connection to external existence is essential. And there were also terribly important features of things-in-themselves that we do have some notion about and that are of fundamental importance to human life, not just morality but what he called the three "Ideas" of reason: God, freedom, and immortality. Kant always believed that the rational structure of the mind reflected the rational structure of the world, even of things-in-themselves -- that the "operating system" of the processor, by modern analogy, matched the operating system of reality. But Kant had no real argument for this -- the "Ideas" of reason just become "postulates" of morality -- and his system leaves it as something unprovable. The paradoxes of Kant's efforts to reconcile his conflicting approaches and requirements made it very difficult for most later philosophers to take the overall system seriously. Nevertheless, Kant's theory does all sorts of things that seem appropriate for a non-reductionistic philosophical system and that later philosophy has had trouble doing at all. Kant managed to provide, in phenomenal reality (phaenomena="appearances"), for a sphere for science that was distinct and separate from anything that would relate to morality or religion. The endless confusion and conflict that still results from people trying to figure out whether or how science and religion should fit together is deftly avoided by Kant, who can say, for instance, that God and divine creation cannot 2006-06-11T01:37:31-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/A-Critique-of-the-Works-of-Immanuel-Kant-29153.aspx Analysis of James Hurst's Essay, "The Scarlet Ibis" Dante Alighieri once said, "Avarice, envy, pride, three fatal sparks, have set the hearts of all on Fire." In the short story “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst, it shows how pride can be beneficial in some ways, and harmful in other ways. The story starts out as the narrator of the story has a recollection of his past when his younger brother Doodle was still alive. The narrator tells how everyone believed Doodle is crippled mentally and physically. However, Doodle is a normal human being mentally, but has some difficulties physically. The narrator wants Doodle to become a “normal” boy, so he teaches him to practically all the activities any boy Doodle’s age would do. One day, Doodle and the narrator were playing in the fields. A large storm came and both had to run home before it became too hard to handle. Doodle started running after his brother, but couldn’t withstand it, and eventually, his stamina died down and had to rest. The narrator felt ticked off by Doodle and deserted him. A few minutes later, the narrator discovered Doodle under a tree, blood trickling from his mouth, dead. In the short story “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst, it shows how pride can be beneficial in some ways, and harmful in other ways. Pride of the narrator teaches a physically deprived little boy Doodle how to walk and gives him the same amenities as every other normal child. The pride of the narrator, “I [he] am going to teach Doodle how to walk” (170). Pride, in this instance, gives the narrator enough courage and vigor to help another human being in a positive way. The world needs more people such as the narrator, who is willing to benefit other’s lives in a tenderhearted way, to make another’s life better and happier. For example, “It’s so pretty, so pretty, pretty, pretty” (170). One’s pride can truly take the simple pleasures in life and make someone happy. The narrator does a simple task by taking his brother down to the swamp. By that action, Doodle is enthralled in happiness because he sees something he has never seen before. Having pride can be beneficial in many ways; however, having too much pride can be 2006-06-10T19:40:04-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Analysis-of-James-Hurst-s-Essay-The-Scarlet-Ibis-29141.aspx Examining a Philosophy of History That history contains errors, will not come as news to a person who has reflected on the topic. The very first history, a Greek one, History of Herodotus, written around 450 BC, likely had quite a number of fictional details so as to effect its purpose.1 Those parts of our history which are suspected to be fiction are, at least, through research and comparison, salvageable. What, however, is possibly more disturbing than the realization that, in general and throughout, our history is wrong (a sub-topic which I shall treat to a greater extent further on, herein) is the realization that there are great gaps in it. We have failed to record and gather together the little human events which make up the fabric of history: it is little events, strung together and accumulated over time, which account for our place in history. Though it may have been, in certain of its parts, reconstructed incorrectly and small shards are missing here and there, history, by a well-read and descriptive author, like a Grecian urn, is a spectacle to behold; like man himself -- fascinating, seductive, intriguing, and spectacular. It maybe, that I, like most, enjoy looking in on, at a safe distance, the follies and misfortunes2 of his fellow man, a method to gratify the natural curiosity that most of us have about such things. History, written in a lively and descriptive manner as the best are, so to grip and hold the reader, have, veiled and concealed as it might be, a lesson or moral such that the reader might modify his view of the present and his forecast of the future. This, incidentally, is the principal reason that history ought to be at the core of any scheme of education. In this light, as John Morley observed, the actual twists and turns of the great historical happenings are not so important in themselves, "except as it enables me to see my way more clearly through what is happening to-day." While its primary allure is like that of gossip, history is important because it is the story of the collective self, the story of passionate man. Fiction, coming as it does from the imagination of some fellow human being, does not have the same attraction, at least, not for me, simply because it is not true. What I need from my reading is to learn something, and 2006-06-07T16:48:19-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Examining-a-Philosophy-of-History-29110.aspx Paradoxes, Mythology, and Emotion in Western Religion Jung embarks upon a psychological discussion of religion through means of analysis, comparisons, and critiques of Western and Eastern tradition in hopes of finding a medium ground between the two cultures and a more stable, more fulfilled and healthy, spiritual self. As we shall discover, Jung, a Western Christian, places a great emphasis of enlightenment on the religions of the East while pointing out the inherent problems of Western discourse. The disjuncture between Jung’s biography and status as a 20th century European and his apparent praise of the Eastern self point to an inherent problem in the reliability of Western ideas for this particular Westerner. While we will take the time today to outline the basic tenants, as Jung sees them, of Western and Eastern religion, I shall begin with a discussion of Jung’s analysis of the Book of Job so that we might all be on an equal footing for the proceeding comparisons and analyses of the East. If we take Jung’s rather lengthy comments on the Western God, and more specifically of Yahweh (the Old Testament version), in comparison to the people of the Pre-Common Era world, we will see how Jung deviates from standard psychological analysis in favor of a literary one performing a character study of Christian mythological figures. Taking Job as his text, Jung applies the criticism of psychological thought to get at the literary, figurative, and performative aspects of the relationship between the God of the Old Testament and his most notable creation, man. While the “Answer to Job” is quite different from the style of Jung’s discussions to which we have become accustomed, let me suggest this text to represent Jung’s old age, his failure to reconcile his religious beliefs earlier, and the necessity to find the spiritual next step so common of elderly people. While not seeking to discredit this work, let me merely suggest that we take this text not as a precise and innovative psychological discussion but rather as a religious epithet of a man facing the Ever Lasting. That said, let me now turn to the summary of Job Jung provides and attempt to outline the conflicts of the text as Jung sees them. In brief, Job is the story of Yahweh’s approval of Satan to tempt a righteous man so that Yahweh might justify his 2006-06-07T16:26:40-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Paradoxes-Mythology-and-Emotion-in-Western-Religion-29101.aspx Irony, symbolism, and foreshadowing as literary devices Among Kate Chopin’s most impressive works is the short story entitled “The Story of an Hour”. This work best displays the importance of literary elements on the overall unified affect. Through the use of irony, symbolism, foreshadowing and paradox, the reader can grasp a better understanding of the main focus of the story. These literary elements are essential in the artistic style of the story. The story opens with the foreshadowing of the main character, Mrs. Mallard’s, death. The author initially informs the reader of the woman’s heart condition to allow for further developments later in the story. Through the paradox, “the joy that kills”, Chopin alludes that in the end it will be Mrs. Mallard’s joy that is the cause of her demise. Mrs. Mallard’s reaction to the news of her husband’s death gives reason to believe that she had already accepted the “death” of her marriage. The end of their relationship did not come as a shock and she was able to accept its significance, something a devoted wife could not do. This is why Mrs. Mallard was able to instantaneously begin to grieve and to weep with “wild abandonment”. Within minutes, upon entering her room, she was struck by a calming peace, and was overcome by a feeling of control and serenity. The feeling that possessed her is symbolic of the change that she could not contest; the unrelenting factor that fate plays in a person’s destiny. The imagery that aids in the plot and meaning of the story is that of nature. There is a direct correlation between the time of renewal and rebirth in nature and the reawakening of the woman’s freedom. Although the death of a person is typically associated with seasons of death, Brently Mallard’s supposed death takes place in the spring. As she looks out the window, Mrs. Mallard is confronted by the freshly fallen rain, and the newly grown trees, all symbolic of her new-sprung freedom. The clouds, a metaphor for the shadows that hovered over her marriage, begin to part and make way for a fresh beginning. The structural symbols in the Mallard household, are further demonstrations in the struggle between dominance and submissiveness. Contrasting with the outside world, the interior of the house is a prison, meant to keep Mrs. Mallard withdrawn from the world. The doors are also 2006-06-06T14:13:23-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Irony-Symbolism-and-Foreshadowing-as-Literary-Devices-29058.aspx Love and Role-Playing in a Farewell to Arms by John Stubbs John Stubbs' essay is an examination of the defense which he believes Henry and Catherine use to protect themselves from the discovery of their insignificance and "powerlessness...in a world indifferent to their well being..." He asserts that "role-playing" by the two main characters, and several others in the book, is a way to escape the realization of human mortality which is unveiled by war. Stubbs thinks that Hemingway utilized role-playing as a way to "explore the strengths and weaknesses of his two characters." Stubbs says that by placing Henry's ordered life in opposition to Catherine's topsy-turvy one, and then letting each one assume a role which will bring themcloser together, Hemingway shows the pair's inability to accept "the hard, gratuitous quality of life." Stubbs begins by showing other examples, notably in In Our Time and The Sun Also Rises, in which Hemingway's characters revert to role-playing in order to escape or retreat from their lives. The ability to create characters who play roles, he says, either to "maintain self-esteem" or to escape, is one Hemingway exploits extraordinarily well in A Farewell to Arms and therefore it "is his richest and most successful handling of human beings trying to come to terms with their vulnerability." As far as Stubbs is concerned, Hemingway is quite blatant in letting us know that role-playing is what is occurring. He tells that the role-playing begins during Henry and Catherine's third encounter, when Catherine directly dictates what is spoken by Henry. After this meeting the two become increasingly comfortable with their roles and easily adopt them whenever the other is nearby. This is apparent also in that they can only successfully play their roles when they are in private and any disturbance causes the "game" to be disrupted. The intrusion of the outside world in any form makes their role-playing impossible, as evidenced at the race track in Milan, where they must be alone. The people surrounding them make Catherine feel uncomfortable and Henry has to take her away from the crowd. He goes on to describe how it is impossible for them to play the roles when they are apart and how they therefore become more dependent upon each other's company. Stubbs goes on to explain how, "neither mistakes role-playing for a truly intimate relationship, butboth recognize that it can 2006-06-06T14:03:30-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Love-and-Role-Playing-in-a-Farewell-to-Arms-by-John-Stubbs-29055.aspx Philisophical Analysis of Elitism as a School of Thought The article In defense of Elitism by William Henery III from the June issue of Time Magazine. Which was a forty-five year old man's opinions on the number of American students going from high school to college. Including the over population of schools and majors. HE gives good statistics and gives a good argument from his point of view. Throughout this article the author tries to inform people that if one is not one of the few elitist than one should not go to college. He thinks that there are too many people that are going to college than there are jobs for. He says himself that "yet our colleges blithely go on "educating" many more prospective manager and professional than we likely need. In my own field, there are typically more students majoring in journalism at any giving moment than there are journalist employed all in the US " This is true with many other jobs; he calls them "periodic over supplied M.B.A.-wielding graduates." In such jobs as financial annalist, teachers, computers programmers and engineers he calls overpopulated. Some of those are the people we look up to are now unemployed only because there are not enough jobs for them in our society. He many points telling why many students waste money on a college education" The U.S. Labor Departments Bureau of Statistics reports that about twenty percent of all college graduates toil in fields not requiring a degree, and is projected to exceed thirty percent by the year 2005" He even talks about the lower level of students so the teacher are forced to lower the curriculum. This article gives readers many facts and statistics on why not go to college. It gives them a good objective point of view on not wasting their time on educating themselves, but to go to training schools for jobs that are more practical for them. There may be a lot of people that won't agree with Henery and there may be a lot of people that do agree with him. Some of the people that I have discussed this article with thought that he had some good ideas. They liked the Ideas about having training schools for blue collar jobs but they also think that people should have the choice of going to college. Instead of being chosen at an early age they should have the 2006-06-02T16:30:38-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Philisophical-Analysis-of-Elitism-as-a-School-of-Thought-29048.aspx Analysis of Life, Death and the After-Life in Religion Do not stand at my grave and weep; I am not there, I do not sleep. I am a thousand winds that blow. I am the diamond glints on snow. I am the sunlight on ripened grain. I am the gentle autumn rain. When you awaken in the morning’s hush I am the swift uplifting rush Of quiet birds in circled flight. I am the soft stars that shine at night. Do not stand at my grave and cry; I am not there, I did not die. --Anonymous In today’s society our perception of death is generally very negative, not to mention our haunting associations with death. The human beings that we are, have the inclination to fear even the slightest thought of death and or loss. Yes, of course, it is a natural act to feel this way. In fact, it is usually expected, and most of the time anticipated that one would be afraid of what is to come of him in the next world. As we approach death one of the tantalizing feelings that we have is that of being afraid. For those of us that believe in an eternal life, the above poem creates the perfect image of how death will be in the after life. The author of this poem states, “I am not there, I did not die.” He or she is saying that after you die you are not necessarily dead, but you can make the most of your after life, it is what you do before you die that prepares you for the after life. The above poem allows our insight on death and we are now able to come to terms with death. Christians and certain Non-Christians both believe in an after life, so one must understand that only the after life can occur after death. It is of common interest for both people of the Christian faith and those of other beliefs to be concerned with the status of the soul after ones death. For this reason it is important that all people of the world continually face the ultimate question of death and the rebirth of the soul, Christians and Non-Christians alike both believe in hope for the soul after death. The Epic of Gilgamesh, as we come to find that life here on Earth is only a journey through 2006-06-02T15:40:06-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Analysis-of-Life-Death-and-the-After-Life-in-Religion-29028.aspx The Individual's Goal in Buddhism and Hinduism I have always been intrigued by Chinese philosophy. As a little boy growing up on the island of Luzon in the Philippines, I would try to read my uncle’s college books on philosophy and try to understand what is going on. I had no idea what was going on. Maybe it was because I was young, but I did not understand anything I was reading. Let us now go to the present. I am now in college and I am studying Asian Philosophy. At this time I am studying the ways of Confucious, who speaks of humaneness, fillial devotion and ritual decorum. I am also learning about Mozi, who preaches of universal love, of Laozi, who teaches about simplifying life and being in harmony with the dao. Lastly there is Zhuangzi, who........... In Theravada Buddhism, the goal of the individual is to achieve Nirvana through the loss of individuality and cease to exist in the current world. In order to achieve this goal, Theravada Buddhists were taught to develop a state of mind in which any type of action towards them would not affect them in any way. They were taught to have a state of mind like the earth, for the earth if littered upon by men yet it does not get angry and hate. The same goes of water, air and fire, men defile all of these elements but these elements are not hurt by these actions. This way of thinking is useful because there will be encounters with unpleasant people throughout life, these such encounters, if not reacted upon in a neutral manner, can accumulate Karma, which for the Theravada Buddhist, means that Nirvana cannot be achieved. This is why having a passive state of mind could become useful. Furthermore, Theravada Buddhists should be conscious of the corruption of the body. This is important because passion will grow less. If passion grows less, then sin grows less. Also, meditation of the mind is exercised. This is done in order to develop the mind in such a way as to be conscious of even your last breath. Moreover, according to Embree,”A monk becomes his own lamp and refuge by continually looking on hid body, feelings, perceptions, moods and ideas in such a manner 2006-06-02T15:35:02-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Individual-s-Goal-in-Buddhism-and-Hinduism-29026.aspx Critical Analysis of Fundamental Buddhist Beliefs Buddhists believe in Buddha’s teachings of the Four Noble Truths. These lead to there belief in following the Eightfold Path in order to reach nirvana. Their art consists of statues of the Buddha, each part having its own meaning. Their music was for the temple and they had their own special way of singing. Buddhism admits no social class, no sex or race superiority. Most shrines are open to all. Buddhism is utterly tolerant, and seeks no converts. The Buddhist proclaims the Dharma to mankind. Anyone who wishes may accept and apply it - those who do not wish to do so pass with a blessing upon their way. Buddhism is a teaching of the Buddha who was born a prince of Kapilavathu, at the part of the Himalaya mountains near the border of Nepal in 623 B.C. He married and had a son. Although, he was surrounded by all the Court's glamour and luxuries, the sights of a decrepit old man, sick man, dead man and beggar monk, these four signs left such a deep impression upon his mind. At the age of twenty-nine, he decided to leave his palace and enter "the homeless life" of a monk to seek the truth and find a way to salvation for all conscious and alive beings. In his search for salvation among the teachers, he surpassed them and found that their doctrines were insufficient, not leading to awakening, to extinction and to enlightenment and insight. He departed those teachers and turned to practice self-mastery for six years with great willingness and effort. Buddha met five holy men who offered their services to him, and finally, the Buddha realized that the ascetic exercises were not the right way to attain salvation. He had practiced self-mastery to the limit of his endurance and felt very weakened without achieving anything. So, he partook of food, regained strength and began to practice meditation which finally led to His enlightenment under the Holy Bodi tree near the town of Uruvela, the present Buddha-Gaya when he was only thirty-five years old. Beliefs of the religion of Buddhism are the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. The four parts to the Four Noble Truths are: (1) Life is suffering (Dukka). This recognizes that there is always suffering in life, may it be aging, death, sickness, grief, or separation from loved ones. (2) Desire 2006-06-02T03:36:31-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Critical-Analysis-of-Fundamental-Buddhist-Beliefs-29020.aspx Existentialism Thought in Modern Philosophy Free will is something that many people don’t realize they have, especially in today’s society. There are a lot of factors that influence our way of living like how we dress, how to talk, what to eat, what to drive and how to think. When was the last time that anybody done something because they felt like it or just wanted to try it out, good or bad decision? Existentialism is a philosophy that expresses people to know who they are as individuals and to decide for him/herself what is right and wrong. The definition of existentialism is philosophical doctrine emphasizing that individuals must create their own meaning and purpose in life. In education, an existentialist believes that each student must ultimately make meaning through individual learning, not group learning (550). In the early European times there was a school called “Christian Existentialism,” which practice this philosophy like water being essential to human life. They taught the students that there is no God and that we came from evolution, in addition to teaching the concept that we are all an insignificant part of the galaxy; the meaning of life is determined by what individuals make it out to be (320). There are parts of this that I do not agree with like the fact that there is no God, which I feel is just ignorant to say. Also the facts that we live in a meaningless world, if it wasn’t significant then why are we here in the first place? What is the purpose of going through life at this point if that statement is true? However one thing I do agree with is the fact that we do make decisions that determine our meaning of life. God gave us a free will to live life how we see fit and that He will only interfere when He is called upon. The decisions we make today will have an effect to our future no matter how small it may seem. The modern American version of existentialism is not as extreme as the early time European version. This philosophy does exist in the classrooms through discussion over certain topics that involve different point of views. Also a teacher that practices existentialism encourages students to try and discover themselves, who they are as an individual? The teachers tell the students that they are free to make whatever decisions that 2006-06-01T18:38:00-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Existentialism-Thought-in-Modern-Philosophy-28976.aspx Ethical Dispute Regarding Creationism Versus Evolution Creationism is the theory that man, the earth, and the rest of the universe was originally created rather than randomly exploding from nothingness into chance existence. We reside on the surface of a small superbly crafted, autonomous self regulating space vehicle. Together with survival, conquest and death we bear witness to beauty, fragrances, love and music. Think about this. Mathematics, philosophy, springtime, depravity, farming, courtship, quasars, and bubble gum; all came from nothingness?, formed by chance......? Of all the generations thus far to inhabit the Earth, we have the least excuse for not recognizing the quiet presence of The Scientific Mathematician who set everything into motion around us. We should be in awe, not presumptuous and skeptical. About 3,000 years ago King David of Israel wrote (Psalm 8:3-4) "When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained; what is man that you are mindful of him? And the son of man, that You visit him?" Creationism is the product of a literal interpretation of the Biblical story of Genesis. It holds that God created the world in a single act approximately 6,000 years ago-and that human beings, animals, and other forms of life exist today much as they did then. To many creationists, the theory of evolution is heresy. They argue that fossil records and other scientific evidence of evolution are either false or were themselves created by God. "In the beginning, God created the heaven and earth."And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. "And God said, let there be light: and there was light. "And God saw the light, that it was good; And divided the light from darkness. "And God Called the light day, and the darkness he called night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. "And God said let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters. "Ands God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; And it was so. "And God called the firmament heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. "And God said, let the waters under the heavens be 2006-06-01T02:36:34-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Ethical-Dispute-Regarding-Creationism-Versus-Evolution-28970.aspx Existentialism Explored through Meaningless Reflection Although there is no specific question in which to answer for this reflection, I found that in order for me to successfully accomplish it I had to. The first question I asked myself was, what exactly did I do? It is hard to remember every exact piece for English that I read or wrote, however I do know the less than substantial amount of time that I put in, up until my American dream definition paper. The point of a reflection is to reflect upon myself, the work I accomplished, and my writing technique. I have put in contributions to the pursuit of my learning, however one of the major downfalls that I have failed to accomplish is my ongoing procrastination in all of my schoolwork. Up until the American Dream definition paper, I was not using my time wisely. It was hard for me to manage other schoolwork, sports, dancing, and my job. With the American dream essay, I had a month to sort through my papers, thoughts, and also look up more information on people's beliefs of their American dream. I started to jot down many ideas and sentences, however the problem with that was that I didn't stay organized at all. I ended up losing two drafts of my paper until I decided to save everything on my computer so I could write and cut whatever I wanted without the fear of losing papers again. This turned out to be very effective, and I plan to use this way of writing papers much more often. I have not been responsible this year in my schoolwork in the fact that if it isn't procrastination, I am losing papers. All year as a whole I also haven't been responsible in English in the fact that I haven't rewritten one paper. On my Caesar essay I knew I could do better, and on my Great Gatsby timed essay I received a D+. The comment written on my paper says, "This just scrambles, never makes a point." When I read this and looked at my essay, I realized it was mostly because I didn't have a good prewrite to help me along the way. I decided that I wasn't going to let that happen with my American Dream essay, which is why I put a lot more effort into it by organizing my thoughts and writing good prewrite to 2006-06-01T02:34:30-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Existentialism-Explored-through-Meaningless-Reflection-28969.aspx Logical Arguments on the Existence and Meaning of God The ontological argument is an argument for the existence of God. It is a reflection on the meaning of the word God; it is an a priori argument. This could be seen as a major strength of the Ontological argument it does not depend on evidence. It is what it is. For example how do we know a bear is an animal? Because as part of the definition of bear we know it is an animal, in the same way God is the definition of God. It is an analytic statement; existence is God as an animal is a bear. Therefore God is necessarily true because the predicate is included in subject of the statement. He is ‘de dicto’, a logical necessity. God is defined by the statement God is, if it is said that God exists this implies he didn’t exist before and will cease to exist at some point but the statement God is does not imply anything, God will always be, and has always been he is timeless and eternal. It doesn’t make sense to ask if God exists. If there is no God then where did the idea come from? Descartes argued that it is illogical to think of God without existence it is like thinking of a triangle and not a shape with three angles. God is a logical necessity therefore God must exist, this argument was put forward by Anselm he thought that it was possible to conceive of a being, the existence of which is necessary, and God must be such a being if he is ‘That which nothing greater can be conceived’ Because there must be something that nothing greater can be thought of. Descartes argued ‘God is a supremely perfect being’ And that existence is perfection; this means that God must exist, as he is ‘supremely perfect’ The Ontological argument does not rely on or involve faith or religion. In this respect in can apply to everyone and the do not have to belong to a particular religious group or set of beliefs. There are also weaknesses to the Ontological argument as illustrated by Guanaco and Kant in particular. Gaunilo argued against Anselm’s argument by suggesting that he can imagine ‘The most perfect island’ does this mean that that island exists somewhere? However Gaunilos argument also has its flaws as he suggests that it is logical 2006-05-31T23:37:39-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Logical-Arguments-on-the-Existence-and-Meaning-of-God-28946.aspx I believe that there is no such thing as the ‘most reliable source’ because every thing that we know or experience must be confirmed by a combination of different things. Reason and Emotion are not reliable sources of knowledge on there own. Therefore we must use a combination of reason and emotion to draw an accurate picture of the world. It is possible to draw an accurate picture using only emotion or reason by itself, but the most accurate picture can be drawn using both emotion and reason. To start, let us analyze reason first. Reasons, such as logic are examples of knowledge which take thinking and calculation to draw a conclusion. There are two types of logic; inductive and deductive logic. Inductive uses specific examples to draw a general conclusion, and deductive uses general examples to draw a specific conclusion, but both believe that 2 + 2 = 4. Emotion is instinct as well as learned. We are born with a form of emotion called innate emotion, which includes feelings such as laughter and crying. Another form of emotion is learned emotion; these are feelings that develop depending on the society we live in, location and our upbringing, such as hello and goodbye which are different in many cultures. One obvious disadvantage of emotion is how easily it can be affected, with things such as alcohol and drugs, giving us a false picture of the world. It can be argued that reason is more accurate than emotion because emotion can also affect our decision making in very negative ways. Our emotions can hinder our learning and can force us to think in negative ways. For example a soldier who survived a war may be living with guilt because he is wandering why he was spared and why he was ‘chosen’ to survive. The soldier may very skeptical and stereotypical way towards the ‘enemy.’ However it is emotion that drives our hunger for knowledge. It is because we want to learn and discover the unknown that we are curious and cause us to reason. Without the emotion of curiosity we would not want to draw a an accurate picture of world. In some cases we even use reason to try and explain our emotions. For example, the character Mr. Gradgrind in ‘Hard Times’ by Charles Dickens, is a very practical man, a man of facts and calculations, and he 2006-05-18T19:46:49-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/ToK-What-is-The-Most-Reliable-Source-of-Knowledge-28864.aspx Does knowing we are going to die help us to live? How? We often take our lives for granted especially when we're young. We think we're going to live forever. But, from one moment to the next, nobody knows what will happen. A person could be alive and well one moment and dead the next, this shows the value of life and the uncertainties of death. Death is the “great unknown,” and that's why it's so frightening. Also, we perceive the inevitability of death long before it happens, which can be worrying, even tormenting. This fear and suffering keeps us from thinking seriously about death as it impedes our happiness. We need to know how to do this, how to live in freedom, not being imprisoned by the future and not being carried away by things in the present. When we can live our daily life deeply and genuinely, we begin to feel free and are able to live; we can see the true nature of life, we arrive at a great freedom with in you and freedom is the essence of happiness. All of us are equal as far as life and death are concerned; we are all going to die. So it is very equal, death will happen to everybody. Everyone has to die however, before we die, can we live properly? Properly being living life and enjoying life, not being sucked in by your surroundings and thought. I am determined to live properly until I die. If we are going to die, then we have to live the best we can. If we don’t live the best we can why should we live? You are given an extraordinary thing, which is life, and you should use it to fulfil everything you desire, that is how life should be lived. The saying, “To live well is to die well,” takes on great meaning. If our life is filled with being caught in the restraints of pain and suffering, then our life doesn’t have the same kind of meaning as if we live in freedom. Knowing that we have to die, I am determined to live my life properly, deeply. If we aren’t able to live with peace, joy, and freedom before we die, then we live as if we are dead already. Hearing the doctors’ words, “You have cancer, you may live for six months.” This completely overwhelms the 2006-05-14T20:15:26-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Death-Does-it-Help-us-Live-28846.aspx Adultery in The Crucible and The Color Purple Throughout literature, one comes across characters that are not as appealing because they are promiscuous. John Proctor, from “The Crucible”, Harpo and Albert, from The Color Purple, are all examples of men who commit adultery. Their respective wives, Elizabeth, Sofia, and Celie, all have different reactions to their infidelity. The three women have completely different ways of handling the situation. In “The Crucible”, John Proctor and Elizabeth Proctor had hired Abigail as a helper at their house. However, Abigail and John began to sleep together. Elizabeth began to notice and she approached John about it. He confesses and Abigail is kicked out of their house. After this event, there is a distance between John and Elizabeth, which is reasonable considering it was a great injustice done to Elizabeth. Elizabeth still suspects him of misconduct and he cannot take her suspicions anymore. He says, “You forget nothin’ and forgive nothing”…I have gone tiptoe in this house all seven month since she is gone. I have not moved from there to there without I think to please you, and still an everlasting funeral marches around your heart. I cannot speak but I am doubted…as though I come into a court when I come into this house” (Miller 52). There is great awkwardness in their relationship in the aftermath of this affair, but the big trials against Elizabeth bring them together. When Elizabeth was being arrested, John is very angry and says, “Fear nothing, Elizabeth....Damn you, man, you will not chain her!” (Miller 73-74). The calamity of the trial brings John and Elizabeth close together again. According to Julian Klein, this affair was caused by Elizabeth. She writes, “Elizabeth Proctor, the wife whose coldness inspired Proctor's adultery with their servant, Abigail Williams” (Klein). However, this is not a justified excuse for infidelity. When a person gets married, they are agreeing to be monogamous. It does not matter how difficult a spouse may be, one is not supposed to be disloyal. If there are too many problems, then there is the option of separation. Some may believe Elizabeth was too harsh in sending orphan Abigail out, but Elizabeth was vindicated because she was only thinking of saving her marriage and protecting her children from gossip. Elizabeth’s response to infidelity is the complete opposite of Celie’s reaction to her husband’s mistress. Their situations are also very different. Elizabeth 2006-05-13T21:40:53-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Adultery-in-The-Crucible-and-The-Color-Purple-28844.aspx Moral Autonomy: A Matter of Innate Reasoning In any functioning society, a system of morals must be present to establish what is right and wrong. Nearly everything in a community is at least loosely based on a code of morals: laws, traditions, government policies, and even simple relationships, such as business transactions. Without such a system society would crumble, since daily operations depend so heavily on shared ethics. In the U.S., a Judeo-Christian ethic largely dominates the culture, but problems still arise. While certain basic values—such as “thou shalt not kill”—can be agreed upon by most of the population, it seems that no single, cohesive moral guideline has been widely accepted, despite the existence of several. Emmanuel Kant, advocating absolutism, and John Stuart Mill, who supports utilitarianism, represent two of the most prominent theories. Both Kant and Mill provide noble visions of morality, and center their thoughts on respectable principles that focus the rest of their works. One principle lies at the heart of both utilitarianism and absolutism. Kant places great faith in the human mind, particularly its ability to use “pure reason,” as opposed to “empirical reason.” In a straightforward way, he explains that “all philosophy insofar as it is founded on experience may be called empirical, while that which sets forth its doctrines entirely on a priori principles may be called pure (Kant, p. 1).” Any conclusions made through sense experience are termed empirical, whereas a doctrine based on a priori thoughts—using only reason—is termed pure. Empirical philosophy, for the most part, can become subjective, but pure reason is solely objective. For Kant, an objective perspective is required for any consideration of morality. He claims that “everyone must admit that if a law is morally valid…then it must carry with it absolute necessity (Kant, p. 2).” A moral law, in the eyes of Kant, must be obligatory for all rational men. Further, “[everyone] must concede that the ground of obligation here must therefore be sought not in the nature of man nor in the circumstances of the world in which man is placed, but must be sought a priori solely in the concepts of pure reason (Kant, p. 2).” Again, the emphasis is placed on objective thought. The rationale for the absolute nature of moral law cannot be found through 2006-05-01T19:52:19-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Kant-vs_-Mill-Deontology-vs_-Utilitarianism-28774.aspx The Necessity of Liberty In political philosophy, there is no greater question than the proper relationship between the state and the individual. John Rawls directly addresses the issue in his famous work A Theory of Justice, in which he offers a comprehensive argument for an active welfare state. Robert Nozick, his colleague at Harvard, responded only a few years later with Anarchy, State, and Utopia, a work focusing not on a specific formulation of distributive justice, but rather whether any such formulation is possible. Each author develops principles of justice with implications for the role of government. Rawls offers a framework based in the context of social contract theory that appears both logical and egalitarian; his conclusions appeal to both intuition and reason almost inescapably. However, Rawls fails to show an appreciation for the fundamental tension between liberty and equality, and it is a flaw that Nozick duly exposes in his retort. Rawls begins with a Kantian statement that “each person possesses an inviolability founded on justice that even the welfare of society as a whole can override (670).” However, he quickly rejects the premise by declaring “no doubt [these propositions] are expressed too strongly (670).” In the beginning, Rawls acknowledges the tension between an individual and society as a whole. The principles of justice, within his theory, are the principles that best reconcile the interests of the two parties. Society is described as a “cooperative venture for mutual advantage,” although “it is typically marked by a conflict as well as by an identity of interests (670).” Conflict occurs because humans are self-interested. “Social cooperation makes possible a better life for all than any would have if each were to live solely by his own efforts,” but “persons are not indifferent as to how the greater benefits produced by their collaboration are distributed (670).” While society makes each individual member better off, they are constantly competing for the spoils of their cooperative efforts. Necessarily, “a set of principles is required for choosing among the various social arrangements which determine this division of advantages (670).” This set of principles, which decides how goods are to be distributed, represents the principles of justice for Rawls. Proper principles must proceed from a position of fairness and equality: “they are the principles that free and rational persons concerned to further their 2006-05-01T19:43:02-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Rawls-vs_-Nozick-The-Necessity-of-Liberty-28773.aspx Who the Bitch Really Is In America today, even some of the most intelligent and progressive people never really think about the implications of the words they use. In fact, many people seem to dwell in the dogma of anti-censorship rhetoric. They may feel that they have a right to say whatever words they want to, no matter who is affected. Many of these words are considered very oppressive however; it is a social norm in today’s society. Most commonly, you will find these oppressive words spoken frequently amongst males, whom feel that they are the superior of women. The frequent usage of these misogynist words is used to categorize, or label women as 2006-03-30T05:00:26-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Using-Misogimist-words-towards-women-28644.aspx Online Dating vs. Meet & Greet Imagine walking down a crowded street in Manhattan during the lunchtime rush hour. Millions of men and women fill the streets. Some are married, divorced, in long or short-term relationships, and some are single. In fact, over half are single. So how does one tell, who is, and who is not? In addition, if they are able to single handedly point them out, do they have the nerve to approach them, and ask them out on a date? Not usually, and even if they did conjure up the nerve, the lunch hour would be over by the time they acted upon it. Millions of single people in today’s society face this dilemma because according to the web page sponsored by Media Wiley, “traditional dating has become fundamentally random” (15). Is there a safe alternative to traditional dating? Many would say, “Yes” that the modern style of online dating or, virtual dating has become a very safe and effective alternative to the traditional dating style; however, millions of people would argue the fact. Is online dating a safe alternative, or should people continue to stick with the traditional way of meeting potential partners in person? Truth is, online dating is a very safe alternative to traditional dating. Online dating has become one of the fastest growing alternatives to the traditional style of dating; in fact, “The numbers of people reported dating online in North America ranges from 10 to 30 million” (Silverstein 20). Many people choose to use online dating to their advantage because of the many wonderful benefits that accompany it; however, many people argue that online dating is very dangerous. This may be true, yet no matter whether two people connect online, or in person, any given situation that involves meeting a stranger could be very dangerous. In fact, everyone needs to be cautious when it comes to meeting new people. Online dating, however, allows people to interact with other people anonymously, which is a lot safer than traditional dating. With online dating, a person never has to reveal their identity, what kind of car they drive, what things they like to do, or what places they frequent the most. Unlike traditional dating, this information does not have to become the topic of discussion. In addition, unlike traditional dating, online dating allows people to screen millions of available candidates, who meet their search criteria. They also 2006-03-29T06:03:31-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Online-Dating-Vs_-Meet-and-Greet-28628.aspx It's 10 minutes to 9 and the night is dark and cold. Completely unaware of the surroundings, fear and anxiety possess within. Grasping for air, the weather continues to drop. Heart's Racing - this is it; this is how it ends. The national homicide rate in 2004 was 5.5 per 100,000. Philadelphia's homicide rate in 2004 was 22.2 per 100,000. (Philadelphia Inquirer.) Twenty-two percent of the city's population died within the past year. For every 10 seconds another person on this planet is laid to rest. Death occurs so often, that retaliation and accidents become one in definition. Ernest Becker said, "The idea of death, the fear of it, haunts the human animal like nothing else; it is a mainspring of human activity - designed largely to avoid the fatality of death, to overcome it by denying in some way that it is the final destiny of man." It's amazing; in the midst of death is when someone truly determines the value and the importance of the life they luckily still possess. Every time someone questions what they did within the duration of their life, two things will happen; you either will see them bow their head in shame, filled with regret because they feel that they have failed in not only their own expectations, but also the expectations of others. Or, you will see them raise their head in dignified satisfaction because to them, they've accomplished their goal and are ready for life’s next challenge. But no matter who you are, where you’re from, or what you've experienced, each and every person possesses a goal, an ambition or a purpose that must be pursued. Even so, before successfully fulfilling one's objective in life, despite what happens, within each person three characteristics will always become evident; one will always experience fear, success, and failure. Being able to accept all three characteristics with no complaint is the most valuable tool one could ever possess. The most complicated question one could ever ask is to define the meaning of life; to elaborate the means and basis of our own existence; to put into words the physical, mental, and emotional inclination that one must experience with every given step. Happiness, sadness, and regret are all examples of mentalities that just cannot be put into words. To explain life is not impossible but simply just a waste of valuable time. Albert Camus once said 2006-03-23T21:13:29-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Meaning-of-Life-28616.aspx As you read the “Strength to Love” you start to realize how today’s society is filled with hatred and has been overcome by great amounts of evil. I think that this is what Martin Luther King wanted to get through to the reader as he wrote this book of sermons. Not only was the society being ruined, but the people that make up the society were damaging our world; and still damaging it today. Obviously, the main issue that Martin Luther King was trying to cover was the idea of living a better lifestyle which God has chosen for us to ultimately better ourselves and our society. MLK (Martin Luther King, Jr.) makes a lot of good observations which he makes within each chapter. I think that each of the chapters had one specific point that MLK wanted to get by to the reader which summed up to his main topic. Three of the strongest points that struck me the most were the tough mind and the tender hearts of strong people. Secondly, that our God is able to do anything. And Thirdly, The answer to the perplexing question of, “How can evil be cast out?” As I was reading the first chapter I was amazed how the things that were being said were so true. Our society today is generally built of two types of people: tough minded people and soft minded people. There is a world out there full of television, radio and internet that people are engaged in. With any of those things easily at hand people tend to depend on them or take them for granted to not only entertain us but to fill us with resources. That resource, which may be true or false, tends to brainwash the soft-minded people of our society. The tendency for people to fall into these types of traps has led to a violent and prejudice lifestyle. Soft mindedness has brought these evil acts upon our world. On the opposite side of the soft minded person is the tough minded person. Jesus has helped those with the tough mind to think with reason, make decisive judgments and decipher true from false. But with only a tough mind you will lack genuine compassion and isolate yourself from others. Not only do you have to have tough 2006-03-22T03:12:47-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Strength-to-Love-Martin-Luther-King-Jr-28605.aspx The Difference Your Eschatology Makes Eschatology is a topic of serious theological discussion that has suffered rather badly in its’ narrow treatment by both ends of the theological spectrum. While liberals have tended to reduce the subject to symbolic mythology or a realized sociology, conservatives have been guilty of succumbing to the threat of Marx that religion in general and eschatology in particular would become the otherworldly opiate that sedates people with hope without engaging them in any significant present. When defined by either extreme, the serious student is left with either a bankrupt model leading to social activism or a commitment to revise his text on when Jesus is really coming every time the historical climate changes. In truth eschatology should never be reduced to either of these dead ends. It is a serious reflection that affects all parts of a theological system. If conservative theologians have been guilty of any persistent error it is to treat theological categories systematically rather than systemically. The difference is that systematic theology tends to create and sustain biblical or philosophical categories while systemic theology ( a term I have coined from systems theory) looks more at the interconnections between theological categories. In systematic theology we can tend to myopia and lose the fact that all things are connected in theology leading to a disillusionment with any part of the system. Systemic theology utilizes the basic categories of theology but allows them to be a bit more fluid. Its’ interest is pulling on the interconnecting threads between doctrines and see just how they are affected by each other. With this in mind, one can enter the system of theology at any given point and note the effect that that perspective has on the rest of the system. In order to understand why eschatology is important and how it affects the other parts of our theology, I have chosen to engage an older text, Eschatology and Ethics in the Teaching of Jesus by Amos Wilder. This text is appropriate because Wilder is a bit more liberal than evangelicals are comfortable with and will provide an excellent sounding board to pull out the connections we are seeking. Wilder's Eschatological Vision Amos Wilder strikes a very different chord concerning eschatology early in his book when he notes that its’ basic substance is that of myth read forward. By doing this, he is calling to our minds the idea of myth as 2006-03-20T21:20:19-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Difference-Your-Eschatology-Makes-28598.aspx Buddhism In reading this account on Buddhism, the goal is, for you (the reader) to understand a fascinating belief system, that has been around since before Christ ever set foot on this earth. This will provide a connection to the minds and hearts of the people who live and die in this sacred world, so that an understanding may be arroused and ultimatly give an acceptance as well as a clear path to minister to these people. The most important aspect of reaching out to people of other cults or religions could possibly be an understanding and common ground with your neighbor. Therefore, knowing Buddhism and learning about it will help give you a stepping stone in you mission on spreading the gospel of Christianity, plus expose you to some of the profoundly interesting culture of Asia. (Yamamoto 1) History We have all seen and heard about Buddha and the yin and yang, do to the exploitation of an ancient religion, however aside from this popular fad is a complex and ancient religion deriving from a place called Kapilavastu located in southern Nepal. It began with a man named Siddhartha Gautama, who in fact was the son of a chieftain of the Sakya Clan. Basically he was a prince, enjoying all the luxuries accompanying it. He was born in at about 560 BC, it is debatable as to the exact history of his life, because of the many different forms of Buddhism, however there are substantial bits and peace’s that are agreed on among the different Buddhists. (Mead 23) He grew up in a sheltered type of life, in that his father refused to let him see any human misery, so he was secluded from the outside world he was never meant know. However, one day at the age of twenty-nine he came to the conclusion of how empty his life had become. As an effect of this, he decided to renounce all his worldly possessions and break all attachments he had in order to set out on a journey. A journey in search of peace and enlightenment. He then, on one fateful day set out on his voyage, eluding the royal attendants his father had contained him with. When reaching the outside, he experienced the effects of human suffering, by veiwing an old man, a leper, a corpse, and an ascetic. 2006-03-19T10:21:35-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Buddhism--28592.aspx Teenage Sex Teenagers in the United States are experimenting with sexual activities more and more today than ever before. According to Charles Krauthammer, "Sex oozes from every pore of the culture and there's not a kid in the world who can avoid it." (Meier, 1994, p. 7). Teenagers are surrounded by some sort of sexual connotations all the time. Whether it is television, radio, school, or even the Internet, teenagers are hearing the affects of sex on our society. The price that teenagers pay for being sexually active greatly outweighs any advantages. The period of puberty occurs somewhere between the ages of 10 and 14 for most but can vary for different people. Heredity, health problems, and emotional and physical stress can cause these variations. Teens begin to experiment with the opposite sex by hugging, kissing and other forms of sexual expression. People are capable of creating babies as soon as puberty begins. Teens also watch more television and listen to more music developing their own unique personalities. According to one study, about 65,000 sexual acts or comments on prime-time television occur every year (Meier, 1994, p. 9). In the movies or on television, the actors and actresses make sex look easy, fun and glamorous. It appears to be something everyone is doing. On television shows like "Dawson's Creek", sex is usually the major topic of the entire show. Whether it is guys and girls, guys and guys, girls and girls, or multiple persons of each sex, the sex act itself is a major conflict. Movies, such as "Cruel Intentions", portray sex as a game. The main characters are placing bets on each other that one of them will have sex with some girl who is against the idea of premarital sex. That movie is rated R, but little kids were in there with their parents. Those types of movies are not meant for a young audience. Now those kids might end up having sex when they become teenagers. Those same teenagers might often be the ones that get pregnant. Teenage pregnancy happens so often that people hardly even recognize it anymore as a negative affect on our society. Experts estimate that the combination of lost tax revenues and increased spending on public assistance, child health care, foster care and the criminal justice system totals about $7 billion annually for births in teens. Despite a 20-year low in the teen 2006-03-19T09:42:57-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Teenage-Sex--28576.aspx A Comparison of Plato and Aristotle Plato versus Aristotle Plato and Aristotle, two philosophers in the 4th century, hold polar views on politics and philosophy in general. This fact is very cleverly illustrated by Raphael's "School of Athens" (1510-11; Stanza della Segnatura, Vatican), where Plato is portrayed looking up to the higher forms; and Aristotle is pointing down because he supports the natural sciences. In a discussion of politics, the stand point of each philosopher becomes an essential factor. It is not coincidental that Plato states in The Republic that Philosopher Rulers who possess knowledge of the good should be the governors in a city state. His strong interest in metaphysics is demonstrated in The Republic various times: for example, the similes of the cave, the sun, and the line, and his theory of the forms. Because he is so involved in metaphysics, his views on politics are more theoretical as opposed to actual. Aristotle, contrarily, holds the view that politics is the art of ruling and being ruled in turn. In The Politics, he attempts to outline a way of governing that would be ideal for an actual state. Balance is a main word in discussing Aristotle because he believes it is the necessary element to creating a stable government. His less metaphysical approach to politics makes Aristotle more in tune with the modern world, yet he is far from modern. Plato's concept of what politics and government should be is a direct result of his belief in the theory of forms. The theory of forms basically states that there is a higher "form" for everything that exists in the world. Each material thing is simply a representation of the real thing which is the form. According to Plato, most people cannot see the forms, they only see their representation or their shadows, as in the simile of the cave. Only those who love knowledge and contemplate on the reality of things will achieve understanding of the forms. Philosophers, who by definition are knowledge lovers, are the only beings who can reach true knowledge. This concept has to be taken a step further because in The Republic, Plato states that philosophers should be the rulers since they are the only ones who hold the form of the good. Plato seems to be saying that it is not enough to know the forms of tables or trees, one must know the 2006-03-19T09:30:17-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Aristotle-vs_-Plato-28574.aspx Islam is the True Final Religion People often wonder what the true religion is. All religions follow at least one basic concept, belief in God. While some believe in one God others believe in many. Muslims believe Islam is the true final religion. All religions have been changed; their scriptures and books have been changed, and their beliefs have been changed too. However, Islam is the only religion whose book, the Quran, has never been changed and will never be changed. It is God’s promise “We have revealed this Book and We will protect It”. (Quran 15:9) One example of Muslims belief not changing is they still dress the same way today as they used during the Prophets times. If you see pictures of Mary and Jesus, you will see that practicing Muslims still dress the way Mary and Jesus dressed. That’s because Muslims believe God’s laws never change. We are required to be modest that’s why Muslims still dress the same way. Some religions were not complete, like Judaism or Christianity. Judaism isn’t complete because they knew that a prophet was supposed to come who was supposed to be like Moses. Christians believe that the chosen prophet who was supposed to come was Jesus. However Jesus was not like Moses. Jesus was not born a natural birth, nor did he die a natural birth and Christians believe that Jesus is the son of God. He did not even live a long life to be an example for his people, to show people how to live. Muslims believe that Jesus is a prophet. They believe Muhammed was the chosen prophet who supposed to be like Moses and that Muhammed was the last prophet. Muhammed had many similarities to Moses; they both taught to believe in one God, they both married and had children, and both had to migrate to other lands. When the Prophet Muhammed was young, many people including Christians, just by looking at him could tell that he was going to be a prophet, because in their Bibles they had descriptions of how the last prophet would look like. He was very trustworthy and was known by all his people for being honest. He was never known to lie and he was very modest. He did not 2006-02-20T21:53:17-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Persuasive-Essay-28510.aspx Introduction “[quote:9ac110ab46]Even more so will you have to ensure that in the midst of a tautly educated and bred race you won’t make yourself a laughing stock through walking about scruffily crooked and lop-sided? When, at last, you recognise your unconstructive build, the high shoulders, the clumsy feet, and the soft round overall build as signs of bodily ruin, you will for a few generations toil towards your outward rebirth.”# [/quote:9ac110ab46]Any reader of this text will automatically believe these are the words of an anti-Semite. They would be far wrong for this is taken from an article written by Walter Rathenau, a Jew, and later foreign minister of Germany during the Weimar Republic, who was assassinated in 1922 by anti-Semites. Walter Rathenau’s essay “Hoere Israel” is a good indicator of the problems of the integration of Jews into the German society, which was understood by many liberal Jews as the complete assimilation of Jews to the German way of life. This pursuit of assimilation is probably the most tragic event of Judaeo-German history after the holocaust. It goes hand in hand with the tragedy of the German Enlightenment which led to two world wars and the attempted annihilation of the European Jews. I will show in this essay how close German Enlightenment and the emancipation of the Jews are connected and how this led to severe problems in the Jewish population of Germany. Further I will try to evaluate the effect this had on post WW I Germany and the rise of national socialism. The German Enlightenment and the emancipation of the German Jews Already chronologically, there is a tight connection to the emergence of the German Enlightenment with figures like G.E. Lessing and Immanuel Kant and the emancipation movement of Jews with its archetype and figurehead Moses Mendelssohn, who was a contemporary of the above named. The 18th century saw a rise of rationalism which was the basis of the industrial revolution and civil revolutions in America and France. A strong emphasis was laid on the ability of the conscience to pursue moral integrity consequently moving away from any external moral authority. This sparked wishes for an enlightened emancipation of the lower classes from authoritarian rule across Europe, hence the French and American Revolutions and other uprisings of smaller scale.# This change of thought did not stop at the gates of the Jewish ghettoes and especially the higher strata of Jewish society 2006-01-14T22:00:39-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Jewish-Emancipation-in-19th-century-Germany-28419.aspx Evolutionism vs Creationism Questions on the origin of life and of the universe must have challenged human curiosity and imagination as soon as early man had time for activities other than survival. In 1859, Charles Darwin published the Origin of Species, and since then, people have debated between the creationism and evolutionism theories. The theory of evolution has been supported only through various religious writings, particularly the Bible. Creationists believe in a divine creator, God. Creationism has a broad range of beliefs involving a reliance on God’s miraculous work to explain the origin of the universe, of life, and of the different kinds of plants and animals on Earth. According to the creationist view, God willed everything into existence, and this is how humans came onto the Earth. Creationists say that the evolution theory is biased and incomplete. They believe that the fossil records fail to provide a link between diverse groups. To find out how old fossils are, scientists use a method called radioisotope dating, which measures the amount of uranium or lead lost over the years. Creationists deny evidence from this testing because they assume no uranium or lead has been lost over the years. The process of evolution, which all living things developed from unicellular organisms, over billions of years Exactly how evolution occurs is still debated but it is a scientific fact that it does occur. Most biologists believe that the modern theory of evolution arose from a history of mutations either physically or chemically and it is still occurring. All organisms can be traced back to a common ancestor from inanimate matter. The science of paleontology or the study of life provides the most direct proof of evolution in the past through fossil remains or impressions, usually in rock. Other evidence comes from comparative studies of living animals and plants, including their structure and geographical locations. “Mollusks and vascular plants account for more than 80 percent” (Futuyma 87) of the world’s species, with about “1.4 to 1.8 million species” (Futuyma 87) in all. Changes occur in living organisms to help increase their adaptability, or potential for survival and reproduction, in the face of changing environments. Evolution apparently has no built-in direction or purpose. A given kind of organism may evolve only when it occurs in a variety of forms differing in hereditary characteristics, or traits, that are passed from parent to offspring. By chance, some varieties prove to be 2006-01-05T06:35:35-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Evolutionism-vs-Creationism-28400.aspx Compare and asses the theories about the sources, date, location and authorship of the gospels of John and Mark. When considering theories on the above topics it is certain that the individual issues at debate will interconnect with one another, for example one theory on authorship may be easily incorporated into another theory on location but totally contradict another theory. Hence, there are relationships between the singular debates. During the course of this essay we will look at Mark and John separately, dealing in each case with different theories on sources, date, location and authorship and then analyse the plausibility of the arguments and ‘interconnections’ between separate arguments in order to find the least problematic proposition. The issue of authorship of Mark’s gospel is an area of some confusion and debate. Eusebius, writing in the 4th century, quotes Papias, who was writing in the 2nd century, in calling Mark ‘the interpreter of Peter’ who wrote down Peter’s teachings. Traditionally Mark is identifies as John Mark who appears in Acts. John Mark was associated with Peter and is mentioned in his first letter (5v13), but Mark was said to be Paul’s travelling partner in Acts 12v12. It is true that Mark’s gospel gives a prominence to Peter but this is also the case, and to a greater extent, in Matthew. However, if John Mark wrote the gospel he would have presumably done so in Galilee and there is evidence in the gospel to suggest other wise. The gospel contains some unusual Latinisms ‘legion’ in 5v9, ‘quadrons’ in reference to coins 12v42 and in 6v27 he refers to John the Baptists executioner as a ‘speculator’. This indicates the writings may have taken place in Rome or may have been written for a Roman audience or had some Roman influence. There is also a certain unfamiliarity with the Galilee both geographically and in terms understanding of the Jewish groups present at the time. In 6v35 of the gospel Mark says the disciples went from Capernaum to ‘the other side of the lake’, Bethsaida. In actual fact the two sites are with walking distance. Mark also mentions an alliance between the Herodians and the Pharisees, although the two groups were not known to be associated. However, there is a vividness to Mark’s accounts, for example 7v31-47 the account of Jesus healing a 2006-01-03T07:22:42-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Theories-About-the-Gospels-of-John-and-Mark-28392.aspx Lessons From J. Hudson Taylor’s Life Hudson Taylor’s life reminds one of Jeremiah the prophet: “I was separated from my mother’s womb.” And his conversion was like everything else in his life, a monument to the power of prayer. Before Hudson Taylor was born his parents prayed for him. But as he grew in his life he did not follow the “Christian way.” However, at sixteen years old, as his mother lay, pleading with God to save her son, Hudson Taylor was saved by God’s grace. From that time on Hudson Taylor became a man who lived and breathed “he must move men through God- by prayer.” From what he did at the age of nineteen, to the end of his life, Hudson Taylor lived the promise in John 14:3 “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” There are four primary areas in which Hudson Taylor’s life is an example to all Christians. The first has to be Hudson Taylor’s desire of getting closer to God. As one studies Hudson’s life one finds instances like: his deepest desire was to have the unfailing presence of His Lord. At one point Hudson Taylor became very dissatisfied with his spiritual life and viewed himself as a cracked cistern. He was convinced that there was a deeper experience of Divine fullness. He yearned for a life characterized by the filling of the Holy Spirit, unbroken fellowship with his Lord, peace in the storm, joy in adversity, and a holy life. On this point Hudson Taylor concluded that no matter how difficult his service, how sad his bereavement, how helpless he was, Jesus could meet all his needs. And there Hudson Taylor rested. A second area that was extremely important was that of preparation. When Hudson Taylor knew where God called him, he began to strenuously prepare for that field. He performed more exercise. He exchanged his regular bed for a hard mattress. 2 And he began to study the gospel of Luke in the Mandarin language and study Chinese. Hudson also began to study medicine. He obtained a job as an assistant for a doctor. He moved to Drainside, a poverty stricken area of England, to accustom himself to something of the loneliness and dangers of living in a strange land where only God would be his companion. An illustration serves 2006-01-03T06:41:37-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Lessons-From-J_-Hudson-Taylor’s-Life-28388.aspx Globilization: Different Aspects of Hobbes, Locke, & Rousseau The classical social contract tradition of Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau have, in spite of their variation in themes and emphases, been accepted as the basis to the development of liberal democratic theory and practice. Hobbes and Locke although sharing totally opposing views both propose legitimate systems of social organization. Hobbes believed that a society needed to be controlled by high authority otherwise each ones selfishness would take over and it would be uncontrollable. Locke on the other hand focused on individualism and the fact that everyone has the right to live their life the way they want to. Both proposals clearly have their pros and cons, but these men truly believed that their systems where the way to go. Hobbes belief in man was not that of a positive one. He thought of man as an animal, selfish, aggressive and power hungry. He argued that a state of nature was a state of war, therefore the need for authority was vital to keep the peace. His idea of government was that of a chosen individual or group, which kept control through the use of fear of punishment which forced men to act in proper conduct. This government was then obligated to balance individuals interests and create culture, economy and wealth. In turn each citizen agreed to a common power to control them and look out for their best interests. Rebellion was impossible and the only rights one had was those the government granted. If we as humans were not so persuaded by our nature then this system of government would be successful, but we are too often ruled by our emotions and as he states we find three principle causes of quarrel; competition, diffidence and glory. As humans we have a right to make our own destiny, unfortunately in this type of system this is not the case, which does not fulfill ones individuality. Although this political system has a strong sense of control and community it does not allow oneself to be an individual, which some might argue is the whole point to life. On the contrary, Locke believes that man has natural rights to life, liberty and property. In his eyes men are created free and equal, and know natural rights through reason and common sense, but he does feel man has the potential for evil and in that case proper punishment 2006-01-01T21:43:16-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Globilization-Different-Aspects-of-Hobbes,-Locke,-amp-Rous-28370.aspx American Romanticism “…And they lived happily ever after.” Romantic stories did not always have a happy ending. In fact, the predecessors of the modern romantic stories were about the evil of human nature. The works of early American writers Irving, Cooper, and Poe show the influence of European Romanticism. Irving would use an emphasis on nature, the supernatural, and superstitions in his stories. Cooper’s stories would use the past, exotic locations, and individualism. The supernatural, the emphasis of nature, and exotic locations were used in Poe’s works. Washington Irving would use an emphasis on nature, the supernatural, and superstitions in his stories. His story “The Devil and Tom Walker” depicted nature as mysterious. Tom walked through a swamp that was so thick that when it was noon it would be still be very dark. At times, water logs would look like alligators floating in the water. The supernatural realm also played an essential role in the story. The devil, being the supernatural being, seemed to have the ability to trade riches for a person’s soul. Tom, having sold his soul, sought to outsmart the devil by enlisting the help of another supernatural power, God, by carrying a bible. In the end, the devil took his soul and he learned a lesson he cannot forget. Another of Irving’s works The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, demonstrates the power than superstition can have over people. Ichabod Crane was a very superstitious man who avoided walking under ladders, crossing black cats, or tipping over the salt shaker. When Ichabod heard the legend of sleepy hollow, he was so frightened even then simplest of noises like cattails beating on a log, scared him. The characteristics of Irving’s works have been clearly expressed, thus proving that his works were in fact romantic. James Fenimore Cooper’s stories would use the past, exotic locations, and individualism. The Last of the Mohicans, a famous work by Cooper, was set in the past, before 1757. The French and the English were fighting over who would control the land. Native Americans were more or less forced to choose sides. In no other time, has there really been a need for the help of Native Americans. The timing is perfect since most of the main characters were Native Americans. Another characteristic of Romanticism in The Last of the Mohicans was the use of exotic locations. There was a certain beauty during the Revolutionary period. The 2006-01-01T01:09:03-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/American-Romanticism--28356.aspx Geoffrey Chaucer and his effect on the English Language Geoffrey Chaucer has been called the Father of the English language. He did for the English narrative what Shakespeare later did for drama. He was the first writer to use lines of poetry that had an appeal to those interested in nature and books. His writing was very modern for his time, even more modern than the writings of others after he died, but he stayed within the traditions of medieval poetry. Chaucer was born in London, no one knows exactly what date but sometime between 1340 and 1344. Chaucer’s father, John Chaucer, was a wine merchant although his last name from the French word chaussier indicates that his ancestors were shoemakers. He would sometimes hold positions in the royal administration and he was a significant member in the business community. Chaucer and his parents were lucky to escape the plague during the times of the Black Death, the epidemic that was spread to European lands from the Middle East. In June of 1348 it entered the coastal towns of England and within a few months two million out of five million inhabitants were dead. At this time, Chaucer was four to eight years old and very fortunate to not have been infected. Any details concerning Geoffrey Chaucer’s career in civil service come from contemporary documents. Records indicate that in 1357 Chaucer was serving as a page in the household of King Edward’s son Prince Lionel and his wife Elizabeth. Because he held this position he was given rights that most Englishmen did not have, such as the right to bear arms and fight for the king. Along with those rights he was given the title of valettus. Chaucer took some time away from the royal family and went to school, whose name remains unknown. The next seven years of his life are very indefinite. He had many other jobs in government service. Over his lifetime he served King Edward III, The Countess of Ulster, King Richard II, and The Earl of Derby, who later became King Henry IV. He also fought from 1359 to 1360 in the Hundred Years War that took place between England and France. While he was in battle, he was captured by France, taken prisoner and ransomed for 16 pounds. In 1366 he 2005-12-31T06:47:36-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Geoffrey-Chaucer-and-his-Effect-on-the-English-Language-28343.aspx Philosophy Of Law In an attempt to answer the question “What the law is?” Professor J. L. Austin proposes a “Command Theory of Law”. One way of understanding this theory of traditional positivism is to compare it to the famous empires of Medieval Japan. These empires consisted of a single Emperor, or a “sovereign” , that was considered to have the complete obedience of the people in his empire. Another aspect of his authority is the idea that there is no other political figure higher than the Emperor. With such power and status at his disposal, the Emperor is able to inflict any degree of punishment that he sees fit if his commands are not carried out or followed. In describing law as being a command backed by threats of punishment for insubordination, Austin is not arguing that any type of command be considered a law. It would be absurd to think a father commanding his son to take out the garbbage would be a type of command to be considered a law. Rather, being that laws govern entire groups and societies, the commands must originate from an authoritative source or “pedigree” that the people in the society give obedience to. In analyzing Professor Austin’s theory of law, Professor H. L. A. Hart argues that Austin fails to describe the true “essence of law” . Hart views Austin’s command theory of law as no different than a gunman commanding a bank teller to give him the money. In this example, the gunman is in a position of authority (in relation to the bank teller) and is capable of inflicting lethal punishment to the bank teller if his commands are not carried out. Thus, as Hart contends, the bank teller would feel “obliged” to hand the gunman the money for fear of the consequences that may follow if he does not give the money over to the gunman. It is apparent that the fallacy of such a theory is that it does not accurately describe what the law is and where it comes from. One may extract from such a theory the pressumption that the strongest person/group in a particular society will be the one capable of administering commands with threats of punishment. But, as an observer can see in modern society , the administors 2005-12-30T19:20:42-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Philosophy-Of-Law-Command-Theory-of-Law-28328.aspx Pre-Marital Sex: Why Not? Pre-Marital sex is a big issue when it comes to teenagers. Not only is it questioned by Pentecostal teens but it is also questioned by worldly teens. Everyone wants to know “Why not?” I think that we should take the time now to just further analyze this question. Instead of asking the question “Why not?”, let’s ask the question “Why?”. Why exactly should we have premarital sex. There is one main answer found why teenagers, both Pentecostal and worldly, think premarital sex is ok. And there are also many ways that pre-marital sex can affect YOU as a human being. There are physical, Spiritual, and Emotional effects it can have on you. Let’s figure out the reason why we think it is ok or not ok and then find out the different effects it could have on you. The answer found through a study conducted by Don W. Hills, was that premarital sex was just pure pleasure. Of course, sex is said to be fun. That attitude is as old as man-kind. But I think only half of that statement is true. Sex is obviously a pleasure, but is premarital sex really pure??? First of all let’s define what pure means. Pure in the “Webster’s New world College Dictionary” is defined as free from any adulterant; clear; free from sin or guilt; blameless. From the information gathered above, I would come to the conclusion that Premarital- sex and pure pleasure, being put into the same sentence and into the same context as above, is an oxy-moron. They go against each other and cancel each other out completely. The statement “sex is fun”, is another that concern’s me. Only a fool would tell a teenager to stop thinking about sex. My answer to that is money is also fun but responsablily goes along with it as well. Driving a car is fun but there are also certain precautions you should take along with that also. There is lots of room, while driving, for a serious mistake to occur. That is why we have so many laws to abide by while performing the task of driving. Driving remains fun only when the laws that go along with it are obeyed. While the carelessness of not abiding by the 2005-12-26T06:52:09-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Pre-Marital-Sex-Why-Not-28264.aspx Jewish Figure I'd Like to Meet - Golda Meir It was difficult to choose a person in Jewish history who I would like to meet. I decided on Golda Meir because she was a strong political figure for women and Israel. Golda was a Russian like me who immigrated to America at an early age. Also she wanted to help Israel become a state and I want to help Israel become even a greater state then it is now. As a Russian I have a close tie with Golda Meir. We both were born in Russia at a time of Jewish discrimination. Our fathers wanted us to have a life free from discrimination and have a better future than we would have in Russia. Both of our fathers took us to America. When she was in America she became interested in Palestine because her sister had become a Zionist. She wanted Palestine to become Israel. I want Israel to become a haven to Jews not a place where they feel in danger of being killed. Golda Meir’s life in politics was a long and hard one. She faced many challenges for the nation of Israel. First she was the ambassador to USSR and faced the challenge of allowing the government to let her publish news about Israel and its current events. Also she had to fight the government for Soviet Jews to immigrate to Israel. Golda lost both of those battles. With nothing else left for her to do in the USSR and when David Ben-Gurion asked her to go back to Israel and become the Minister of Labor she quickly consented. She never knew what the new challenges were going to be. Her challenges were dept, lack of housing, unemployment, and absorbing the one thousand immigrants a day that came. These problems were slowly but surely contended with. I have a high opinion of Golda Meir and her challenges with which she faced with the noble intent of helping everyone. Then she became Foreign minister of Israel. In 1969 she was the first woman who became prime minister of Israel, during a time when so few women were in political power. As prime minister she had more problems to deal with but every problem 2005-12-24T19:12:06-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Jewish-Figure-I-d-Like-to-Meet-Golda-Meir-28229.aspx Descartes And Philosophy Descartes sixth meditation deals with Descartes trying to find the real distinction between the mind and body. Descartes expresses the mind as being separate from the body. I agree 2005-12-24T19:01:31-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Descartes-and-Philosophy-28226.aspx 2005-12-24T07:11:52-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Leibiz-On-Innate-Ideas-28220.aspx Leading a Lonely Life In the novels, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain and The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, both of the main characters are plagued with loneliness and a longing for companionship. While Huck seems to come across friends more easily than Holden Caulfield, they both are constantly stricken with a lack of friendly faces and a need for fellowship throughout their journeys for self-realization. Holden’s gravitation away from people he deems “phony” seems to leave him without companionship for most of the novel, whereas Huck always has someone with him, his loneliness is manifested more in his longing for normality. Both characters find some sort of comfort in the idea that they can succeed individually, but realize that they are much better off with a group of people for encouragement and support. Huckleberry Finn seems to bring on his own loneliness by breaking away from the social norm in order to move towards his own idea of normality. Huck is a young adolescent boy whose mother is dead, and whose father is a drunken buffoon, constantly away on some sort of binge drinking spree. He lives with his aunt, and she attempts to “sivilize” his mannerisms. He runs away from his family; he leaves behind his aunt who cares for him very much. He leaves behind his comforts and his security; he leaves behind his abusive drunken father. “The Widow Douglas she took me for her son, and allowed she would sivilize me; but it was rough living in the house all the time, considering how dismal regular and decent the widow was in all her ways; and so when I couldn’t stand it no longer I lit out.” (Twain 13) He travels off into the night in order to find out what he wants for himself. Huck’s experience with the cabin in the woods appears to be the breaking point. When Huck has to endure many days and nights, cramped into a small cabin with his insane father, he realizes that a life of drunkenness and foolery were not what he wanted. He runs away, and soon realizes that perhaps home is better than he thought it was. Holden is lonely preceding as well as throughout the novel, and although his situation is quite different from Huck’s, it seems to lead to many of the same feelings. His brother Allie has been killed by 2005-12-21T03:55:58-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Holdem-Caulfield-Leading-a-Lonely-Life-28192.aspx John Proctor is portrayed throughout Arthur Miller’s The Crucible as a sensible, honest, hardworking man, but throughout the play, he undergoes a very serious change, not only of heart, but also of faith. Proctor’s faith in man is rather small to begin with, but his faith in God is not. He sees the good in mankind, and the power of the Almighty, but also acknowledges that man is corrupt and generally insensible. Proctor: I’ve heard you to be a sensible man, Mr. Hale. I hope you’ll leave some of it in Salem. (Act 1) John Proctor’s religious beliefs play very strongly into his decisions as the play progresses. He feels very strongly that the girls have forsaken God and His teachings. Abby especially comes under the gun of John Proctor. He openly announces his affair with her in order to try to bring some semblance of justice to Salem. Proctor: In the proper place-where my beasts are bedded. Excellency, forgive me, forgive. She thinks to dance with me on my wife’s grave! And well she might for I thought of her softly. God help me, I lusted, and there is a promise in such sweat. But this is a whore’s vengeance, and you must see it; I set myself entirely in your hands. (Act 3) John throws himself out on a limb here, exposing his dark past in order to permit justice to be served in Salem. Proctor: I have rung the doom of my good name-you will believe me, Mr. Danforth! (Act 3) Later in the play, Proctor realizes that there is no hope for justice and truth in Salem, and he lets himself go. He no longer cares about what he says, he has already tarnished his good name, so he sees no purpose in keeping his mind to himself. Proctor: I say-I say-God is dead! Parris: Hear it, hear it! Proctor: A fire, a fire is burning! I hear the boot of Lucifer, I see his filthy face! And it is my face and yours, Danforth! For them that quail to bring men out of ignorance, as I have quailed, and as you quail now when you know in all your black hearts that this be fraud-God damns our kind especially, and we will burn, we will burn together! (Act 3) By the end of the play, John Proctor has lost all faith in both humanity and God. God did not come to make right the wrongs being 2005-12-21T03:54:46-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Crucible-Proctor-Character-Analysis-28191.aspx Reverend Hale’s character is dramatically changed throughout Arthur Miller’s play: The Crucible. In the very beginning of the play, Hale appears strong and resolute. He is seen as all knowing, even holy. As the play progresses, Hale’s own insecurities prompt the citizen’s slow descent of reverence for him. In Act One, Hale arrives in Salem to try to resolve the problem surrounding the sleeping girls and witchcraft. His arrival stirs up the town, and they are all honored to be in his presence, and he knows it. Parris: Mr. Hale! Oh! It’s good to see you again! (taking some books) My, they’re heavy! Hale: They must be; they are weighted with authority. (Act 1) Here, Reverend Hale is very self-confident, and is very much enjoying the respect he is given in Salem. By Act Two, Reverend Hale has somewhat settled in Salem, and the town still shows him much reverence and respect. They trust him as a voice of authority, primarily because he serves on the court. He is however, far more personable than the other judges presiding. Hale: I am a stranger here as you know. And in my ignorance I find it hard to draw a clear opinion of them that come accused before the court. And so this afternoon and tonight, I go from house to house---I come now from Rebecca Nurse’s house----- Elizabeth: Rebecca’s charged! Hale: God forbid such a one be charged. She is, however—--mentioned somewhat. (Act 2) Hale’s kindness is one of his most endearing traits, and it is why most citizens of Salem trust him. Alongside his religious fervor, Hale was possibly the most respected man in Salem. Finally, in Act Three, Hale reaches his climax. Hale’s conscience finds him, and he begins to openly doubt the court. Hale: Is every defense an attack upon the court? Can no one--? (Act 3) The judges begin to turn on Hale who finds himself struggling between keeping his good name and helping the innocent. In the end, Hale joins the side that defends the innocent. Hale: Excellency, I have signed seventy-two death warrants; I am a minister of the Lord and I dare not take a life without there be a proof so immaculate no slightest qualm of conscience may doubt it. Danforth: Mr. Hale, you surely do not doubt my justice. Hale: I have this morning signed away the soul of Rebecca Nurse. Your Honor, I’ll not conceal it, my hand shakes yet as with a wound! I pray you sir, this argument 2005-12-21T03:42:25-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Crucible-Reverend-Hale-Character-Analysis-28190.aspx Should medical research with children as subjects ever be carried out? The purpose of this essay is to explore reasons affirmative to medical research on children, without deviating from legal and ethical practices on children . It will discuss in particular, reason’s why children are not little adults, the need for pediatric medicine, the benefits of therapeutic and non-therapeutic research, the difficulties of such research, and a child’s right to promotional well-being. When it comes to medical research subjects, children are a vulnerable population and so are granted special protection from potential research risks. Researchers in pediatrics often encounter conflicts between protecting the children who are vulnerable research subjects (therapeutic research) and developing generalized knowledge to benefit children as a class (non-therapeutic research). It is also stated that benefits of medical research must clearly outweigh the risks. Many guidelines tend to shy away from non-therapeutic research, as it does not directly benefit the child, but the thin line between these types of research often inappropriately excludes children from potentially life-saving research and it withholds potentially effective therapies. Inappropriately excluding children from research effectively denies them the right to promotional well-being. As discussed in the Otago Bioethics Report , ..Research with children is important for the benefit of all children and should be supported, encouraged and conducted in an ethical manner. In fact, to exclude children from participating in scientifically and ethically sound research may be to deny them a basic human right, as it may impede the promotion of their health and well-being. Current policy of Article 24 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child states that we are to recognize “the child has a right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health..”, and “to ensure the provision of necessary medical assistance and health care to all children with emphasis on the development of primary health care..” and lastly, “to develop preventive health care.” In order to progress in the field of pediatric medicine, children as subjects are the only way to gain understanding about how to treatment them. This can successfully be done through therapeutic and non-therapeutic research, giving the child direct benefits without undermining their rights, and providing generalized data to treat other cases that may occur. Attempts to protect children from the risks of medical research may have the unfortunate consequence of perilously harming children by impeding research in pediatric drug 2005-12-16T03:35:49-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Medical-Research-with-Children-as-Subjects-28187.aspx Jewish and Latina Immigrant Labor in the 20th Century American society has had to witness the immigration of people who were given asylum as political refugees, as in the case of Jewish women. American society has also had to grapple with the ramifications stemming from illegal immigration, such as was observed on the immigration of Latinas. The groups are comparatively different in terms of their backgrounds and aspirations, but the divergence in their respective patterns of settlement/adjustment in American society cannot be explained in terms of their differences alone. It is also a result of the way American society has treated each group. Therefore, the process of assimilation is a two way process and both ends of the bargain influence the outcome, even more so for the receiving end. The level of responsiveness and acceptance shown on behalf of the Americans guided and molded the pattern of settlement, and the existing differences between the two groups was an added reason for the divergence. In general terms, all immigrants share many reasons and characteristic qualities that lead them to migrate. Whether it should be an escape from a violent political environment or just a desire to make a better living, it is safe to say that once these groups settle in the US their main goal is to succeed and fulfill the "American dream." Both groups were heavily exploited for their labor and the societal expectations of these women stifled their individual development and success. Jewish women begin immigrating to the US in the 1880s and generally came as political refugees from Eastern Europe. (Takaki pg. 277) As an ethnic minority escaping persecution, the Jewish immigrants were forced to leave as settlers rather than sojourners. The majority arrived penniless and inadequately trained in a profession or craft. (Takaki pg. 282) However, they were able to find a niche in the garment industry and met the increasing labor demands that was the result of the modernization of garment manufacturing, which allowed for mass production in factories. Competition between contractors led to the cutting of wages and the slave-like treatment of these women. They were forced to work in dangerous and cramped conditions, working 11 to 15-hour days. In addition, many single women possessing sewing skills arrived before their families. In 1910, over 70% of daughters 16 years and older were working while the sons were encouraged to study and academically succeed. (Takaki 2005-12-04T02:03:44-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Jewish-and-Latina-Immigrant-Labor-in-the-20th-Century-28160.aspx History of Judaism, Rituals, and Holidays Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, known as the Patriarchs, are both the physical and spiritual ancestors of Judaism. They founded the religion now known as Judaism, and their descendants are the Jewish People. Abraham Abraham was born in the city of Ur in Babylonia in the year 1948 from Creation (circa 1800 BCE). He was the son of Terach, an idol merchant, but from his early childhood, he questioned the belief of his father and sought the truth. He came to believe that the entire universe was the work of a single Creator, and he began to teach this belief to others. Eventually, God talked to Abraham, and made him an offer...that if Abraham would leave his home and his family, then God would make of him a great nation and bless him. Abraham accepted the offer. And so, Abraham enabled the covenant between God and the Jewish People to be established. The covenant was basically, a contract, which involved the rights and obligations of the Jewish People to God and vice versa. Abraham, adopted a nomadic lifestyle, traveling through what is now the land of Israel for many years. God had promised this land to Abraham's descendants. Abraham was concerned, because he had no children and he was very old. Abraham's beloved wife, Sarah, knew that she was past child-bearing years, so she offered her servant, Hagar, as a wife to Abraham (which was actually a common practice back then). She bore Abraham a son...Ishmael, who according to both Muslim and Jewish tradition, is the ancestor of the Arabs. When Abraham was 100, God promised Abraham a son by Sarah. Sarah bore Abraham another son, Isaac. Isaac was the ancestor of the Jewish People. Isaac Isaac was the subject of one of the tests of Faith that God had given to Abraham: God had commanded Abraham to sacrifice Isaac as an offering. This test actually shows Abraham's true demonstration of his as well as Isaac's faith in God (because supposedly, Isaac knew that he was going to be sacrificed, and did not resist, and was united with his father in dedication). At the last moment, God sent an angel to stop the sacrifice. Judaism uses this story as evidence that God does not like human sacrifice. Isaac later married Rebecca, who bore him two sons: Jacob and Esau. Jacob (Israel) Jacob and his brother Esau were at war 2005-12-04T01:35:46-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/History-of-Judaism,-Rituals,-and-Holidays-28154.aspx Marriage according to the legal definition is a union between two people with common interests and commitment to one another. In the late 1800s, people with marriage relationship and family problems had no options to divorce. The only choice which they had was to wish that either the husband or the wife to die. In the present day, you can divorce whenever you like, as long as there is a problem in marriage relationship. True love according to definition is a feeling of strong attachment induced by that which delights or commands admiration; preeminent kindness or devotion to another; affection; tenderness (www.dictionary.com). “The story of an Hour ” by Kate Chopin and “The painted Door” by Sinclair Ross displaced the element of true love that is self – assertion. Both story portrayed one similarity, which was the true love self - assertion. Mrs. Mallard wanted the freedom but still had love for her husband (now dead), but as for Ann, she loved John very much but the problem was that John was always hardworking. When the news got to Mrs. Mallard, her mood rapidly. She didn’t “take it to heart as other women did” (77). She was totally paralyzed, and we are been told that she had heart problem before. So the mood she is in could affect her condition. According to the story, she still “loved her husband sometimes”(79). The reason she never really loved him was because he never showed the love wanted by her but to treat her badly. After lamenting the death of her husband, she went to her room and locked her self up there. According to what she said, “But she felt it creeping out of the sky, reaching toward her through the sounds, the scents, the color that filled the air.” her view of long life changed from horror to hopefulness. She saw the world entirely new. At that moment she realizes that she got what she wanted, self - assertion (the freedom). The reason she wanted freedom is because the husband go to work and never come back to make love but would be heavily tired (my hypothesis). Well she ended up of dying from a “heart disease- joy that kills.” as in, after seeing her husband (who was presumed dead). In “the painted door”, most of the time John and Ann would work all day, never having time for fun or relaxation 2005-11-29T23:11:58-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/True-Love-A-Self–Assertion-28141.aspx Sissy Jupe: More Than Just A Number In Charles Dickens’ novel Hard Times, he uses the characters to present the reader with many messages. One of these messages presented is that the Gradgrind system of education is faulty. Dickens is critical of an education system that only regards things that can be weighed or measured as being worthy. Thus, intangibles like imagination, emotion, and compassion are not considered worthy. The Gradgrind system of education can be seen as flawed through the examples of Sissy Jupe. The lack of individuality and creativity can be proven to be detrimental to those who ascribe to the Gradgrind system, which denies anything that isn’t factual. Sissy’s caring; thoughts of fancy, and individualism have kept her from long-term sorrow, pity and loneliness. The Gradgrind system is also proven as flawed through Sissy in that her caring and ingenuity helps the other characters potentially realize how they have let the system flaw them. Also, Sissy’s ability to ward of the system’s teachings will prove useful and helping others escape the system, be it short term. In the schoolroom scene, Sissy starts to show how the Gradgrind system only relies on fact. As Dickens describes the schoolroom, we see the following contrast: “But, whereas the girl was so dark-eyed and dark-haired, that she seemed to received a deeper and more lustrous color from the sun when it shone upon her, the boy was so light-eyed and light-haired that the self-same rays appeared to draw out of him what little color he ever possessed” (Dickens 7). Sissy is full of color and vitality because she lives a life that is full of imagination and compassion. This is in opposition to the other children who have been “bleached” of all imaginative thoughts and life because of the Gradgrind educational system. The factual basis of Gradgrind is further emphasized when is Sissy is addressed only as “ ‘Girl number twenty’” (6) by Gradgrind. A name shows individuality and is an expression of creativity. However, this is ultimately shunned in Gradgrind’s system. In addition, a name leaves room for interpretation and can be shortened and changed. F.R. Leavis explains how being addressed as a number gives preciseness and fact to a person: “Sissy’s incapacity to acquire this kind of ‘fact’ of formula, her unaptness for education, is manifested to us, on the other hand, as part and parcel of her sovereign and indefeasible 2005-11-26T01:45:11-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Hard-Times-Sissy-Jupe-28131.aspx Subject and verb, Pronoun and Antecedent ~When a word refers to one person or thing, it is singular in number. When a word refers to more than one, it is plural in number. Singular Plural student students child children it they berry berries Example: As a child, the girl in the photograph was sure she was not very good at anything. photograph=singular A verb should ALWAYS agree with it’s subject in number. 1) Singular subjects take singular verbs. Examples : He washes the dishes. ( The singular verb washes agrees with the singular subject he. ) A girl in my neighborhood playsin the school band. ( The singular subject girl takes the singular verb plays. ) 2) Plural subjects take plural verbs. Examples: They wash the dishes. Several girls in my neighborhood play in the school band. In the examples above, the main verbs agree in number with their subjects. Like single-word verbs, verb phrases agree with their subjects. However, in a verb phrase, only the first helping verb changes its form to agree with a singular or plural subject. Examples: A girl in my neighborhood was playing in the school band. Several girls in my neighorborhood were playing in the school band. He has been washing the dishes. They have been washing the dishes. GENERALLY, NOUNS ENDING IN –S ARE PLURAL (friends, girls), BUT VERBS ENDING IN –S ARE SINGULAR (sees, hears) The number of the subject is not changed by a phrase following the subject. Remember that a verb agrees in number with its subject. A subject is never part of a prepositional phrase. Examples: The sign near the glass doors explains the theme of the exhibit. Several painitings by Emilio Sanchez were hanging in the galley. Compound prepositions such as together with, in addition, as well as, and along with following the subject do not affect the number of the subject. Examples: Anne, together with her cousins, is backpacking in Nevada this summer. Robert, along with Kimberely and Ervin, has been nominated for class president. The following pronouns are singular : each, either, neither, one, everyone, everybody, noone, nobody, anyone, anybody, someone, somebody. Examples Each of the athletes runs effortlessly. ( Each one runs. ) Neither of the women is ready to start. ( Neither one is ready. ) The following pronouns are plural: several, few, both, many. Examples: Several of the runners are exercising. Few of the athletes have qualified. Were both of the games postponed? Many on the team practice daily. The pronouns some, all most, any, and none, may 2005-11-23T21:14:22-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Subject-and-verb,-Pronoun-and-Antecedent-28123.aspx Saul’s story is one we have all heard many times, but it is a story that shows that God can use us, even when we have tried to run as far away from him as we could. His story is found in the books of Acts, a book written by the one of the apostles. Without Saul’s conversion to Christianity, thousands would have not been saved. His ministry brought hope to many because they could see that Saul, or Paul, had not always been perfect. He is a great example for everyone who has been human because all humans make mistakes. Saul was a “…a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God”(22: 3). However, something turned Saul away from God. His first mention in the Bible is at the death of Stephen. Men had taken Stephen out of the city to be stoned. As a custom, the men laid the clothes at someone’s feet, which happen to be Saul’s feet, entrusting him with their clothes. After Stephen’s death, Saul “…made havoc of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison”(8:3). Saul became outraged because prophets were spreading God’s word. While “…breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem”(9:1-2). On his way to Damascus, suddenly a bright shined around him. “And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man. And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but 2005-11-22T02:33:13-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Saul-Becomes-Paul--28118.aspx All About Buddhism by :ayube hussain Buddhism is one of the biggest religions founded in India in the 6th and 5th century B.C. by Siddhartha Gautama, also known as “the Buddha.” As one of the greatest Asian religion, it teaches the practice and the observance of moral perceptions. The basic teachings of “the Buddha” were mainly emphasized by the four noble truths. Since it was first introduced into China from India, Buddhism has had a history that has been characterized by periods of sometimes awkward and irregular development. In spite of these difficulties, Chinese Buddhism has come to have an important influence on the growth and development of Buddhism in general and this has occurred largely because of its own innovatory contributions. (Eliade16) “Buddhism begins with a man. In his later years, when India was afire with his message, people came to him asking what he was. Not ‘Who are you?’ but ‘What are you?’ ‘Are you god?’ they asked. ‘No.’ ‘An angel?’ ‘No.’ ‘A saint?’ ‘No.’ ‘Then, what are you?’ Buddha answered, ‘I am awake.’ His answer became his title, for this is what Buddha means. The Sanskrit root budh means to awake and to know. While the rest of humanity was dreaming the dream we call the waking human state, one of their number roused himself. Buddhism begins with a man who woke up.”(Smith 60) Buddha was born a prince named Siddhartha Gautama in a small kingdom in what is now Nepal in 563b.c.e. Gautama’s birth is described as a miraculous event, his birth being the result of his mother's impregnation by a sacred white elephant that touched her left side with a lotus flower. The scriptures claim that when Gautama was born “immeasurable light spread through ten thousand worlds; the blind recovering their sight, as if from desire to see his glory" (Evans 141) Shortly after his birth, his father consulted with a number of astrologers, all of whom declared that the newborn prince would become a great king and that he would rule the world in truth and righteousness. Among these astrologers, there was one who declared that if the prince were to see a sick person, an old person, a corpse, and a world-renouncing ascetic, he would become dissatisfied with life and become a wandering monk in order to seek final peace. King Shuddhodana decided he wanted his son to have the former destiny 2005-11-14T02:07:17-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/All-About-Buddhism--28107.aspx MY INAUGUAL ADDRESS AT THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT OF THE DEAD PREFACE What follows is a rough draft transcript (subject to change when I actually give it) of my inaugural address (presumably in Washington, D. C.?) before global television at the Great White Throne Judgment of the Dead, after I have raptured out billions! - corpses laying on the ground - a fairy dump - rabbits running in the ditch. Feel free to believe what I've set down here are the ravings of a madman, because that is precisely what they are! I have assembled this book in a series of vignettes. Norman O. Brown, my mentor, used a similar technique. You'll find I use terminology that may seem alien to Christianity: wizards, witches and fairies, etc. Part of the problem that the King James Bible mistranslated the word sorcery referring to potions. This is strictly adult material. This is off limits to children, and this means you. If your jaw didn't drop when you read my 1986 booklet, I 100% guarantee it will drop now. I repeat my annoyance at you 'Christians' who have repeatedly attacked my site. Jesus prophecied that all prophets must get stoned. Your scurrilous, underhanded attacks prove what you really are – Pharisees who observe the letter of the Law, but not the Spirit. You are shortly going to be rewarded by your Master for your faithful service! Get a life and stop giving me trouble! You know that if you faced me in a one on one debate, I would wipe you out! If you are angry at what I say, simply vent at my guestbook with specific criticisms. You'll note that in the PDF and RTF version of this, the paragraph tabs are often wrong. This is due to malfuntion of the the word processor. So, finally, it all begins next page! 2005-11-10T11:44:56-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/My-Inaugural-Address-at-the-Great-White-Throne-Judgment-of-the-Dead-28097.aspx In 1974 an organisation opened to help the elderly, sick and unfortunate, this organisation is called, Lifeline. Lifeline is a worldwide organisation, created to help others in times of need. They help the elderly with medical care, the poor with food and clothes, counselling and also other organisations that are trying to make a difference. Lifeline is the most trusted medical providers in the elderly community. As a world wide organisation, lifeline has many branches, located in various countries. These branches range from; hospitals, clothing and food donation shops, small schools and senior living areas. In the last 30 years over 2,500 hospitals and senior living areas have been built and over 200 donation shops and outlets have been established across Australia. Almost all of the employees that work in the lifeline branches are volunteers. Lifeline is a ‘true justice’ organisation, because they are a profitless organisation and they help the community by giving free advice and assisting all who are in need. Lifeline helps the senior section of our community by giving them medical aid and assisting in chores which are part of everyday life. Lifeline has created many homes and estates for the elderly community. Many of the exceedingly sick people have personal assistance. The volunteers help by buying groceries, medical assistance and cleaning around their home. Across Australia 200 donation shops and outlets have been opened and operated. The community donates different products to the shops, such as clothes, these products are then repaired and sold for cheap prices, so that the poorer community can buy them. Lifeline also has a child hotline, so the younger community can talk to councillors over the phone about personal issues. The calls are that are made are completely confidential and the children remain anonymous. This hotline has helped thousands of young children overcome some major difficulties in their life. Lifeline have four major goals, these are; to show leadership, provide services, promote learning and to build resources. They are trying to show leadership by positioning Lifeline as a community leader and placing opportunities to give and receive care from all Australians. They are providing services by adding phone lines and other communication technologies that help people that need counselling or advice. They promote learning by teaching Lifeline members and 2005-10-23T03:20:17-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Charities-Life-Line-Australia-28066.aspx Roman Catholic Baptism The ritual that I chose to attend was a Roman Catholic baptism. This ritual was held on a Sunday afternoon. As I approached the church, there were approximately ten babies in white garments being admired by proud parents and families. Finally, everyone entered the church and took their seats in the pews. The parents and godparents entered the first few pews with the child, directly in front of the altar. The first person to speak was a woman who was the wife of the deacon. Next to speak was her husband, the deacon. The couple both opened with welcoming all to their congregation. The first few words were very comforting and seemed almost impromptu and unrehearsed. The deacon made the church and the congregation feel very warm and inviting. The sound of the happy babies made the opening very inspirational. After this, the deacon first asked the parents what name they gave to their child. Next, the deacon asked the parents what do they ask of God's church for Gianna Nicole Brucato. Finally, the parents were asked if they clearly understood what they are undertaking. After this, the questions were directed to the godparents. The godparents were the brother and sister of the father of the baby. Both were asked if they were prepared to help the parents of the child in their duty as Christian parents. After the godparents responded, all ten children received the sign of the cross on their forehead by the deacon. The wife then read a scripture and the congregation was asked to join in prayer. Next, the sacramental rite was actually performed. The babies were asked to be presented to the altar in alphabetical order. The deacon poured holy water over the child's forehead three times and recited "I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." Next, the babies' head was anointed with chrism, consecrated oil used in Greek and Latin churches especially in baptism (Merriam-Webster dictionary). Also, a white garment was placed over the child. Finally, the parents were given candles and were told to "keep the flame of faith alive in their hearts." Once all the babies were baptized there were a few concluding words and the ceremony was completed. The deacon offered to take pictures with the child and family. All of the babies were brought up to the 2005-10-16T00:24:31-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Roman-Catholic-Baptism-28059.aspx Why I Believe People Should Go To Church And Believe In God Where are you on a typical Sunday morning at 10:00 a.m.? In the bed, on the lake, at the golf course? Maybe just sitting at home? Or are you in God's house? I was born on May 12th 1984 and I have been to church every Sunday since then. I go to church because I wish to go. Church is the best place to go. People think church is a waste of time, but personally I believe that if it wasn't for God some of us wouldn't still be here. Like when Gary wrecked his truck, he could have easily lost his life, but with God's help he made it through. God can do anything as long as you believe and have faith that everything will be all right. While we are all still living at home and don't have that much stuff to worry about, we sometimes depend on mom and dad, or even our grandparents. I have found from reading the bible and listening to many lessons and sermons, that God will be there for me even when mom and dad are gone. I won't always be a teenager still living with them. We all are dependent on someone, and want someone in our life that we can always call on. Friends may let you down, their phone line can be busy, but God is always there and his line is never busy. I have been told of all the miracles that God has preformed and I believe them all. God has healed the sick, raised people from the dead, and caused the blind to see. He has stopped storms, calmed the water, made the water into wine, and even fed 5,000 people with 2 fish and 3 loaves of bread. You see, with God all of these things are possible. What do these have to do with us today? I have two friends who both have had miracles in their lives. My friend, Pam, was diagnosed with leukemia about 9 years ago. She went to the Cleveland Clinic for treatment and stayed for months, leaving her children, her home, and friends. Pam was thought to be in remission, and then the disease came back. This time, when she went to Cleveland, she had to have a bone marrow transplant from her brother, Scott. After this transplant, 2005-10-16T00:07:47-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Why-I-Believe-People-Should-Go-To-Church-And-Believe-In-God-28053.aspx Religious Imagery Religion was a very vital part of life during the time of Hagar Shipley in the novel, The Stone Angel. It comes as no surprise that there is a strong presence of religious imagery throughout the novel. Through the positive and negative views on the church and religion portrayed by the characters and the comparison between the story of Hagar Shipley and the biblical Hagar of Genesis, Margaret Laurence makes the religious imagery very clear. There are many similarities between the stories of the two Hagars. The story of the biblical Hagar is very similar to that of Hagar Shipley in the novel. The two are not only similar in the events, but also in the characters of both Hagars. The parallels between the Hagar of Genesis in the bible, and Hagar Shipley are clear. Both women work as maids at one point in their lives, Hagar Shipley for Mr. Oatley and Hagar of Genesis for Sarai and Abram. Another similarity between the two characters is that they both creatures of the wilderness. In the bible, Hagar ran away from her home because "Sarai treated Hagar so cruelly" (The Good News Bible, Gen. 16.6). Hagar also left her father's home for the wilderness of the Shipley farm. Hagar Shipley shows us what the Shipley place was like when she says, "The Shipley house was square and frame, two-storied, the furniture was shoddy and second-hand, the kitchen reeking and stale, for no one had scoured there properly since Clara died" (Laurence 50). This shows the reader that the life at the Shipley house was nothing like the life that Hagar was used to. One of the major similarities in both stories that is not very well known is that the two characters of Hagar both encounter a theophany. For Hagar of Genesis, her theophany came when she was confronted by an angel of the Lord at a spring on the road to Shur. The Angel said to Hagar, "Go back to [Sarai] and be her slave…I will give you so many descendants that no one will be able to count them" (The Good News Bible, Gen. 16.9-11). Hagar of Genesis realizes the reasons for her getting pregnant and goes back to be Sarai's handmaid and bares Abram's son. In the case of Hagar Shipley her theophany is not quite as straight forward. Earlier in the novel, when Hagar and John are 2005-10-02T17:33:59-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Religious-Imagery--28036.aspx The Ideas Of Confucianism Explained Confucius (Kongzi, 551-479 B.C.), the founder of Confucianism, stresses “Ren” (benevolence, love), and “Li” (rites), referring to respect for the system of social hierarchy. He attached importance to education and was a pioneering advocate for private schools. His teachings were recorded by his students and placed in a book called “The Analects”. “By the 12th century, Confucianism had evolved into a rigid philosophy that calls for preserving heavenly laws and repressing human desires” (MSN Encarta.com). Confucianism is often characterized as a system of social and ethical philosophy rather than a religion. “Instead, Confucianism is built on an ancient religious foundation to establish the social values, institutions and transcendent ideals of traditional Chinese society” (Berling, 1982). It stressed that subjects owed obedience to their rulers, sons to their fathers, and wives to their husbands. “Confucianism changed the attitude of the ruling class with the idea of ‘Virtuous rule’, this consisted of applying strict control over the populace, but tempering it with teachings of benevolence and morality” (MSN Encarta.com, 2002). Confucianism ideals and culture held strong for many centuries until foreign imperialism and the introduction of Western learning stimulated the rise of the modern Chinese nationalism. In the presence of foreigners, increasingly Chinese people became conscious of their common racial background and national identity. Feelings against the ruling dynasty, the Manchu’s, spread quickly. In fact, modern Chinese nationalism expressed itself in the form of an anti-Manchu attitude. The ideas and beliefs of a Confucianism society grew weaker with the downfall of the Manchu dynasty in the winter of 1912. Viewed as a period, the years between 1900 and 1918 brought both chaos and hope. Unrestrained by authority, all sorts of new theories were aimed and experiments tried. When Confucianism beliefs started to collapse, because of the overthrow of the dynasty, ideology inevitably loosened. “Henceforth, modern educated men and women would increasingly demand social changes that included the right of individual choice in careers and money. Upper-class women revolted against foot binding and modern educated women demanded equality with men” (Goff, 2002). These new alterations in society changed Confucianism ideology and shaped China’s long-lasting culture. [i:ad29de3bfc]References 2005-09-25T05:04:01-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Ideas-Of-Confucianism-Explained-28026.aspx Plato's Critique Of Democracy: The Equality of Unequals In order to clearly understand why Plato seems to find democracy and the democratic soul so objectionable one must first understand the definition of what democracy means. Platos discord with democracy does not concern the democracy we know today nor does it directly concern Athenian democracy. Rather, it is the Form of democracy in which he criticizes. For a Greek (man), democracy, meant the rule of the people in a much more literal sense than it does for the citizens of most of the modern states which claim to be democracies. Platos charge against democracy is simply that it violates the proper order of society by creating an artificial equality. His fundamental criticism of democracy is (essentially) that it is an irrational form of the constitution. It is based on the assumption that every citizen is equally entitled to a say in political affairs, no matter how unsuited he is in terms of ability, character or training . Basically no matter how ignorant a person may be, they still could find themselves playing a significant role in public affairs. The key to a successful political career lay in being able to speak persuasivelyfor this reason the art of oratory or public speaking came to be highly valued. A system where value and merit are disregarded and instead unconditional equality promoted disgusted Plato. Plato and Socrates both felt that all people were born with knowledge but that not all people were in touch with the knowledge they possessed. It was through a process of questioning that simply made them recall what was already ingrained. Plato throughout the book rejected the idea that all men are equals. Instead of supposing every man is innately good, Plato holds that every man has a right to pursue the good. Socrates and Plato both believed with much support that all men should strive to reach the highest forms knowledge. Socrates believed in three parts of the individual soul- sensation, emotion, and intelligence. Each part must function in moderation to contribute to the health of the whole. Desire must be inferior to reason, or else it will throw the individual out of balance and lead him into injustice and unhappiness. Emotion can also master desire with the alliance of 2005-09-25T03:41:34-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Plato-s-Critique-Of-Democracy-The-Equality-of-Unequals-28020.aspx Michelangelo depicted David before the battle, with the tension and emotion evident in every vein and muscle. Instead, he shows him in the process of the fight. This represents the element of time in his work. The views are forced to complete the action that David has begun for us. With David's positioning, a new concept of space comes into play. "No longer does the figure remain still in a Classical contrapposto stance, but rather extends into the surrounding space away from a vertical axis. This movement outward from a central core forces the viewer to take into account both the form and the space between and surrounding the forms-in order to appreciate the complete composition" (Fichner-Rathus 360). In order to understand the sculpture fully, we must move around the work. As we move, the views of the work change drastically. In conclusion, Michelangelo (1475-1564) was arguably one of the most inspired creators in the history of art. As a sculptor, architect, painter, and poet, he exerted a tremendous influence on his contemporaries. Michelangelo was pessimistic in his poetry and an optimist in his artwork. Michelangelo's works showed humanity in its natural state. Michelangelo's sculptures were his goals. Michelangelo was very intelligent for the works that he did. Michelangelo always wanted to finish the works that he worked on before moving on to another. I think that Michelangelo was to good of a person. He educates the people of today as well as the people in his time about the true religious aspects that there is to learn. Michelangelo was a role model for the people of his time as well as for the people of today. Works Cited Fichner-Rathus, Lois. Understanding Art. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc., 1995. The book Michelangelo the Sculptor is like none other book. This book contains all of the drawings, publications, and sculptures that were ever created by Michelangelo. This book is the second volume of a two volume series. The first volume was written to go more in depth with no illustrations in regards of the paintings or sculptures. This book seems to focus more on the sculptors that Michelangelo has done. In the table of contents it appears to lack the normal criterion that makes up a table of contents. It just seems to focuses on 2005-09-11T06:47:35-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Michelangelo,-depicted-by-David-27959.aspx History of Romantic Poetry In earlier days of poetry there were three types of poetry that were alike in some ways but different on views. Eighteenth century poets and Romantic poets focused mainly on nature and incorporated God some of the time. But in the works from the Puritans, their main focal point was also on nature, but it always came second to God. These different movements in poetry came about through the works of talented poets such as John Milton, Alexander Pushkin, Alexander Pope, and William Wordsworth. Seventeenth century writer John Milton led the Puritan age of poetry. Milton is most notable for his great Biblical epic, “Paradise Lost”. The writings of the Puritan poets incorporated God and nature, but God was to be the center point of their poems. Unlike the Puritans the poets from the eighteenth century and the Romantic period put their main focus on nature alone. The Puritan beliefs were exemplified by writers such as John Milton because he was a strong believer in the Puritan faith, and he was not afraid to let it be known that he was a devote Puritan. He illustrated his strong faith in works such as “Paradise Lost”, which glorified God. Not to say that eighteenth century and Romantic poets were not Christians, but Puritans expressed their faith in God more often than any other poets. The eighteenth century brought about a new breed of poets that broke away from the old ways of the Puritans and developed a new style of writing. These poets focused mainly on nature and mentioned the grace of God periodically. Eighteenth century poets had a writing technique much like that of the Romantics. The point that made them so much alike was their view on nature. The most notable poet of the eighteenth century was Alexander Pope. After the eighteenth century; another new breed of poets called themselves the Romantics. The Romantic period is said to be the richest period in literature ever. Romantic poets expressed freedom, emotion, and individuality along with nature in their works unlike the eighteenth century and Puritan poets. Two of the more notable Romantic poets were William Wordsworth and Alexander Pushkin. They are known for such great literary “The World is Too Much With Us” and “From Autumn” . In “ The World is Too Much With Us”, Wordsworth illustrates how we sometimes take things like 2005-09-09T09:41:31-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/History-of-Romantic-Poetry--27944.aspx ‘Conscience should be given no part to play in Decision Making’ Discuss Conscience is defined as ‘the faculty, power, or inward principle which decides as to the character of one's own actions, purposes, and affections, warning against and condemning that which is wrong, and approving and prompting to that which is right’. Conscience can prompt different people in quite different directions, depending on their beliefs. One person can feel a moral duty to go to war whilst another can feel a moral duty to avoid war under any circumstances. There are 2 main types of conscience the ‘judicial conscience’ and the ‘legislative conscience’. Judicial conscience is evaluating and critically analysing our past actions or those of others. For example, One would use their judicial conscience when judging if in a certain situation at work they should have dismissed a member of staff regardless of their situation. Legislative Conscience is when one uses prescriptive judgement in order to decide how something needs to be done in the future. For example, one would dwell on their conscience to decide whether to seek revenge on another or to forget the incident. In order to answer this question I will aim to explore the works of key thinkers in the field who proposed theories on Conscience in order to determine my own opinion. The philosophers I will analyse can be divided into two categories, relativist and absolutist. An absolutist philosopher believes that there is one set of absolute truths upon which all decisions are made e.g. Plato. This view in ethics is also referred to as deontological. A deontological view is ruled based and takes a morality and classifies it as either definitely wrong or right. A relativist believes that that truths are dependent upon (relating to) the situations we find ourselves in e.g. Aristotle. A relativist also can often be classified as a consequentialist. A consequentialist argues that what ultimately matters is the consequences that result from choosing one action or policy rather than the alternative. The philosophers that I will analyse are Plato, Aquinas, Hutcheson, Schleirmacher and Butler who relate to conscience through their absolutist ethic. The view on consciousness introduced by Aristotle, Nietzsche, Freud, Jung, Hegel, Piaget and Moore are relativist. Plato (427BC - 347BC) was the first philosopher to introduce the concept of consciousness. Plato, a student of Socrates, believed that there were some ‘absolute unchanging truths’ defining 2005-09-05T23:16:04-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Conscience-Should-not-be-Involved-in-Decision-Making-27912.aspx A Biography for Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) Immanuel Kant was born in Konigsberg, Russia on April 22nd 1724. From a young age he attended a school devoted to the tenets of Pietism (a 17th century evangelical movement) devoted on bible study and personal religious experience. His Mother had no education and devoted her life to God and her family, his father supported her on the little wages he earned from making saddles. In 1740, at the age of sixteen, he enrolled in the University of Koningsberg. He developed a passion for physics and mathematics from a child and continued an in-depth study of these at University. His father died in 1742, which resulted in Kant being forced to drop out of education and become a private tutor to support himself. In 1755, he received financial aid from a friend and continued his education. He obtained a doctorate and became a professor at the institution teaching in mathematics and science for the following fifteen years. Throughout this time he attended a number of lectures by other members of staff in the field of philosophy and eventually began to teach this subject also soon thereafter. Kant began to attract students from all over the world, intrigued by his ideas and concepts of philosophy. He gained national recognition due to his concepts of morality, his idea of the categorical imperative and his description of the autonomy of will. He worked towards making philosophy a scientific concept, that knowledge is also a matter of human reason. Kant lectured on the issue of the existence of God. Agreeing with Hume that no rational argument of the ‘pure reason’ form could be given for God’s existence but however, he proposed that ‘practical reason’ could. Kant believed that in observing moral instincts of people, through the eyes of faith we can see a source behind the mere human will itself that directs life. Kant lived his life in a studious nature, he never married and rarely socialised. He was well regarded as polite and graciousness but rarely adventurous as he never ventured out of his home town. His lifestyle was very regular, he took a walk each day at 4.30pm walking 8 times up and down his street before returning home. Kant began to publish books relating his ideas and concepts on philosophy. In 1785 he published a book entitled ‘Metaphysics of Morals’ and later in 1788. He published his 2005-09-05T23:10:06-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Biography-of-Immanuel-Kant--27909.aspx Influence Of British Romanticism On British Literature Characterized by freedom of the mind and an idealistic view of human nature, Romanticism slowly crept out of Neoclassicism to become one of the most influential periods of British literature. It is the emergence of this new literary period called Romanticism that stirred an interest in those who were hungry for a new form of writing and thought. This idea, although relatively short-lived and lasting only from 1798-1832, had enormous effects on the philosophy and literature of the time while leaving its mark on the history of England. When describing Romanticism, an author once said: This was a turbulent period, during which England experienced the ordeal of change from a primarily agricultural society, where wealth and power had been concentrated in the landholding aristocracy, to a modern industrial nation, in which the balance of economic power shifted to large-scale employers, who found themselves ranged against an immensely enlarging and increasingly restive working class (Abrams 1). Writers of Neoclassicism have often been described as writing: most of their poems in heroic couplets, made their center of interest London, were preeminently satirists, had little patience with individual deviations from the dictates of common sense, and placed good manners on a higher level than personal emotion (Bell and Grebanier 13). These characteristics of Neoclassicism were prominent in Europe for nearly a century, contributing to the British a yearning for change. This long-awaited change was brought about by Romantics focusing more on the sense, emotions, and imagination of each individual, rather than standards that were set by previous writers. The authors’ styles were more free than before while they focused on nature above all else. This idealistic view of nature was started by French philosopher and Romantic forerunner Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Rousseau was a true individualist and strongly believed in the freedom of the human spirit. His most famous quote that characterizes his naturalistic views of life is, “I felt before I thought” (“Romanticism (literature)”). One influential author during the Romantic Period was Edward Gibbon who is known to be the greatest English historian of the Enlightenment. It was once said of him that: the influence of his iconoclastic rationality was to be felt in the work of a new generation of writers who often distrusted reason and who earnestly sought to redefine the intellectual and political assumptions of its fathers (Sanders 333-334). Just as Rousseau 2005-09-03T06:01:47-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Influence-Of-British-Romanticism-On-British-Literature-27875.aspx THE SECOND MEDITATION: I THINK THEREFORE I AM “The first precept was never to accept a thing as true until I knew it as such without a single doubt.” --René Descartes Le Discours de la Méthode, I In the First Meditation, Descartes invites us to think skeptically. He entices us with familiar occasions of error, such as how the size of a distant tower can be mistaken. Next, an even more profound reflection on how dreams and reality are indistinguishable provides suitable justification to abandon all that he previously perceived as being truth. (18, 19) By discarding all familiarity and assumptions, Descartes hopes to eliminate all possible errors in locating new foundations of knowledge. An inescapable consequence of doubting senses and prior beliefs is the introduction of the possibility that God is in fact a malicious deceiver, an all-powerful being capable of confounding the senses. (22) As the Second Meditation begins, Descartes again faces the “inextricable shadows” brought forth by the previous day’s thoughts. (24) He continues to disregard anything that “admits the least doubt” – including all that is perceived by the senses – since anything that is tainted with doubt might as well be considered totally false. (24) However, once an element of truth is discovered and verified, it can be used as a basis for establishing other elements of truth. The first element of truth that is known for certain is that nothing can be confidently known. Such a statement has a curious sort of circular nature: how can I know that nothing is certain, if nothing can be known for certain? The answer simply contains itself in the definition. By knowing that there is nothing for certain, Descartes must abandon all that is reported to him by his senses and believed by him in his thoughts (including his body and the conception of the world around him). (24) At this point, Descartes is not prepared to accept that either himself or God exists. He cannot say that God exists, because there remains the possibility that his thoughts are in fact originating from himself (in which case there would be no need for God). Since he has abandoned all notions of existence and certainty, which includes his own body and senses, is it possible that he himself does not exist? To think a thought is bound to existence by definition; one must exist first before having the 2005-09-02T21:32:09-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Second-Meditation-I-Think-Therefore-I-Am-27867.aspx Old Testament - Is God Vindictive? One idea of God in the Old Testament is that he is a wrathful being, a vengeful being with very little forgiveness in Him. Take, for instance, the first murder. Cain murders Abel and God does not forgive him, or show mercy on him, but brands him and sends him off into the world for all to see and know that he was a killer. Next, is the flood. God sees man as evil in all he does and thinks, and therefore plans to kill man and all living beings, save those that he put with Noah, the one mortal to be in favor with God. In the first murder, Cain was a tiller of the ground and Abel, his brother, was a keeper of sheep. There came a time when Cain did bear the fruits of the earth and his Brother Abel did the same from the sheep, they both brought there offerings before God, and God favored Abel’s offering over Cain’s. This made Cain full of anger and his face darkened. God said to Cain “Why are you angry and downcast? If you are doing right, surely you ought to hold your head high! But if you are doing right, Sin is crouching at the door hungry to get you. You can still master him” (Genesis 4:6-7). This is an obvious reprimand by God to Cain. He might have well said you must do better to gain my approval. There were no words of encouragement; there was no comforting, just cold hard rejection. Cain was obviously upset at God and directed his anger at his younger brother Abel. “Cain said to his brother Abel, ‘Let us go out’; and while they were in the open country, Cain set on his brother Abel and Killed him” (Genesis 4:8). God did hear the blood of Abel crying up to him from the ground and questioned Cain on where Abel was, Cain said he was not his brothers keeper, and God did grow very angry for he knew what Cain had done. God then cursed Cain from the Earth, and branded him for all to know what Cain was, and that no man was to kill Cain for he was, in a sense, protected by God so he could suffer his punishment. In the story of 2005-08-31T20:24:37-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Old-Testament-Is-God-Vindictive-27841.aspx Plato's Critique Of Democracy The Equality of Unequals In order to clearly understand why Plato seems to find democracy and the democratic soul so objectionable one must first understand the definition of what democracy means. Platos discord with democracy does not concern the democracy we know today nor does it directly concern Athenian democracy. Rather, it is the Form of democracy in which he criticizes. For a Greek (man), democracy, meant the rule of the people in a much more literal sense than it does for the citizens of most of the modern states which claim to be democracies. Platos charge against democracy is simply that it violates the proper order of society by creating an artificial equality. His fundamental criticism of democracy is (essentially) that it is an irrational form of the constitution. It is based on the assumption that every citizen is equally entitled to a say in political affairs, no matter how unsuited he is in terms of ability, character or training . Basically no matter how ignorant a person may be, they still could find themselves playing a significant role in public affairs. The key to a successful political career lay in being able to speak persuasivelyfor this reason the art of oratory or public speaking came to be highly valued. A system where value and merit are disregarded and instead unconditional equality promoted disgusted Plato. Plato and Socrates both felt that all people were born with knowledge but that not all people were in touch with the knowledge they possessed. It was through a process of questioning that simply made them recall what was already ingrained. Plato throughout the book rejected the idea that all men are equals. Instead of supposing every man is innately good, Plato holds that every man has a right to pursue the good. Socrates and Plato both believed with much support that all men should strive to reach the highest forms knowledge. Socrates believed in three parts of the individual soul- sensation, emotion, and intelligence. Each part must function in moderation to contribute to the health of the whole. Desire must be inferior to reason, or else it will throw the individual out of balance and lead him into injustice and unhappiness. Emotion can also master desire with the alliance of reason. 2005-08-31T19:48:50-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Plato-s-Critique-Of-Democracy-27833.aspx An abortion is he premature termination of pregnancy ending in the death of the embryo or foetus. However abortion can also be defined as the death of the embryo or foetus without human interference. This essay will be discussing induced abortion and the effects they have on both mother and unborn child. The ethics and morality of induced abortion has become the subject of an intense debate in the past fifty rears. No matter how you look at it, abortion is simply he murder of a living human being and therefore should not be tolerated. When is life, life? This is a very relevant question and one which should be answered as scientifically accurately as possible. According to the Oxford Australian Student’s Dictionary the tern life is defended as a period during which something exists or continues to function. According to the same source human is defined as having the qualities that distinguish mankind, not divine, or animal, or mechanical. One scientific argument is that by three weeks the unborn’s heart starts pumping it’s own circulatory system and by sic weeks brain activity can be recorded. If doctors measure death by brain death then life should at least be measured by brain life. Going back to the Oxford Australian Student’s Dictionary it says that life is a period during which something exists or continues to function. Since the embryo’s heart functions at three weeks then that’s when life should become life. The Catholic church would take this even further and say that life starts at the point of conception. This is quoted from What’s wrong with Abortion? By a new Zealand Bishop in 1989, “Because of their creation in the image of God every human being is special, unique, and has his or her origin, nature and destiny to fulfil. Rich or poor, strong or weak, young or old, born or unborn, every life is sacred.” Despite all this there is a very successful argument for abortion. This involves the rights of women. They claim to have the right to keep the government out of such personal issues. If the woman chooses not to have the baby, then that’s her choice. But many do believe, especially Catholics, that aborting the pregnancy is simply killing and innocent life. Everyone knows that 2005-08-31T10:12:22-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Abortion--27831.aspx French Oral La première étape dans la fabrication des jeux vidéo est la conception. Il faut avoir une bonne idée que le public aimera. L’idée peut venir de plusieurs places : 1. Un concept initial a présenté par un employé 2. un concept initial lancé à la compagnie par un étranger 3. La suite d’un jeu déjà existant 4. A basée sur un caractère existant d'un jeu 5. Un jeu basé sur un caractère ou histoire (telle que le film, une TV existante ou des caractères comiques) 6. Une simulation d'un autre jeu du support de jeu (tel que des jeux de panneau et des jeux de carte) Ces jeux se trouvent dans plusieurs catégories : • Action/Adventure en 3-d (Portal Runner, Army Men, Tomb Raider) • Simulation (Army Men: Air Combat, Aero Fighters' Assault, Maestro Music) • Sport (Sammy Sosa High Heat Baseball, Tony Hawk Pro Skater) • Stratégie/Tour de role (Heroes of Might and Magic, Zelda, Final Fantasy) • Combat (Mortal Kombat, SoulFighter) • Puzzle (Tetris ) • Tireur (Defender, Silpheed) • Plate-form (Sonic, Super Mario Brothers) • Course (Mario Kart, Tokyo Xtreme Racer) • Conversion (American Arcade Pinball, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?) Plusieurs jeux ne tombent pas dans ses catégories et il y en a qui ont des attributs des plusieurs des catégories. La deuxième étape est la pre-production. L’équipe de pre-production incluse 4 membres : • Directeur • Créateur • Ingénieur de Logiciel • Programmeur • Artiste • Auteur La première chose que l'équipe de pre-production est développent l'histoire pour le jeu. Pensez à ceci comme écrire le contour pour un roman. L'histoire identifie le thème du jeu, des personnages principaux et le but général du feu. Des zones dans le jeu où un ordre visuel de plein mouvement (FMV)(une cour film) aiderait l'histoire le long sont établies. Une partie importante de développer la ligne d'histoire connat la nature du jeu. Ceci signifie que le créateur de jeu est en généralement impliqué dès le début; il est responsable des choses comme: • Identifiant des traits et des dispositifs du jeu. • Le type d'interaction gameplay et d'utilisateur qui est développée. • Comment le jeu utilisera la technologie disponible sur une plate-forme particulière (le système ou l'ordinateur). La troisième étape est le devlopement du jeu. Une fois que la conception et la pre-production est terminée, le jeu entre dans la phase de production. L'équipe de pre-production augmente comme nécessaire pour inclure les artistes, les programmeurs et les créateurs supplémentaires. En attendant, les programmeurs font coder le jeu sur commande d'écriture en langage de programmation de C qui fournira le cadre pour les objets de jeu. Beaucoup de code est tiré de la bibliothèque de la compagnie, qui est une banque de code 2005-08-29T04:46:46-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/French-Oral-Examination-Outline-27821.aspx Analysis of Bible's 10 Commandments - A Good Definition Or Not? In the Bible, one of the Ten Commandments states: “Thou shalt not kill.” Regardless of religious preferences and beliefs, everyone knows of this Supreme command; but do they know what it means? Consider this: does “Thou shalt not kill” and “Thou shalt not murder” mean the same thing? By its common definition, to “murder” means to kill unlawfully or at least unjustifiably. However, centuries ago, the Ten Commandments handed to Moses simply mentioned "kill". There was no mention at all whether “to kill” distinguished between the lawful or unlawful taking of a life, or for that matter if the life even had to be that of a human. In today’s society, it appears “Thou shalt not murder” is more appropriate than “Thou shalt not kill,” as “kill” denotes a just and lawful reason to take a life. It then becomes clear that the way each person defines a certain word affects the meaning and intent of a statement or discussion. It is essential that a word be defined in a way that clearly illustrates its true essence. To make a definition successful, three criteria must be followed to avoid confusion. Possibly the most difficult condition to preserve when explaining a word’s meaning to someone is to not give that person only examples of the word. When an example is the only source of knowledge of a word’s meaning, a problem occurs. One must take into account that those examples could encompass ideas other than the true nature of the word, or perhaps not fully cover other characteristics of the word. This leads to the second criterion of a successful definition. A definition cannot be too general, yet at the same time it cannot be too limited. Finally, the third condition of a successful definition dictates that a form of the word or an equally obscure word cannot be used to redefine the word. To break the cycle, terms more familiar than the one being defined must be used. Though these three conditions are not absolute, they do lead to a clearer, less vague definition of words. As seen in the initial example, “murder” is commonly defined as killing unlawfully or unjustifiably. However, it is not specified if this definition is dependent on what 2005-08-29T02:34:10-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Analyzing-Bible-s-10-Commandments-A-Good-Definition-Or-Not-27815.aspx Analysis of Individual Free Will, Existentialism, Determinism Analyzing our individual free will can be very intriguing and can almost reach the point of being paradoxical. Ultimately, free will determines the level of responsibility we claim for our actions. Obviously, if outside forces determine our choices, we cannot be held responsible for our actions. However, if our choices are made with total freedom than certainly we must claim responsibility for our choices and actions. The readings I chose offered two quite opposite theories on individual human freedom, determinism vs. existentialism. In comparing these two theories the contrasts are quite outstanding. Evidently, some philosophers felt that human beings did not really have a free will. This view, defined as determinism held that certain casual laws rule what occurs in the universe. There are two major forms of determinism, including hard determinism and soft determinism. Hard determinism taught that each of our actions is determined by factors beyond our control such as heredity and environment. From this point of view there can be no real moral responsibility for our actions if our actions were determined by factors beyond our control. There is a complete denial of personal free will in hard determinism. Soft determinism, however, appears to combine determinism and free will. It teaches that all human actions are determined by such things as early childhood experiences thus relinquishing us from total responsibility for our actions caused by such determining factors. However, if my actions were the result of my own reasoning exclusive of outside factors than I must take responsibility for my choices. In total contrast with determinism, existentialism professes the complete freedom of the human being. The particular reading I read dealt with atheistic existentialism, this view of personal freedom rejected a belief in God, feeling that it would be incompatible with the uncertainty and harsh reality of life during the time of two wars. This view shared that a person was not ruled by heredity or environment but was always free at any time to make his own choices. Due to the denial of God, this theory held that there were no existing moral laws, thus, individuals were free to determine their own human nature through choices for which they stand accountable (existentialism, in general, emphasizes what makes each life a unique personal experience as opposed to any existing moral laws). "Authentic" living involves free choices that allows the individual to 2005-08-26T06:28:22-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Individual-Free-Will,-Existentialism,-Determinism-27784.aspx Searching for an Appropriate Relation between Religion and Curriculum Design By Grace Hui Chin Lin Texas A&M University, Dept. of Teaching, Learning, and Culture Tunghai Christian University,Taiwan. Dept. of Foreign Language and Literature Introdution Recent years, increasing diverse attitudes to religion education in the classroom make many private and public school have to face the controversy of ¡¨should religion be taught as a subject at schools?¡¨ (e.g., Kaiser, 2003; Slattery & Rapp, 2003; Wallace, Forman, Caldwell & Willis, 2003). As a result, many administrators and teachers are making efforts in searching for an appropriate relation between religion and curriculum design in order to ensure that they handle this sensitive issue in a democratic fashion. Indeed, religion topics make teachers feel nervous when introducing the conflicts in religions to students in difference races in class (Joanne M. &Kappan, 2003). Especially, at the current sensitive moment after 911 event happened, both the teachers and administrators have to learn how to face the challenge of explaining the confronting positions between Islam and Christians. Difficulties and Problems to Investigate Generally speaking, both teachers and students have their problems in religious education that probably only a perfectly designed curriculum can resolve. For teachers, they don¡¦t know how much they are allowed to lecture about the religion subjects in class and what are the best applicable pedagogies for teaching religions. For students, they are too young to recognize if their teacher introduces a certain religion with personal prejudice, and to identify if the teacher has an intention to preach for his own religion. In other words, it is possible that students are misled to favor or disfavor a religion because of complying with their teachers¡¦ thoughts. A Problem of Religion Textbook Kasier (2003) argues the inappropriate religion introductions might perplex students toward a religion if the teacher does not instruct it in a neutral attitude. He believes the wrong adoption of textbooks for teaching religions is one of the serious problems. Accordingly, he points out that a religion subject textbook like ¡§ A History of Western Society¡¨ might not be a proper religion material, because it creates a negative impression to students that Islam is disfavored. [i:c28ee89d86]Text with Bias[/i:c28ee89d86] In reality, Kaiser (2003) indicates Mckay¡¦s seventh edition religion textbook as well as the popular ¡§ A History of Western Society¡¨ is indeed an improper religion textbook choice because it establishes a negative impression for the Islamic prophet Mohammed. Actually, 2005-08-20T17:46:03-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/How-Religion-Can-be-Taught-at-School-27751.aspx Author: Grace Hui Chin Lin, Texas A&M University, Dept. of Teaching, Learning, and Culture Catholic Schooling is a significant issue in the early American history. After Christopher Columbus landed in 1492, the English people, French, and Spaniard extended their territories and assimilated Indian by assigning missionaries and governors to develop Catholic schools in the New World. The Catholic schools in European colonies were established not only for educating European¡¦s own Catholic descents but also for making Saint Mary and Jesus Chris known by Indians. Spanish priests had accomplished better missionary tasks than the other European colonial empires like France and England. Their Catholic preaches arrived the in southern parts of the Mississippi River before 1700, and the west and south area of the Mississippi after 1700. I believe the reason why Spanish accomplished the missionary job more successfully than the others is that they paid enough reverence to Indian¡¦s tribe traditions and customs. Spanish missionaries understood that the tribe people have to retain their habits like complex cosmology worship, hunting game, and defending practice; therefore, they preserved Indian¡¦s traditional activities when converting them into Catholics. Spanish bishops transformed Indian¡¦s superstitions into Christianality step by step gently and gradually. At the same time, the Spanish missionaries traveled and fight together with tribe military soldiers from hostile attacks and introduced new industrialization technique to improve Indian¡¦s agriculture. This apparently revealed Spanish¡¦s determination to assimilate Indian and to transfer Spanish civilization to improve Indian¡¦s daily lives. Compared with French, Spanish missionaries were more effective and lucky because they encountered stronger and bigger tribes like the Mayans, the Incas, the Aztec, and the Sioux. Bigger tribes were more stable and their people were willing to learn and assimilated. They arrived in these stronger tribe areas in the US from Mexico and West Indies and transmitted the grace and love of God to settled communities such as the Pueblo of New Mexico. On the contrary, the French missionaries came across weaker nomadic tribes like the Mi'kmaq the Algonquian in Maine, New York, Illinois and Louisiana from Canada and finally did not Christianized them aggressively and effectively. In 1694, a French explorer, Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac took control of the area around Detroit, and urged that the northern tribes come to live in the settlement, mingle with the French settlers, learn the language, and intermarry. He wished to lead mixed force of 2005-08-20T16:54:17-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Comparison-and-Contrast-between-Spanish-and-French-27750.aspx What have I learned about Philosophy? To answer this or any philosophical question, I must first define the key terms in the question. Learned - 1, Acquired knowledge or skill. 2, Become informed or acquainted. Philosophy - 1, The science dealing with the general cause and principles of things. 2, Personal attitude. Now that I have a clear understanding of the key terms I am ready to answer the question at hand. The knowledge that I have acquired about the science dealing with the general cause and principles of things is that I must be clear on my terms. I believe that this is the most important part of Philosophy. If I attempt to answer this or any other question without a clear understanding of the key terms I might incorrectly analysis the question. I can not deal with the general cause and principles of things if I’m not clear on their exact meaning. I have also acquired knowledge about others personal attitude. I have learned that there are many different Philosophies one can have, and that one should not prejudge on that Philosophy. I have learned that in most people’s minds they are right. There are many different perspectives that one could take on the same topic. One instance is many women believe that it is not moral to have sex on a first date. I on the other hand as do many men do not believe that it is immoral to have sex on the first date. Is either of us wrong? No, we both just have different perspectives on the subject, and neither of us should be too quick to judge the other on their perspective. We all grew up in different areas with different friends and role models. These role models and friends have a great effect on the way we perceive things. Many little girls grow up with there moms and dads telling them how special their bodies are and that they should only share this special gift with there husband. On the other hand little boys receive praise when they get there first date, kiss, etc. Is it either of our faults that we think the way we do? No, it is just the way we have been taught. To sum 2005-08-19T07:13:08-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/What-have-I-learned-about-Philosophy-27735.aspx [i:a007550c39]Description: This paper discusses Sartre's 'fundamental project' as described in his writing 'No Exit.' This paper is a critique of 'No Exit' written to identify pre-notioned themes of Sartre, in Sartre's writing. Addressed also is the ideology of Sophism.[/i:a007550c39] Jean Paul Sartre and the Fundamental Project In this paper I am addressing Jean Paul Sartre premise of the fundamental project. In my presentation I will first give a brief over view of Sartre's existentialism. Next Sartre's a notions of the spontaneous and reflective phases of consciousness will be my focus Upon discussing the reflective phase I will go into depth about the fundamental project, and why it is pursued, and I will give examples from No Exit. I will conclude by making a brief contrast and comparisson between Garcin, a character from No Exit, and myself. Of all the philosophers we have studied in our forum, I find I am most intrigued by the opinions of Jean Paul Sartre. Jean Paul Sartre is accredited with articulating the premise that "existence precedes essence." Sartre believes that man one day happened, occurred, or arrived on the scene, or in his words, man was one day "dehissed from the hole" and after this anomalous event his life took meaning. I think Sartre is bold in positing this notion which is in stark contrast of widely accepted belief. It is well regarded that life has a meaning that far transcends our short and insignificant lives. For many cultures life is and whether we ever come to terms with life is irrelevant because life will continue regardless of our of whether or not we understand it to any extent. Sartre believes quite the opposite. He believes that life could have no meaning unless we gave meaning to it. I think anyone pondering this notion to any depth would agree. How could life possibly have any meaning if we do not give any meaning to it. For some life has no meaning and they committed horrible atrocities in strict accordance to their belief. For others life has too much meaning and they spend their lives trying to reassure themselves that they have grasped this meaning. I would like to take a moment to inspect this further. There are those in our history who have established a religion. Why? As I have posited, this could well have been done in an attempt to reassure oneself that that he had come to 2005-08-18T09:34:30-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Jean-Paul-Sartre-and-Fundamental-Project_-Existentialism-27728.aspx MACHIAVELLI'S VIEW OF HUMAN NATURE In The Prince Niccolo Machiavelli presents a view of governing a state that is drastically different from that of humanists of his time. Machiavelli believes the ruling Prince should be the sole authority determining every aspect of the state and put in effect a policy which would serve his best interests. These interests were gaining, maintaining, and expanding his political power.1 His understanding of human nature was a complete contradiction of what humanists believed and taught. Machiavelli strongly promoted a secular society and felt morality was not necessary but in fact stood in the way of an effectively governed principality.2 Though in come cases Machiavelli's suggestions seem harsh and immoral one must remember that these views were derived out of concern Italy's unstable political condition.3 Though humanists of Machiavelli's time believed that an individual had much to offer to the well being of the state, Machiavelli was quick to mock human nature. Humanists believed that "An individual only 'grows to maturity- both intellectually and morally- through participation' in the life of the state."4 Machiavelli generally distrusted citizens, stating that "...in time of adversity, when the state is in need of it's citizens there are few to be found."5 Machiavelli further goes on to question the loyalty of the citizens and advises the Prince that "...because men a wretched creatures who would not keep their word to you, you need keep your word to them."6 However, Machiavelli did not feel that a Prince should mistreat the citizens. This suggestion once again to serve the Prince's best interests. If a prince can not be both feared and loved, Machiavelli suggests, it would be better for him to be feared bey the citizens within his own principality. He makes the generalization that men are, "...ungrateful, fickle, liars, and deceivers, they shun danger and are greedy for profit; while you treat them well they are yours."7 He characterizes men as being self centered and not willing to act in the best interest of the state,"[and when the prince] is in danger they turn against [him]."8 Machiavelli reinforces the prince's need to be feared by stating: Men worry less about doing an injury to one who makes himself loved than to one who makes himself feared. The bond of love is one which men, wretched creatures they are, break when it is to their advantage to do so; but fear is strengthened by 2005-08-18T09:21:51-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Machiavelli-s-Philosophy-on-Human-Nature-27720.aspx Christian Symbolism in The Matrix The Matrix is a futuristic, post-apocalyptic story of a man who struggles with the notion that he is the “One” chosen to liberate the world. Indeed, when Neo learns he is trapped in a computer controlled world where nothing is real, he must accept his fate (a concept which he does not believe in) as the savior of mankind. In the beginning of the movie Neo, a.k.a. Thomas Anderson, finally meets Morpheus, a man for whom he has been searching for quite some time. Upon their meeting, Morpheus frees Neo from the Matrix and tells him of his destiny as the “One.” Neo learns that Artificial Intelligence (AI) have taken over the world, and possess complete control over mankind. It is Neo’s destiny to free the people from the AI and lead them into a better place, the real world. Said to have come before, and believed to eventually return, Neo learns that the “One” has the power to bend the rules which have been programmed into the world he was born into, the Matrix. As the movie progresses, the action intensifies and pulls the viewer in, however The Matrix is much more than an action-packed sci-fi thriller. After one views this film for the second and third time, he/she starts to notice a great deal of symbolism. This symbolism starts to paint a completely different picture than the images of humans battling machines. It is a religious story, with symbols deeply set in the Christian faith. The Matrix contains religious symbolism through its three main characters, Morpheus, Neo, and Trinity, in that each character solidly personifies the “Father,” the “Son,” and the “Holy Spirit” of the Christian beliefs. The Matrix uses the connections of the main characters to the Holy Trinity to parallel a belief which many people have about modern American culture: people need guidance from a higher being. Morpheus, the leader of the rebellion is a father figure to the rest of the “free” people, thus he is compared with “the Father.” One character, Tank even makes a direct reference to this: “Morpheus, you were more than a leader to us, you were a father.” Morpheus acted as a protector and a mentor, in much the same way that a father would to his children. In Christianity, God is the Father. 2005-08-15T08:39:10-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Christian-Symbolism-in-The-Matrix-27671.aspx What is Absolute Understanding? Does Absolute Understanding Exist? [This essay was my first in Philosophy 201.] Absolute Understanding An elephant was brought to a group of blind men who had never encountered such an animal before. One felt a leg and reported that an elephant is a great living pillar. Another felt the trunk and reported that an elephant is a great snake. Another felt a tusk and reported that an elephant is like a sharp ploughshare. And so on. And then they all quarreled together, each claiming that his own account was the truth and therefore all the others false (traditional parable). None of the accounts that the blind men made about the nature of the elephant are absolute truths, nor are the accounts false. An absolute truth, or one that is true for all, can not be achieved because of the constant motion of circumstances of who said it, to whom, when, where, why, and how it was said. Instead of absolute truths, the concepts or beliefs that the blind men claim are viewpoints that each one clarifies the nature of the elephant. Everybody has learned to see things from his or her own sense of reason and logic. The many things that people experience throughout their lifetimes, help to determine the judgments toward the different issues and objects that they encounter. Because individuals has his or her own sense of reason and logic, the perceptions that people encounter are ultimately true, and not false. Life does not contain one truth for any idea or object, but truths can be found in one's perception. It is difficult to determine that anything is the absolute truth. One should not prove that any object contains a true meaning, but should develop conceptions surrounding the object. Attempting to prove anything then would be difficult, if not impossible. Our senses from smell to values to reality may differ from person to person. What may be true to one person may be different for another. Because everybody has different perceptions about life, it is difficult to weigh the content of any concept. Every account, of its own, is formed to be the truth of the one individual who assumes it. The variety of concepts may have the virtue of being considered. This is how people develop a deeper sense of understanding for all objects. Truth is achieved through the concept and not the object itself. Because many individuals hold different 2005-08-15T08:36:33-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Does-Absolute-Understanding-Exist-27670.aspx Sarah, Role Model And Mother Of The Jewish People Role models surround us; they are those who possess the qualities that we would like to have and those who have affected us in a way that makes us want to be better people, to advocate for ourselves and our goals and take leadership on the issues that we believe in. We often don't recognize our true role models until we have noticed our own personal growth and progress. In the midst of the modern world, we often look to our matriarchs and patriarchs for moral guidance. Just as we look to them as role models to be emulated in our lives and in the resolution of our own moral dilemmas, so do we learn from them when they falter and we may then learn how not to act. When thinking about significant influence in my life my mind often wonders to Sarah Imeinu, the mother of the Jewish people. Sarah Imeinu's life was anything but easy. She faced many hardships that could have sent anyone fleeing from the right derech. Yet, throughout her entire life she stuck with the light of Hashem, the flame only growing brighter as time went on. Sarah connected every movement to divine service, even in the midst of the most challenging circumstances. Our first real encounter with Sarah is her journey with Avraham down to Egypt during a time of famine. We learn that a person can risk his life to save another from Sarah Imeinu saying that she was Avraham's sister thereby risking herself to save Avraham. Once there, her beauty is noticed by the people and she is taken to Paro's palace. When Paro realized Sarah was indeed Avraham's wife, he returned her and ordered them both to leave Egypt. (Bereishis 12:14-20) Sarah's test in Egypt was overwhelming. She found herself at Pharaoh's side, with access to what was considered the world's most advanced, alluring and cultured civilization. Throughout this test, Sarah remained unassimilated in body, mind and spirit. Moreover, given her singular commitment to sanctifying the physical realm, she was distraught at seeing such abundant opportunities for holiness dedicated to the wrong cause.(1) Withe her luck, a similar situation occurs with Avimelech, the king of Philistine. Yet, Sarah is once again returned to her husband unmolested.(Bereishis 20:3-18) There is no greater example of Sarah's remarkable relationship with Avraham than the fact that, being 2005-08-10T04:47:14-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Sarah,-Role-Model-And-Mother-Of-The-Jewish-People-27588.aspx Protestant and Catholic Reformation At the beginning of the 16th century, the Roman Catholic Church, modeled upon the bureaucratic structure of the Late Roman Empire, had become extremely powerful but internally corrupt. From early in the 12th century onward, there were calls for reform. Between 1215 and 1545, nine church-councils were held with church reforms as their primary intent, yet the councils all failed to reach significant accord. Around the beginning of the 16th century, the Roman Catholic Church experienced a wide range of social, artistic, and geo-political changes, which was termed the Reformation. Catholics and Protestants both demanded change; however, the way in which they fought for change differed immensely. The Protestant's approach was aimed at undermining the Catholic Church politically, economically, and socially, whereas pressure from the Protestants forced the Catholics into constant struggle to bolster their own claims and improve their corrupt nature. With help from Ignatius of Loyola, Gian Matteo Giberti, and members of the Council of Trent, the Catholic Church launched a somewhat successful counter attack. However, the division of the universal Catholic Church would be the ultimate hardship that Catholics had to endure as a result of this awakening of new ideas. The battle to monopolize people's beliefs would create a culture of religious pluralism, as it is known today. The Reformation began on October 31, 1517, when a German monk named Martin Luther unwittingly sparked a revolution. The Catholic Church had been selling indulgences for the purpose of raising money, "dirty" money that was used to carry out certain endeavors that they were interested in. For example, they sold a jubilee indulgence near Wittenburg Castle in order to generate funds for Saint Peter's in Rome. Luther became disgusted with the Catholic Church's practice of selling indulgences, thus he responded to his own inner aversion of this practice by posting a list of grievances against the Catholic Church, called The Ninety-Five Theses. Consequently, he started a religious revolution that came to be known as the Protestant Reformation. Luther's teaching of Sola Fide successfully undermined the Catholic Church's attempt to gain economic prosperity by means of remitting sins and shortening visits to purgatory for profit's sake. He accomplished this by preaching that faith alone can bring salvation. He taught that man's salvation is totally dependant upon God's activity and is in no way conditioned by the action of man. Man's choice of sin 2005-08-10T04:30:37-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Protestant-and-Catholic-Reformation-27585.aspx The Death Of Socrates In contemporary with the Age of Enlightenment, also called the Age of Reason in France, neoclassical painters used famous works of literature as a source of inspiration for their paintings. The Death Of Socrates (1787; Oil on canvas, 129.5 x 196.2 cm or 51 x 77 1/4 in) by Jacques Louis David, is a perfect example of a neoclassical painter using a famous work of literarue, in this case Plato’s Phaedo, as his source of inspiration. Plato’s marvelous work, however, was not completely captured in David’s this painting, instead David looking through “Roman lenses” chose to focus more on the famous philosopher’s immortality. In the painting The Death of Socrates, the painter Jacques Louis David, takes a scene from Plato’s Phaedo and paints it from a Roman perspective. For example the setting of the scene takes place in a chamber that has Roman arches on the windows and an arch in the hallway. In addition there is also a Roman style lamp found behind Socrates. Other than the Roman perspective portrayed by David there is also a distribution of light and dark accents in this masterwork that aids in distinguishing the significance and “divinity” of Socrates. First of all, the light coming from the windows in the background and the lamp in the background are not the main source of light in this scene. However, the origin of the primary source of light that is emphasizing on Socrates and then on his disciples is unknown. In David’s painting the light that shines on Socrates is brighter than all of the other light sources. This contrast in lighting helps emphasize Socrates’ “godliness”. In addition to the lighting contrast, Socrates “godliness” is also reflected on way his body has been painted. David painted Socrates with an ideally proportioned and athletic body in his painting so that he can depict Socrates as perfect man or a god like man. In addition Socrates is seen as a father like figure with great amount of wisdom because a beard is painted on his face. David summed up all of Socrates’ beliefs by painting physical emotions on Socrates. Socrates movements and gesture demonstrates how he sacrifices himself, like a Greek god would, rather than betray his principles. David painted Socrates pointing his finger upward and higher than anyone in this painting to symbolize that 2005-08-07T06:46:12-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Death-Of-Socrates-27572.aspx Seyyed Hossein Nasr, one of the world's leading Islamicists and an Iranian professor of Islamic Studies (previously of Tehran University and currently of George Washington University), and president of the Foundation for Traditional Studies, has presented the world with written and published eighteen books on the topic of Islam. Throughout his books, professor Nasr offers a clear introduction to Islam, and certain basic aspects of this rich and diverse religion, tradition, culture and civilization of more than a billion believers. His book, “Islam, Religion, History, and Civilization”, takes the reader on a journey throughout the history of Islam from initiation to today where he explains Islamic beliefs, practices, institutes, and schools of thought. Professor Nasr also discusses the relationship between Islam and other religions and also spiritual and religious significance of Islam based on traditional Islamic beliefs. He intellectually represents Islam in such way that it would be acceptable by majority of Moslems as well as non-Moslems. Through the introduction of this book, professor Nasr expresses the importance of knowledge of Islam for those who are concerned with situation of contemporary humanity and believers of essentiality of a bond between East and West; especially considering the large number of Moslems with racial and cultural diversity. Also individuals interested in reality of religion and spiritual world, as well as those attracted to birth and nurture of different cultures, can benefit from the knowledge of Islam. Considering the crucial rule of this religion in development of different cultures including the Western civilization, Nasr believes that all man-kind can benefit from the knowledge of Islam. In the first chapter of the book, Nasr explains that penetration of the reality of Islam in the consciousness of Westerners, in various forms and from different directions, which has led the world become aware of the significant of Islam now a days. Westerners have realized the need of the true Islamic knowledge. Professor Nasr strongly believes that true Islam has yet not been portrayed, in an unbiased manner, as in each period through the history "Islamic studies has been distorted and tainted by a particular set of errors and deviations". Hence the urge of an unbiased and realistic look at Islam, providing a clear and intellectual introduction to the religion as well as the history and civilization, has encouraged Nasr to create his overviews. He declares that his books are written and based upon 2005-08-03T03:45:17-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Islam-by-Seyyed-Hossein-Nasr-27533.aspx “’Cultural Vandals’ Hide behind Free Speech,” - First for a Reason I disagree with the essay, “’Cultural Vandals’ Hide behind Free Speech,” by Jeff Durstewitz. The author believes that the First Amendment should not allow our children to be stripped of their innocence. He thinks that the constitution should set limits and standards to protect them, but I strongly disagree. I think that parents are very capable of protecting their own children themselves, and that freedom of speech should extend to the so-called “cultural vandals” in our society today (Durstewitz 530). The First Amendment was first for a reason, it shouldn’t be taken away for anything. In his passage, the author starts off talking about how guns are mistakenly blamed for teen violence in our country. He deems that teen violence is much too vague a topic, and the real damage being done to children isn’t physical. He insists that our society is dedicated to corrupting the young people of our country. He goes on to talk about how violent movies are a problem, and he says that “the evidence of moral and cultural degradation is almost inescapable,” (Durstewitz 530). In his conclusion, the author challenges the application of the First Amendment when children are affected. He believes that “we have the right to set standards and limits where children […] are concerned” (Durstewitz 530). I believe that the First Amendment rights of the Constitution should not be compromised to protect our children. I feel that parents are very much capable of taking care of their own children. Let the parents do the parenting. It should be up to them what their child may or may not be exposed to. The author uses the example of, “nine-year olds and younger watching South Park,” as a problem, as the cartoon is geared towards more mature viewers since it uses adult humor. Adult-oriented programming, in most cases, is unfamiliar to young children. They do not usually understand the very jokes and adult humor that is “corrupting them”. Since many children are very curious, they may ask their parents what something means or just laugh (without knowing what they’re laughing about) and forget about it. If the parents decide that they do not want their child watching a particular show or channel, cable television allows parents to block 2005-08-02T06:21:30-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Cultural-Vandals-Hide-behind-Free-Speech-1st-Amendment-27523.aspx Post Modernism Multiculturalism, Tolerance, and Political Correctness In recent years, multiculturalism, tolerance and political correctness have been integrated into how American society thinks. America seems to be trying to learn more about the ingredients of her melting pot. These efforts can be best understood by examining post-modernism. Post-modernism is especially important to breaking down stereotypes such as those that exist surrounding the black family. To understand post-modernism we must first understand modernism. Modernism is the philosophy that began with the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment was an era when science and art flourished. European society used the Enlightenment to object to the oppression of the church. This era emphasized only those things that are observable or measurable (Smith, 1995). The scientific method developed at this time became the standard to which everything is measured. Modernism, although moving away from the confinements of religion, was limiting in its own way. Post-modernism can be viewed as an expansion of modernism. It does not limit the idea of truth to only that which can be observed. Post-modernism is all encompassing. Post-modernism does not allow for only one definition for anything. There are several explanations for phenomena. Where modernism emphasizes racial classifications, post-modernism emphasizes cultural and ethnic classifications. Post-modernism sanctions differences from family to family and person to person within the parameters of one culture. This multiculturalism is being used to educate from primary education through higher education. In Percival and Black’s study with sixth-graders and multiculturalism, they realized that, although they were examining a specific Native American tribe, stereotypes of that tribe or people can develop (2000). For example, all African Americans from the South eat collard greens and corn bread. So, educating oneself about other cultures cannot be used to generalize to the entire group. Post-modernism is, thus, very important to understanding the concept of a black family. Post-modernism reveals that circumstances cannot be explained in one way. Modernism has clear procedures and criteria for defining phenomena. The question of truth is determined by science. Scientists control the worldview or meta-narrative of the dominant group (Western society). Much of the way current societies view the world is dominated by Western culture. The meta-narrative for the black family is defined by the Western standards: income and education and any other quantifiable unit. The history of the black family is difficult to research according to Barnetta McGhee White because there are few written documents to substantiate the 2005-08-01T07:55:44-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Post-Modernism-Multiculturalism-Tolerance-and-Political-Correctness-27515.aspx Deliberate Alienation: Surrealism and Magical Realism Critical thinking is a terrible thing. At least, that seems to be a popular opinion. We live in an age where people are willing to look to anyone but themselves for advice on what they should think. Rather than figure out what their own opinions are, they trust the thinly-veiled slant of the television newscasters, the politics-masquerading-as-reporting of magazines like Time and Newsweek. There are fashion shows and magazines that tell you what you think is stylish. Children in grade school and high school are actually discouraged from thinking differently from their peers or from their teachers. Even television commercials or assigned readings in school that encourage positive behavior are only promoting this phenomenon of mental laziness: whether people are told to think good things or told to think bad things is unimportant; either way they're still not doing their own thinking. Lest we become a culture of zombies, it seems important somehow to stop this disturbing trend. But how to combat this kind of apathy? Any appeal to the brain-dead must require them to use that very organ which they are allowing to atrophy. Perhaps some shock therapy is in order. There's a reason our language contains the phrase "to slap some sense into" someone. I propose that the best way to cure such mental apathy is to attack it. By presenting the individual with an apparent reality which contradicts or prevents what s/he is familiar or comfortable with, one would force him/her to spend the necessary cognitive effort to correct or reconcile the discrepancy, or risk existing in an utterly absurd, impossible, and nonsensical world. Purposely inducing cognitive dissonance may be the best or only way to elicit any sort of cognitive activity at all. One of the easiest and most effective ways in which to achieve this goal is to deliberately alienate the individual from those things which s/he takes for granted -- to pull the rug out from under him/her, so to speak. I am not speaking merely of removing objects from the subject's world -- say, stealing a lamp from the nighttable -- but also of removing or rearranging relationships: moving the lamp to the other nighttable, placing a shoe on the nighttable instead of the lamp, etc. Jean-Paul Sartre understood the effectiveness of this kind of alienation when he wrote his short story "The Wall": "Tom was alone too 2005-08-01T07:09:07-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Deliberate-Alienation-Surrealism-and-Magical-Realism-27500.aspx Was Jesus Sent To Be Crucified? One of the fundamental beliefs of Christianity is that Jesus had died and allowed for the shedding of his blood for the sake of granting forgiveness to people. In other words Jesus had died on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins. Let us investigate this topic from the Bible, and find out whether Jesus was sent to be crucified or that he was crucified: 1. Willingness of Jesus Christ to Die for Our Sins: Peter and the two sons of Zebedee were with Jesus Christ before the elders of the people and the chief priests came to take him to crucify him. Jesus at this point talked to Peter and the two sons of Zebedee as in Matthew 26:38 "Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me." Then Jesus went a little further way from them and prayed to God as in Matthew 26:39 "And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt." It is very clear from the above verse in Matthew 26:39 that Jesus had no intention of dying. In this verse it is shown that Jesus was praying strongly (Matthew mentions that Jesus repeated these prayer three time) to have this death removed from him. Had Jesus Christ been sent to be crucified he would not have hesitated to be killed at all. When I relate this to my Christian brothers, they tell me that this hesitation comes from the flesh side of him (in other words he was tempted), and that his soul which is godly does not have this hesitation at all. When we look at Matthew 26:38 we see that Jesus is contradicting this idea by saying, "My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death." (Matthew 26:38). He himself says that it really his soul that is hesitating and not his body. These are Jesus' own words. 2. God Answered the prayers of Jesus Christ: After Jesus made the above mentioned prayer he was answered by God according to Hebrews 5:7 "Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save 2005-08-01T02:25:00-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Was-Jesus-Sent-To-Be-Crucified-27485.aspx About Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) Muhammad (pbuh) was an illiterate but wise and well-respected man who was born in Makkah in the year 570 C.E., at a time when Christianity was not yet fully established in Europe. His first years were marked by the deaths of his parents. Since his father died before his birth, his uncle, Abu Talib, from the respected tribe of Quraysh, raised him. As Muhammad (pbuh) grew up, he became known for his truthfulness, generosity and sincerity, so that he was sought after for his ability to arbitrate in disputes. His reputation and personal qualities also led to his marriage, at the age of twenty-five, to Khadijah, a widow whom he had assisted in business. Thenceforth, he became an important and trusted citizen of Makkah. Historians describe him as calm and meditative. Muhammad (pbuh) never felt fully content to be part of a society whose values he considered to be devoid of true religious significance. It became his habit to retreat from time to time to the cave of Hira', to meditate near the summit of Jabal al-Nur, the "Mountain of Light", near Makkah. At the age of 40, while engaged in one such meditative retreat, Muhammad (pbuh) received his first revelation from God through the Angel Gabriel. This revelation, which continued for twenty-three years, is known as the Qur'an, the faithful recording of the entire revelation of God. The first revelation read: "Recite: In the name of your Lord Who created man from a clot (of blood). Recite: Your Lord is Most Noble, Who taught by the pen, taught man what he did not know." [96:1-5] It was this reality that he gradually and steadily came to learn and believe, until he fully realized that it is the truth. His first convert was Khadijah, whose support and companionship provided necessary reassurance and strength. He also won the support of some of his relatives and friends. Three basic themes of the early message were the majesty of the one, unique God, the futility of idol worship, the threat of judgment, and the necessity of faith, compassion and morality in human affairs. All these themes represented an attack on the crass materialism and idolatry prevalent in Makkah at the time. So when he began to proclaim the message to others the Makkans rejected him. He and his small group of followers suffered bitter persecution, which grew so 2005-08-01T02:23:58-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/About-Muhammad-Peace-Be-Upon-Him-27484.aspx Do You Believe That Evolution Is True? If so, then provide an answer to the following questions. "Evolution" in this context is the idea that natural, undirected processes are sufficient to account for the existence of all natural things. 1. Something from nothing? The "Big Bang", the most widely accepted theory of the beginning of the universe, states that everything developed from a small dense cloud of subatomic particles and radiation which exploded, forming hydrogen (and some helium) gas. Where did this energy/matter come from? How reasonable is it to assume it came into being from nothing? And even if it did come into being, what would cause it to explode? We know from common experience that explosions are destructive and lead to disorder. How reasonable is it to assume that a "big bang" explosion produced the opposite effect - increasing "information", order and the formation of useful structures, such as stars and planets, and eventually people? 2. Physical laws an accident? We know the universe is governed by several fundamental physical laws, such as electromagnetic forces, gravity, conservation of mass and energy, etc. The activities of our universe depend upon these principles like a computer program depends upon the existence of computer hardware with an instruction set. How reasonable is it to say that these great controlling principles developed by accident? 3. Order from disorder? The Second Law of Thermodynamics may be the most verified law of science. It states that systems become more disordered over time, unless energy is supplied and directed to create order. Evolutionists says that the opposite has taken place - that order increased over time, without any directed energy. How can this be? ASIDE: Evolutionists commonly object that the Second Law applies to closed, or isolated systems, and that the Earth is certainly not a closed system (it gets lots of raw energy from the Sun, for example). However, all systems, whether open or closed, tend to deteriorate. For example, living organisms are open systems but they all decay and die. Also, the universe in total is a closed system. To say that the chaos of the big bang has transformed itself into the human brain with its 120 trillion connections is a clear violation of the Second Law. We should also point out that the availability of raw energy to a system is a necessary but far from sufficient condition for a local decrease 2005-08-01T02:22:57-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Do-You-Believe-That-Evolution-Is-True-27483.aspx Human Rights In An Islamic State [Since God is the absolute and the sole master of men and the universe, He is the sovereign Lord, the sustainer and nourisher, the Merciful, whose mercy enshrines all beings. Men are substantially the same and no tangible and actual distinction can be made among them, on account of their accidental differences such as nationality, colour or race. Every human-being is thereby related to all others and all become one community of brotherhood in their honorable and pleasant servitude to the most compassionate Lord of the Universe. In such a heavenly atmosphere the Islamic confession of the oneness of God stands dominant and central, and necessarily entails the concept of the oneness of humanity and the brotherhood of mankind. Although an Islamic state may be set up in any part of the earth, Islam does not seek to restrict human rights or privileges to the geographical limits of its own state. Islam has laid down some universal fundamental rights for humanity as a whole, which are to be observed and respected under all circumstances whether such a person is resident within the territory of the Islamic state or outside it, whether he is at peace with the state or at war. The Qur'an very clearly states: O ye who believe! Stand out firmly for Allah, as witnesses to fair dealing, and let not there be hatred of others to make you swerve to wrong and depart from Justice. Be just: that is next to Piety:” and Fear Allah. For Allah is well acquainted with all that you do. 5:80) Human blood is sacred in any case and cannot be spilled without justification. And if anyone violates this sanctity of human blood by killing a soul without justification, the Qur'an equates it to the killing of entire mankind: ..... Whoso slays a soul not to retaliate for a soul slain, nor for corruption done in the land, should be as if he had slain mankind altogether. It is not permissible to oppress women, children, old people, the sick or the wounded. Women's honor and chastity are to be respected under all circumstances. The hungry person must be fed, the naked clothed and the wounded or diseased treated medically irrespective of whether they belong to the Islamic community or are from amongst its enemies. When we speak of human rights in Islam we really mean that these 2005-08-01T02:20:37-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Human-Rights-In-An-Islamic-State-27482.aspx A Complete Way Of Life ! Islam is a religion, but not in the western meaning of religion. The western connotation of the term "religion" is something between the believer and God. Islam is a religion that organizes all aspects of life on both the individual and national levels. Islam organizes your relations with God, with yourself, with your children, with your relatives, with your neighbor, with your guest, and with other brethren. Islam clearly establishes your duties and rights in all those relationships. Islam establishes a clear system of worship, civil rights, laws of marriage and divorce, laws of inheritance, code of behavior, what not to drink, what to wear, and what not to wear, how to worship God, how to govern, the laws of war and peace, when to go to war, when to make peace, the law of economics, and 2005-08-01T02:19:04-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Islam-A-Complete-Way-Of-Life-27481.aspx Misconception: Muslims are violent, terrorists, and extremists! This is the biggest misconception in Islam, no doubt resulting from the constant stereotyping and bashing the media gives Islam. When a gunman attacks a mosque in the name of Judaism, or a Catholic IRA guerrilla sets off a bomb in an urban area, or Serbian Orthodox militiamen rape and kill innocent Muslim civilians, these acts are not used to stereotype and bash an entire faith. Never are these acts attributed to the religious teachings of the perpetrators. Yet how many times have we heard the words 'Islamist or Muslim fundamentalist' linked with violence. Politics in so-called “Muslim countries" may or may not have any Islamic basis. Often dictators and politicians will use the name of Islam for their own purposes. One should remember to go to the source of Islam and separate what the true religion of Islam says from what is portrayed in the media. Islam literally means 'submission to God' and is derived from a root word meaning 'peace'. Islam may seem exotic or even extreme in the modern world. Perhaps this is because religion doesn’t dominate everyday life in the West, whereas Islam is considered a 'way of life' for Muslims and they make no division between secular and sacred in their lives. Like Christianity, Islam permits fighting in self-defense, in defense of religion, or on the part of those who have been expelled forcibly from their homes. It lays down strict rules of combat which include prohibitions against harming civilians and against destroying crops, trees and livestock. No where does Islam or the Qur'an enjoin the killing of innocents. The Qur’an says: "Fight in the cause of God against those who fight you, but do not transgress limits. God does not love transgressors." (Qur’an Chapter 2: Verse 190) And also, "If they seek peace, then seek you peace. And trust in God for He is the One that heareth and knoweth all things." (Qur’an, Chapter 8: Verse 61). War, therefore, is a last resort, and is subject to the rigorous conditions laid down by the sacred law. The term 'jihad' literally means 'struggle'. Muslims believe that there are two kinds of jihad. The other 'jihad' is the inner struggle of the soul which everyone wages against egotistic desires for the sake of attaining inner peace. Misconception: Islam oppresses women. The image of the typical Muslim woman wearing the 2005-08-01T02:18:36-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Top-Misconceptions-About-Islam-27480.aspx Definition Of Islam The word ISLAM has a two-fold meaning: peace, and submission to God. This submission requires a fully conscious and willing effort to submit to the one Almighty God. One must consciously and conscientiously give oneself to the service of Allah. This means to act on what Allah enjoins all of us to do (in the Qur'an) and what His beloved Prophet, Muhammad (pbuh) encouraged us to do in his Sunnah (his lifestyle and sayings personifying the Qur'an). Once we humble ourselves, rid ourselves of our egoism and submit totally to Allah, and to Him exclusively, in faith and in action, we will surely feel peace in our hearts. Establishing peace in our hearts 2005-08-01T02:16:09-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Definition-Of-Islam-27479.aspx Are Religion And Science One? Is it possible that in our search for some basic reality, we humans may discover that although religion and science have always seemed to be in different places, the conclusion they will ultimately reach will be the same thing? What is God? Energy, Spirit, Universal Consciousness, Singular, Unilateral? According to David Hume, God is not different from the order that exists in the universe1. Training our thoughts along this line, one might doubt the commonly held view that Science and Religion are entirely different and exist at the opposite ends of a spectrum. Science is based on observation. Religion on the other hand makes arguments analytical in nature (like the Ontological Argument by Anslem) and requires some unquestioned faith. In spite of leading us through somewhat different paths, both try to find the basic stuff2. The goal thus in both cases is to determine the constituents of what form the reality. The routes though may not seem similar. In the essay, The Dynamic Universe, Fritjop Capra explores the philosophies on which various eastern religions like Hinduism, Taoism and Buddhism are based upon. He is of the view that the world is conceived in terms of movement, flow and change2. He then cites the examples of sub-atomic physics and the field of galaxies and heavenly bodies. Science studies them as units, which are in a state of constant motion. By doing this, he tries to class Science as well as Religion under the same heading, which is concerned with finding the basic reality. The next question that comes to the forefront then is what is the thing that we are after? What constitutes this reality that we all are in pursuit of? A scientist might call this as the order in the universe or the Energy, which is diffused in the world we live in. Religions like to call this ultimate reality as God. The order that the scientists describe implies a mind working behind it. This entity capable of setting an order in the universe is nothing but what religion defines as God. Science and Religion then appear to be tied up like two versions of the same notion. God, I feel, is the ultimate quest for which both these allegedly opposite views are after. His physical form is not visible to us. But his existence could be argued using aposteriori arguments based on the observation 2005-08-01T02:07:50-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Are-Religion-And-Science-One-27475.aspx The Image of Jesus The image of Jesus can be viewed from many different perspectives. Each individual person has developed his or her own images of Jesus the Christ. Every individual has been shaped or formed in some way, whether they comprehend it or not. We have all had individuals enter and exit throughout our lives that have made a significant impact on us, explaining who we are and our future destiny. Being a Christian, clearly, one of the individuals that have entered and made a significant impact in my life is Jesus Christ. He is one who performs miracles and teaches in parables. But, most importantly, he has brought his teaching aspect into my life recently. I have learned many different lessons over the last year of my life, and have begun to understand where his teachings are taking me. The aspects of Jesus and how they are implicated in my life is one of the most important lessons that I can learn from my mentor. Obviously, we view almost everything that Jesus says or does as a miracle. His life and in fact how he was born is a remarkable and welcome event that seems impossible to explain by means of the known laws of nature and is therefore attributed to a supernatural agency (78). In order to receive a miracle of God, there must be openness to his power. Without this openness, we cannot experience his power. This openness can be known as the gift of faith. Do we believe in Jesus, and if we do, this faith is a miracle within itself. It is offered to all that is willing to receive and nurture it. And, once it is received, it offers new vision and new perspective whereby one may be receptive to the power of God working among people and in the world (95). Faith is the willingness to recognize the power of God in operation. In this operation and the receiving of faith, is what is adequate in miracles. Jesus' ultimate miracle was his resurrection. Death was overcome when Jesus of Nazareth was raised from the dead and glorified as Son of God and Savior (97). His followers viewed him in a different light, and for some reason, when he was resurrected, they believed that he 2005-08-01T02:01:31-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Image-of-Jesus--27472.aspx The Current Crisis in American Morality: How Big Business Has Contributed to, and Ought to Address, the Crisis In this paper, I argue that several features of Big Business in the United States, and its influence on our society, have caused far too many Americans to stop thinking about what is morally right as they choose their actions. An ethical vacuum has been created that Big Business has been only too glad to fill with questionable values that Americans have absorbed without consciously embracing. The time is right, and the stakes have never been higher, for us to reflect on our values and change our thinking and behavior. Big Business and Philosophy each have important roles to play — one because of the power it now has and the other because of the power it ought to have — if we are to improve the moral climate in this country. ____ A large number of Americans have stopped being concerned about what is morally right as they choose their actions. This is a disturbing trend. It demonstrates that many Americans are attempting to escape taking responsibility for their actions in a fundamental way, and in a way that is not really possible because actions that affect others’ lives cannot be entirely value-free. Whether people realize it or not, their actions do reveal underlying values, even if they have not been explicitly embraced. The task of choosing the values by which one lives cannot be escaped and it is more important than people realize, because our values are closely linked to our identity as individuals and as a society. As I have argued in a recent paper, in a significant sense “We Are Our Values.”1 Our choice of values, which affects our actions, determines who we are. They are what we stand for. To attempt to escape thinking about what is morally right amounts to attempting to escape standing for anything. In this paper, I shall discuss how the philosophy and practices of Big Business have contributed to this crisis in American morality and how business executives, as well as philosophers, ought to address the crisis in order to improve the moral climate in this country. There are eight features of Big Business that I would cite as being causal factors in creating our current moral crisis. The first has to do with how its philosophical foundations have been distorted. The American business climate rests on 2005-07-31T00:48:01-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/How-Big-Business-Contributed-to-Crisis-in-American-Morality-27454.aspx All About Buddhism Buddhism is one of the biggest religions founded in India in the 6th and 5th century B.C. by Siddhartha Gautama, also known as “the Buddha.” As one of the greatest Asian religion, it teaches the practice and the observance of moral perceptions. The basic teachings of “the Buddha” were mainly emphasized by the four noble truths. Since it was first introduced into China from India, Buddhism has had a history that has been characterized by periods of sometimes awkward and irregular development. In spite of these difficulties, Chinese Buddhism has come to have an important influence on the growth and development of Buddhism in general and this has occurred largely because of its own innovatory contributions. (Eliade16) “Buddhism begins with a man. In his later years, when India was afire with his message, people came to him asking what he was. Not ‘Who are you?’ but ‘What are you?’ ‘Are you god?’ they asked. ‘No.’ ‘An angel?’ ‘No.’ ‘A saint?’ ‘No.’ ‘Then, what are you?’ Buddha answered, ‘I am awake.’ His answer became his title, for this is what Buddha means. The Sanskrit root budh means to awake and to know. While the rest of humanity was dreaming the dream we call the waking human state, one of their number roused himself. Buddhism begins with a man who woke up.”(Smith 60) Buddha was born a prince named Siddhartha Gautama in a small kingdom in what is now Nepal in 563b.c.e. Gautama’s birth is described as a miraculous event, his birth being the result of his mother's impregnation by a sacred white elephant that touched her left side with a lotus flower. The scriptures claim that when Gautama was born “immeasurable light spread through ten thousand worlds; the blind recovering their sight, as if from desire to see his glory" (Evans 141) Shortly after his birth, his father consulted with a number of astrologers, all of whom declared that the newborn prince would become a great king and that he would rule the world in truth and righteousness. Among these astrologers, there was one who declared that if the prince were to see a sick person, an old person, a corpse, and a world-renouncing ascetic, he would become dissatisfied with life and become a wandering monk in order to seek final peace. King Shuddhodana decided he wanted his son to have the former destiny and went to no ends to 2005-07-29T06:00:28-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/All-About-Buddhism--27430.aspx Does life have a meaning? Life, it might be argued, is the distinguishing feature of all organisms and may most usefully be thought of as involving various kinds of complex systems of organization providing individual organisms with the ability to make use of those energy sources available to them for both self maintenance and reproduction. Underlying this deceptively persuasive definition, however, lie those persistent traditional problems inherent in the search for an essential, distinctive substance characteristic of all forms of life. Additionally, as evolution theory makes clear, there is the problem of borderline instances, organisms of which it is not easy to say whether or not they may be defined as being alive. One such case is that of the virus. Viruses are the smallest, simplest living things, smaller than bacteria, and the cause of some of the deadliest diseases known to humanity. They are composed chiefly of nucleic acid wrapped in a coat of protein and are able to multiply only from within living cells. As with all other organisms, the virus depends for its ability to obtain energy and carry out the other processes necessary to sustain life, upon its stock of DNA, the hereditary material that makes up the genes, the "instructions" that determine the traits of every living organism. What is interesting about viruses, however, is that their genetic stock is very meagre indeed, so much so that reliance upon it alone cannot enable them to survive. Nonetheless, viruses do persist from one generation to the next, as if they were alive. How this is managed, as it clearly is in both plants, animals and human beings, bears importantly upon the ways in which "life", at least in the case of viruses, may legitimately be defined. Advances in molecular genetics and the consequent growth in understanding of the developmental processes of organisms have tended to lead to the consensus, among both scientists and philosophers, that no explanatory principles important to the life sciences are likely to be found anywhere but within those sciences themselves. Vitalist notions that there is some feature of living organisms that prevents their natures being entirely explained in physical or chemical terms only have, as a consequence, been increasingly eclipsed. In vitalist doctrine, this mysterious additional feature may be argued to be the presence of a further entity, such as a soul, although it may also be explained as having to do 2005-07-27T23:25:31-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/What-is-the-Meaning-of-Life-27414.aspx The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Flood in Genesis 6-9 Compared and Contrasted In The Epic of Gilgamesh and in the Bible’s The Flood in Genesis, a great flood overwhelms the earth. These two stories each tell about a righteous hero who is told by the deities that a massive flood will overtake the earth. In both stories vessels are built for protection against the global flood so that life will be sustained. The Gilgamesh flood tablet has clear parallels to the biblical flood story in Genesis 6-9, from the waters that come, to the boat, even to the birds that are sent out the window to look for dry land. And as did the protagonist in the biblical story, so does the hero in Gilgamesh make a sacrifice to the divine after they abandon the boats. Utnapishtim, the main protagonist in this epic, tells the story of a flood in a city called Shurrupak, on the banks of the Euphrates River valley. The gods consider the noise made by man in this city to be intolerable, so they agree to exterminate mankind. Ea, god of the waters, warns Utnapishtim of their plan in a dream. He tells him to tear down his house and build a boat, giving precise measurements, and to take into it the seed of all living creatures. She tells Utnapishtim not to bring any treasures with him on his journey but he ignores her and does so anyways. The boat is built and loaded, and the rain comes. Like The Flood in Genesis, The Epic of Gilgamesh also includes animals as passengers to ensure the continuation of these species after the flood. The storm rages fiercely for six days and six nights. On the seventh day the storm subsides and Utnapishtim opens a hatch and sees water all around. The boat is grounded on the mountain of Nisir. When it has been calm for seven days, he releases a dove, which finds no resting place and returns. A swallow is then released who finds no perch. A raven is sent out but never returns. Utnapishtim makes a sacrifice and pours out a libation on the mountaintop. Although the test to find land in both Genesis and Gilgamesh is the same; i.e.; release of birds, the types of birds used differ. In Genesis, a raven and three doves are released whereas in Gilgamesh, a dove, 2005-07-25T07:07:45-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Epic-of-Gilgamesh-and-The-Flood-in-Genesis-6-9-Analyzed-27378.aspx Self-Determination shown in the works of Erasmus and Pico Among the most influential reformative authors during the Renaissance were Pico Della Mirandola and Erasmus of Rotterdam. Both distinguished writers explore humanism as a whole, and clearly dissect the relationship between knowledge and piety in their own way. According to orthodox theology, man was born sinful and was incapable of virtue without the aid of divine grace. However, Humanism offered an alternative, which said that man could freely choose his destiny and could act rightly by the exercise of his own will. Pico’s “Wisdom” throughout On the Dignity of Man, involves the practice of intellectual enlightenment and suggests knowledge as a necessary step towards piety. However, piety cannot be achieved solely without the final step of earning God’s grace. Erasmus’ Praise of Folly criticizes human society through the vast number of follies that lie within. Although it may seem strange to praise Folly, the one certain advantage to foolishness is the freedom to speak the truth. In Praise of Folly, Erasmus puts this freedom to good use in reminding his readers, a society greatly corrupted by worldly concerns, that one must serve God in order to reach a state of piety. Erasmus, as well as Pico, believes that man has self-determination along with the movement of the soul towards God. Erasmus bids entrance into the ambiguity of what we can know and understand, and ultimately the ambiguity of all knowledge, most importantly the divine wisdom of Christ. Although both Pico and Erasmus share a similar correlation between knowledge and piety, the two authors differ however, in that Pico emphasizes the notion that man has the ability to form himself through free will and become pious through intellectual reformation, while Erasmus calls for the need to increase knowledge of the original texts of The Bible, and believes that piety is achieved only when passion, a stifle to spiritual enlightenment can be separated completely from mans soul. Pico preaches the need to rise up above being a mundane human being and become something of spiritual worth. In order to achieve this lifting, Pico repetitively demands the importance of God’s gift of free will. In the beginning of On the Dignity of Man, Pico relates to this importance by sharing God’s words to Adam after the creation of man: [i:130e1df82e] “I have placed 2005-07-25T06:57:19-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Self-Determination-shown-in-the-works-of-Erasmus-and-Pico-27375.aspx Religion and Violence Religion, which is a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices, serves the purpose of establishing rules and principles in a society. When studying various religions, it becomes apparent that the principles instilled are those that are morally just. Each major religion specifically addresses the issue of violence, and the vast majority condemns such actions. Individuals following a particular religion are expected to follow the rules and principles established which theoretically should create a world that is morally righteous and free from violence. Such is not the case, however, and society must constantly correct immoral actions performed by certain individuals. These individuals originate from diverse backgrounds and religions, and therefore no specific religion can be solely liable. Therefore, it becomes necessary to determine how violence and religion can simultaneously exist because the natures of these two elements seem to be contradictory. Two particular explanations, which introduce historical examples, illustrate how these two entities can coexist. One explanation states that certain individuals feel that violence is relatively harmless, and therefore feel no remorse in performing violent acts. This explanation incorporates classical historical texts, which imply that violence is an essential element of life. Another explanation states that certain individuals feel that violent acts are justified as a means of propagating faith. This explanation points out that survival and expansion of religion through violent acts is acceptable. These two rationalizations help explain how such variance can exist between religious dictation and the actual practice of individuals in society. The concept that certain individuals regard violence as relatively harmless provides one explanation of how these two issues concurrently exist. These individuals feel that violent acts are not as immoral as perceived by other members of society and by certain religions. Violence, from their perspective, is an act that cannot be avoided because survival demands some forms of violence. These opinions are somewhat validated by the Bhagavat Gita, which is a classic Hindu epic which contains several meaningful elements. In this epic, the main character named Arjuna is preparing for battle with persons against whom he must fight which include family, friends, and respected acquaintances. The struggle in the Bhagavat Gita is an internal moral struggle within Arjuna, because he does not wish to inflict harm upon those that he respects. Arjuna, longing for the moral answer to the dilemma, asks the Hindu god Krishna for assistance with the situation. Krishna then 2005-07-10T04:12:28-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Religion-and-Violence-27275.aspx When Should School Children Start Learning A New Language? We live in a time when there are great efforts being put in bringing the world together on a global level. Thanks to the explosion in the development of telecommunications and means of travel, the world has suddenly become a much smaller place than once thought. Yet, although everything seems easy within reach, there is still one thing which is essential in any kind of cooperation between people : mutually understandable language of communication. Without it we are like the people working on the tower of Babylon, all set and ready to work, but unable to communicate our needs. This is why acquiring knowlegde of foreign languages is so important if one wants to participate in the process. And if one belongs to a nation whose language is not on the list of so called 'world languages' learning at least one becomes almost a necessity. So, there is no doubt, that studying foreign languages is useful and necessary, the question that poses itself is - when is the good time to start learning one? The natural answer that follows is: as early as possible. But how early in fact is that? Some people feel that childern should start learning a foreign language as soon as they start school. There are some good arguments for this point of view- children, when they are young have almost an unlimited capacity to learn. Their brains are like sponges waiting to soak the knowledge of the world, and as we grow older our ability to learn new things and skills dwindles. Hence the saying "you can't teach an old dog new tricks". The critique that immediatley follows this point of view argues that while it's true that children have great learning capacities, starting to learn a new language at this point would still be too early beacuse the new language would come in interference with the native language. They feel that children who start school have enough concerns with learning the basic skills of reading and writing in their own language. That's why implementing a foreign one at that time would only serve to confuse them and would have neagtive effect on the proper acquisition of both languages. In my opinion, it is never too early to start learning a new language, if in fact it is done with the right approach. That is to say children need to be accessed in 2005-07-03T01:34:25-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/When-Should-School-Children-Start-Learning-A-New-Language-27208.aspx What Divine Comedy Reveals About Christianity The truth about the soul of man and his justice after death can be debated among all types of religions ranging from Hinduism to Christianity. However, in Dante Alighieri's The Divine Comedy: Inferno, the author takes the liberty of unveiling a different and extremely intricate view of one of the greatest questions of humanity: the existence of an afterlife and the consequences of our lives on earth. The Holy Bible explains how man should live his life and the results of it. The Divine Comedy: Inferno reiterates that doctrine as well, yet it is different in its view of divine judgment and also promotes another viewpoint for Christian readers about the eternal justice of God. This Comedy is a work that displays the many facets of Hell that one would not be able to extract from simply reading the Holy Bible; it also provides plausible explanations for aspects of the Bible that are somewhat ambiguous. For example, when one contemplates the possible fates of infants and people who die without ever knowing God, you have to wonder if they still suffer eternal damnation of fire and brimstone, which is a result normally projected for those who do go to Hell. This thought, however, can be clarified when Dante describes what exactly happens to such people, "……..The sighs rose from sorrow without torments out of the crowds of infants, women and men…………they did not sin and yet they did not have merits, that's not enough, because they lacked the baptism, the portal of faith that you embrace, and if they lived before Christianity, they did not worship God in fitting ways" (Alighieri 1313). This particular phrase uncovers the uncertainty of what happens to souls in that situation, whereas in the Bible Christian readers would still be left to ponder. The Bible being a figurative text is direct and indirect with the messages it delivers, and therefore leaves readers a bit perplexed. However, the obscurity of the Bible may possibly have been created that way in order to make man actually think about life and what it encompasses instead of just drifting through it. God blessed mankind with ability to learn and acquire knowledge, if he gave man a straightforward mandate displaying what we need to do to attain divine justice, then there wouldn't be room for thought. Dante possibly took the liberty of addressing such intricacy 2005-07-02T23:06:35-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/What-Divine-Comedy-Reveals-About-Christianity-27207.aspx Transcendentalism VS Anti-Transcendentalism Transcendentalism is a philosophy that originated in the 1830's. Its chief aficionado, Ralph Waldo Emerson, began the movement by meeting regularly with other intellectuals of the time to discuss a various array of topics. The Transcendentalism movement was the mainstream flow of writers in the New England Renaissance, large in part to it affected all of the scholars of the period. The contrasting philosophy anti- Transcendentalism was a small philosophical movement predominantly consisting of only two writers, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville. These two were leaders of a movement that dared to go against the conventional belief. Hawthorne and Melville are considered two of the greater fiction writer of their time and together these prescient scholars pertinaciously stood up, as opposition to what they felt was impractical perspective. The Transcendentalists had a wide variety of beliefs that were constantly changing to adapt to the time. Though always changing and never having a standard set of beliefs Transcendentalists general agreed on certain key points in their philosophy: man is born good, children are Gods most perfect creation, one can only find god in and through nature the belief in universal truths, and the oversoul pool concept. Anti-Transcendentalists also have important elements that are generally agreed on: man is born with the stain of the original sin, man is the most destructive force in nature, one can only find God through good works and life experience. There are no Universal truths just individual truths, and there is no oversoul pool just Heaven and Hell. These keynotes in each philosophy are essential in understanding the foundation of both these beliefs One of Transcendentalists essential beliefs is that man is born essentially good. This is contrary to the belief of anti-Transcendentalists who believes that man is born essentially bad with the stain of the original sin, the sin of Adam and Eve, on their soul. Transcendentalists however believe sins are not passes down from generation to generation. Therefore, man would not have been born with the sin of Adam and Eve, but born with the blessing of god. Regardless of Transcendental belief, Anti-Transcendentalists feel that every soul is born with sin, that sin being passed since the first man and woman, and must wipe it away though good deeds and noble acts. Hence all humans must strive to live a life without sin, and as perfect as possible to relieve themselves of 2005-06-29T04:47:19-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Transcendentalism-VS-Anti-Transcendentalism-27186.aspx W.E.B. DUBois’s Philosophy and Outlook on Afro American Struggle 1. Basic philosophy on ways in which African-Americans could achieve equality. In a meeting, 1906 at Harper's Ferry, Virginia, W.E.B. Du Bois said "We will not be satisfied to take one jot or title less than our full manhood rights. We claim for ourselves every single right that belongs to a free-born American, political, civil and social; and until we get these rights we will never cease to protest and assail the ears of America." This quote represents one of the ways which he explained ways African- Americans could achieve equality. In a later speech Du Bois argued that Blacks should join together, apart from whiter, to start businesses and industries that would allow blacks to advance themselves economically. This is another way in which he told African Americans to achieve equality. 2. The major Problems facing African-Americans. There were many problems facing African-Americans. One of them was Disfranchisement. This is taking the right of someone, especially, the right of a citizen to vote. Du Bois would have been highly against something like this. Lynching, the hanging of someone by the action of a mob, he felt was a big problem. Also, he never would agree with any sort of thing like this. Du Bois wanted equal opportunity for everyone ,like the whites had. He felt that Blacks should also be able to get an education, and do the same things that the whites did. 3. Opinion on Booker T. Washington's speech at the Atlanta Exposition. Since Booker T. Washington gave a speech at the Atlanta Exposition Du Bois had begun to challenge the leadership of Booker T. Washington, an educator who was then the most influential and admired black in the U.S. Du Bois objected to Washington's strategy of accommodation and compromise with whites in both politics and education. Du Bois perceived the strategy as accepting the denial of black citizenship rights. He also criticized Washington's emphasis on the importance of industrial education for blacks. Which Du Bois felt came at the expense of higher education in acts and humanities. A group of black and white intellectuals who opposed the tactics of Booker T. Washington met in New York City in 1909 to discuss the formation of a new organization dedicated 2005-06-21T04:34:32-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/W_E_B_-DUBois’s-Philosophy-and-Outlook-on-Afro-Americans-27060.aspx Christ in the Old Testament Erroneous beliefs and preconceived ideas are a lock on the door of the human mind; they have proven to be very effective in keeping the truth at bay. In the past, the belief systems of most people were acquired directly from their parents as they grew up. Countless generations clung to their inherited beliefs with great tenacity, vigorously promoting them as bequeathed truth. Yet in the vast majority of cases, the origin of these beliefs was not based on fact, but rather on supposition or hearsay. Unfortunately, this has been doubly true in the case of religious convictions. Most who have professed to be Christians have not studied God's Word to prove or disprove their beliefs, as God commands and expects (I The. 5:21; Acts 17:11). Instead of the Bible, many have relied on their priest, pastor, or minister to explain God and His purpose to them. Some of those who did look into the Bible for themselves sought out "proof texts" that seemed to substantiate their original views. Usually taken out of context, these "proof text" verses were esteemed at the expense of the rest of the Bible. Any Scripture which appeared contradictory to their beliefs was ignored or rationalized away. Satan the devil has used this prevalent flaw in human nature to deceive almost the entire world about one of the central topics of the Bible, the prophesied Messiah. The identity and activities of the one to whom all authority in heaven and on earth has been given (Matt. 28:18; I Cor. 15:27) remains a mystery to most of the world. However, the Bible discloses who this being is and what he's been doing to accomplish God's plan for mankind. In this article, we're going to see what God's Word has to say about the Messiah before his birth to Mary. Many believe that God the Father was the one who interacted with ancient Israel personally, appearing and speaking to the patriarchs and to Moses. Yet the Bible plainly and absolutely contradicts this belief: JOHN 1:18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. (NKJV) JOHN 5:37 "And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form." (NKJV) JOHN 6:46 "Not that any man 2005-06-21T03:25:41-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Christ-in-the-Old-Testament-27054.aspx Hinduism Pantheism is the religious world view of the East. It includes Hinduism, Buddhism and Taoism. In its Westernized form, pantheism is the basic assumption of Transcendental Meditation and some aspects of New Age mysticism. Pantheists view reality like naturalists in the sense that both are monistic theories. Monism means that reality has one dimension. In contrast to the Western perspective, Hinduism rejects the existence of matter. Hindus believe only the spiritual dimension exists and according to R.C. Zaehner”nothing, however in the Veda or Hinduism is nicely cut-and-dry.”(Zaehner 19) Since this is such a difficult concept for us in the West, we will need to explore Eastern religious worship in comparison to Western religious worship a bit further. While subtle differences exist between Eastern and Western religions, they are unified in the view that ultimate reality is spirit. But it would be a mistake to interpret the Eastern concept of the spiritual in Western monotheistic terms. Eastern pantheists believe spiritual reality is ultimately impersonal and unknowable. Spirit is more like energy than a personal God as we conceive him in the West. Strange from our perspective, is fact that most of the Hindu religion involves devotion to a host of gods. The practice of Hinduism, for example, consists of devotion to three hundred million nature deities. Hindu scholars recognize that devotion to these deities is simply an attempt to explain the unexplainable, and to make Hinduism accessible to the popular, uneducated masses. Ritual and devotion to nature gods is to be understood wholly in light of the philosophical categories of the Upanishads (Hindu scriptures), not in Western monotheistic terms. As D.S. Sharma, a noted Hindu scholar states, "The particular name and form of any deities are limitations which we in our weakness impose on the all pervading spirit which is nameless and formless. The supreme being is a person only in relation to ourselves and our needs....the highest theism is only a sort of glorified anthropomorphism, but we cannot do without it." Sharma means that all attempts to personalize the ultimately impersonal are the product our human propensity to ascribe to reality attributes that we observe in ourselves. Because we are persons, we personify the cosmos. ( Internet) Nothing is more foreign to us in the West than the denial of the material realm. But it is equally strange from the Eastern viewpoint that Westerners deny the spiritual realm. Materialism and pantheism 2005-06-20T00:48:50-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Hinduism--27020.aspx Great victories are sometimes won by small battles. In Ireland there has been an ongoing religious battle between the Protestant and the Catholics for hundreds of years. These battles result in shootings, bombings and other deaths. But the most horrific thing is that the children of Ireland help in the death of their enemies. There are also other battles that are much smaller but most definitely going towards a Hugh cause. These little battles are for peace between the two religious sides in both adolescent and adult ages. In the novel “Twelfth Day of July” and the movie “Children in the Crossfire” these little battles are shown. In the video “Children in the Crossfire”, there was two church leaders one Protestant and the other a catholic. These two ministers organized a program where they would get Protestant and Catholic children and send them to a country, which did not have too much religious hold around the people, in this case they were sent to America. The aim of this program was to put a protestant boy in a house with a catholic boy for six months and to get the result of them having a close relationship between each other by the time they came back to Ireland. The point in the long run was to try and stop the violence in the children’s generation, so when they grew up and they were the parents they would not teach their children to dislike the other religion. With this happening they would gain some peace between the two religious sides. This happens in “Children in the Crossfire”, two boys are sent to America and hosted by a family with mixed religions; Protestant and Catholic so it was just like the two boys and it shows how two of the opposite can still get along. While the two boys are in America they are getting along quite well for a while until an incident in Ireland where there was a bombing which was on TV and the two boys started to fight. The father that was hosting the two boys came out and tried to breakup the fight, but he could not so he pushed them into the pool. After the boys had had the fight they agreed to be good and enjoy America while they are still here. After that it was smooth running for the two of them and they made they 2005-06-19T06:33:34-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Irish-Religion--26950.aspx Christianity and The Roman Catholic Mission In Africa Despite the beliefs of many early Christians, religion in Africa is everywhere. Traditional African beliefs and rituals, as in recourse in sacred objects when an individual is about to embark upon a journey or the worship that one pays to natural objects, such as the Hottentots who dance in the moonlight in praise of the moon, is not understood by Christians (New Advent 7). Many early Christians believed that there were tribes without any form of religion in African as well as tribes like the Hottentots, who believed in the wrong God, and took it upon themselves to bring them the word of their God. African Christianity began as early as 180 by a group of martyrs and has pushed on ever since (Early African Church 1). Several hundred years later, Roman Catholic missions in Africa began with Portuguese explorations down the west coast of Africa. In the 1490's Kongo became a Christian kingdom. Many political leaders, like Manikongo the Christian King of the Kongo, pushed devotion toward Christianity. With this devotion came an interest in Western medicine, education, and technology and with it came the trouble of the white man. Shortly after this time the Portuguese clergy began to do more harm than good to progress Christianity among the Kongo. Slave trading went into full swing and Manikong appealed to the Pope for support against the slave trade, but to no avail (Pre-Col 1). Other missionaries began to spend more time in trade than teaching or preaching and the number of Christian slave trade supporters grew. The Christian kingdom then collapsed in 1665 (Kongo Christianity 2). By the 1840's the Roman Catholic Missions experienced a great revival with the founding of two new missionary orders in Africa, The Congregation of the Holy Ghost and the White Fathers (Pre-Col 1). More and more white settlers continued to come into Africa, from Belgium to France, with their government or church supported missions to ensure their compliance in the world of colonial pacification. Most Africans did not take these intruders well, yet some did and were surprisingly helpful. As one missionary wrote in 1906, "The blacks are far form ignoring that the colonial authorities are hostile to us and that our religion is not that of the whites who live in the [French] Sudan," (Colonial 2). Either way, with or without support, the missions kept 2005-06-16T22:18:16-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Christianity-and-The-Roman-Catholic-Mission-In-Africa-26887.aspx Self-Interest Self-interest, or selfish; two different words with two different meanings often used synonymously in the English language. The Oxford American Dictionary defines self-interest as looking towards one’s own personal advantage, whereas selfishness is defined as acting or doing according to one’s own interests and needs without regard for those of others, keeping good things for oneself and not sharing ( Oxford 824 ). By definition both words imply thought or action of an individual directed toward personal benefit. However similar these two words are not the same. The word selfish has negative connotations of self-gratification with disregard for others; and is therefore looked down on by society. On the other hand, self-interest is viewed more positively implying thought or action directed toward personal benefit, this being more socially acceptable. It can be argued that all action good or bad stems from either a self-interested or selfish motives. Self-interest is natural, even instinctual in all human beings; acting in behalf of self-preservation is of the most basic form of such action. So the argument goes; if a person acts in any way for their personal well being, then they are acting on self-interest. A great deal has been said concerning the subject of self-interest by many philosophers offering different views on the subject, these views have become known as the theory of ethical and psychological egoism ( Rosenstand 127). Ethical egoism is the theory that everyone ought to be egoistic, selfish, or self-interested, while the theory of psychological egoism is that everyone is selfish, or self-interested ( Rosenstand 544-547). Regardless of age, race, religion, culture, or gender; everyone is self-interested. Perhaps it could be said that this is an absolute equal opportunity aspect of just being human. The only people without self-interest are the dead ones…who most likely ended up that way for the lack thereof. Basically we all have it; so now, as inspired by the great Plato; our concern should be directed to defining the forms of self-interest ness. Ultimately then, what is the greatest form of self-interest? Could it be that the greatest form to be sought is truth, because not only is this most beneficial when found, but the entire search brings forth positive results as almost a side effect of the endeavor. There are so many philosophers that have written 2005-06-16T21:53:11-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Self-Interest-and-Morality--26886.aspx Jane Eyre's Journey In The Book Jane Eyre The novel "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë consists of the continuous journey through Jane’s life towards her final happiness and freedom. This is effectively supported by five significant ‘physical’ journeys she makes, which mirror the four emotional journeys she makes. 10-year-old Jane lives under the custody of her Aunt Reed, who hates her. Jane resents her harsh treatment by her aunt and cousins so much that she has a severe temper outburst, which results in her aunt sending her to Lowood boarding school. At the end of the eight years, she has become a teacher at Lowood. At the age of eighteen she seeks independence and becomes governess at Thornfield Hall. Over time, Jane falls in love with its master, Edward Rochester, who eventually proposes to her. On their wedding day, the sermon is abruptly halted by the announcement that Rochester’s insane wife is kept locked up in the attic of Thornfield. Jane runs away. Penniless and almost starving, Jane roams the countryside in search of shelter, until she finds the house of St John, Mary, and Diana Rivers, who take her in and nurse her back to health. Jane then acquires an unexpected inheritance from her uncle. One night, Jane ‘hears’ Mr Rochester’s voice calling for her, and decides to return to Thornfield immediately. On her return, she finds Thornfield to be a "blackened ruin" due to a fire which has left Rochester blind with only one arm and killed his wife. Jane goes to Rochester’s new home, and they are married. Jane’s ‘physical’ journeys contribute significantly to plot development and to the idea that the novel is a ‘journey’ through Jane’s life. "Jane Eyre’s" chronological structure also emphasises this idea, the journey progresses as time goes on. Each journey causes her to experience new emotions and an eventual change of some kind. These ‘actual’ journeys help Jane on her four ‘figurative’ journeys, as each one allows her to reflect and grow. The journey only ends when she finds true happiness. Jane makes her journey from Gateshead to Lowood at the age of ten, finally freeing her from her restrictive life with her aunt. Before making her journey, Jane’s feelings are conveyed by Brontë through the use of pathetic fallacy: "...the grounds, where all was still petrified under the influence of hard frost." The word choice here reflects Jane’s situation – she is like the ground, ‘petrified’ 2005-06-16T08:08:33-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Jane-Eyre-s-Journey-In-The-Book-Jane-Eyre-26877.aspx Discuss the proposition that Waiting for Godot is an existentialist play, within the first Act. To what extent does the play offer a bleak assessment of the human condition? The play, Waiting For Godot, is centred around two men, Estragon and Vladimir, who are waiting for a Mr. Godot, of whom they know little. Estragon admits himself that he may never recognize Mr. Godot, "Personally I wouldn't know him if I ever saw him." (p.23). Estragon also remarks, "… we hardly know him." (p.23), which illustrates to an audience that the identity of Mr. Godot is irrelevant, as little information is ever given throughout the play about this indefinable Mr. X. What is an important element of the play is the act of waiting for someone or something that never arrives. Western readers may find it natural to speculate on the identity of Godot because of their inordinate need to find answers to questions. Beckett however suggests that the identity of Godot is in itself a rhetorical question. It is possible to stress the for in the waiting for …: to see the purpose of action in two men with a mission, not to be deflected from their compulsive task. "Estragon: … Let's go. Vladimir: We can't. Estragon: Why not? Vladimir: We're waiting for Godot." (p.14). The essence of existentialism concentrates on the concept of the individual's freedom of choice, as opposed to the belief that humans are controlled by a pre-existing omnipotent being, such as God. Estragon and Vladimir have made the choice of waiting, without instruction or guidance, as Vladimir says, "He didn't say for sure he'd come" (p.14), but decides to "wait till we know exactly how we stand" (p.18). Albert Camus, an existentialist writer, believed that boredom or waiting, which is essentially the breakdown of routine or habit, caused people to think seriously about their identity, as Estragon and Vladimir do. In The Plague, Camus suggests that boredom or inactivity causes the individual to think. This is also similar to the idea of meditation, an almost motionless activity, allowing the individual to think with clarity. Camus, and other existential writers, suggested that attempting to answer these rhetorical questions could drive someone to the point of insanity. The tramps continually attempt to prove that they exist, in order to keep their sanity: " We always find something, eh Didi, to give us the impression that we exist?" (p.69). Waiting in the play induces boredom 2005-06-16T03:40:42-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Is-Waiting-for-Godot-an-existentialist-play-26867.aspx Hummurabi's Laws One could guess that the laws enacted by Amorite King Hammurabi to Babylonians during the 1700's B.C. what the Holy Scriptures are to Christians today. Hammurabi was chosen by King Anum and Illil lord of heaven and earth to "destroy the evil and the wicked that the strong might not oppress the weak... to give light to the land." Since Hammurabi was chosen to represent their god Marduk, to establish laws in the best interest of the people, it is understandable why one would think of Moses the "law giver" from the Holy Bible in contrast. While it was originally thought that Hammurabi created the laws that became known as the "Code of Hammurabi," no such claim to power or fame is given to Moses in the Bible. Hammurabis' laws were found to have their origin from a body of long-standing Sumerian laws that he used to summarize the code of laws he enacted. The Code of Hammurabi was an "attempt to incorporate every phase of life into law, covering topics like: commerce, trade, parental and domestic relations, slavery, libel, slander, theft, marriage, adultery, divorce, property rights and ownership, and employer-employee regulations". Hammurabi like his predecessors attempted to appease the deities, while protecting the people through alliances and war. He managed to have a peaceful reign until the last decade of his life when he fought with his enemies and expanded his empire. He combined the newly acquired territory with his inherited lands to form a United Kingdom and his codes were enforced there also. Although Hammurabis' reign was conquered and declined after his death, his set of laws promulgated to unify his diverse subjects and became an enduring legacy. The code of Hammurabi was inscribed on a seven-foot stele (pillar) and glorified in the temple of Marduk. This stele survived over centuries and was rediscovered in 1901 in Iran and is on display today in the Louvre. Could it be that the code inscribed on a stele that led scholars to think the Mosaic laws were influenced by Hammurabi; or was it because the Mosaic Law (commandments) also addressed property laws, justice and other life issues to the people. The laws handed down to the people by Moses were given directly from God by divine inspiration according to the Holy Bible. While Moses wrote the Ten Commandments given to him from God on a stone similar to the one the 2005-06-15T06:20:51-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Hummurabi-s-Laws-26858.aspx Descriptive Essay Lunch. Oh what music it brings to our ears! Especially when that bell rings: our butts are edged off our seats, gearing to be the first one through the door and to the lunch line. This may be hard for 100-300’s because of their incredible distance in which they must travel. In continuation, we feel our hearts beating, synchronically with each tick tock of the clock. Knees weak, palms sweaty, we create an itinerary on escaping through the door. We predict on who is going destroy our well-thought out plans, brainstorming ways to corrupt their similar plans. RING! We dash towards the door, executing every turn and jump in our blueprints, knowing our gracious reward in the long run. When we receive our prize of nourishment, we experience an orgasm with the mixtures of sweet and spicy tastes in our mouth. 2005-06-09T03:13:45-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Description-Essay,-Practice-in-Detail-Writing-for-English-26843.aspx Growing Up On Welfare Article Commentary In the article, “So How Did I Get Here?: Growing Up on Welfare”, Rosemary L. Bray raises some important issues dealing with the welfare system and people’s beliefs. Bray’s family had to turn to welfare after her father was gambling most of his paycheck at the races in the year of 1960. At that year Bray states that the “poverty threshold for a family of five in the United States was $3,560 and the monthly payment to a family of five from the State of Illinois was…a total of $2,190.72 a year.” Bray offers this as proof to the false belief that people living on welfare are living comfortably. Bray’s family was on welfare for eighteen years. Bray states that they survived by the kindness of strangers and friends, churches, and her mother’s ability to save and use every penny wisely. Bray believes that her family utilized welfare the way welfare was designed to be used. The next generation did more than survive without the use of welfare; three of them went to college and the other two have decent jobs. Bray goes on to state that many people believe that the people on welfare are young, single African American women with many, many children. In all actuality, the people on welfare are white, single women with less children than most nuclear families. Bray believes that this racial myth will cause damage to the welfare program. People believe that African American women are staying on welfare, having more children, and receiving more money. The truth is that a welfare recipient only receives so much money and it will not increase if that recipient continues to have children. The final myth that Bray wants people to recognize is that welfare does not make life easy; welfare makes it possible to barely survive. I chose this article because for me this is a personal issue. I am what people call “a welfare child”. My mother met my father when she was 13 and my father was 23. They married when she was 16 and he was 26 in California. The rules of my mother’s high school at that time stated that a married woman could not attend high school if she was married because a married woman was considered and adult. 2005-06-05T00:52:37-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Growing-Up-On-Welfare-Article-Commentary-26823.aspx Humanities Midterm Paper Gilgamesh Was a True Hero The epic of Gilgamesh is a wonderful piece of literature portraying the main character, Gilgamesh, as a strong powerful leader who is two-thirds God and stronger than any other King alive. He was truly a hero showing skill, intelligence, valor, reverence, and a respect for death. He goes fearlessly into battle to rid the world of harmful beasts and travels to distant lands to find answers that will help the people of his city. He looks to God for his strength during battle and shows respect for everyone he meets along his journeys. Gilgamesh’s friendship with Enkidu shows his loyalty to people who show respect for his city and for himself. The following illustrations will prove that Gilgamesh was truly a hero. Throughout the entire epic Gilgamesh shows outrageous skill as a warrior and leader. In Tablet I it is said that, “Gilgamesh is strong to perfection.” Also, “He is an awesome beast with unmatched strength and a chant that fosters armies. (Pg. 3)” He leads his tribe into battle fearlessly and defeats everyone they come into battle with, it is said that, “Gilgamesh’s tribe is invincible, and aroused by small insults. (Pg. 3)” This shows his awesome leadership ability, in that his tribe is eager to fight knowing that their King will not let them down. He shows his great strength by fighting the mighty beast Humbaba. To prove that fighting Humbaba was not a simple task I would like to point out that, “The awful monsters reputation made Urok’s gentle people fear for their great king. (Pg. 24)” The elders of the town even spoke to Gilgamesh and warned him to be careful in battle and to let Enkidu lead the way through the forest. Even the great King Gilgamesh was nervous about fighting Humbaba as it says in Column VI of Tablet III. Even such an enemy was still no match for Gilgamesh’s extreme skill. He was able to slay the beast and return home safely. Again he shows his fighting skills when he makes Ishtar mad at him and she tells Anu to release the might bull to go and trample Gilgamesh. Again Gilgamesh was triumphant in battle and in an attempt to rid his city of the harmful bull he, “plunged his sword into the throat held fast 2005-05-31T06:01:05-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Gilgamesh-Was-a-True-Hero-26803.aspx Theories of Thomas Hobbes and Jean-Jacques Rousseau Thomas Hobbes and Jean-Jacques Rousseau developed theories on human nature and how men govern themselves. With the passing of time, political views on the philosophy of government gradually changed. Despite their differences, Hobbes and Rousseau, both became two of the most influential political theorists in the world. Their ideas and philosophies spread all over the world influencing the creation of many new governments. These theorists all recognize that people develop a social contract within their society, but have differing views on what exactly the social contract is and how it is established. By way of the differing versions of the social contract Hobbes and Rousseau agreed that certain freedoms had been surrendered for a society’s protection and emphasizing the government’s definite responsibilities to its citizens. Each political theorist agrees that before men came to govern themselves, they all existed in a state of nature. The state of nature is the condition men were in before political government came into existence, and what society would be if there was no government. In relation to this the two theorists raised as much praise as criticism for their famous masterpieces. Hobbes and Rousseau created a revolutionary idea of the state of nature. They did not believe government should be organized through the church, therefore abandoning the idea of the divine right theory, where power of the king came directly from God. Starting from a clean slate, with no organized church, Hobbes and Rousseau needed a construct on what to build society on. The foundation of society began with the original state of nature. Hobbes’ perception of the original state of nature is what would exist if there were no common power to execute and enforce the laws to restrain individuals. In this case, the laws of the jungle would prevail: only the fittest survive. Man’s desires are insatiable. Since resources are scarce, humankind is naturally competitive, inevitably creating jealousy and hatred, which eventually leads to war. The constant state of war is what Hobbes believes to be man’s original state of nature. According to Hobbes, man cannot be trusted in the state of nature. War among men is consequent and nothing can be unjust. Notions of justice and injustice or right and wrong will not have a place in a society. Hobbes states that if there is no common power or law “force and fraud are in 2005-05-27T07:13:01-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Theories-of-Thomas-Hobbes-and-Jean-Jacques-Rousseau-26777.aspx Human Nature and Philosophy Human beings are physical objects, according to Hobbes, sophisticated machines all of whose functions and activities can be described and explained in purely mechanistic terms. Even thought itself, therefore, must be understood as an instance of the physical operation of the human body. Sensation, for example, involves a series of mechanical processes operating within the human nervous system, by means of which the sensible features of material things produce ideas in the brains of the human beings who perceive them. (Leviathan I 1) Human action is similarly to be explained on Hobbes's view. Specific desires and appetites arise in the human body and are experienced as discomforts or pains which must be overcome. Thus, each of us is motivated to act in such ways as we believe likely to relieve our discomfort, to preserve and promote our own well-being. (Leviathan I 6) Everything we choose to do is strictly determined by this natural inclination to relieve the physical pressures that impinge upon our bodies. Human volition is nothing but the determination of the will by the strongest present desire. Hobbes nevertheless supposed that human agents are free in the sense that their activities are not under constraint from anyone else. On this compatibilist view, we have no reason to complain about the strict determination of the will so long as we are not subject to interference from outside ourselves. (Leviathan II 21) As Hobbes acknowledged, this account of human nature emphasizes our animal nature, leaving each of us to live independently of everyone else, acting only in his or her own self-interest, without regard for others. This produces what he called the "state of war," a way of life that is certain to prove "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short." (Leviathan I 13) The only escape is by entering into contracts with each other—mutually beneficial agreements to surrender our individual interests in order to achieve the advantages of security that only a social existence can provide. (Leviathan I 14) Human Society Unable to rely indefinitely on their individual powers in the effort to secure livelihood and contentment, Hobbes supposed, human beings join together in the formation of a commonwealth. Thus, the commonwealth as a whole embodies a network of associated contracts and provides for the highest form of social organization. On Hobbes's view, the formation of the commonwealth creates a new, artificial person (the Leviathan) to whom 2005-05-27T07:03:41-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Human-Nature-and-Philosophy-26776.aspx Question: Explain higher immediacy by contrasting it with the ethical and the aesthetic. Higher immediacy or religious faith is the most important achievement made by a person because only faith offers an individual to have a chance to become a "true self". Self is what is done throughout life which God judges for infinity. Consequently, humans have a huge responsibility because those decided choices in life constitute the eternal salvation or damnation. With the religious faith, the ethical and aesthetic are needed to form it, that is why they can not be the same. "Faith itself cannot be mediated into the universal, for it would thereby be destroyed." (p.69) To arrive in the position of religious faith, the ethical must first be accepted, and a commitment must be made to choose the ethical and step away from the aesthetic. The ethical, the universal, is what decides what is good and what is evil. These traits are not decided upon by society, however. They are dependent of God and God decides what is good and evil and His definition would outrank any human definition, so humans are constantly in sin. There has to be a recognition of a duty to a higher being, not to just social norms. For example, in the case of Abraham, his actions could have been very irrational and wrong if there was no belief in the religious faith. It is something that must be decided on by the individual, to believe that Abraham was legitimate in obeying God or not. That is was what must be decided as a matter of religious faith. Abraham's "ethical relation is reduced to a relative position contrast with the absolute relation to God." (p. 69). If Abraham's actions were ethically analyzed, it would seem he hated Isaac because he killed him. But since faith is not in the ethical, "by its paradoxical opposition to his love for God, made his act a sacrifice." (p71). Then you have the aesthetic, which is the lowest immediacy because there is no order and order is needed for a structured life. The aesthetic is not a way to live because there is no conscience, or moral sense, where you have that in the ethical and the religious. Living in the moment is bad, selfish and egotistic. In the aesthetic, one is always striving to transform the boring into something interesting for one's own selfish 2005-05-27T07:01:21-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Higher-immediacy-contrasted-with-ethical-and-aesthetic-26774.aspx Berkeley's Theory of Immaterialism As man progressed through the various stages of evolution, it is assumed that at a certain point he began to ponder the world around him. Of course, these first attempts fell short of being scholarly, probably consisting of a few grunts and snorts at best. As time passed on, though, these ideas persisted and were eventually tackled by the more intellectual, so-called philosophers. Thus, excavation of "the external world" began. As the authoritarinism of the ancients gave way to the more liberal views of the modernists, two main positions concerning epistemology and the nature of the world arose. The first view was exemplified by the empiricists, who stated that all knowledge comes from the senses. In opposition, the rationalists maintained that knowledge comes purely from deduction, and that this knowledge is processed by certain innate schema in the mind. Those that belonged to the empiricist school of thought developed quite separate and distinct ideas concerning the nature of the substratum of sensible objects. John Locke and David Hume upheld the belief that sensible things were composed of material subezce, the basic framework for the materialist position. The main figure who believed that material subezce did not exist is George Berkeley. In truth, it is the immaterialist position that seems the most logical when placed under close scrutiny. The initial groundwork for Berkeley's position is the truism that the materialist is a skeptic. In the writing of his three dialogues, Berkeley develops two characters: Hylas (the materialist) and Philonous (Berkeley himself). Philonous draws upon one central supposition of the materialist to formulate his argument of skepticism against him; this idea is that one can never perceive the real essence of anything. In short, the materialist feels that the information received through sense experience gives a representative picture of the outside world (the representative theory of perception), and one can not penetrate to the true essece of an object. This makes logical sense, for the only way to perceive this real essence would be to become the object itself! Although the idea is logical, it does contain a certain grounding for agnosticism. Let the reader consider this: if there is no way to actually sense the true material essence of anything, and all knowledge in empiricism comes from the senses, then the real material essence can not be perceived and therefore it can not be posited. This deserves careful consideration, 2005-05-27T05:14:55-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Berkeley-s-Theory-of-Immaterialism-26760.aspx False Hopes "Promised Land", "Land of the free", how much truth is actually found in these widely used expressions? They are geared to make America sound like a dreamland in which nothing goes wrong. Both of these phrases can be found in either, "One Time One Night" or "San Andreas Fault", both songs about America. When comparing these songs one finds many similarities and differences which all tie into the American dream and how it can be misleading. "One Time One Night", written by David Hidago and Louie Perez, and "San Andreas Fault", written by Natalie Merchant are amazingly similar. "Go West paradise is there", from "San Andreas Fault", starts off by describing a perfect place to live, in a typical American Dream. It goes into detail talking about the food you can eat, and the "jet-set life" you could live. It goes further, in saying that your life could be so great that, "you could never dream", of anything better. "One Time One Night", starts off in a similar fashion with stories of people and their hopeful lives, and dreams. The first stories about of a couple who just got married. Another is about with three boys with great expectations. Finally, another tells of a little girl at a wishing well filled with hope for a better life. Everybody has their own personal dream, but all have the basic universal idea of having a perfect, uninterrupted and easy life. Unfortunately this doesn't really happen, especially in these particular dreams. Everyone of them ends in tragedy with destruction of the original dream. In "San Andreas Fault", the dream was shattered by an earthquake. The song expresses strongly how horrible the destruction was. How there was, " such an awful sound" and, " the walls came tumbling down." In the story of the newlyweds, the husband is tragically shot. In the story with the four boys, one is brutally hit by a car. Finally, the girl at the wishing well is now stuck in a possibly abusive marriage. All of these dreams were not only destroyed ,but they were also done in incredibly tragic ways. This was probably done to enhance the fact that America is not the magical place everyone expects it to be. Though these songs seem to be parallel, they also have some differences. One of the major differences is how, "San Andreas Fault" has only one story 2005-05-26T09:10:42-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/False-Hopes-in-the-Land-of-the-Free-26722.aspx Rastafarianism's Connection To Judaism The Rastafarians Little is known about the Rastafarian religion other than that Bob Marley was a Rasta who had dreadlocks and enjoyed smoking Marijuana. During my trip to Jamaica I found that there was so much more that connected to my own personal experiences a Jew. I decided to discover more and what I found was astonishing. I began to strike up discussions with local Rastafarians. A Rastafarian cab driver that I was speaking with claimed to be from the tribe of Judah and had a Star of David on his dashboard. When I came back to the U.S. the importance to me of what I discovered had not changed. I began to look at the similarities of the two religions. I discovered that in many ways the two religions are almost, if not, identical. The two religions of Rastafarianism and Judaism embody many of the same characteristics, as well as their ancestry. Although the Rastafarians, at times, inaccurately explain the bible, their belief in the Old Testament is still prevalent. Many of the customs are almost identical, but the rationale behind the traditions and laws contrast greatly (Rastafarians). In order to understand all the connections within the beliefs, rituals, and symbols between Rastafarianism and Judaism it is extremely important to understand the origin of Rasta. Rasta has its roots in the teachings of Jamaican black nationalist Marcus Garvey, who in 1920 said "Look to Africa when a black king shall be crowned, for the day of deliverance is at hand" (Chevannes, Rastafari 98). Many thought the prophecy was fulfilled when in 1930, Ras Tafari, was crowned emperor Haile Selassie 1 of Ethiopia and proclaimed "King of Kings, Lord of Lords, and the conquering lion of the Tribe of Judah". Haile Selassie claimed to be a direct descendant of King David, the 225th ruler in an unbroken line of Ethiopian Kings from the time of Solomon and Sheba (Chevannes, Ideology 99). It was 1930, the year of the Great Depression, and the Jamaican people were opening their hearts and minds to new possibilities. During this time of economic instability the downtrodden black Jamaican was receptive to the economic communal ideas and strong positive emphasis on being black and African. Garvey preached a message of black self-empowerment, and initiated the "Back to Africa" movement. Which called for all blacks to return to their ancestral home, and more specifically Ethiopia. He 2005-05-23T08:30:17-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Rastafarianism-s-Connection-To-Judaism-26712.aspx The Nature of Tragedy: In the century after Sophocles, the philosopher Aristotle analyzed tragedy. His definition: Tragedy then, is an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude; in language embellished with each kind of artistic ornament, the several kinds being found in separate parts of the play; in the form of action, not of narrative; through pity and fear effecting the proper purgation of these emotions. Aristotle identified six basic elements: (1) plot; (2) character; (3) diction (the choice of style, imagery, etc.); (4) thought (the character's thoughts and the author's meaning); (5) spectacle (all the visual effects; Aristotle considered this to be the least important element); (6) song. According to Aristotle, the central character of a tragedy must not be so virtuous that instead of feeling pity or fear at his or her downfall, we are simply outraged. Also the character cannot be so evil that for the sake of justice we desire his or her misfortune. Instead, best is someone"who is neither outstanding in virtue and righteousness; nor is it through badness or villainy of his own that he falls into misfortune, but rather through some flaw [hamartia]". The character should be famous or prosperous, like Oedipus or Medea. What Aristotle meant by hamartia cannot be established. In each play we read you should particularly consider the following possibilities. (1) A hamartia may be simply an intellectual mistake or an error in judgement. For example when a character has the facts wrong or doesn't know when to stop trying to get dangerous information. (2) Hamartia may be a moral weakness, especially hubris, as when a character is moral in every way except for being prideful enough to insult a god. (Of course you are free to decide that the tragic hero of any play, ancient or modern, does not have a hamartia at all). The terms hamartia and hubris should become basic tools of your critical apparatus. The Concept of Tragedy: The word tragedy can be applied to a genre of literature. It can mean 'any serious and dignified drama that describes a conflict between the hero (protagonist) and a superior force (destiny, chance, society, god) and reaches a sorrowful conclusion that arouses pity or fear in the audience.' From this genre comes the concept of tragedy, a concept which is based on the possibility that a person may be destroyed precisely because of attempting 2005-05-21T09:30:16-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Aristotle-on-Tragedy--26701.aspx A Philosophical Approach to Finding God The question of God’s existence has been debated through the history of man, with every philosopher from Socrates to Immanuel Kant weighing in on the debate. So great has this topic become that numerous proofs have been invented and utilized to prove or disprove God’s existence. Yet no answer still has been reached, leaving me to wonder if any answer at all is possible. So I will try in this paper to see if it is possible to philosophically prove God’s existence. Before I start the paper there are a few points that must be established. First is a clear definition of Philosophy of Religion, which is the area of philosophy that applies philosophical methods to study a wide variety of religious issues including the existence of God. The use of the philosophical method makes Philosophy of Religion distinct from theology, which is the study of God and any type of issues that relate to the divine. Now there are two types of theology, Revealed and Natural Theology. Revealed Theology claims that our knowledge of God comes through special revelations such as the Bible, the Holy Spirit, and the Koran. Saint Thomas Aquinas indicates that Revealed Theology provides what he calls “Saving Knowledge”, which is knowledge that will result in our salvation. Now Natural Theology is our knowledge of God that one ascertains through natural reasoning, or reasoning that is unaided by special revelations. Saint Thomas noted that this type of reasoning can provide knowledge of God’s nature, or even prove his existence, but can never result in the person attaining salvation for as he states, even demons know that God exists. A note must be made before we press on; as one might notice Natural Theology is akin to philosophy of religion in the sense that both use human reasoning in their attempts to explain the divine. The main difference between them of course is the range of the topics considered. Ontological Argument The Ontological Argument, which argues from a definition of God’s being to his existence, is the first type of argument we are going to examine. Since this argument was founded by Saint Anslem, we will be examining his writings. Saint Anslem starts by defining God as an all-perfect being, or rather as a being containing all conceivable perfections. Now if in addition of possessing all conceivable perfections this being did not 2005-05-21T03:03:40-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/A-Philosophical-Approach-to-Finding-God-26693.aspx The Men's Right Movement: 'Male' is Not a Four-Letter Word" Jack Kammer's article seeks to point out that negative aspects have stemmed from the growing women's liberation movement. This article does a good job bringing to light the anti-male feelings that are sometimes associated with the word "feminism." However, it does not really have a concrete basis that supports this author's opinions. Kammer's article does share one concept common among some of the other critiques I have read on this man vs. women phenomenon. That is, without a factual base they tend to sound like simple complaints. I feel that articles such as these tend to take attention off of real problems that are embedded in our society. They also lead other reader to perceive the whole subject as a joke rather than a social science seeking solutions to real problems. Kammer does take the time to include some statistics on the many ways a man's life is worse than that of a women, but these can be quickly thrown out. For example, women have typically not been allowed to work in "death professions." I am sure that as our society grows everyone will have an equal chance at these wonderful jobs. I found it appalling that he even objected to differential treatment of children in hostage situations. I have shared some of the same feelings that Kramer describes, but I tend to ignore those as just differences of opinion or an ignorant person speaking to quickly. His use of the media portraying men as "secret admirer and blood brother to the gang rapist" is useless. The media will do anything to sell their product. That is something we can all agree on. We as a society are the police force that must control the media. Refuse to buy their product and they will change. I agree with Krammer in that many feminists tend to focus on men's shortcomings as a way to further their cause. He does go a little far in using comics as an example of zapping our culture's male energy. This is a large problem that is detrimental to a lot of arguments present today. (Look at the elections.) Rather than seeking a solution that will bring one side up to meet the other these people hope to bash the other side down. I have not heard of the "silent crisis" facing men, but I think we 2005-05-20T09:40:11-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Men-s-Right-Movement-Male-is-Not-a-Four-Letter-Word-26687.aspx The Great Sheep Debate My high school was relatively small. To put it into perspective, I graduated with eighty-six people. In my class there were the usual cliques. There were the smart kids, the athletes, the cheerleaders, the drug users, and the slackers. But somehow I didn't fit into all of this. I wasn't, and still am not, the smartest person in the history of the world. I'm way too clumsy to play any sports. I wasn't the right size to be a cheerleader. I wouldn't even consider using drugs, and I certainly am not a slacker. I was just Nikki the girl that no one liked. I just wasn't like them. I dressed differently, and had my own opinion, and that just didn't fly with them. Day in and day out, I saw the struggle. It happened most with the incoming freshman every year. I saw people almost killing themselves with dieting so they could fit the cheerleader mold. I saw some of the most intelligent people not apply themselves, just because it's not "cool" to be smart. I really think that is sad. These people could really have made something of themselves, but instead they chose being "cool" over having a future. I was teased and mocked for attempting to be an individual. Even one of my teachers told me one day that I only dressed differently so I could get attention. Her saying that really made me think. Is it really so bad to not want to be a conformist sheep? Has the world really come to either being alike or being miserable? I hope not. I'll admit to sometimes wishing I could be like them. But I know that I wouldn't be here now if I had been. As Doris Lessing said, "It is the hardest thing in the world to maintain an individual dissident opinion, as a member of a group" (334). She also said, "the hardest thing in the world is to stand out against one's group of peers" (334). I don't exactly find this to be true. High school wasn't exactly the easiest time for me, but I got by. I would have rather gone through it without friends, than to have changed whom I was just to 2005-05-19T03:01:34-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Great-Sheep-Debate-Individualism-in-American-26662.aspx THE BUDDHA, TWO LESSONS Almost everybody I have ever met can recognize a Buddha statue, but few folks who I have ever associated with understand the meaning of the Buddha. Myself included was one of those folks blessed with such ignorance. When the term Buddha was brought up, all I thought about was the pudgy bellies of myself and fellow offensive lineman on my high school football team. Nirvana! Hey isn't that one of the great rock bands of the early nineties? Right? In this paper, I will explain who the Buddha was and the deep meaning of the message that Prince Guatama preached. The Buddha defined the Middle Path as a way that leads to insight, which leads to wisdom, which conduces to calm, to knowledge, to the Sambodhi, to Nirvana (76). These words meant that all else was linked to some sort of suffering, that true peace and happiness could only be achieved through your mind and true pain and suffering could be achieved through reality. The Buddha illustrated this idea through his Four Noble Truths. The first of these is the Noble Truth of Suffering. These sufferings included natural situations of life, including birth, decay, death, presence of objects we hate not to obtain what we want, and finally, mere existence (76). There is a pattern that is developed in this order. Birth is the beginning of reality that has its good as well as bad times. The Buddha appears to focus on the hardships of reality that Prince Guatama knew of in this world. As life would carry onward, the hardships would pile on top of one another, eventually leading to a life of misery. The second of these four truths is the Cause of suffering. The idea illustrated here is the thirst that consumes everybody. The thirst for pleasure, existence, and prosperity was the threefold that he explained (76). Pleasure being a cause for the fact that it leads to lust, which leads back to birth. Existence, like the last paragraph, is mere suffering. Prosperity, trying to achieve what we desire, stepping on other people to get what we want, is a cause of suffering. Releasing yourself from these causes, from all worldly desires, is what Prince Guatama could define as true peace and happiness. The Third is the Noble Truth 2005-05-15T08:03:43-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Buddha-Lessons-and-Nirvana--26616.aspx Family in “The Red Convertible” and “Sonny’s Blues” The family unit has always been an integral part of every person's development. Naturally, the parental figure plays an overwhelming influence in the maturity of the child, but sibling interaction can be just as great. Often sibling rivalry, or alliance, outlines this connection as a person carves a path into social peer groups. This articulation of sibling influence can be understood by examining the short stories "The Red Convertible" by Louise Erdrich and "Sonny's Blues" by James Baldwin, both accounts of brotherly experience shown through separation and drug abuse. Both "The Red Convertible" and "Sonny's Blues" revolve around brotherly connection. In "The Red Convertible," the main speaker Lyman uses his red convertible, one he shares with his brother, as an analogy to their relationship. While reminiscing about his brother Henry, Lyman notes that they "went places in that car", and though some people spend most of their trip remembering specific details, he and Henry just lived their lives (Erdrich 168). In other words, their time spent in the red convertible is intended more for the worthwhile company of one another as opposed to making meaningless trips simply for around-the-table story time. Like Lyman in "The Red Convertible," the speaker in "Sonny's Blues" also shares a connection with his brother, although not as intense. The speaker and his brother Sonny maintain a forced relationship, one in which the speaker's duty is caring for his little brother. A meaningful relationship does not develop between them until their mother dies, and again, the only element bonding the link between them is sibling obligation. The speaker recognizes his relation to his little brother and "wonder[s] if [the seven years' difference in their ages] would ever operate between [them] as a bridge" (Baldwin 499). Though no profound appreciation for his little brother exists (like the brothers in the first story), the speaker upholds his position in his family's lineage and cares for Sonny unconditionally. Though Lyman and the speaker in the second story both withhold an intense bond to their brothers, the excess baggage that aids in the degeneration of their brothers is unexpected. In each story, separation due to war serves as a disintegrating factor that triggers the transformations of the brothers individually and as part of the family unit. For instance, in "The Red Convertible" 2005-05-15T02:07:21-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Family-in-The-Red-Convertible-and-Sonny’s-Blues-26610.aspx Final Response: Bringing Democracy Home In Bringing Democracy Home, author Shere Hite discusses how the family is changing and how society needs to accept this change as well as to accommodate this change to give our children a better life. Hite points out how the process of democratization has finally caught up with private life. The “holy family” is all too often thought to be how the family structure is still set up today. However this thought couldn’t be more wrong. Society needs to accommodate the changes in family structure as well as bring the family together showing more love and acceptance. I believe that society’s views of the family are exactly as Hite described them where the father is the breadwinner and the mother is the caregiver to the children. I also agree with Hite that this is not the standard anymore in many cases. I know one family who has the roles exactly the opposite where the father doesn’t work and stays home with the children and the mother is the financial supporter of the family. I agree with the fact that families need to display love for each other. I grew up in a family where, not until recently, did my father tell me he loves me very much and he never gave me a hug. I now know that I actually missed that as a child. I believe that families who show more love and who are not afraid to occasionally say “I love you” will yield more loving children who are more gentle and caring for others. After reading Hite’s article I now realize that single parent families are not so bad for children. I previously thought that the single parent would always be gone and the child wouldn’t have much support but I know that this is not the case at all. I, however, do not agree with Hite when she offers the evidence showing that sometimes single parent families are better than families where both parents raise the children together. I have grown up in a family where both parents are there rising me and I would not trade that for anything. I think that even though some statistics that single parent families may be better, other traits were not studied in those same families. The biggest thing that the child would 2005-05-01T08:16:13-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Final-Response-Bringing-Democracy-Home-26581.aspx Modern Buddhism Visit to A Buddhist Center The Buddhist Center visited had a plain and simple building. The outside was concrete and glass. There was a living room style set up with various couches and chairs. Offices were all surrounding and the meditation room was upstairs. Tufts students lined up to donate the suggested five dollars to the Center. The man at the basket was in his forties and balding. Typically I would imagine American Buddhist to be of younger age. I found this to be false as well as other misconceptions I had about what a real modern American Buddhist Center. On the way upstairs we took our shoes off a s a sign of respect to the Center. Just the thought of removing shoes makes one infer the ground of the meditation room is sacred. Silently everyone filed upstairs through a winding staircase. I entered the room, then bowed toward the alter as a sign of respect. I immediately observed everyone already sitting down in their meditation positions. The room was perfectly quiet except for the rustling of clothes as people filed in to sit. There seemed to be an odd peaceful silence surrounding the meditation room. The alter consisted of a table with two pictures of old smiling Buddhist monks. One man was the founder of the center, so people bow to his picture as a sign of reverence. There were small glass jars containing water in front of the pictures. Dead center was a large scroll with a single character written on it. Two more smaller scrolls were on either side of the large character in the middle. An older woman with gray hair faced the twenty or so congregants in the meditation room. People were also seated in a row at the back of the room in chairs. The night was an open house, so many new faces were in the crowd. The veteran meditates could easily be spotted by their perfect posture and quiet, content, stiffness. To see each person in their own position was amusing. Most had their legs in front of themselves, crossed and slightly below their hips. Their gaze was typically a few feet in front of their eyes. Some had their eyes closed and some were simply staring. One woman to my right was sitting with her arms resting on her bent legs, a unique approach. Her old age and heavy weight prevented 2005-04-24T08:03:13-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Modern-Buddhism--26556.aspx The Search for Life in the Cosmos The scientific community is largely in agreement on the fact that life began here on Earth about three and a half billion years ago. In a universe ruled over largely by entropy, it is inane to say that any set of circumstances could be completely unique. The primordial constituents of Earth’s atmosphere gave way to the building blocks of life, as could and in all likelihood has happened elsewhere in the vastness of space and time. Since the dawn of mankind, we have looked to the stars in search of answers, and one question has always been prevalent in our thinking: are we alone? It is ingrained in our culture, with science-fiction spreading rampantly through the world of novels and television alike. Such fare as The X-Files and blockbuster movies like the new Star Wars films keep our eyes to the sky. This search for extraterrestrial life can be a huge waste of resources on our part, but there are many reasons why it can be worthwhile, and many ways to make it more resource efficient. The first place to look is within our own solar system. A key aspect of life as we know it is water, so that is the first thing we look for. On our neighboring planet, Mars, researchers are now finding evidence that water existed or even exists still. This may not mean little green men, but it could very well mean the existence of microbial life. Although what we are most interested in would be intelligent life, any life beyond our own planet would be a huge step forward, and Mars seems like the top candidate. Following the discovery of this evidence, NASA is keen on sending more missions to the red planet, possibly even a manned mission some time in the future. Another celestial body of great interest to mankind in our own little cosmic neighborhood is Europa, a moon of Jupiter. Europa’s surface is covered in a layer of water/ice up to one hundred kilometers thick. Deep beneath the surface the kinetic motion of the core of the moon keeps it warm enough for liquid water, which could possibly harbor life. Intelligent life, however, requires a lot more than a subterranean ocean on a frigid block of ice, which is why the search must 2005-04-24T07:52:06-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Search-for-Life-in-the-Cosmos-26551.aspx “People are more influenced by mass media than they think. What evidence is there to support this statement?” By Mass Media I mean ‘the whole body of media reaching large numbers of public’ the major ones being newspapers, television and the World Wide Web also now as internet. The main purposes of mass media are to provide information, entertainment and advertisement. In this essay I will discuss the influence that Mass Media has in the general public and giving the evidence to support the statement “People are more influenced by mass media than they think. …”. The history of mass media can be said that started from the ancient Greece. Philosophers, generals and politicians of the ancient Society discuss issues and after spread to the public by the use of word of mouth. The ancient Greek Drama and poetry can be considered as a form of mass media, communicates a message to the society. In other words since the early years people has always being influenced by Mass Media. In today’s world people cannot leave without Mass Media and with the help of technological improvements to send messages to the masses is becoming easier and easier. As we are been shower with tons of advertising, information and other sort of materials by the different types of Mass Media has influence in our everyday life styles. Newspapers are typically daily or weekly publication that contains news and opinion of current events, featuring articles, and advertising. By fact ‘there are now about 9000 daily newspapers around the world.’ Therefore newspapers reach a wide audience worldwide, which is why newspaper is a type of Mass Media. The newspapers are an incredible influence tool in society; they can easily turn on people emotions in favor or against an issue or something. This is because we as readers tend to believe everything that is written in the newspaper even do it might be the wrong information. We can take the case around 12 years ago of the murder of James Bulger by Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, the British press had alleged that the kids were influence to commit such an act because of a spiteful video that they had watched, at the end the end they two kinds had not seen that video. What does this tell us about the newspapers? They mislead information that goes to the public which immediately influences the public to 2005-04-20T10:39:55-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Mass-Media-s-Influence-26537.aspx Topic: Is the existence of evil incompatible with the existence of God? If not, is it a reason to suppose that God does not exist? In a strong argument for atheism, J.L. Mackie presents the argument from evil. His logical argument for evil is comprised of showing theists’ beliefs to be inconsistent. He states that God being omnipotent and omni-benevolent is contradictory with the existence of evil. Though his argument seems to be a good one, Mackie does provide four responses, or theodicies that are possible solutions to the problem of evil. Three of these are that ‘evil is necessary as a counterpart to good’, ‘evil is a necessary means to good’, and that ‘the universe is better with some evil in it than it could be if there were no evil,’ which can be seen as deceptive. On the other hand, the fourth possible solution is the theodicy that ‘evil is due to human free will’, which since is not under God’s jurisdiction, can be consistent with the coexistence of God’s omni-benevolence, His omni-potency and the existence of evil. However, I believe that the success of this solution is also based upon the definition of God’s omnipotence. According to Mackie’s definition of omnipotence, I will now proceed to explore why I believe God is not omnipotent and that evil is in fact incompatible with the existence of God. The point of Mackie’s argument is not to prove that God does not exist, but to show the inconsistency of what theists believe, which could then lead to further arguments to determine if God actually exists. The definition of God according to a theist is that God is perfection, which then leads to God being omni-benevolent or all good, omniscient, or all knowing, and omnipotent or all powerful. Mackie looks into God’s omni-benevolence and omni-potency and deems these characteristics of God to be inconsistent with the fact that there is evil in the world, meaning that these three propositions cannot all be true at once. He then logically explains that since God is omni-benevolent, he would want to bring about only good. In addition to that, He being omni-potent should then be a reason that God would have the power to bring about only good. But evil does exist in this world, which means that either God is not omni-benevolent or He is not omnipotent. This is the problem of evil. The two 2005-04-20T05:22:57-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Is-evil-s-existence-incompatible-with-the-existence-of-God-26535.aspx Is America Color Blind? White America! Erica loves my shit I go to TRL, look how many hugs I get Look at these eyes, baby blue, baby just like yourself, if they were brown Shady lose, Shady sits on the shelf but Shady's cute, Shady knew Shady's dimples would help, make ladies swoon baby, ooh baby! Look at my sales Lets do the math, If I was black I would've sold half, I ain't have to graduate from Lincoln High School to know that This is an excerpt from the song White America, off the highly controversial white rapper Eminem’s newest album: The Eminem Show. The saddest thing about this song is not that it is racial or sexist, as many people describe his work, but that it is all too true. Whites do not always have the advantage but America is definitely white, and whites have the greatest advantage of any race in America. Under the definition of race given in Webster’s Dictionary, “a division of the human population distinguished by physical characteristics transmitted by genes” (346), I am part of the dominant race in America, Caucasians. I have never been perceived as anything other than white, and I have always been aware that I am part of the dominant race in America. I have always been around people of other minorities and have developed friendships with people of many races. Throughout most of my life being the dominant race has proven to be a benefit to me. I feel there are many advantages that only Caucasians have the chance to experience. As Peggy McIntosh, author of “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” says, “only whites can turn on the television or open the front page of the paper and see people of their race widely and positively spread” (122). There are many cases where blacks and other races are widely spread throughout the news but the headlines portray them as murderers, killers, robbers, or in some other negative fashion. Through the news, the media has the power to control the way the public thinks. The way that the media portrays events rubs off on viewers and trains them to think this way. I went to a concert for a black rapper and I can remember the African-American security guards thoroughly searching the African-American audience and just allowing the white audience to pass by without scrutiny. Whenever suspects are revealed 2005-04-20T05:17:48-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Is-America-Color-Blind-A-Discussion-of-Race-in-America-26534.aspx Conformity is a four-letter word “Conformity” is a dirty word to Ralph Waldo Emerson. It is the death of the individual, he says, the enemy of originality. Indeed, the development of the individual self is one side of the human experience. But to reject conformity offhand is to forfeit the other side of that experience – the individual’s participation in the community. Self-awareness may be a uniquely human faculty among all of Earth’s animals, but so, too, is the formation of complex society. Total sacrifice of the self in the name of societal submission would be a horrifying perversion of human nature. On the same lines, however, the total rejection of conformity in the pursuit of self-reliance is not only impossible, it is a devastating sacrifice of the human experience. The hypocrisy of Emerson’s argument is obvious: he urges others to rely on his advice to rely on the self. What is less obvious is the conformity inherent in Emerson’s piece. Let us take for example the conformity that allows for the very existence Emerson’s piece: language itself. As the original linguist Ferdinand de Saussure established, language “is the social side of speech, outside the individual who can never create nor modify it by himself; it exists only by virtue of some sort of contract signed by the members of a community.” Language is inherently conformist. A single individual cannot create a language – one cannot simply begin calling a person a banana and expect to be understood. Where would Emerson be without the use of a conformist, community-based language? He would be telling everyone to rely on their own bananas and the Dole Corporation would be raking it in. Where, indeed, would any individual be without such linguistic conformity? The individual’s reliance on conformity to social norms extends far beyond the basic use of an established language. Language is the vehicle for human interaction, but furthermore, this social interaction is the very essence of human existence. Saussure believed that there was no real thought before language was created to express it. Only when they are granted linguistic value do ideas gain any real meaning. Take, for example, a small child raised in the wilderness, free from the conforming pressures of society. Without fellow humans sharing a common language, the child 2005-04-20T05:14:33-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Conformity-is-a-four-letter-word,-Ralph-Waldo-Emerson-Review-26533.aspx Kantian Philosophy vs. Nietsche Kant escapes the limitations of the apparent world by viewing it through a strictly rational perspective; Neitzsche also achieves this through the will to power of his original code of ethics. Kantian philosophy escapes the apparent world through reason, void of any influence of thought of desires, inclinations and past experiences, called a priori reasoning. One who is capable of using a priori reasoning Kant calls a rational agent. Kantian ethics dictates that one ought to use a priori reasoning to determine maxims, or subjective principles of action (Groundwork 88) which must be motivated by duty. He notes, “what is essentially good in the action consists in the mental disposition, let the consequences be what they may,” (Groundwork 84). Kant emphasizes that the most important factor in determining one’s maxims is that he or she uses a priori reasoning, motivated by duty. The primary tenet of Kantian philosophy is the Categorical Imperative. It asserts, “Act only on that maxim through which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law” (Groundwork 88). The Categorical Imperative ensures that personal maxims one creates are valid because they must be applicable to all of humanity. Furthermore, because Kant insists that each maxim and universal law is decided upon using a priori reasoning, the categorical imperative is free of sentiment and external influence. Thus Kantian ethics, whose root is the Categorical Imperative, escapes the limitations of the “apparent” world. Additionally, Neitzsche’s theory of will to power allows him to escape the apparent world. Will to power consists of many different wills but are united under the desire for autonomy. One commands a will to power and one must obey this will as well. He notes that the nature of philosophy is that the philosopher creates his moral code in his own image, as “a kind of involuntary and unconscious memoir” (Nietzsche 13). It is a testament of how his innermost drives are ordered, in comparison with one another. The creation of this philosophy is the “most spiritual will to power” (16) for it establishes a fictional world in which the philosopher is completely autonomous. This fictional world is a point of comparison to the apparent world. It is therefore a world completely outside the limitations of the apparent world; it is a world solely based upon his philosophies, made in his own image. Thus, it is unlike any 2005-04-20T05:03:39-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Kantian-Philosophy-vs_-Nietsche-26529.aspx Western Political Thought Midterm: Part I, Question 1 “A Kingdom Divided Cannot Stand” In Thomas Hobbes book Leviathan- Parts One and Two, he presents a commonwealth ruled by a sovereign leader that is based on the laws of nature and the kingdom of God. At the root of the commonwealth is a social contract, which is a covenant binding the individuals of the society to wills and judgments of the sovereign leader. The contract explores the asociality of the human specie and self- preservation which is fundamental to the human drive. Influenced by Hobbes’ social contract, Jean Jacques Rousseau published On the Social Contract presenting his theory of the social contract that both expanded and differed from Hobbes’ principles. Rousseau’s social contract presented the governing factor to be the general will. Although Hobbes and Rousseau have differing Social Contracts they each are represented by the phrase “A kingdom divided cannot stand;” for, the former is a reference to a monarchy and the latter is a reference to the general will. In Hobbes’ Leviathan he presents the asociality of human nature. Because, he notes, human kind is equal in both the body and the mind, men are in a constant state of war with one another. For, from equality arises the desire to attain our goals, which leads to competition between men who are seeking the same end. Thus, out of equality develops diffidence and war. In this state of war men live without any common power and thus, “every man is enemy to every man” (107). Their only security is their strength compounded with the strength of their associates. Because man has no common strength or power, there are no governing laws; hence, there are no injustices. Accordingly, there is no place in the state of war for rights and wrongs. Hobbes notes, “[F]orce and fraud are in war the two cardinal virtues” (108), both of these virtues are unjust. He concludes that the only motivation man has to seek peace is the fear of the consequences of war. The motivation of fear does not connote social tendencies of the human specie to aid one another; instead, it clearly notes humankind’s selfish disregard of each other. In addition to humankinds’ tendency towards asociality, Hobbes presents people as being inclined towards self-preservation above all other concerns. The theme of self-preservation is presented in what Hobbes calls the right of nature. He explains this 2005-04-20T04:52:08-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Thomas-Hobbes-versus-Rousseau-on-Social-Contracts-26527.aspx Western Political Thought Midterm: Part II, Question 1 [i:325dd847f8]Is Descartes’ idea of the role of the founder/legislator types similar to those put forth by Smith and Rousseau? Indeed, are Descartes’ and Rousseau’s ideas of founders indistinguishable?[/i:325dd847f8] The sovereign’s role within a government of a state has been debated for hundreds of years. From this debate has sprouted several forms of thinking, which have been expressed in different types of governments, such as a democracy, aristocracy, or a monarchy. The general role of the sovereign is to maintain the state of peace, by creating laws that enforce the principles of justice; however, the amount of power which the sovereign is endowed differs depending on the school of thought. Upon comparing René Descartes’ Discourse on Method and Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s The Basic Political Writings, it is evident that their methodologies differ. Unlike Descartes’ view of the sovereign as the only and ultimate power whose laws represent the monarch’s private interests, Rousseau believes that because the sovereign is composed of individuals, that the general will is represented. In Descartes’ Discourse on Method he explains his belief in monarchy. He initially came to this realization after spending a day in solitude due to snow. He describes the most important conclusion that he arrived at on this day, “it occurred to me to consider that there is often not so much perfection in works composed of many pieces and made by the hands of various master craftsmen as there is in those works on which but a single individual has work” (7). For, he notes that one man’s mind is more capable of designing an organized, stable method of governing than many men can. He cites buildings, cities and peoples as examples of that which would benefit from this approach. Thus, Descartes is supportive of a monarchy for he recognizes that, due to the one sovereign leader, all of the peoples will be working towards the same end. Accordingly, there will be little inconsistency of values between the people. Descartes explains that in such a society the citizens would form a covenant with the sovereign, promising to uphold and follow his every command and to never accuse the sovereign of wrong-doings. Although there can be no harm in a single architect designing a building or a city, one sovereign leader can, under certain circumstances, cause turmoil within that society. For a leader who creates all the rules, yet he, 2005-04-20T04:49:44-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Descartes-Views-on-Legislator-Versus-Smith-amp-Rousseau-26526.aspx Introduction to Japanese Grammar and Learning new vocabulary Introduction to Japanese Grammar Japanese sentences are very different from familiar languages like English and Spanish. Incidentally, Spanish is very similar to English grammar-wise. Japanese, on the other hand, uses small words called "particles" that mark what a word is supposed to "be" to the sentence. More on particles later. On the upside though, once you learn Japanese grammar (it doesn't take as long as you might think) you can sit back and relax, because Japanese grammar is very logical and has almost no exceptions. Japanese Sentence Structure Here's a typical Japanese sentence: Kore wa mizu desu. This (subject marker) water is. If you've seen Star Wars (and who hasn't), think back to the way Yoda spoke. That's what Japanese would sound like if you translated it literally. "Your father is." "An abode of evil it is." "In you must go." Japanese is also a bit vague, or can seem that way. Things are often left out if they can be assumed. Japanese is definitely not redundant! In particular, pronouns (I, you, he) aren't used much. In English - "I go to the store" In Japanese - "mise e iku" "mise e iku" literally translates, "to the store, [I] go" mise - store e - particle meaning "toward" or "to" iku - to go Particles wa - subject marker - think "as for" when translating. ga - subject marker /emphasis no - possessive - works like 's na - use with adjectives o - The preceding word answers WHAT or WHO (direct object) e - towards, to ka - basically, a spoken question mark. ne - used at the end of sentences, kind of like "huh?" or "right?" yo - A spoken exclamation point. To put it simply, after every word in the sentence, you have a particle telling what the word "was" to the sentence. Matt wa sensei desu. Matt (as for) teacher is. After the word "Matt", the "wa" tells us that Matt is the subject of the sentence - the sentence will be about Matt. Let's add something to the sentence. Let's modify what kind of teacher he is: Matt wa anata no sensei desu. Matt (as for) you ('s) teacher is. Cleaned up, it would be translated "Matt is your teacher". You could make the sentence a bit more 2005-04-20T04:17:51-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Introduction-to-Japanese-Grammar-26517.aspx Comprehensive Introductory Portuguese A Vida de Alexandre Eu me chamo Alexandre. Eu sou judeo, e moro na cidade Nova York (que estranho!). Sou loiro e alto, com olhos marrom. Sou mais que um pouco grosso, mais gosto muito de Capoeira, pelo que preciso de contrapeso e velocidade. Gosto das artes marciais muito, e dos esportes como frisbee and hackysack (esportes pelos preguiçosos). Leio muito, e gosto muito de ler livros de sci-fi. Também gosto dos desenhos japoneses, como Naruto e Shaman King. Gosto de muitos tipos de música, dos Beatles a Raimundos, uma faixa brazilenha de rock (Estou escutando a eles neste momento). Por muitos anos não fui amigável, mais nos anos pasados eu era muito mais amigável. Eu nasci 2005-04-20T03:37:07-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Alexander-Biography-Life-of-Alexander-in-Portugese-26511.aspx The Intrinsic flaws of Christianity Christianity is a religion in which events are claimed to have occurred but which can never be proved. Those who practice it live by different morals than are preached by the most holy texts. It is an institution in which the most holy scripture is contradictory, and wherein the supreme being, by the very definition, cannot exist. Christianity is, therefore, a fundamentally flawed religion. According to the Bible, events have occured which are even more miraculous than the resurection of Jesus Christ. Events such as the stopping of the sun by Joshua (Joshua 10:12-14), the reversal of the sun's course by Isaiah (Isaiah 38:7-8) , the resurrection of the saints, and their subsequent appearance to many (Matthew 27:52-53) were witnessed by thousands of people. The stopping and reversal of the sun would have been visible worldwide. The idea that people could have witnessed these events without having been amazed by them is, quite simply, ludicrous. Other cultures having witnessed this would certainly have offered their own explanations in keeping with their own cultural and religious beliefs. Surely a society existing at the time would have documented this miraculous event. Yet nowhere have such works been found. In the instance of the resurrection of the saints, Matthew is the only person to mention this occurence in the Bible. Surely other first-century Christians would have used this as further proof of Jesus' divinty. It would fall to reason that Paul and the gospels would have mentioned it. This is not, however, the case. Nowhere else in the Bible is this mentioned or even hinted at. These events are then, at best, highly unlikely to have occured. The fact that Matthew is alone in writing of the resurrection of the saints leads us to believe that certain writers of the Bible had differing views on christianity. The christian Bible is highly contradictory, not just to modern day christian beliefs, but in and of itself. Today's society is of the belief that all people are created equal, and Christians submit that their god is of the same belief. Modern Christians believe that their god loves everyone, and that they are all equal. However, after Adam and Eve had eaten from the tree forbidden by god, this deity said to Eve "I will intensify the pangs of your childbearing; in pain shall you bring forth children. Yet your urge shall be for your 2005-04-14T04:44:34-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/the-Intrinsic-Problems-Errors-in-Christianity-26498.aspx World Religions There are many different types of religions in this world. Some of them are monotheistic, meaning that they only believe in one God, and some are polytheistic. Some examples of world religions are Judaism, Islam, Christianity, and Confucianism. Most of these religions have been practiced for years and they are still practiced today. Judaism is oldest known monotheistic religion still practiced in the world today. Its fundamental teachings have been influential and are the basis for more recently developed religious such as Christianity and Islam. Abraham is generally recognized as the founder of Judaism due to his covenant with God. However, Moses is also considered a founder due to his role in the liberation of the Hebrews from Egypt, and his delivery of the Ten Commandments from Mount sometime around 2000 BC. Judaism was developed in the Middle East in and around the area that is currently Israel. The Holy Scriptures in the Jewish religion are the Torah and the Talmud. Jews worship in temples called Synagogues and mass is conducted by Rabbis. Islam, which when translated from Arabic, means "to submit to the will of Allah," is the youngest of the world's major religions. Worshippers of this monotheistic religion are know as Muslims, which means "one who submits to the will of Allah." Islam is currently the second most practiced religion in the world, and experts predict that it will overtake Christianity as the most popular religion in the world sometime in the future. Islam was founded by the prophet Mohammed and it was developed on the Arabian peninsula in the year 622 AD and quickly spread to other regions. Islam is the most dominant throughout the Middle East, including Southwest Asia and North Africa. The teachings of Islam are collected in the Qur'an. Muslims gather to worship in temples called Mosques. Christianity is currently the most popular religion in the world based on the number of worshippers found throughout the world. While this monotheistic religion developed from Judaism, there are several key differences in the teachings. Christianity was founded by Jesus of Nazareth and his disciples who help spread his teachings. It was developed in Israel around the year 30 AD. Christianity is the dominant religion in North America, South America, Europe, and Russia. The teachings of Christianity are collected in The Holy Bible, The New Testament, and The Old Testament and Christians practice their faith in temples known 2005-03-29T00:20:07-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/World-Religions--26424.aspx What is Karma? "It's like the first law of thermodynamic energy by sir Isaac Newton, energy is neither lost nor destroyed it is merely transferred from one party to the next." This quote relates to karma, karma meaning- a distinctive aura, atmosphere, or feeling. Fundamental consciousness can be compared to a ground that receives imprints or seeds left by our actions. Once planted, these seeds remain in the ground of fundamental consciousness until the conditions for their germination and ripening have come together . . . The linking of the different steps of this process, from the causes, the initial acts, up to their consequences, present and future experiences or causation of actions. In the sense that good or positive energy omitted by one individual will transfer that energy among another being until such a time even if that energy has morphed into different forms it will eventually return to the person that created it. This is also true to it's opposite. (use examples such as if you were to cheat on a significant other hurting them while you are unharmed , in other words something done that is negative towards someone, that energy is then brought back to you in a negative way also, kind of like paying you back for the wrong you have done) Just like the saying "what goes around comes around". Buddhist strongly believe in karma their definition is- the law of karma, says only this: `for every event that occurs, there will follow another event whose existence was caused by the first, and this second event will be pleasant or unpleasant according as its cause was skilful or unskilful.' A skilful event is one that is not accompanied by craving, resistance or delusions; an unskilful event is one that is accompanied by any one of those things. Therefore, the law of Karma teaches that responsibility for unskilful actions is born by the person who commits them. A criminal, for example, incurs more than legal punishment or terror of discovery; the results of his crime affect his personality either by coarsening it or by afflicting him with remorse; that coarsening or affliction will in turn produce results; and those results, yet others. Thus, whether or not legal punishment follows, the consequences of wrongdoing are severe. A Buddhist, knowing that his severest judge and executioner are himself and that sentence by this judge is mandatory, understands that virtue and 2005-03-27T11:03:45-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/What-is-Karma-26422.aspx The Theme of Escape in The Glass Menagerie In The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams uses the theme of escape to help drive the play forward. None of the characters are capable of living in the real world. Laura, Amanda, Tom and Jim use various methods to escape the brutalities of life. Laura retreats into a world of glass animals and old records. Amanda is obsessed with living in her past. Tom escapes into his world of poetry writing and movies. Jim also reverts to his past and remembers the days when he was a high school hero. Mr. Wingfield is referred to often throughout the play. He is the ultimate symbol of escape. This is because he has managed to remove himself from the desperate situation that the rest of the family is still living in. The fire escape helps develop the theme of the story. This entrance into the apartment provides a different purpose for each of the characters. The fire escape allows Tom the opportunity to escape the apartment and get away from his nagging mother. Amanda sees the fire escape as an opportunity for gentleman callers to enter their lives. Laura's view is different from her mother and her brother. Her escape seems to be hiding inside the apartment, not out. Laura finds herself escaping at every turn. She induces sickness in her typing class and even as a gentleman caller waits in the living room. Another escape for Laura is her glass 2005-03-27T10:24:43-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Theme-of-Escape-in-The-Glass-Menagerie-26406.aspx Conservative Judaism: Inception, History and Way Of Life "The term "Conservative" had been attached to the moderates by the Reformers because the moderates had branded them as radicals. This name hardly describes the movement aptly. Conservative Judaism, is the American version of the principles of positive historical Judaism. The conservatives accept the findings of modern scholarship that Judaism is the product of a long period of growth and evolution. However, this process did not result in broken or inconsistent lines of development; quite the contrary, the major currents of Judaism run consistently through the extensive literature of the Jewish people, created in successive ages." (Rudavsky 338) Conservative Judaism is one of the largest of the various sects of Judaism. Conservative Jews make up about 40-45% of those Jews who affiliate. Conservative Judaism accepts the idea that Jewish law is binding upon Jews. Conservative Jews have an obligation to obey all the teachings and commandments of Judaism., For example, Conservative Jews emphasize the laws of keeping the Sabbath and keeping kosher. Conservative Jews believe that Jewish law is capable of evolution as humans learn more about interpreting the Torah. Therefore, Conservative Jews have changed some of the earlier interpretations. Men and women worship together in Conservative synagogues, people may ride in a car on the Sabbath to attend services, and women can be ordained as rabbis. "Issac Leeser is generally regarded as the principal forerunner of Conservative Judaism in the United States. A native of Westphalia, Lesser acquired his religious and secular education before coming to American in 1824. He settled in Richmond, Virginia, where he was employed for several years in his uncle's business. At the same time, he assisted the hazzan in the religious school of the local Sephardic congregation. During this period, he gained prominence by publishing numerous articles in defense of Jews and Judaism in American and foreign journals."(Dimont 231) Some Jews who affiliate with the Conservative sect claim that their main reason for belonging is the fact that they don't want to be Orthodox nor Reformed. "While some individuals describe themselves as Conservative because of their alienation from Orthodox practices, others define themselves from the opposite direction - they point out that they are not reform." (Sklare 206) For the most part, Conservative Jews feel that if one were to be reformed they would not really be Jewish. The Reformed sect, unlike the conservative do not obey most of 2005-02-28T02:40:22-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Conservative-Judaism-Inception,-History-and-Way-Of-Life-26344.aspx Krishna Worship And Its Place In Indian Religion In the Gita Govinda one must be able to look though the graphic eroticism to truly see the religious message presented by Jayadeva. Unlike other Indian religious text or teaching such as the Dhhammapada and The Laws of Manu, which are more direct in delivering their messages the Gita Govinda uses symbols to illustrate its religious principles. The Gita Govinda is an example of Bhakti or devotional Hinduism. In the Gita, Rada's love for Krishna the supreme incarnation of Vishnu represents mans ability to have a personal relationship with his god. The images presented and the messages of the Gita Govinda are quite different from Buddhist and Upanishadic teachings but one can still see aspects of their influence on the Bhakti tradition. The form of both the Dhammapada and The Laws of Manu is more along the lines of teacher reciting rules and consequences if rules are broken to a group of students or knowledge seekers. The Gita Govinda on the other hand is the poem with very special meter that should to be accompanied by a dancer and music when recited. The Gita is much less direct in it messages which is told through an erotic love story. The Gita can reach a greater audience than the other previously mentioned works simply because of its appeal as story as well as an art. In the Dhammapada and Laws of Manu passion and desire are seen as evil. This view is not shared in the Gita Govinda where Rada's passion for Krishna is the constant theme and focus of the poem. In the Dhammapada the Buddha says things such as "...passion will break through the unguarded mind." (Dhammapada 36) while Manu, in the Laws of Manu comments on desire saying, "Acting out of desire is not approved of..." (Laws of Manu 16) Rada's desire to be with Krishna and to share his love becomes her only reason for wanting to live. This devotion to Krishna is what eventually beings them back together and is also what defines the Bhakti religious movement in Hinduism. In the Gita Govinda the idea that Krishna is not simply the supreme deity but also that he is capable of having a one on one spiritual relationship with a human is what makes this religious story unique. 2005-02-23T08:35:57-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Krishna-Worship-And-Its-Place-In-Indian-Religion-26318.aspx Buddhism/Hinduism Comparison Report The world has many different religions. Asia has had many religions spring up. Out of these Buddhism and Hinduism are the most popular beliefs in the general population. Hinduism is the oldest known religion and is very rich with literally hundreds of gods, symbolistic rituals and beliefs. It is believed to have been established around 1500 B.C. but one person never founded Hinduism as it evolved over a long period of time. Buddhism on the other hand has a definite founder, Siddhartha Gautama who is otherwise known as the Buddha or Enlightened One who lived from 565 to 483 B.C. Both these religions originated in India. Siddhartha Gautama was a Hindu who found Hindu theology lacking and after years of searching for truth created a religion now known as Buddhism. Because of these basic similarities, the two religions have much in common, but in the same light they differ immensely. Hinduism and Buddhism both have numerous gods and both follow the same paths to ultimately achieve Nirvana (a place where all the enlightened beings reside). "He set himself forty-eight vows to fulfill, which, he proclaimed, would allow him to reach Nirvana." (Encarta 98, "Amitabha,") This is about one man who makes rules for himself so that he can get into Nirvana. The concept of a god or gods in Buddhism is almost void and therefore in the eyes of some not even a religion. Hindus have many gods governing different aspects of Hindu life. The three main gods in Hinduism are Vishnu who is the sustainer; Brahma is the creator and Shiva the destroyer. They are referred as Trimuti. Most Hindu gods are associated with animals and therefore Hindus feel that being a vegetarian is vital. Cows are sacred in Hinduism and are worshipped as the divine mother, making eating beef taboo. Buddhism involves meditation and prayer. In Buddhism, one must understand the four noble truths which are the truth of suffering, the truth of the origin of suffering, the truth of cessation, and the truth of the path. These all follow the Eightfold path, which describes the ways in which one must live. Hindu scriptures advocate the pursuit of many goals in ones life including righteous living, wealth, prosperity, love and happiness. The ultimate goal is to achieve Nirvana. Following these steps and pleasing all these gods ensures ones ticket to achieving Nirvana. Both Hinduism and Buddhism have 2005-02-23T08:21:46-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Buddhism-Vs-Hinduism,-Comparison-Essay-26309.aspx Enlightened Questioners The men, who made the enlightenment happen, questioned the morals of the society they were in. The men in the concept of Truth and modern thought questioned the basics they were taught. Men from the Modern thought era, would have probably not been able to pioneer without the men from the enlightenment, but used their theories, as a playground for the ideas of the Modern Thought Era, and changed every law known to man. Philosophers such as Locke and Voltaire had the same exact same ideas as some modern thinkers, except that they applied them to society. Voltaire for example criticized the church, and the old regime. Fredrich Nietzsche also believed in how many problems there were in any structured conventionally. The only difference that they had, is that Voltaire believed in a constitutional monarchy. The times were also changing then, the government's were becoming more and more liberal, while in Nietzsche's time, and the government was still liberal and not developing much. Voltaire called the church, "The Infamous Thing", while Nietzsche said "God Is dead", showing how much each hated the church. Nietzsche was a bit more explicit in his work, covering many topics, while Voltaire basically wrote, and or fought against the church, and for the English government, as well as Aristocracy of Talent. A philosophe that Nietzsche would not like especially would be Cessare Beccaria, because he set more standards in the Police "system", but tried to make the church step down from the police judgment affairs. Someone who would get along with Cesare Becaria, even though he radicalized a different subject, would have been Charles Darwin. He also believed that the church should step down, but step down from the theory of evolution. Darwin said that "man and ape evolved from the same common ancestor" meaning that God had no hand in the development of man. While Beccaria, stated "Much of current punishment is based on original sin, and that sin would be dealt with in the afterlife, so the criminals should only serve the half of the punishment on Earth. Darwin believed that God made man into man, was a man made taboo, just like Beccaria believed that the crime equaled the absence of law which equaled a social construct. While the only way Darwin affected society, besides the shock that God had not created man, was applied by Social Darwinism. Social Darwinism applies to the 2005-02-21T03:53:19-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Enlightened-Questioners,-Philosophers-26292.aspx Some of the most important writings of the Apostolic Age were those of the new testament and the Apocryphal writings. These apocryphal writings resembled the New Testament writings, and many of them fell into the literary categories of gospel, acts, letters, and apocalypse's. These writings did not belong neither to the New Testament canon nor did the writings recognize any of the fathers of the church. Some of the documents were written for initiates in groups such as the Gnostics. For the groups that claimed knowledge derived from a secret tradition, the works were genuinely apocryphal, which means, "books kept hidden." Others were written for open and general use in the churches of which their authors were members. Many of these simply failed to become accepted as part of the orthodox canon of the Bible. There are many different views toward Christians. From an intellectual point of view, Christians agree with others as far as to follow Christ, and many have viewed them as a people who believe in the divine inspiration of the entire Bible and that this bible is sufficient enough to guide us in the right direction concerning all of our matters of faith. They view us (myself being a Catholic) as a people who believe that the moral principles of Jesus are the absolute truth, and that the New Testament must be our only guide in religious faith. On the other hand, there are those who view Christians. On the other hand, There were those who had sworn that Christians were atheists. They claimed that Christians were Atheist because they did not worship traditional religion. People actually believed that Christians supported no religion at all and were nothing other than non believers. They had also claimed that Christians practiced incest among one another because of their family gatherings at dinner time. Although not everyone believed these stories, they were still spread throughout many of the religious communities. The celebrations and the belief in the real, physical presence of Christ in the Eucharist grew from the teachings of the evangelists and St. Paul. They made it plain to the apostolic Church that the Eucharistic elements were literally Jesus Christ continuing His saving mission among men. The Eucharist celebrations began because of the Christians devotion and faith of the Real Presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist. The celebration of the Eucharist is founded on our Catholic doctrine 2005-02-03T00:57:34-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Varying-Views-Toward-Christians-26256.aspx Confucianism, Daoism & Legalism Amidst the chaos of political instability and constant warring of the Zhou era, arose many intellectual thinkers that brought such profound impact in the field of politics, religion and philosophy. Even to the day, their influence can be espied in the many matters of China. Confucianism became the paramount school of thinking and later significant philosophies such as Daoism and Legalism gained immense recognition as well. Each party had their own proposals for creating an idealistic political society where the many problems they faced in their everyday lives could be eliminated. All three approaches were very distinct but at the same time, they contained certain similarities as well. In my reasoning, I find that Confucianism and Daoism could be paralleled in many ways to find several common grounds. On the other hand, Legalism goes on to take a more unique approach which was much different from the previous two. Kongzi (Confucius, a Latinized name) was born in 551 B.C.E., to a poor family of the lower nobility. Throughout his life, he relentlessly tried to gain an office with a prominent ruler of the time who was willing to adopt his various concepts. Unfortunately, Confucius died in 479 B.C.E., before such a change ever took place. However, he succeeded in winning over a handful of devote followers who continued his legacy and Confucianism later went on to become one of the most influential thought systems of Chinese history. Of his followers, Mencius and Xunzi became the most renown. Since Confucius did not succeed in completing a manual of his views, these followers had to derive their own interpretations of the system which now formulate, the Analects. The Analects portray an idealized gentleman, and his various duties in terms of the society, family and the rituals. Confucius explains about the way (Dao) which he believed, that if the people accepted its terms and were willing to abide, they would succeed in creating a utopian society. By the beginning of the common era, another philosophy emerges and gains wide acceptance among the commoners. Daoism, just like the predecessor and also as the name implies, puts emphasis on "the way," that a certain individual is to abide to. Even though the two systems had different concepts about the way, the common denominator of both schools was to achieve total harmony in the society. Confucianism focuses mainly on social order while Daoism puts its 2005-02-02T03:44:55-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Confucianism,-Daoism-amp-Legalism-26210.aspx Essay On Animism And The Contributions Of Thales, Anaximander, And Ana In the early times, before the beginning of human civilization and development of philosophy, people believed in the idea that Gods, who basically controlled every individual aspect of human existence, controlled the world. Some primitive people believed in the idea of Animism, or Hylozoism. (The belief that everything in the universe, especially material objects, have some kind of sole or is a living being.) These people believed that rocks, trees, and water had some kind of sole. Animism can still be seen today in Native American tribes as well as the Aboriginal people of Australia. Although the Greek culture didn't believe in Animism, an Ionian named Thales adopted this idea in his own way. Thales was born in the Greek city-state of Ionia in the mid 620's(BC.) Thales did not only study knowledge philosophy, but also practiced science, history, engineering, geography, and politics. Thales was the first of his time to propose theories of a primary substance that causes change, and supports the universe. Thales believed that water was this substance, and the essence of life. He also believed that it was made up of small Gods. Although his theories didn't prove to be right, such as spontaneous generation, or the theory that earthquakes were caused by waves, Thales is considered to be the father of philosophy. Anaximander was another Ionian who happened to be a philosopher. He knew Thales but disagreed with him in his theories. Anaximander wasn't only a philosopher, but a scientist and inventor. He is even credited for creating the first sundial. Anaximander believed in the theory of "apieron." Apieron is the unlimited, indeficit, indestructible substance out of which individual things are created with and destroyed. Although he believed apieron was real, he also believed that it was unexplainable. It would be like saying that the letter W explained the alphabet. He also believed that the formation of the world was due to the separation of opposites, and that the opposites were constantly at war. With these factors, he believed that moderation is the key to success. Although some of his theories were proved wrong, Anaximander was the first person to brush the theory of evolution and was the father of Astronomy and cosmology. Many of Anaximander's accomplishments are still regarded today. Anaximenes was another Greek philosopher who lived around the time of Anaximander. He was 2005-02-02T03:43:20-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Essay-On-Animism-And-The-Contributions-Of-Thales,-Anaximande-26209.aspx In comparing the ethical theories of the Epicureans, Aristotle, and the Stoics it’s found that they possess three separate ideas. These ideas are different in their individual beliefs; yet attempt to accomplish the same goals of creating an inner peace and sense of well being in their followers. Generally these three disciplines had distinctly separate ideas on how to set about accomplishing these goals; the Epicureans felt that the pursuit of pleasure was the correct path to enlightenment, while the Stoics had the idea that the conformation to strict laws regarding virtue was the proper path, and as for Aristotle, he held the middle ground in this debate of the minds, feeling that moderation was the key to complete happiness. Epicurus' ethics was a form of egoistic hedonism, meaning that the only thing essentially valuable is one's own pleasure. Anything else that has value is valuable merely as a means to securing pleasure for oneself. Epicurus associated this theory to a refined and individual view of the nature of pleasure, which lead him to recommend a virtuous, moderately frugal life as the best means to securing pleasure. His ethical theories find a foundation in the Aristotelian commonplace that the highest good is what is valued for its own sake, and not for the sake of anything else. Epicurus also agreed with Aristotle that happiness is the highest good. However, he disagreed with Aristotle by identifying happiness with pleasure. Epicurus gave two reasons for this. The main reason was that pleasure is the only thing that people do having value just for its own sake; that is, Epicurus' ethical hedonism is based upon his psychological hedonism. Everything we do, he claimed, we do for the sake of ultimately gaining pleasure for ourselves. This is supposedly confirmed by observing the obvious behavior of infants, who instinctively pursue pleasure and shun pain. The truth in this is also found in the behavior of adults, but in adults it is more difficult to see that this truth, since they have much more complicated beliefs about what will bring them pleasure. This hedonism was widely denounced in the ancient world as undermining traditional morality. "The trouble with Epicureanism is its assumption that the self is a bundle of natural appetites and passions, and that the end of life is their gratification. Experience shows that such a policy consistently pursued, brings not pleasure but pain to the 2005-02-02T03:40:51-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Ethics-Of-The-Hellenistic-World-26208.aspx Reproducibility of Man When Walter Benjamin wrote The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction in 1969, I am sure he didn’t expect it to parallel the arguments of today’s discussions on the ethics of cloning. In the short shadow of the replication of Dolly the sheep, and five little piglets from Virginia comes the discussion on if this practice should really be allowed, and if so, what limits do you set? How can you look in the eyes of people who have had there family members pass away because the cloning of pigs for their organs have been outlawed. But what do you say when it comes to the question of just raising humans, lets say in a “human farm”, for exact organ and tissue matches. Where do you draw the line on the recreation of things from our past? After finding the perfectly preserved wooly mammoth in the arctic a few years in the past, researchers from several nations have been actively collecting tissue from the remains of the wooly mammoth in preparation for an attempt to bring the beast back from ten thousand years of extinction (Salsberg 1). If you let scientists do this, do you restrict them from cloning mummified Pharos from ancient Egypt, for historical purposes only right? Another issue of cloning a person is the civil rights of those cloned, do you dispose of them if something goes wrong. The practice of cloning, which oddly resembles the disaster of Frankenstein, needs to be restricted in some way, or we all will be living in some sort of odd parallel universe. According to a collaboration of public opinion polls from 1997 when Dolly was first cloned, 87% of Americans believed that the practice of cloning should be banned. Yet the scientists of the world continue to actively pursue this area of science. After doing much research on the internet I came across article after article by Doctors who where so excited about the “miracle” of cloning. Some, even more terrifying, think of the clones as being maintained as mere organ farms, manufactured for their spare parts by persons anticipating the need for transplanting hearts or kidneys, livers or lungs (Ferre 2). While it might sound ethical to recreate a pig for medical purposes you are still sacrificing the life of that animal. But is right to raise a copy of yourself just in case 2005-02-02T03:37:39-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Reproducibility-of-Man-26207.aspx Politics of Plato and Aristotle To compare the political theories of two great philosophers of politics is to first examine each theory in depth. Many experts regard Plato as the first writer of political philosophy, and Aristotle is recognized as the first political scientist. These two men were great thinkers. They each had ideas of how to improve existing societies during their individual lifetimes. It is necessary to look at several areas of each theory to seek the difference in each. The main focus of Plato is a perfect society. He creates a blueprint for a utopian society, in his book “The Republic”. This blueprint was a sketch of a society in which the problems he thought were present in his society would be eased. He lived in times of Peloponnesian War, the time of sunset of Athenian democracy. In addition, he had witnessed Socrates’ trial and execution. Shocked by corruption of Athenian democracy and politics he refused to participate in political life. He believed that neither rational state nor moral individual could be obtained under the rule of democracy. In his works he mentions three dangers that he thought were present in democratic society. Plato believed that common man could not think intelligently about foreign policies, economic, and other state’s matters. He also thought that leaders in democracy were chosen by reasons such a good look, family background, and other non-essential reasons. The third danger was that too much liberty for citizens could turn a democracy to anarchy. In his utopian society Plato sought to cure the afflictions of both human society and human personality. Essentially, Plato wanted to achieve a perfect society. Aristotle, unlike Plato, is not concerned with perfecting society. He just wants to improve on the existing one. Rather than produce a blueprint for the perfect society, Aristotle suggested, in his work, ‘The Politics’, that the society itself should reach for the best possible system that could be attained. He thought that utopia is an abstract solution, a solution that has no concrete problem. There is no solid evidence that all societies are in need of such drastic reformation as Plato suggests. Aristotle discovers that the best possible has already been obtained. All that can be done is to try to improve on the existing one. Plato's utopia consists of three distinct, non-hereditary class systems. The highest class was Guardians. The Guardians consist of non-ruling Guardians and ruling Guardians. The non-rulers 2005-02-02T03:36:25-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Politics-of-Plato-and-Aristotle-26206.aspx Plato's Allegory of the Cave compared to the human condition The Allegory Because of how we live, true reality is not obvious to most of us. However, we mistake what we see and hear for reality and truth. This is the basic premise for Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, in which prisoners sit in a cave, chained down, watching images cast on the wall in front of them. They accept these views as reality and they are unable to grasp their overall situation: the cave and images are a ruse, a mere shadow show orchestrated for them by unseen men. At some point, a prisoner is set free and is forced to see the situation inside the cave. Initially, one does not want to give up the security of his or her familiar reality; the person has to be dragged past the fire and up the entranceway. This is a difficult and painful struggle. When individuals step into the sunshine, their eyes slowly accommodate to the light and their fundamental view of the world, of reality, is transformed. They come to see a deeper, more genuine, authentic reality: a reality marked by reason. The individual then makes the painful readjustment back into the darkness of the cave to free the prisoners. However, because he now seems mad -describing a new strange reality - they reject him to the point of threatening to kill him. Plato’s Allegory of the Cave is a direct representation of the human condition, the circumstances we as humans presently encounter, circumstances such as conceptual frameworks, or basic beliefs, and our typical behaviors in society. The allegory metaphorically describes our situation as human beings in the world today. In his story, Plato utilizes several key elements to portray his metaphor of the human condition. Plato’s image contains pertinent ideas about society that are relevant to my everyday life. Through his reading, I have begun to discover the ideal form, the use of reason over perception to approach, view, and judge all things. Prisoners, watching life unfold on the cave wall in front of them, accepting what they see as truth, as reality, are literally people. Every average person in this world is a prisoner, chained down. These chains that bind the prisoners to the floor are beliefs. Take clothes for instance, a person may not have very much money, so they should not spend enormous amounts on clothing, but the 2005-02-02T03:35:10-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Plato-s-Allegory-of-the-Cave-compared-to-the-human-condition-26205.aspx Humanism is the philosophical idea that emphasizes the dignity and worth of the individual. The term humanism is most often used to describe a literary and cultural movement that spread through Florence, Venice, Pisa, Milan, Rome and other Italian cities in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. It involved a revival of study of the ancient Latin and Greek authors and trying to see what they actually meant. The time in which humanism grew was called the Renaissance, which means rebirth. Humanism expressed a confidence in humanity’s ability to exert control over nature or to shape society according to its needs and desires. There are many different forms of humanism and it exists in different parts of the world. The collection and translation of classical manuscripts became widespread, especially among the nobility and higher clergy. The invention of printing with movable type “gave a further impetus to humanism through dissemination of editions of the classics” (Encarta 1). Although in Italy humanism developed principally in the fields of literature and art, the movement extended into the fields of theology and education, and was a major underlying cause of the Reformation. Neither religion nor God was rejected by humanists. Their goal was to remove religion as a “prime dominating and obstructive force in their lives and to establish it as one of several institutions in society” (Compton’s 2). Religion was seen to have a logical civil function because it no longer pointed only toward heaven as mankind’s main goal; it opened the possibility of happiness and prosperity on Earth. This attitude toward religion helped create tolerance among humanists. Because they believed in the unity of all truth, “they regarded diverse religious points of view as expressions of that one truth” (Compton’s 2). It took several centuries of conflict and effort before the idea of general religious tolerance became widely accepted. By the late fourteenth century, the term studia humanitatis (humanistic studies) had come to mean a well-defined cycle of education, including the study of rhetoric, poetry, grammar, moral philosophy, and history. One of the most influential scholars in the development of humanism in France was the Dutch cleric Desiderius Erasmus. He also played an important part in introducing the humanism movement into England (Encarta 1). From the universities in England, humanism also spread throughout “English 2005-02-01T00:57:20-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Humanism-Research-paper--26188.aspx A man dies. His community's culture deems that he be buried in holy ground lest the community suffer some catastrophe. He, having always been at odds with his community on this point, has left a provision in his will that he be cremated and his ashes scattered into the ocean. The body waits in the hospital while the community debates the issue. What is to be done? The elders have asked for a moral opinion. What is one to say? If the belief that the man must be buried is one deeply ingrained in the hearts and minds of the community, then a decision to cremate him would cause an uproar. On the other hand, if there are some who sympathize with the man, either decision might cause a schism within the community. The ultimate action would have to depend on much more than the culture's belief about burial. It would have to take into account the culture's beliefs on individual rights, freedom of belief, and the validity of the man's will. It would also have to take into account the moral implications of carrying out a man's dying wish and the repercussions of violating a sacred social institution. This is not a decision to be taken lightly, but by stepping back and weighing the options carefully, one can come to a conclusion which would be the most moral given the situation. I say most moral because there really is no right choice here. Any action taken will most definitely be wrong to at least one group of people. Here no plea can be made to universal morality because neither belief in its specific sense appeals to any pure moral intuition. People on the other side of the world might have neither the belief that the man should be buried, nor the belief that his ashes should be spread. Each person's choice would be too influenced by his own cultural morality, and so nobody would really have a right to judge. Were I to be asked for an opinion on this matter, I feel I would have no authority in my response. It is really the community's choice, and I would be afraid to make a decision which affects people completely strange to me. I doubt they would ask me in the first place, but were I to be asked my opinion I would say that the man should be 2005-01-20T08:00:08-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Culture-and-Man-s-Dying-Wish-26170.aspx Cartesian Dualism Challenged In this paper, I will examine the issues of individuation and identity in Descartes’ philosophy of mind-body dualism. I will begin by addressing the framework of Cartesian dualism. Then I will examine the problems of individuation and identity as they relate to Descartes. Hopefully, after explaining Descartes’ reasoning and subsequently offering my response, I can show with some degree of confidence that the issues of individuation and identity offer a challenge to the Cartesians’ premise of mind-body dualism. Before diving into a critical examination of these two issues, it would be wise to first discuss the basis of Descartes’ philosophy. Descartes begins his discussion of mind by first disregarding everything that he can call into doubt. After this mental cleansing, Descartes is left only with the maxim that ‘I cannot doubt that I am doubting.’ From this conclusion, Descartes states that some entity must be doing this doubting, and claims that this entity is his mind. The Cartesian mind has only one property: thinking. Consequently, Descartes establishes a distinction between mind and body. The two share no characteristics, as the body does not indulge in thinking, the mind’s solitary function. Further, mind and body are independent of each other; mind can exist even in the absence of body. At the same time, Descartes does not doubt that “the mind begins to think as soon as it is implanted in the body of an infant.” Yet the mind does not need the body to engage in introspection, the action of thinking about thinking. Only introspection is immune from illusion, confusion, or doubt. Information about the world outside of mind is prone to these hazards. We cannot conclude with certainty that other minds exist. Thus, the Cartesian is left to what I would dub a lonely existence: “Even if [a Cartesian] prefers to believe that to other human bodies there are harnessed minds not unlike his own, he cannot claim to be able to discover their individual characteristics. Absolute solitude is on this showing the ineluctable destiny of the soul. Only our bodies can meet.” Now I will critically examine Descartes’ mind-body philosophy by addressing the issues of individuation and identity. First, I need to be clear about the issues I am addressing. In order to fully understand the problem of individuation, we need to focus on what the word individuation itself means. We can derive individuation from the Latin 2005-01-20T07:57:49-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/A-Challenge-to-Materialism--26168.aspx Socrates "The aim of those who practice philosophy in the proper manner is to practice for dying and death." This is a statement made by Socrates in "Phaedo". To some this may seem an absurd statement, as it did to Simmias and Cebes, the men to whom Socrates is speaking. In this essay I will show how Socrates proved his statement to his listeners through a series of defenses. I will present and evaluate these defenses here. After making this bold statement, Socrates first defends himself by first defining death. He questions his listeners until they all agree that death is nothing more than the separation of the body from the soul. The true philosopher does not worry about or fear this because he is not concerned with matters of the body. The true philosopher's goal is the attainment of knowledge and truth. They believe that this can only be attained through the soul, and that the body is a major obstacle to this attainment. This is evident in the statement that Socrates makes in line 66b "...... The body keeps us busy in a thousand ways because of its need for nurture. Moreover, if certain diseases befall it, they impede our search for the truth. It fills us with wants, desires, fears, all sorts of illusions and much nonsense, so that, as it is said, in truth and in fact no thought of any kind ever comes to us from the body." Because of this, the true philosopher tries to separate the soul from the body, because that is the only way knowledge and truth can be attained. Since death is the only way for philosophers to achieve their ultimate goal of separation of soul and body, Socrates says that it would be ridiculous for a man to train himself to live in a state as close to death as possible and then resent it when it comes. He compares this at 68a to men whom at the deaths of their lovers, wives, or sons, who are willing to go to the underworld to see them and be with them. In the same way, a philosopher and true lover of wisdom would not resent going to the only place where he knew he could achieve this knowledge. In his last statements Socrates discusses men who are brave because they 2005-01-08T09:06:19-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Socrates-and-his-Philosophy-26154.aspx Isolation In Society By American Literature The individual and his role in society, based on American Literature, is portrayed through many different characters, all sharing the same feelings of isolation. The feeling of isolation, in reference to Huckleberry Finn , is a choice that Huck Finn brings on himself. Throughout rebellion towards his father, Huck tries to find his true self by isolating himself from societies views and beliefs. In the novel Great Gatsby , by F. Scoot Fitzgerald, Jay Gatsby was isolated from the outside world by society. Throughout many examples of American Literature we are aware that isolation was not a pleasurable state of freedom, but more like a state of imprisonment brought on by society. In Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, Lenny was isolated by societies fear of difference. Society was prejudice against Lenny's differences. This caused isolation in both societies standards and in Lenny's mind. Throughout many images portrayed by American Literature, the recurring theme of isolation is a role that each character takes on based on societies beliefs, views, and prejudices. Isolation played a key role of the character development in Huckleberry Finn. Twain carefully selected ways to show isolation in Huck's life based on societies views of his adventures, thoughts, and of his feelings toward slavery. Huck's beliefs in issues that society condoned isolated him from the "normal" state of living that everyone else practiced. This same view that society cast upon Huck was also thrust upon Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby . Because of his wealth and his self-removal from gossip and other immoral issues, that society thrives on, Jay too, was isolated. Maybe this state of seclusion was brought on by society but Nick Carraway demonstrated that, "Once banishment is brought on by others, it is soon picked up within." (Fitzgerald, Great; 86) Hester Prinne also demonstrates a state of solitariness, in The Scarlet Letter. After society condemns her actions she goes into seclusion and lives in her own state of peace. This is brought on by societies harsh judgments. This leads to total isolation of their views in Hester's mind. She knows that there is a difference between her beliefs and societies views of morals. These beliefs, that she has come to accept, yet curse at the same time, cause her to continue 2005-01-08T08:38:51-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Isolation-In-Society-By-American-Literature-26149.aspx The Spread Of Lutheranism In 1517, Martin Luther challenged papal authority and what he saw as the commercialization of his faith. Luther's primary concern was the sale of indulgences--papal grants of reduced punishment in the afterlife, including releases from purgatory. Luther challenged the secular orientation of the Roman Catholic Church and, more fundamentally, the authority of pope and church in matters of faith, affirming instead the authority of Holy Scripture and salvation by faith alone. In the process, Luther changed the course of European and world history and established the second major faith in Europe-Protestantism. Luther's disagreements with the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church set off a chain of events that within a few decades destroyed the Catholic Church religious unity. Although one of the most influential figures in German history, Luther was only one of many who were critical of the Roman Catholic Church. However, because of the power of his ideas and the enormous influence of his writings, it is he who is regarded as the initiator of the Protestant Reformation. Luther quickly acquired a large following among those disgusted by rampant church corruption and unfulfilled by mechanistic religious services. Many warmed to his contention that religion must be simplified into a close relationship of human beings with God without the extensive mediation of the Roman Catholic Church and its accretion of tradition. Luther magnified the inherent potency of his ideas by articulating them in a language that was without rival in clarity and force. He strove to make the Scriptures accessible to ordinary worshipers by translating them into vernacular German. A less exalted reason for the wide distribution of Luther's doctrines was the development of printing with movable type. Luther's doctrines spread rapidly throughout Germany and most of Europe. The Reformation created a demand for all kinds of religious writings. Luther's ideas soon coalesced into a body of doctrines called Lutheranism. Powerful supporters such as princes and free cities accepted Lutheranism for many reasons, some because they sincerely supported reform, others out of narrow self-interest (many German princes, hoping to subordinate a German national church to the authority of the sovereign states and thus further consolidate their power). In some areas, a jurisdiction would adopt Lutheranism because a large neighboring state had done so. In other areas, rulers accepted it because they sought to retain control over their subjects who had embraced it earlier. Nearly all the imperial cities became 2005-01-06T03:07:41-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Spread-Of-Lutheranism-26128.aspx Colin Radford, an English philosopher, published a paper in 1975 in which he outlined his “Paradox of Fiction.” A paradox is an instance where two or more statements that are by themselves true, contradict each other. Radford’s paradox is based on three premises which he claim to all be true. The first is that for one to have an emotional response to a story one must believe that that story actually exists or has existed. The second premise is that such beliefs are often lacking when we read stories, and the third is that we clearly have emotional responses to works of fiction. Because these premises contradict each other Radford came to the conclusion that emotional responses to fictional characters and events are “irrational, incoherent, and inconsistent.” Due to the fact that this appears to be a valid conclusion if the premises are true philosophers have questioned the premises the conclusion is based upon. The conclusion is in correct not because the logic is wrong but because they premises are incorrect. Emotions are unexplained and therefore it is impossible to In separate attacks against each of the premises philosophers have used logic to show how all of the premises could be untrue, therefore proving the paradox nonexistent and the conclusion invalid. Emotions aren’t understood. They are a product of our brain, something we fail to completely understand the operations of. Emotions are one of the most complex and enigmatic products of the brain. As a result of our lack of understanding of why we have certain emotions in certain situations there is no way of proving that we can only feel emotions to events we think are real. Because there is no proof either way philosophers can only attempt to find the most logical answer to this problem. Many, including R.T. Allen who wrote, “A novel…is not a presentation of facts. But true statements can be made about what happens in it and beliefs directed towards those events can be true or false. …Once we realize that truth is not confined to the factual, the problem disappears,” is an advocate of this position. I know from my own experience that I often have stronger emotional responses to characters in movies and books that I know are fake than to people I see on the evening news. The emotions we experience in response to fictional stories aren’t the same type of emotions that 2005-01-04T12:56:50-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Colin-Radford-Paradox-of-Fiction-26121.aspx Chinese Culture In Andrew Nathan's article, "Is Chinese Culture Distinctive? - A Review Article," he attempts to compare and contrast two types of research approaches to answer the question, is Chinese culture truly unique. Nathan analyzes the hermeneutic approach versus the positivist approach. The article explains the differences and similarities between the two approaches and uses Chinese Culture as the means to explain the approaches. Although the topic of the uniqueness of culture is an interesting topic, Nathan does not specifically state what makes culture, moreover Chinese culture, unique. Instead the article describes the difference of opinion in the hermeneutic argument versus the positivist argument. The article uses comparison to define the differences of Chinese culture versus other cultures. Nathan states in the beginning of his paper, "In analyzing differences, two operations are involved: abstraction (of characteristic to be compared) and comparison. These moves are often made in order to take a third step: to use the differences in culture to explain a difference in some societal outcome..." (Nathan, 924). Obviously, Chinese culture, like any other culture, is filled with its' own traditions and history which makes it unique to its people. What is lacking, however, is the comparison of Chinese culture to other Asian, or Eastern, cultures. Western culture versus Eastern culture is filled with greater differences then that of within Eastern culture. However, what makes Chinese culture different from that of any other Asian culture was not explained. Furthermore, comparing the differences between two Eastern cultures would better answer the question of whether or not Chinese culture truly is distinctive. Nathan states that the hermeneutic approach "views culture as a historically shaped, socially shared set of symbols..." (Nathan, 924) while the positivist approach view "... culture as a distribution among a population of specifiable and identifiable attitudes, values, and beliefs" (Nathan, 928) and further goes to say that the correct method of studying culture is neither one approach or another, but rather a mixture of the two. Within his analysis of the two approaches, characteristics of Chinese cultures are touched upon. Nathan, however, never goes passed the normal stereotypes of Chinese culture and thus does not analyze Chinese culture in depth. The article mentions the stereotypical characteristics of Chinese culture such as ancestral worship and universal kinship. Both ideas, however 2005-01-03T04:45:34-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Chinese-Culture-Article-Discussion-26117.aspx Kantianism And Utilitarinism III. In Kantianism reason is the sole authority for determining what is ethical and what is ethical must be based on a principle or rule that that must apply to every human being universally, without exception. The rule is based on what Kant calls the Categorical Imperative- they base morality on universal laws or rules and not on individual interests or desires. Universal Law is any personal moral rule that can be applied to all human beings without exception. Kant feels that a person should be praised or blamed for their actions based on the intentions with which they acted. He did not believe that one should consider the morality (rightness or wrongness) of an act on the basis of the act's consequences. Therefore a person's motives are the major factor in determining whether a specific action is moral. The focus is on the act and the intention with which it was done rather than on its consequences. The basic principle of utilitarianism is that actions are right to the degree that they promote the greatest good for the greatest number. The general idea is to come up with the greatest amount of happiness among the greatest number of people. The consequences of an act is the only way for determining the moral quality of an act, that is the consequences in terms of happiness produced by an act. Every human act has as its goal happiness, which is looked at in terms of producing positive effects for oneself and loved ones. Utilitarianism differs from Kantianism in that they (utilitarians) understood that our individual actions cannot take into account every human being (as Kant's Categorical Imperative suggests) but rather those who are closest to us. Kant based much on the intentions of the person performing the act where as Utilitarianism looks at the act and judges it according to the amount of positive feeling in the largest number of people. Kant believed that the moral law must be observed and every human is to be treated with respect. Human beings are not to be viewed as a means to an end but as ends in themselves. Utilitarianism also believe that humans are to be treated with respect but that respect must take into account the real, everyday situations in which people live. An example of Kantianism 2005-01-03T04:18:48-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Kantianism-And-Utilitarinism-III-26116.aspx Winning isn't everything it's the only thing" is a harsh reality in today's dog eat dog society. Vince Lombardi the author of this quote was a football coach who took the worst team in the league, the Green Bay Packers, and made them into a perennial powerhouse. He was and still is considered to be one of the best coaches ever to coach in the sport of football. His statement holds true in today's game because it is both the athletes and the coach's goal to be the best in their profession. Other coaches who are still coaching developed similar philosophies about sport " winning isn't all that matters. I don't care how many games you win, it's how many championships you win that counts." (Messner P46) All athletes, who play sports, play for that chance to be a champion. Not only do athletes and organizations strive to be number one, but so to do those in the 'real world' that work everyday jobs. People in the work force also strive to be the best at their jobs because with success come rewards. This may be a selfish reason to be successful but without it the world would not be as advanced as it is today. Many sources were used in order to fully understand what Vince Lombardi really stood for. A very helpful source used was ESQUIRE magazine. It included an article printed in 1997 entitled "When football mattered", by David Maraniss. This article described Lombardi's coaching style and how the players respected him and how he respected his players. Athletes who have played for Lombardi spoke on how his coaching philosophy helped them become better players and better people. The article also spoke of how Lombardi lived for football and how he thought about it constantly. This article was a key component of this essay because it expresses how the athletes felt about their coach and how the coach treated his players. The official Vince Lombardi website was another useful source. Vince Lombardi Jr. set up this site. It gave the reader a summary of the many achievements Vince Lombardi achieved throughout his coaching career. There was also a brief review of his famous speech "What it takes to be no. 1". The speech explained how Lombardi thought football should be played and the discipline, commitment, and sacrifice that was needed to be number one. The Toronto sun also 2005-01-03T03:58:44-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Coach-Vince-Lombardi-and-His-Philosophy-Is-Winning-everything-26112.aspx Fated To be Free Fate, is it fact or fiction? Do we believe that we are completely free to do what ever we want and that we alone create our destiny, or are we fated to follow some decided path and no matter what we do we are predestined to live out our life according to someone's plan? Now maybe the bigger question is how do we justify which way is right and which is wrong. I believe that each person develops their own opinion through personal encounters and experiences, and the only correct path is the one that the person believes in and lets that person live their life to its fullest. The people who truly believe in the whole concept of fate are the ones who have it easy. They can look at any situation and say that the outcome, whatever it may be, is because of fate and was meant to be. These are the people who can go skydiving with no fear because they believe that if it is their fate to live, great, if it's their fate to die, well hell it was meant to be. They take the responsibility of their life out of their own hands and put it into the hands of a mystic force called fate. Now that is one hell of a concept. Personally, if I 'm going to do something crazy and stupid, I will be sure all the proper precautions are taken and not count on fate to handle all the details. Then there are the people who believe that their life is completely in their hands and they themselves mold their destiny through their choices and actions. To me this opinion requires way too much worrying and stress on their part if they truly practice it in their daily lives. But it also provides a sense of freedom and independence to do with your life as you please and live your life how you want it. To me, these types of people generally don't take as many risks as the others because they are worried about the consequences that might damage the life they have created. It is like when you build a pyramid out of playing cards. You pick out the best looking cards, the strong and secure ones, and are always ever so careful placing each pair on so that you don't knock down the entire thing. A 2004-12-29T06:18:19-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/A-Composition-on-Fate-26081.aspx The Legend Of Saint Patrick True history and legend are mixed together when it comes to St. Patrick. It is known that he was born in Scotland and was kidnapped and sold in Ireland as a slave. He became fluent in the Irish language before making his escape to the continent. Eventually he was established as a minister, then priest and finally as a bishop. Pope Celestine then sent him back to Ireland to lecture the gospel. Evidently he was a great traveller, especially in Celtic countries, as innumerable places in Brittany, Cornwall, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland are named after him. It is here that actual history become difficult to separate. Patrick is known all over the world mostly because he is thought to have driven the snakes out of Ireland. Different tales tell of his standing upon a hill, using a wooden staff to drive the serpents into the sea, banishing them forever from the shores of Ireland. One legend says that one old serpent resisted, but the saint captured it by tricking it. He is said to have made a box and invited the reptile to enter. The snake insisted the box was too small and the discussion became very heated. Finally the snake entered the box to prove he was right, as soon as he entered St. Patrick slammed the lid and cast the box into the sea. While it's true that there are no snakes in Ireland, chances are that there never have been since the time the island was separated from the rest of the continent at the end of the ice age. In many old pagan religions, serpent symbols were common, and possibly even worshipped. Driving the snakes from Ireland was probably symbolic of putting an end to that pagan practice. Though he wasn't the first to bring Christianity to Ireland, it was Patrick who encountered the Druids at Tara and abolished their pagan rites. He converted the warrior chiefs and princes, baptizing them and thousands of their subjects in the Holy Wells which still bear that name. Accoriding to legend, St. Patrick died on March 17th in A.D. 493 and was buried in the same grave as St. Bridget and St. Columba, at Downpatrick, County Down. The jawbone of St. Patrick was preserved in a silver shrine and was often requested in times of childbirth, epileptic fits and as a preservative against the evil eye. Another legend 2004-12-28T07:53:01-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Legend-Of-Saint-Patrick-26073.aspx Plato believes it is the role of a central government to determine what positions people will have in society. This belief alludes to the ideals of communism or totalitarian socialism, but Plato’s ideas have many deviations from these schools of thought. Plato’s Republic organizes labor through a government run education system that identifies proper roles for each citizen. He justifies this theory of government with his theory of justice. Plato believes justice exists when three parts of a man’s soul, reason, appetite, and spirit, are in harmony with that person’s role in society. It seems that what links most theories of government is their reliance on a theory of justice. The classical liberal theory of justice, that was the foundation for the American Republic, was one that stated that a just society was one in which everyone was treated equally in front of the law. The theory stated that men must be allowed to use whatever skills they had at their disposals to advance their personal fortunes. More collectivist theories of justice hold that a just society must be one in which all people have not only equality of opportunity but equality of the end results of an economy. They don’t feel anyone should be able to use the work of another for their own personal gain. The ideas Plato outlined in the Republic reject the freedom allowed in a liberal country but outline a system of class distinctions that is contrary to collectivist and socialist ideas. His theory is certainly closer to collectivist theories, primarily because he puts the needs of the many over the rights of the one. Some other differences arise from differing ideas about what makes people happy. Plato writes that people are happy when they are fulfilling their proper role in society. Communist theory states that people are happiest when they are working for the collective good of society. An important aspect of Platonic theory to explore is whom he puts in charge. In Plato’s society the country is run by a group called the “Philosopher Kings” who are chosen by his fair public education system. Even though this ruling class would be made up of the smartest and most able in society it would still be a tyranny. Plato felt that any democracy was fatally flawed because the public could be convinced to vote for bad proposals whereas an intellectual elite could be counted on 2004-12-28T07:40:21-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Plato-s-Republic-and-Modern-Politics-26069.aspx Throughout Athanasius’s account of St. Anthony’s life, Anthony is besieged by demons sent by the Devil to destroy him. His religious devotion is unwavering and he remains in perfect shape even though he seems to be starved and prays all day. Anyone reading that today would immediately say it’s a romanticized account of someone’s life with some obviously fictional accounts. One of the main reasons ancient peoples would be more likely to regard the story as truth was a belief in mysticism. Even when the church was much more developed in Europe in the middle ages the masses still believed in spirits and magic. Today our society has embraced logic and science and there is no room for a story like this to make it into the mainstream. In a society where there is a strong belief in the Devil and a lack of much scientific understanding many bad events will be blamed on the Devil or some other evil force. The stories in which Anthony is attacked by demons sent by the Devil or is confronted by the Devil disguised are only credible to people living in such a society. Today many religious people still believe in the Devil or in some cosmic force of evil they don’t attribute every bad occurrence and decision to the Devil and most don’t believe the Devil comes down and tests people. The Enlightenment brought the idea of using scientific reasoning to explain problems to the general public. In school we learn what is rational and what is not. Kids sometimes even like to trick each other into thinking things that aren’t true. By finding out the truth kids learn not to be gullible and they use their past knowledge and experiences to evaluate everything they hear and determine whether they think it’s true or not. All of these factors make questioning the story of St. Anthony a no-brainer for a modern audience. When a movie comes out that’s based on a historical event or someone’s life it’s factualness is immediately questioned in the media. It is assumed that the filmmaker has a certain bias and is trying to market the movie to a specific audience. In the movie A Beautiful Mind the story of mathematician John Nash was watered down to make the story appeal to more moviegoers. If that was the only record of his life historians had to look at they may 2004-12-28T07:33:43-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Athanasius’s-Account-of-St_-Anthony’s-Life-26067.aspx St. Augustine wrote about many different aspects of his life he considered sinful. The first part of the book is mainly autobiographical and it’s only later when he talks about his conversation to Neo-Platonism and then Christianity that he classifies his previous behavior as sinful and bemoans many of his previous actions. By the time his conversion was complete he viewed every act in which he put himself ahead of God as sinful. A sin he faults himself greatly for committing is allowing himself sexual freedom and having numerous partners. Although this is one of the sins he most condemns he also writes that it was the sin hardest to give up when he was trying to decide if he wanted to formally convert to Christianity. Augustine also attempts to provide another reason for his previous actions by speculating that these actions where a result of his love for God being somehow misdirected. In the beginning of Confessions Augustine writes about an incidence when he was a young boy and stole some pears with a group of boys from someone else’s tree. Theft is a fairly clear-cut sin. The issue of sexual relationships is a little more complicated. If both parties are willing participants then there is no victim from a legal standpoint. In Neo-Platonism all actions are considered good or evil. Under that definition it’s impossible to classify a voluntary sexual act as evil. Christianity goes deeper and asked the question of why the people are committing the sexual act. The answer to that would be to satisfy their selfish desires instead of acting on God’s will. Augstine also felt that the pursuit of sexual pleasure acted as a distraction from concentrating on religious matters. The victim under Augustine’s view of sin would be the souls of each participant. Some historians would argue that sex out of wedlock was only forbidden in Christianity because the founders of the religion wanted to set up families in such a way that would facilitate large numbers of children. Augustine’s arguments about how such sexual actions should be considered sins effectively defeats this argument. In fact using Augustine’s definitions of sin it seems to me that some sex inside wedlock could also be considered sinful depending on the motivations of the people involved in it. If the actions are purely for sexual gratification they can still fall into the sinful category. As much as Confessions can 2004-12-28T07:31:42-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/St_-Augustine-s-Confessions-26066.aspx Why was Abraham willing to sacrifice Isaac, and should he be considered an abusive parent? The question of why Abraham was willing to sacrifice Isaac goes directly to the question of how morals came about. Jews and Christians take their moral foundations from the Bible so it is hard to fault Abraham for being willing to sacrifice his son before he was told what was right and wrong by God and before the Ten Commandments were even dictated. Even so the idea of killing one’s own son is so horrifying to us today that is hard to imagine how anyone, in any time period could not be wrong in doing so. The fact that Abraham’s hand trembled when he moved his knife towards Isaac shows he deeply loved the boy, yet he didn’t hesitate in the task God put before him. The only explanation for his actions is that his devotion to God was stronger than any connection he could have with another human, even his son. I don’t think he can be considered an abusive parent for those actions in a time period without a legal system that forbad such actions. Not because a law makes something right or wrong but because among the Israelites there was no well-developed set of morals that could be compared to what God said. Today Abraham would have been jailed for those actions. Some murderers have claimed that they killed because God told them to, yet no effort has been made to validate their claims. Instead they have been locked up or executed (I think we can safely ignore the charges of animal cruelty in this example). I don’t think this contradicts the argument that our legal system was formed out of a Judeo-Christian moral foundation. It simply shows that because of our separation of church and state and more developed ideas on morality, some which actually come later in the Bible, those actions should now be considered criminal. If we analyze this part of Genesis by treating it as a myth we can ignore the question of what kind of father Abraham and ask the question of why it was put in the Bible. The Old Testament tells the history of the Ancient Israelites and it also teaches a set of morals and traditions. The ancient Israelites lived in a time when human sacrifices were practiced in many other surrounding cultures. This story 2004-12-28T07:27:02-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Abraham-Abusive-Parent-to-Isaac-26062.aspx Aristotle Refutes Plato Aristotle refutes Plato's Theory of Ideas on three basic grounds: that the existence of Ideas contradicts itself by denying the possibility of negations; that his illustrations of Ideas are merely empty metaphors; and that they theory uses impermanent abstractions to create examples of perception. Though the theory is meant to establish concrete standards for the knowledge of reality, Aristotle considers it fraught with inconsistencies and believes that the concept of reality depends upon all forms' correlations to other elements. Ideas, Plato believes, are permanent, self-contained absolutes, which answered to each item of exact knowledge attained through human thought. Also, Ideas are in Plato's view concrete standards by which all human endeavor can be judged, for the hierarchy of all ideas leads to the highest absolute - that of Good. In addition, the theory claims that states of being are contingent upon the mingling of various Forms of existence, that knowledge is objective and thus clearly more real, and that only the processes of nature were valid entities. However, Aristotle attacks this theory on the grounds that Plato's arguments are inconclusive either his assertions are not al all cogent. Aristotle says, or his arguments lead to contradictory conclusions. For example, Aristotle claims that Plato's arguments lead one to conclude that entities (such as anything man-made) and negations of concrete ideas could exist - such as "non-good" in opposition to good. This contradicts Plato's own belief that only natural objects could serve as standards of knowledge. Also, Aristotle refutes Plato's belief that Ideas are perfect entities unto themselves, independent of subjective human experience. Ideas, Aristotle claims, are not abstractions on a proverbial pedestal but mere duplicates of things witnessed in ordinary daily life. The Ideas of things, he says, are not inherent to the objects in particular but created separately and placed apart from the objects themselves. Thus, Aristotle says, Plato's idea that Ideas are perfect entities, intangible to subjective human experience, is meaningless, for all standards are based somewhere in ordinary human activity and perception. Thirdly, Aristotle assails Plato's efforts to find something common to several similar objects at once, a perfect exemplar of the quality those things share. Beauty is a perfect example; Plato considered Beauty both a notion and an ideal, isolated by abstractions and fixed permanently while its representatives fade away. Aristotle claims that abstractions like Beauty cannot be cast as absolutes, independent of temporal human 2004-12-28T06:54:26-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Aristotle-Refutes-Plato--26058.aspx Buddhism Research Paper In Life there is suffering. This spurs on the unending search for universal truth and meaning. Jodo Shinsu is an answer to this search. The "practice" of Jodo Shinshu is the recitation of the Nembutsu with self-reflection. It involves hearing the call of Amida Buddha, the Buddha of Eternal Life and Infinite Light, Compassion and Wisdom, within others' or ours recitation of the Name. Which calls us to raise our spiritual perspectives beyond immediate ego interests to universal concerns for compassion, justice in the human community and concern for the life of nature. The hole of life is Nembutsu. A life lived in awareness, that we ourselves are the expressions, the manifestations, of interdependence and compassion and dedicated to bringing that reality to others as we have experienced it. The Nembutsu is a spiritual shrine, which can be transported and reverenced wherever one may be. Time or space does not bind religious practice. Rather, from within the deep recesses of one's spirit the call of Amida Buddha can be heard, bringing our attention back to the very source of life itself, and evidencing its presence in the very act of living itself. http://www.mew.com/shin/doc/txt/pax.html Buddhism is one of the world's great religions. The religion is based on the teaching of Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as The Buddha, who lived approximately 557 BC to 477 BC. The word "Buddha" means a Supremely Enlightened One or Fully Awakened One (also a Tathagata) who has won the realization of the True Permanent Absolute Reality, the ultimate truth. Buddhism is built on a framework that consists of the Four Noble Truths, four fundamental principles of nature (Dhamma) that emerged from the Buddha's honest and penetrating assessment of the human condition and that serve to define the entire scope of Buddhist practice. These truths are not fixed dogmatic principles, but living experiences to be explored individually in the heart of the sincere spiritual seeker: To each of these Noble Truths the Buddha assigned a specific task, which the practitioner is to carry out. The first Noble Truth is to be comprehended dukkha (suffering, unsatisfactoriness, and stress): life is fundamentally fraught with unsatisfactoriness and disappointment of every description. The second is the cause of dukkha: the cause of this dissatisfaction is tanha (craving) in all its forms. The third is the cessation of dukkha: an end to all that unsatisfactoriness can be found through the 2004-12-26T00:58:59-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Buddhism-Overview--26046.aspx Jesuits As Servants The Jesuits serve God and the community in various different ways. They educate many young people in many different high schools, colleges, and universities across the nation. They also serve through many types of ministries. There are 28 Jesuit colleges and universities across the United States, with more than 185,00 students enrolled. These schools include Loyola University and Xavier University. There are also 46 Jesuit high schools in the U.S. These high schools educate more than 35,000 students per year. Two of these Jesuit high schools are Belen Jesuit Prep. and Tampa Jesuit. All these Jesuit schools give the students a great education, and they also teach the students about the Catholic religion and how to live a morally good and holy life. Jesuits also serve in spreading the word of God throughout many diverse 2004-12-25T23:50:08-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Jesuits-As-Servants-26034.aspx La madre de Tupac Amaru Shakur fue condenada a prisión a la edad de 21 anos. Fue acusada de participar en planear de un ataque de algunos almacenes y bancos. Ella fue liberada solamente 2 meses antes de dar a luz a su primer hijo que era Tupac. Luego la madre de Tupac se caso con Mutula Shakur, quien llego ser condenada a prisión por haber robado un auto a mano armada. Con Mutula en la prisión, la familia de Tupac no tenian dinero para sobrevivir. Se mudaron al Bronx. Ahí Tupac descubrió su amor por la actuación e se ingreso en la famosa 127th Street Ensemble de Harlem. Otra vez, Tupac junto con su familia se mudaron Baltimore. Aquí comienza escribir su poesía y canciones. Su mama lo inscribió en la escuela de artes de Baltimore para recibir clases de actuación y ballet. Después Tupac no podía asistir las clases y otra vez se mudaron. Se mudaron a Oakland donde su madre se hizo adicta al crack. La madre de Tupac se hizo adicta al crack y se sumergió en la extrema pobreza. Cuando Tupac tenia 16 anos, su madre lo hecho de la casa porque no lo podía soportar. Para mantenerse Tupac comenzó vender drogas. También comenzó hacer rap musica. Grabo su álbum debut llamada “2 pacalyse Ahora” que se hizo muy popular. Además, Tupac hizo su primer filme cinematografía “Jugo” con el papel de Bishop. Tupac tuvo éxito con su rap música y sus actuaciones en películas. Después 1994 Tupac fue acusado de abuso sexual y fue condenado a la prisión por este delito; fue liberado de la prisión a los 8 meses. De su sentencia, por un fianza de 1.4 millones de dólares. Mientras que estaba encarcelado escribió muchas canciones cuyas uso para hacer mas álbums. En 1996 Tupac dejo saber al mundo su rivalidad con Notorious B.I.G. Una noche Tupac fue a ver un juego de boxeo entre Mike Tyson y Bruce Seldon. En camino al club de 662 Tupac fue interceptado en su cadillac blanco. Se dispararon 13 disparos al automóvil de Tupac. El viernes 13 de septiembre, Tupac fue declarado muerto en el hospital UMC. Tupac lucho con la vida de drogas y pandillas pero no tuvo 2004-12-23T08:54:28-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Tupac-Amaru-Shakur-Biografia-26024.aspx [i:57d2259fd2]What Is The Relationship Between Knowledge Of The Self And Wisdom? [/i:57d2259fd2] Knowledge is information in mind, general awareness or possession of information, facts, ideas, truths, or principles. The pursuit of happiness must begin and end with self -knowledge. Presumable we must have reasonable accurate information about ourselves to deal effectively with other people and to regulate ourselves we must also know something about our deficiencies in order to grow. There is a formula which I believe in, and which I see demonstrated every day of life. That formula is: Interest leads to education; education leads to knowledge; knowledge leads to awareness; awareness leads to understanding, and understanding alters our perception and (hopefully) our behavior forever. What does all this have to do with wisdom? Wisdom means good sense. It's the knowledge and experience needed to make sensible decisions and judgements, or the good sense shown by the decisions and judgments made. True wisdom allows you to make decisions and choices based on all your learning, self-knowledge, understanding and experience. With our knowledge firmly in hand, we begin to examine situations. The more we examine, the more we learn and the more aware of alternates, options and surrounding influences we become. If we allow ourselves to become aware of all aspects of a thing, we will understand it. With understanding, we are once again forced to make a choice. When you truly understand a thing you must decide whether to accept it as it is; to change it; to eliminate it, or to ignore it. The exercise of this choice should be based in wisdom-which reflects your knowledge, and your understanding of the effects your choice will have on others. There is a strength that comes from knowing. The application of knowledge and awareness happens first. The practice of awareness turns it into knowledge. The correct and timely use of knowledge turns it into wisdom for that person. This wisdom is then imprinted upon the Soul-Mind permanently. If it is a proper application of a personality trait, one will have that personality trait forever. Whatever the situation was that was handled correctly will not occur again as it is now wisdom, and does not have to be re-experienced. Wisdom is the correct expression of the potential of the human seed and, once learned, will not have to be handled again. To quote from Don Juan 'a man of knowledge is one who 2004-12-23T05:29:24-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Relationship-Between-Knowledge-Of-The-Self-And-Wisdom-26022.aspx Q. Why should people in general be moral? A. First, we do not subscribe to the concept that anyone “should” or “should not” be anything. We believe that people can, and usually will, do anything they want to do. We do not feel that we have the right or knowledge to mandate what those actions ought to be. However, your question implies another form of the question - “Is there a benefit to people in general to be moral”? This is a question we can and will answer. To begin, it is important to revisit the difference between moral and ethical. Morals are core values and beliefs. These are things that you have, you can ‘be’ something that you have. Ethics is how you act based upon your beliefs. Thus, you can be ethical. So what are these core values? How is a moral belief different from a religious belief? Core values are the basics, the very foundation from which personal decisions and actions derive. Religious beliefs are statements concerning a condition of the unknown. For example, look at these two statements: “I believe in God.” “I believe that God is good.” The first is a religious statement or belief. It is a concept of an unknown but does not require action or imply any action. It is effective a passive concept. The second is a core value (moral) type of statement as it implies a certain standard of conduct. The key phrasing is “I believe in -“ or “I believe that there is -“ These are always religious types of belief statements. Core value belief statements (morals) will begin “I believe that -“. Ethics require morals because you cannot be ethical if you do have morals. Ethics is how you act based upon your morals: thus, unethical or ethical. So is there a reason, or benefit for people in general to have morals? We think there is. This is because people in general live in communities, or societies. By their nature, societies develop rules of conduct. Rules, however, can be interpreted in any number of ways. This is one reason why we have judges, they are rule (law) interpreters. If a society has well defined morals, and the majority of the people in that society agree to those morals, it is a lot easier to decide how rules should be interpreted. In fact, it becomes a lot easier to know how to act in that society. The more clearly a society has defined its morals, and the more consistent the morals of its individual members (people) are with those society 2004-12-20T04:06:39-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Why-Should-People-in-General-be-Moral-25862.aspx IB, Theory of Knowledge, 2002 [i:e5dc60c6df]How do beliefs about the world, and beliefs about what is valuable, influence the pursuit of knowledge?[/i:e5dc60c6df] A pursuit, by definition, requires a goal or answer to a question that the pursuer is attempting to reach. This end, towards which effort is directed, is based upon previous knowledge that says that it will be fruitful in some way. Any knowledge that is pursued is, logically, pursued for a reason. This reason must be that the knowledge could prove valuable in some way to the acquirer of the knowledge. What is believed to be valuable would thus greatly influence what knowledge is pursued. Since the beliefs about the world help define what is valuable, they too determine the type of knowledge that is searched for and acquired. This type of knowledge, that people think will be the most valuable to them, is the type of knowledge that is searched for and of course attained before the type of knowledge that is unexpected or thought unnecessary. To logically determine the extent to which the values and beliefs of humanity affect its pursuit of knowledge, all types of knowledge must be considered. Empirical knowledge significantly affects the further pursuit of knowledge; as the type of knowledge that is acquired through experiences, future pursuits of knowledge are frequently based on it. Rational knowledge is applicable because knowledge that is found through experimentation is looked for with a preconceived objective in mind. Metaphysical knowledge must be considered because beliefs about the world and the realm of metaphysics both affect what is deemed valuable. Even the effects of intuitive knowledge must be examined because they are the basis of humanity’s search for knowledge for reasons of preservation. The examples of the pursuit of knowledge based on what people believe to be valuable are almost infinite. In the 15th century, Christopher Columbus hoped to find a path to the Indies and to prove that the world was round. He did so in hopes of achieving the dual blessings of wealth and fame. The queen of Spain decided to finance his expedition because of her metaphysical beliefs in the world and her own interests. She believed that Christianity was the rightful religion and wanted to spread its message. What she believed was her duty towards the natives made her decide to give Columbus three ships so that he would be able to tell the "natives" of Christianity. 2004-12-20T03:40:42-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/TOK-Essay-on-Pursuit-of-Knowledge-25853.aspx The Seven Deadly Sins have been in existence since man’s exile from paradise. Ever since the days of Adam of Eve, we encounter Lust, Pride, Greed, Wrath, Sloth, Gluttony, and Envy. Throughout the Bible, we read stories that teach us the difference between good and evil, but all you need to know is in the first book of Moses… Genesis. Genesis tells us that; in the beginning, God created the heavens, separated light from dark, and gave earth life. God also created two trees in the Garden of Eden. One was the “tree of life” and the other was the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” Adam was given life for the first time, and as a special gift, God created Eve. Moreover, God gave mankind freewill, allowing them to do whatever they pleased, so although God had forbidden Adam and Eve to touch the tree of knowledge of good and evil, He knew that it was their own choice whether or not to obey Him. In the story of the First Sin we see this first sign of LUST. lust n. Intense or unrestrained sexual craving. An overwhelming desire or craving: a lust for power. Intense eagerness or enthusiasm: a lust for life. The crafty serpent convinced Eve into eating the forbidden fruit by telling her, “You will not die; for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3.4). Eve was curious to know what this “evil” was, and hence she lusted for knowledge to be powerful like the almighty God. Eve took her chances and put her faith in the serpent and not the Lord. After she ate the forbidden fruit, she offered it to her husband who was also curious as to what it would do to them. Now the Lord came down to confront Adam, and for the first time, Adam was afraid and hid. They were punished accordingly and now had to live knowing the darker half to life -- evil. wrath n. Forceful, often vindictive anger. Punishment or vengeance as a manifestation of anger. Divine retribution for sin. Cain and Abel are sons to Adam and Eve. Cain, the first-born son, was a tiller of 2004-12-11T08:40:10-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Genesis-And-The-Seven-Deadly-Sins-25821.aspx "One of the chief obstacles to intelligent communication is the nature of language itself. Discuss" Language, it can safely be said, is one of the most important tools, as well as one of the most powerful ones, that human beings use everyday. In, fact it has been said that "language inflicts (wounds) upon the thought of man" (Anshen 341), a feat that no other thing seems able to replicate and which can make language a dangerous tool indeed. If language can be so destructive if misused, even in ignorance, is it not reasonable for us all to strive to master this tool, so that we can wield it safely in an intelligent manner, to communicate and not to cause injury? However, this may not be possible, as the very nature of language itself hinders full mastery of its power, and as a result, hinders intelligent and responsible communication, through which these wounds can be caused. It is the task of this essay to objectively explore the hindrances that are deeply woven into the fabric of our language. The ones that will be so treated are the multiple meanings of words, the multitude of words representing one meaning and the ambiguity that seems ever present and which leads, often times, to misunderstanding and to inadvertent wounding of human thought. Let us begin. First of all, there is the matter of the multiple meanings that some words seem to possess, or, in other words "many masquerading as one" (Emmet 39). It may seem unreasonable to many that different ideas or objects can posses the same symbol used to describe it, but this can be attributed to mainly one reason. "Creation is, literally, immense; still, the names of created objects for but one small use to which language is appropriated. Every feeling, every desire, every action can be recorded by language. No event is so eccentric, no imagination so wild, no situation so peculiar, but language can publish it." (Johnson 113). Despite this onslaught of things to describe, there are but some 40000 words in the English language to use. It is therefore necessary for more than one meaning to share a single word. Due to this, however, it is sometimes difficult to interpret a sentence in the proper fashion if a word that has multiple meanings is used. A rather harmless example could be "I like him because he is a good 2004-12-01T05:52:42-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/TOK-Essay-on-the-Nature-of-Language-amp-Intelligent-Discus-25794.aspx [i:31520cfda4]"One of the chief obstacles to intelligent communication is the nature of language itself" [/i:31520cfda4] Theory of Knowledge Essay 2 A language is defined as "a systematic means of communicating ideas or feelings by the use of conventionalized signs, sounds gestures or marks having understood meanings." (Webster's, 654), and "is a tool for communication" (Emmet, 22). In most common use of language, these signs are the words which we employ in such a way that they may communicate ideas or feelings. Communication, that is, the conveyance of an idea or emotion from one to another, relies largely upon language, and rightly so, as it is a powerful tool when employed correctly. However, misunderstandings in communication occur when two people have a different understanding of their language, or they use language in such a way that it results in communication which is unclear or vague. This last problem of communication which is unclear or vague is one which results from the use words for which the "range of application is not clear" (Hospers, 22). One could also say that something which is vague is that which lacks precision. This type of vagueness results from statements or words which are not quantifiable. For instance, the phrase "He is fairly heavy" does not communicate a precise weight or condition of the person. A person who weighs 240 lbs may be considered by some to be "fairly heavy", yet to another, or even to the same person, one who weighs 360 lbs may fit the same description. Similarly, the words "very" and "quite" are not precise enough to convey a clear image to the listener. A more precise description would be "He weighs 250 lbs" or "He is unhealthily heavy". One conveys a precise mass, the other, a condition. One could also say that words which are vague are those which have several criteria for application. In such a case, a word may be applied correctly (filling criterion A for instance), but yet the other criteria (B and C do not apply). For example, take the word 'books'. One could set several possible criteria: 1. Paper bound together; 2. A textual narrative and 3. A major division of a literary work. If one was to say to another: "She is colouring in one of the books," applying in this case criterion 1, 2004-12-01T05:51:45-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/A-Discussion-of-the-Nature-of-Language-TOK-Essay-25793.aspx Theory of Knowledge Essay 2 [i:a329a8c37f] "Human beings are not aware of their assumptions and basic beliefs, much as fish are unaware of the water in which they live." Discuss[/i:a329a8c37f] This topic sentence implies discussing assumptions and basic beliefs of the human mind, and how they sometimes seem to act independently of our awareness. In order to do that, we must first attempt to define these two concepts. An assumption is a premise taken for granted in a train of thought, one that is included but not evaluated in a conclusion. For example, one of the most basic assumptions we human beings make is that of the existence of the world. When we later draw the conclusion that the furry four-legged animal we see is a cat, we should ideally say that ‘this is a cat, assuming that there is a world...’ In most cases, this very fundamental statement is left out, because the existence of the world is assumed. And like many of its kind, it is an assumption that we seldom, if ever, attempt to critically assess. Most of the time we are not even aware of it. A belief, on the other hand, seems to have an overtone of awareness. When we say ‘I believe this’ we are clearly aware of that premise in our further contemplating. Of course, one could say ‘Now I assume this and that’, thereby seemingly become aware of an assumption. It is however not certain that such statements really contain an assumption, it is in many cases merely a guess. It is very difficult to draw a clear line between assumptions and basic beliefs. The further argumentation will not depend on a clear distinction between the two. The topic sentence presents us with a simile, where the relation between the human mind and its assumptions and basic beliefs is likened to that between fish and the water in which they live. It can be interpreted like the following: Fish hatch in water and live their entire lives in it, and know of nothing else, which ironically partly why they are unaware of it. Because they see the world through it, it is entirely transparent to them. Whatever they choose to do, and wherever they swim, they are confined to do that within the boundaries of the water. It is true that they could, in principle, flounder out of the water. Unfortunately, they are not suited to survive 2004-12-01T05:50:34-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Human-beings-are-not-aware-of-their-assumptions-and-basic___-25792.aspx Language Is More Powerful Than We Think – A Comparison of Thought and Language Today, more than ever, language is an integral part of our existence and survival. We depend on it to think and communicate on a day to day basis from person to person. In this age of cellular phones, fax machines and the internet, we use language so much that we usually take the power of language for granted. A man named Ludwig Wittgenstein once said , "If we spoke a different language, we would perceive a different world." First of all, are our thought processes directly linked to the words and symbols we call language? Is it possible that language can alter the way we think or even control what we know? And, can language reveal our own personal identity? Language can in fact have the ability to do all those things; it can change our values, our identity and even what we can and cannot know. Thus, this would lead to the conclusion that language is a lot more powerful than we think. To analyze this concept, we must first know the definitions of language and thought. In the most basic terms, language is a means of communication by labelling our thoughts with words or symbols. In addition, our thoughts are defined as the power to think and imagine. Transferring thoughts would not only mean communicating to others, but also thinking within one's mind or dealing with an experience. From these meanings, we can now understand why language is needed for us to think, for without language, we cannot attach anything to our sense perceptions and experiences. Our power to think and imagine cannot exist if there are no labels to transfer it. When we see a small, long, narrow and wooden writing implement, we call it a pencil. Without any labels, we would not be able to differentiate between a pencil, a car and a ball, otherwise a pencil would be the same as a car and a car would be the same as a ball. Also, we wouldn't even be able to describe it because there would be no labels to call it small, long, narrow and wooden. A person cannot know he is thinking about a pencil without calling it a pencil and knowing 2004-12-01T05:49:27-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/A-Comparison-of-Thought-and-Language-for-TOK-25791.aspx [i:6b75407636]Does the nature of our sense organs authoritatively determine the nature of our ultimate reality?[/i:6b75407636] Much of what human beings acquire from the world around us is perceived by our senses. They receive and, together with rationality, inevitably process and interpret every bit of information. Hence, most of our perception of the ultimately unattainable reality depends crucially on the nature of our sense organs, since they are the ones that essentially provide a channel of communication between our insides and the world outside. However, are the very nature of our senses and thus the process of perception the ones that authoritatively impose our intimate conception of the world? Perception is a vital source of knowledge. Nonetheless, the ultimate consensus is that perception is not passive. It is due to this reason that it is said to be fallible. To begin with, perception is selective: we do not -and cannot- notice everything in a given environment. As human beings, we do not hear every existing sound nor do we see every light ray: if we did, our world would certainly be much noisier and perhaps much redder, since it would be in that way that we would perceive infrared rays. Besides, each one of us selects different things, according to our degree of awareness, among other reasons. How often does it happen that we become aware of a given sound (the ticking of the alarm clock) at a certain time (two minutes before the dreadful alarm goes off!) even if it has always been there? Different perceptions of an object are a common generator of discussions among people, as when we can never come to an agreement on the colour of that skirt: is it navy blue or black? Though unconsciously, each one of us gives a specific status to certain things and thus selects them to be perceived, on the basis of our most developed sense. All together, if our sense organs were not, by nature, selective in the perception phenomena, our interpretation of our reality would be nothing of what it is today. Apart from this, we do not play a passive role when perceiving: the observer often causes an effect on the observed. This has negative repercussions in Social Sciences, as in Anthropology, for example: as human beings are self-conscious, we tend to change our behaviour when we know we are being observed. It may also represent a problem to 2004-12-01T05:34:11-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/TOK-Essay-on-Our-Sense-of-Organs-and-Reality-25790.aspx TOK Essay for Theory of Knowledge Class [i:23414d89c4]Science does not as yet have a full understanding of the universe. However, it is suggested that with increased technology and theoretical advance, it may be only decades before this is achieved. Do you agree this is possible? What might be the consequences?[/i:23414d89c4] Science is, at its heart, a quest; a quest whose goal is to create an understanding of the universe. In effect, science attempts to quantify reality. It does this in many ways; through experimentation and observation, through theorizing and testing. This quest has been undergoing since the birth of mankind and yet the further we go the further away the end of the quest seems to be. Despite this, it has been theorized that man will eventually understand the universe through science and its relentless quest for knowledge. Not only has it been said that this is likely, but it has been said that this understanding lies mere decades away from the present. Is this possible, not only mere decades from the present, but is it possible, at all, to achieve an understanding of the universe? In short, no. The extended answer, however, takes a little more time. First, to begin the answer to this question, it is necessary to understand what is meant by understanding the universe. First of all, the word "understanding", according to Funk and Wagnalls standard desk dictionary (Deluxe edition, 1964), means "the act of one who comes to know the meaning or import of; who apprehends". Well, in the realm of science (1), understanding the universe would probably entail the creation of a TOE (Theory of Everything). The TOE is to the theoretical physicist as the holy grail was to King Arthur; it is the most desirable peak of achievement. To the uninitiated, a TOE is a theorem that explains, literally, everything, from the motion of subatomic particles to the existence of black holes and the motion of galaxies. The TOE would, in effect, explain the behaviour and nature of everything in the universe. It could, in effect be a way through which we could understand the universe and it has been theorized that such a theory is not far away. Does this theory, however, if it is created, indicate that we do understand, in full, the nature of the universe. The answer is, simply put, no; not in any regards at all. First of all, the creation of 2004-12-01T05:32:50-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/TOK-Essay-Can-Science-Ever-have-Full-Understanding-of-the-Universe-25789.aspx How does logic help us clarify or solve problems? Everyday people employ the use of logic to help them clarify or solve problems. Logic may only provide validity or highly probable ideas, but the correct answer, if any, is left for one to decide. The science of thinking and rationalizing, logic is like a double-edge sword. When logic is utilized it may become an efficient tool, capable of discovering correct ideas and understandings. Yet, it can also become an unsolvable maze, causing more confusion than clarity. There are certain methods of logic to determine possible solutions for a problem and to verify them. Induction and deduction are arguments that may give a solution, which is not considered absolutely true but rather having correct reasoning. For logic can only determine “the distinction between correct and incorrect reasoning” (Copi, p.5) of a problem. Well these methods can be useful; it still can make a problem more confusing such as with the case of paradoxes. It is up to one to make the leap of faith to decide if the conclusions of the methods are acceptable in practice or not. The argument of induction is based upon the idea of having a set of given general information called the premise. From the premise, one then can formulate a conclusion that supercedes the information, from the problem. A simple example of this is: There was one apple missing from the basket that was in the house. John was seen leaving the house with an apple. Therefore John must have taken the apple. The conclusion made from this argument seems right, but an inductive argument can only produce a probable answer and therefore is not absolutely true. So when induction is used, there is still a chance that the conclusion might be wrong. Hence any inductive conclusion must be thought as highly probable but having a chance that it might be wrong. It is up to one to judge for themselves if they have solved the problem or not. “In induction our reasoning takes us beyond what we already know, it widens our knowledge.” (Dilman, p.29) Induction is used in scientific problems for the reason that with given knowledge on can “provide conclusions whose content exceeds that of their premises.” (Salmon, p.87) Although one must still face the fact that the conclusions of 2004-11-30T02:56:06-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/TOK-Theory-of-Knowledge-Essay-25784.aspx The dialogue Crito recounts the last days of Socrates of Socrates before his execution was to take place in Athens. In the dialogue Socrates’ friend, Crito, proposes a plan for Socrates to escape from prison. Through the dialogue, Socrates considers the proposal, trying to decide is escaping would be just and morally justified. Both Socrates and Crito present arguments as to whether or not he should escape and the reasons behind each respective decision. After the examination Socrates concludes that the act of escape would be just and he would be morally unjustified and committing the act. The first argument that Crito presents to Socrates brings up the issue of what the majority think. Crito says, “Many people who do not know you or me very well will believe I might have saved you had I been willing to give money, but that I did not care to do so.” (Grude, Pg 47) Crito’s argument is clearly concerned with his own reputation, especially with what the majority of the people of Athens would think of him. Socrates immediately rebuts Crito’s argument by saying, “why should we care so much for what the majority think?” He goes on to refute the argument by using the analogy of the physical trainer to prove his point. In matters concerning the body, the trainer’s opinion has more weight than that of the group. Socrates says in matters concerning the mind, particularly justice and injustice, things should be no different than in matters concerning the body. “We should not then think of what the majority will say about us, but what he will say who understand justice and injustice, the on, that is, and the truth itself.” (Grude, Pg 50) The argument is an important one because Socrates feels strongly about his response, not only concerning his own situation, but also concerning all matters of justice and injustice. According to Socrates justice and truth go hand in hand. He reaffirms his beliefs from the Apology that one must never do wrong. He argues that breaking a commitment and disobeying the state is always doing a wrong. He compares his relationship to the State to relationship with a parent. He argues that the sate looked for his best interest, care d for him and his children, and made him the person 2004-11-29T18:41:27-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Socratic-Dialogue-Crito-25782.aspx Seeing Conditions What We Believe; Believing Conditions What We See. Theory of Knowledge Seeing conditions what we believe; believing conditions what we see. Seeing conditions what we believe; believing conditions what we see. This is a true statement, although on the surface it appears paradoxical. How can one’s beliefs be affected by physical evidence if the beliefs in question affect how one sees the physical evidence? To best discuss this statement, it is necessary to examine different cases in which either side of the statement might be true. Having done this, it will become easier to resolve the aforementioned paradox. The first statement, “Seeing conditions what we believe,” is quite true. This has been the case for thousands of years and seeing has affected beliefs spanning across the world. To better understand this concept, I shall use the word “seeing” to represent all sensory perceptions. When the ancient Norseman saw a lightning bolt, he hypothesized that it must have been thrown by an angry god. Today when we see it, we regard it merely as an atmospheric discharge. Regardless of the levels of scientific advancement in either culture, it can easily be seen that sensory perception of the lightning bolt triggers a certain response, or belief. For the ancient Norseman, it was that Thor threw it. For the Scientific Rationalist, it is being caused by electromagnetic forces. The converse of the statement, “believing conditions what we see, 8; also works into this example; the Norseman, a rather scientifically unadvanced person, had a polytheistic belief system which made it easy for him to accept Thor and his lightning bolts. A Scientific Rationalist, more scientifically advanced than the Norseman, demands a godless explanation for lightning and thus rationalizes it with a scientific theory. Nonetheless, is quite clear that our sensory perceptions, or “seeing,” as it were, has a conditioning impact upon what we believe. By “seeing” or experiencing different sensory phenomena, we shape our fundamental beliefs. Therefore, “seeing conditions what we believe.” The converse of the statement is equally as true: believing conditions what we see. To illustrate this point of belief conditioning seeing (as well as reaffirming that seeing conditions belief), imagine that two archaeologists in Israel had found what was rumored to be the tomb of Jesus of Nazareth. Let us further suppose that one ar chaeologist is a Christian whereas the other is an atheist. Upon entering, they find no body. The Christian 2004-11-28T20:46:23-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/TOK-Paper-on-Seeing-Conditions-What-We-Believe-25773.aspx Natural versus Social Sciences: "An Eye to Designing the Future?" or Concentration on Present Forms? Although the term ‘body of knowledge’ is widely used to describe the cumulative body of all knowledge known by all mankind, this phrase demonstrates a hasty generalization. In fact, this statement is misleading, if not completely erroneous. There are, in essence, two distinct types of knowing with two opposite focuses. The first way of knowing, experimental science, concerns itself with how various objects and phenomenon ‘are’ in their present forms. Social science, however, engages itself in a process where one attempts to discern how things should ‘be’. These two types of knowledge feed from one another’s methods, however they remain two distinct areas of knowing with two distinct focuses. The experimental (or natural) sciences involve Bertrand Russell’s concept of knowledge by acquisition. This knowledge is acquired through direct observation of phenomenon, such as the scientist utilizing controlled experiments in order to support their basic assumptions. This process is that of induction, where the scientists use results accumulated throughout various applications of their experiment to draw buttressed conclusions. The inductive method creates a type of knowledge concerned with the observable forms of its subjects. Conclusions drawn from observation then provide the scientist with the information to attempt to create axioms which can be correctly applied to the natural world. The study of the physical realm does not concentrate on the Platonian ‘ideal form’ of an object or of the phenomenon; rather it concentrates on what it has been and how it has evolved into its present form. It is irrational to say that the natural scientist is concerned with changing his subjects. A chemist is only interested in discovering how his compounds work and their composition, not improving their existence. Natural scientists are only interested in how the natural world operates and how its applications can possibly benefit human society. Although veterinarians and biologists are sometimes interested in improving the lot of animals, these scientists are guilty of anthropomorphism, where as Jeffrey Masson states "not only are the emotions of animals not a respectable field of study, the words associated with emotions are not supposed to be applied to them." Anthropomorphism, or the projection of human emotion and qualities onto animals, is considered scientific blasphemy, since these emotions cannot be proven by induction. The anthropomorphization of animals therefore is an extension of the social sciences, attributing the imperfection of 2004-11-28T20:44:43-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/TOK-Essay-on-Natural-versus-Social-Sciences-25772.aspx “OUR KNOWLEDGE AND BELIEFS ARE LIKE A ROAD MAP WHICH HELPS US AVOID WRONG TURNS, BUT WHICH NEEDS TO BE CORRECTED WHENEVER IT IS CONTRADICTED BY OUR EXPERIENCE OF THE WORLD” Discuss this simile from the point of view of three of the fields you have examined during your TOK course, and of your experience of the TOK course itself. ---------------------------------------------------- Since the dawn of mankind, Man has striven first to understand, and later to control, the World that surrounds him. Patterns have been noticed, connections inferred, questions asked and answers proposed. "Why are the stars always in the same place when the Nile floods?" That’s the way our brains work, we are nothing less -and nothing more- than symbolic computers. We see things, we draw conclusions, we build up simplified versions of reality, models, that we can understand. And, more often that we’d like to admit, we get it wrong. Having some form or the other of "failsafe" is, therefore, vital if we are to stay on track... The distinction between reality and model, between Truth and metaphor, however, is all too often blurred, or ignored entirely. Often we consider Models, mere derivations, and Reality itself, to be one and the same. ‘Tis not so: the map is not the territory! All our knowledge amounts to is a simplified, digested, approximate, accessible bastardisation of reality. It is our map, marking out the straight and narrow. Of the "path less trodden" it says nothing. From the moment we first open our eyes to the moment we breath our last, we are immersed in a flood of sensory information; and we do more than passively wallow in this sea of input. We (subconsciously, more often than not) select, edit, and subtly modify the data that our senses feed us; we simply cannot deal with it all, not in detail, at least. Thus, perception is very much an active affair: we build our vision of the world. We spot relationships, pick out familiar features; associate the sweet scent of roses with the red flowers we see before us. We choose what features to draw on our map. Homo Sapiens Sapiens, however, is a creature wrought by merciless Nature to fulfil a task, and that task alone: to survive in the Savannah. That the skills evolved for outwitting various predators and prey are any use for anything but hunting/gathering is one of the 2004-11-28T20:44:08-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Theory-of-Knowledge-Essay-on-Choices-in-the-World-25771.aspx Theory of Knowledge Paper for TOK Class 'Don't give me any more facts! I need to make a decision right now!' Although one can question knowledge endlessly, one cannot forever suspend judgement while researching and reflecting. What would it mean to act responsibly in a situation where one cannot possess certainty? How would one justify the decision? The question of decisions which must be made without the support of a full array of facts is an interesting one. Such a decision requires an adherence to a moral code, but also an understanding of probability. Also, the consequences of any action taken must be fully understood before one can make the judgement whether or not it is better to go through with the action or not to pursue it at all. Most people are of the inclination that "lack of certainty is due to lack of knowledge and that if we knew the whole situation . . . we should be able to predict the future with certainty." (Emmet 208), but absolute knowledge is impossible, so decisions can rely only on existing facts. The facts which exist can not be disputed, but they must be in a sufficient number if a decision is to be made. In essence, one must respond to the question of what this sufficient number might be, and this number must be determined in a manner such that the likelihood that the facts are a good approximation of the whole picture is high compared to the potential consequences of one being wrong. In some cases where certainty does not exist, one can employ a simple mathematical probability. For instance, if one were asked the question 'Is it going to rain today?' and the conditions were such that they indicated there would be no rain (ie: not a cloud in the sky), and the weather services had predicted only a 5% chance of rain, it would be a fair and justifiable statement to make to say that it would not rain that day. Of course, this is a statement and not an action, but the action of leading someone to believe that it would not rain of the same conditions existed would also be justifiable. One must take note, though, that in such a case the potential consequences of a wrong decision made (ie: if it did, in fact, rain that very day), are minimal. The consequences must decrease in severity 2004-11-28T20:43:06-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Don-t-give-me-any-more-facts-Justify-this-Decision-25770.aspx This was an essay for my Theory of Knowledge (TOK) IB class. I think it's pretty good. "Our idea of anything is our idea of its sensible effects" – Charles Sanders Pierce. How reliable is our "idea of anything" according to this view? Charles Sanders Pierce states that "Our idea of anything is our idea of its sensible effects." In this paper, an attempt will be made to show the validity of this statement and to justify the exclusion of the imperceptible part of the outside world from our conception of it. For our purposes, we will set a person's mind and ideas apart form everything that goes on in the real world around it. The two that we've just separated, can actually be argued to be within each other, but in this paper, they will be discussed separately, connected through our senses and actions. This is consistent to the current idea of how the brain is believed to work, and it does not have an effect on the result of this paper except in the radical case that one may believe all reality to be an illusion of the mind. Within our current view, the outside world causes stimuli to our senses and these stimuli are transferred to our brain through an intricate network of nerves. Some stimuli invoke automated responses of which we may not even be aware, but others are combined with stimuli from our other senses to help form an idea, or an image in the brain. The brain processes the idea and responds in a pattern built through experience. Throughout this paper, we will mainly concentrate on the first part of this process, the reception of stimuli and the formation of ideas. The only input to our brains are the signals from our senses. Groups and certain patterns of these signals are associated to real world objects or phenomena by experience. These associations are our ideas. When all or part of these signals are induced by stimuli, our brains call the appropriate idea. Given enough stimuli, we conclude the presence of the associated object or phenomenon. Whatever properties or effects of an object we cannot sense, we cannot include in our idea of the object. For example, we do not have a direct sense of radio waves, so looking at a radio broadcast antenna, we can tell what it is but we cannot tell if it 2004-11-28T20:41:39-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/TOK-Essay-on-How-Reliable-is-our-Idea-of-Anything-25769.aspx IB Theory of Knowledge Essay: On What Basis Is It Possible to Justify a Hierarchy of Disciplines? Human beings constantly create hierarchies by arranging all things known to them in order of rank. Hierarchies are abound in man's life: our laws, for example, have differing degrees of punishment depending on the severity of the crime. Yet, the ultimate question becomes whether human beings would be justified in creating a hierarchy for the different disciplines of knowledge. If the presence of a clearly observable universal principle governing the discipline is used as a ranking criterion, then the creation of a hierarchy of disciplines is justified. In order to assess the validity of this premise it is necessary to understand exactly what the disciplines are and how they will be classified. By definition, a discipline is a branch of knowledge; consequently, a dissection of knowledge yields eight different disciplines: mathematics, logic, language, natural science, social science, history, moral judgment, and aesthetics. The disciplines will be ranked on the basis of how far the knowledge they contain can be classified under a clearly observable universal principle. Language occupies the very top of the hierarchy. Defined simply as a means of communication, language is as old as humanity itself. In every human culture men have found some means of communicating thoughts and ideas to each other, thereby making language universal. Of course, there are many who would call such a proposition ludicrous. All one has to do is look around to see how much trouble humans have when it comes to bridging the gap created by different languages. Language is not universal simply because people who speak different languages can not communicate with each other. Yet, this view is incorrect because it fails to acknowledge the essential nature of language, which includes assigning symbols and sounds to specific objects. Just because an apple might be called la manzana, jabuka, or la pomme in different languages does not mean that we are talking about a different object. The fact that an object is assigned a name through a clearly observable process proves the presence of a universal principle in language. Language, therefore, serves as the necessary component of all other disciplines, and receives the top notch on the hierarchy. Second from the top lie mathematics and logic. Both of these disciplines are almost completely governed by clearly observable universal laws. For example, two plus two equals four; rain makes 2004-11-28T20:40:27-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/When-is-it-Possible-to-Justify-a-Hierarchy-of-Disciplines-25768.aspx [i:ff61605c74]"Ethical axioms are found and tested not very differently from the axioms of science. Truth is what stands the test of time." (Einstein) Critically evaluate this claim. [/i:ff61605c74] IB Theory of Knowledge Essay Einstein claims "Ethical axioms are found and tested not very differently from the axioms of science," and that "Truth is what stands the test of time." However, in this paper, an attempt will be made to show that finding and testing of axioms are done differently in the two areas, and that "truth" as we know it, does not stand the test of time, just as nothing else does. First of all, a definition should be brought to axioms. Axioms are "self evident truths" or "universally accepted principles or rules." The former definition can be applied more closely to ethical axioms while the latter more closely to the scientific ones. In this sense, an ethical axiom can be "It is wrong to take someone's life," and a scientific axiom can be "Every object continues in its state of rest or uniform speed in a straight line unless a force acts on it." The first example shows an obvious truth that is universally accepted by people with healthy minds. This conclusion must have been reached like a scientific axiom -- by observation -- that is, by seeing that killing someone arises strong emotions and counter actions in people related to the victim in some way. A widely accepted test to see if an action is ethical is to try evaluating if one would like the same thing done to oneself. When this test is applied, the immorality of killing someone is supported. Let's leave this example briefly to look at the example of a scientific axiom, called a law. It was stated that every object continues in its state of rest or uniform speed in a straight line unless a force acts on it. This example is known as Newton's first law of motion. This law has been reached through careful observation of objects in motion, and with the recognition of friction as a force. Recognition of friction is crucial since when friction is present, objects slow down and eventually stop. However, friction can be minimized for experimental purposes. A puck on a hockey rink will move nearly at a constant speed and in a straight line unless a force acts on it, that is, when someone hits it. In 2004-11-28T20:39:09-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/TOK-Ethical-Axioms-versus-Scientific-Testing-25767.aspx IB TOK ESSAY As a critical thinker, you may want to distinguish between correct information, misinformation, biased reporting, and deliberate persuasion in your everyday news and articles of the word. To do so one must have a vast knowledge of language and know its many uses. Language may be used to understand, predict, and control the world around us so that we can survive and prosper, to maintain and improve our relationships with those around us to that we have more friends, fewer enemies, and can love and be loved, and to have pleasant rather than unpleasant experiences and to enjoy as much of our lives as we possibly can. Language is the primary way to distinguish between facts and false information in everyday news in this era. First and foremost, there are many ways to detect correct information when reading articles of the world. Correct information will use language properly and will maintain a connectedness throughout it. It will create strings of words and sentences to help make connections to make the article clear and concise. Correct information will contain warranted statements to support other assertions. These statements will be factual and relevant to the topic at hand. Although, to be sure these statements are true or false or not we must look into our own knowledge, or, web of belief. These web is a web we have constructed and continue to construct in order to link together the statements which express our beliefs. The center of this web is occupied by our most entrenched belief statements, those it would be hardest to give up. We warrant our belief statements to ourselves by fitting them into our web. If statements stated in news does not mesh with any of our belief statements in our webs of belief than that statement is most unlikely to be regarded as unfactual and therefore will be thrown out. This is done consciously in our minds and helps us determine whether information is correct or not. To identify misinformation in today’s society, one must comprehensively read the document and obey their web of belief. Misinformation in the 2004-11-28T20:38:07-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Critical-Thinking-and-Correct-Information-25766.aspx Theory of Knowledge (TOK) Essay How does the mathematician’s knowledge differ from that of the scientist? This question implies discussing how the knowledge acquired by mathematicians differs from that acquired by scientists. Defining mathematics is never easy. Some claim it is an art, others that it is a science, yet others that it is a tool. Mathematics is also hard to place on the map of human endeavors. Should it be placed by the natural sciences, or does it belong together with philosophy among the human sciences? These questions arise from other, more foundational questions: What sort of knowledge does mathematics contain? What distinguishes the knowledge concerned with mathematics? And How does the mathematician’s knowledge differ from that of the scientist? I am not intending to answer all these questions, but am leaving the former questions open to concentrate on the latter, on how the mathematical knowledge differs from scientific knowledge. The most immediate answer that first pops into your mind is the fact that, while all the sciences are desperately trying to describe what already is in the factual world, mathematics is only concerned with itself and the rather small world built up around it. We only stuff into it what makes sense, thwarting all obscure and incorrect knowledge as erroneous, as non-mathematics. The scientists can not do this. However mysterious and sometimes irrational and insane the recent observations within quantum physics may seem, we cannot simply ignore them. Until better explanations are presented we have to stick to the ones we have because it makes most sense. Mathematicians rarely deal with what makes sense and what does not. A mathematical theory is either correct or is not. Either the theory is proven to work, or it is quickly discarded. Mathematics has no room for doubts. Even if all mathematicians stand up and say "We do not understand this." if it is possible to prove it, it is a fact. Which leads us to the process of acquiring knowledge. Scientists usually work by means of observation. They observe, and draw conclusions from what occurred. For the knowledge is already there, waiting to be harvested. Mathematicians, on the contrary, obtain knowledge by making it up as they go. Mathematics is never there until we make it up. With sciences, if there is nothing to observe, no new knowledge can be obtained. In mathematics, however, if there is nothing to start with, it is quite easy 2004-11-28T02:51:45-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/TOK-Essay-on-Mathematician-s-Knowledge-Versus-Scientist-s-Knowledge-25764.aspx Humans are not aware of their assumptions or basic beliefs, much as fish are unaware of the water in which they live. In the never-ending human quest of knowledge and truth, there is one certainty which serves as the foundation for all intellectual growth and progress. This certainty is that in life, and therefore in the intellectual outpourings of mankind, there lies a certain degree of bias. Although one who professes to be conscious of this bias attempts to remove it, this can never be done. The reason is very simple. Any new knowledge gained by an individual is gained usually through logical proof of a fact. The logical proof must follow certain steps in order for it to be considered true, and these steps are definitely pre-established by the society in which this man lives. The society makes these basic rules and pre-assumptions for the logical proof to follow because the people within society are the ones who must accept the conclusions of the proof. The problem arises in this situation when the society and the man who proves a "fact" to the society becomes completely oblivious to any assumptions, especially those that are incorrect, and use them to "prove their fact." Although one at first asks how anyone can have a wrong assumption, then prove a fact based upon this assumption, it really is quite simple, and people have been doing it for hundreds of years. For example, in the world view of geography during the 1300's and 1400's, there was a basic assumption made about the shape of the earth. Most people at that time thought that the earth was a flat area, and had an end to it. Understandably, these people could only see as far as the horizon, so they made this assumption. Although modern geographers have proven that the earth is indeed round instead of flat, this did not stop earlier societies from subscribing to the flat earth theory. From this basic assumption, these people went on to develop theories telling what would happen to those unfortunate souls who reached the "end" of the earth. Those who dared to venture into the unknown territory were sure to fall clear off the face of the planet, never to be heard from again. In fact, the explorer credited for discovering the New World, Christopher Columbus, did not have many followers or believers. Many people who heard of his 2004-11-28T02:49:59-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/TOK-Essay-on-Humans-Are-Unaware-25763.aspx How is the pursuit of scientific knowledge adulterated by the influences of economics, morality and political beliefs? Quite often we think of the pursuit of scientific knowledge as an exploration through which information is gathered solely from experimentation, but experimentation is only one among a variety of ways in which scientists gather information to be formulated into knowledge. Along with experiments, scientists may conduct surveys, or build on pre-existing information using assumptions and theories in order to obtain knowledge in any particular scientific medium. That which the scientists determine as knowledge, however, does not always mirror that which the public receives as new scientific knowledge. Along the path of distribution, the influences of economics, morality and political beliefs can adulterate pure scientific knowledge. Almost all scientists seeking to gain knowledge in a new area have to overcome financial insufficiencies. Whether they need the money for lab equipment or field research or other such projects, sufficient funding is almost always unattainable. Because so little is known about this new field, few are willing to support it. Once more information is discovered and scientists acknowledge the importance of that field, more funding is gradually provided. As seen in the movie And the Band Played On, the AIDS researchers were not able to obtain adequate funding until the seriousness of the AIDS epidemic was thoroughly stressed. Even today, the amount of funding supporting AIDS research remains deficient. Typically, the same is true of any scientific study; the required funding is only provided after the scientists present data compelling enough to promote further studies in that particular area. Next to interfere with the pursuit of scientific knowledge is political beliefs. In a society especially like the one in which we live today where everyone is striving to be "politically correct", it is in the scientists best interest to abide by such standards. Scientists would not want to release any unnecessarily controversial information for the simple reason that such information would not reach an entire spectrum of people. Certain groups of people would be avoided so that the members of these groups would not be offended or shocked by any of the information found by a scientist. For this reason, most of what we know as scientific knowledge has been "watered down" so that it would be tolerated and understood by the general public. In And the Band Played On, the team of scientists used 2004-11-28T02:49:01-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Effect-of-Scientific-Pursuit-on-Economics-and-Morality-25762.aspx IB Essay: Is seeing believing? Or is believing seeing? The concept of belief can be drawn from two distinct sources: what enters the body externally through the senses and what already resides internally in the individual. All five senses, seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, and tasting, are important in developing thoughts and ideas, but the sense of sight typically sets itself above the others in its effectiveness at creating strong and lasting beliefs. Many times in life, the sense of sight is used to give evidence that will determine what is believed. Logically, believing what you see makes sense. The knowledge is experienced first hand or, as Bertrand Russell would define the term, knowledge by acquaintance. However, at times when a person assumes that they are basing their belief on sight, they are really allowing themselves to see what they already internally believe. The mind can be made to see something in a certain way simply because the belief that it is so is present. Therefore, while seeing conditions what we believe, in the same sense believing also conditions what we see. The natural sciences, for example biology, rely heavily on sight to lend evidence concerning what to believe. When watching cell division through a microscope, a biologist is able to physically see the cells divide and pass through the various stages of prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase. Therefore, the biologist then believes that when cells are moving about in the manner observed in the microscope, they are dividing. After actually seeing cell division, the biologist believes in the observed fashion of division. Through the sense of sight, external information has been taken in and transformed into a belief. However, at times scientists believe that they are seeing cell division when could be seeing something else. The biologist could be seeing a mutated cell, a small, moving cell, or simply something other than a cell. In this case, the biologist would be allowing his or her previously acquired internal beliefs to interfere with what is actually happening. As a result of believing that if cells are moving in a certain format, they are dividing, the biologist sees cell division. Although the process being observed may not be cell division, the biologist sees cell division because he or she believes it to be cell division. In mathematics, the dilemma between seeing and believing is also present. If a series of steps designed to solve 2004-11-28T02:46:40-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/TOK-Paper-on-Is-seeing-believing-Or-is-believing-seeing-25760.aspx IB Theory of Knowledge TOK Essay: Language as the Ultimate Tool of Control In spoken or written language, words are used to express thoughts. Words provide humans with an effective way of transferring and communicating thoughts. But can thoughts exist without words? If there are no words to convey thoughts, do thoughts really exist? Can language be used to manipulate other disciplines? After a careful analysis it becomes clear that thoughts can not exist without language, making language the ultimate tool for controlling all other disciplines of knowledge. In order to assess the validity of this premise one must first refer to the definition of language as a means of transferring thoughts; a means of communication by assigning to thoughts specific symbols or names -- words. Furthermore, one must define thought as the power to think and imagine. With these main terms defined, it is possible to understand why language is essential for thought. The power of thought, the power to think and imagine, is present only if there are symbols or words to transfer it. If no language exists to transfer thoughts, then thoughts lose all their value and pass into the realm of non-existence. For example, one can not effectively describe a picture without using words. If I try to explain the beauty of Raphael's painting "School of Athens," I must somehow use the words color, appearance, and reality in order succeed. Even if I was only thinking about the painting, I would still have to use the words color, appearance, and reality. Yet, there are those who attack this premise and profess that thoughts are independent of language. They argue that while a person may not be able to communicate without using a language, that same person can think without using a language. However, this approach is false because there is no way that a person can know that he is indeed thinking of a picture without using the word picture. A person can not know that he is thinking of a picture and not a bus or an egg without calling a picture picture, a bus bus, and an egg egg. By using language to assign different words to different objects we draw clear differences between pictures, buses, and eggs -- otherwise, without language, our mind would equate pictures to buses and buses to eggs. Therefore, seeing that thoughts can not exist without language, one must turn to the use 2004-11-28T02:44:09-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Language-as-the-Ultimate-Tool-of-Control-25758.aspx Can Knowledge in Itself be Good or Evil? A discussion of the Duality of Knowledge and the Way in which Human Interpretation Skews its Perception Theory of Knowledge Paper Since the dawn of human civilization, knowledge had always been a controlling force of humanity. The greatest of men and the bloodiest of all tyrants have both used knowledge as a tool to secure control over thousands and to ensure their place in history. Similarly religion, a force that has been around since prehistoric man, continues to manipulate the minds of millions in an effort to control the masses and spread its faith. To this very day the governments of nations feel it is necessary to keep secrets from their people and to censor certain information. In light of these facts, one must ask why countless groups and organization spend millions of dollars in an attempt to gain control of our minds. Has mankind decided that knowledge is inherently evil? That perhaps there are certain things we simply should not know? Conceivably our fear of knowledge lies in its misunderstanding. Knowledge has in the past proven to be both a blessing and a burden, and it is this duality of knowledge that has created a dilemma for human beings for countless centuries. We are often too quick to put the blame on knowledge, yet knowledge without interpretation is ineffectual, only in the mind of a human being can it grow to be a menace or a savior. For one to understand the true nature of knowledge, both the objective and subjective aspects of knowledge must be considered. Knowledge in its purest form, that is before it has been analyzed or thought about by anyone, is objective in nature. For example, at the exact instant a baby is born the parents and a few doctors that were present in the room all gain the objective knowledge that a new life has begun. However, almost immediately after the event the subjective mind takes over this newly acquired knowledge and begins to analyze and interpret it. The mother of the new born child may begin to think of the greatness that her new child will achieve and that perhaps it will discover a new cure for cancer. On the other hand a doctor in the room may take that same knowledge and begin to ponder how this baby is adding to the population explosion and is bringing the 2004-11-28T02:42:56-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/TOK-Essay-on-Duality-of-Knowledge-Good-vs-Evil-25757.aspx Theory of Knowledge Essay Topic "When you look for truth, do not use your eyes, but look inside yourself, for their lies truth." Discuss this advice from the point of view of the scientist and the artist, and from your own personal experience. Throughout our life, we are often given advice from countless numbers of people and organizations such as friends, relatives, co-workers, governments, and businesses. The advice which they give us can be anything. Some examples are, "You should see this movie. The special effects are great!" and "I think that it would be wise if you put some of your money into the bank instead of spending all of it." The implementation of advice like this, even though it might affect our lives in some way, does not dramatically alter who we are. There are however some pieces of advice that can change much more than what we do. These ones challenge us to look at ourselves and at our world in a new or different way. One such piece of advice is the following: "When you look for truth, do not use your eyes, but look inside yourself, for there lies truth." This statement has the possibility of changing ones view of the world, affecting what one considers to be truth and knowledge, and how they are acquired. There are, obviously, different opinions about this advice, and during the course of this essay I will discuss it from the point of view of the scientist, from the point of view of the artist, and from my personal experiences.. Scientists are those who investigate the world in which we live. They question it, investigate it, and analyze it the hope of understanding more about it and how it works. To the scientist, truth is reality. It is summed up in a statement or a series of statements that accurately describe and explain some aspect of the world. However, the statement is not one that comes from somebody's mind and nowhere else and is instantly truth. The scientist might propose something that could be the truth. The statement must be supported by evidence, and it must hold true investigation after investigation, experiment after experiment. Scientists in all disciplines ask a question, propose a solution, investigate it, and see if it what they propose holds. One might say now, "Since a scientist proposes a solution to a question, and that proposal might be 2004-11-28T02:40:55-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/TOK-Essay-on-Truth-25756.aspx It may seem similar and it may not, but what we do know, is that they both believe that they are Muslims. The Islamic beliefs of the black American male and the males of the Middle East are the same. My argument lies in the question of whether or not Africans can call themselves true Muslims, believers and followers of the Islamic faith. To be considered a true Muslim you must follow the rules and regulations of the Islamic faith. What is Islam? Islam is defined as the complete acceptance of and obedience to the teachings of Allah (I. A. Ibrahim 45) As a Muslim you are to believe in Allah, who is incomparable. He has no son nor does he have a partner, he is unique and he is one. You shall not worship, magnify, or pay tribute to any other, for all others are false. Yet we see otherwise in Africans who call themselves Muslims. In John S. Mbiti's book, Introduction to African Religion he states traditional African beliefs mixes those of Islam to suit the requirements of the people concerned so they get the best out of both religions (188-189). How can one say such a thing? To believe in something is to fight for it, is to die for it. You can not get the best of a religion if you do not fully believe in it. You should not adopt the way of dress and some other cultural forms (Mbiti 189), just to suite a community. Religion is something that is held dear to the heart of many people and to mix and mingle them does not allow you to truly believe in one. When you convert to a religion it is not to convert halfway, it is not to convert three- fourths of the way, but to convert all the way. It is stated that even if Africans convert to another religion, they do not completely abandon the traditional religions (Mbiti 14) Here we see that the first real defiance has already occur. By mixing the two would not you be doing an injustice to the true believers of the Islamic faith and defying Allah the leader of the Islamic faith. in addition, are you not doing an injustice to the rites and rituals to the Gods, Spirits, and Divinities of the African religion? How can you please the leader/leaders of these separate religions 2004-10-30T05:31:07-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Muslim-vs_-Muslim--25644.aspx Buddhism is one of the biggest religions founded in India in the 6th and 5th cent. B.C. by Siddhartha Gautama, called the Buddha. One of the great Asian religions, it teaches the practice of and the observance of moral precepts. The basic doctrines include the four noble truths taught by the Buddha. Since it was first introduced into China from India, Buddhism has had a history which has been characterized by periods of sometimes awkward and irregular development. This has mainly been the result of the clash of two cultures, each with a long history of tradition. Most of the difficulties have arisen due to the transplanting of an Indian religious/philosophical system onto a culture strongly dominated by indigenous secular, philosophical and religious systems. In spite of these difficulties, Chinese Buddhism has come to have an important influence on the growth and development of Buddhism in general and this has occurred largely because of its own innovatory contributions. (Eliade, M. p.16-29) The spread of Buddhism into China began in Central Asia and was facilitated by the efforts of the Indo-Scythian king Kanishka (Encyclopedia Britt. 273-274) of the Kushan dynasty which ruled in northern India, Afghanistan and parts of Central Asia in the 1st and 2nd centuries (Encyclopedia Britt. 274). He is said to have undergone an Ashoka-like conversion upon seeing the slaughter caused by his campaigns. Around the beginning of the common era, Buddhism started to filter into China from Central Asia via the Silk Road, brought by monks, merchants and other travelers. It also entered later via trade routes around and through Southeast Asia. It was nurtured in the expatriate community of Loyang and other northern cities. (The Encyclopedia of Religion p58-62) Siddhartha (Buddha) was born around 563 B.C.E. in the town of Kapilavastu (located in today's Nepal). Siddhartha's parents were King Shuddhodana and Queen Maya, who ruled the Sakyas. His history is a miraculous one... One night, Queen Maya dreamed that an elephant with six tusks, carrying a lotus flower in its trunk, touched her right side. At that moment her son was conceived. Brahmins (learned men) came and interpreted the dream. The child would be either the greatest king in the world or the greatest ascetic (a holy man who practices self-denial). The future child would be named Siddhartha, which means he whose aim is accomplished. (Snelling, J. p 12-19) Later when Queen Maya was going to 2004-10-30T05:28:14-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Buddhism,-the-worldwide-religion-25643.aspx Heart of Darkness, a novel by Joseph Conrad, and Apocalypse Now, a movie by Francis Ford Coppola can be compared and contrasted in many ways. By focusing on their endings and on the character of Kurtz, contrasting the meanings of the horror in each media emerges. In the novel the horror reflects Kurtz tragedy of transforming into a ruthless animal whereas in the film the horror has more of a definite meaning, reflecting the war and all the barbaric fighting that is going on. Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, deals with the account of Marlow, a narrator of a journey up the Congo River into the heart of Africa, into the jungle, his ultimate destination. Marlow is commissioned as an ivory agent and is sent to ivory stations along the river. Marlow is told that when he arrives at the inner station he is to bring back information about Kurtz, the basis of this comparison and contrast in this paper, who is the great ivory agent, and who is said to be sick. As Marlow proceeds away to the inner station “to the heart of the mighty big river…. resembling an immense snake uncoiled, with its head in the sea, its body at rest curving afar over a vast country and its tail lost in the depths of the land” (Dorall 303), he hears rumors of Kurtz’s unusual behavior of killing the Africans. The behavior fascinates him, especially when he sees it first hand: “and there it was black, dried, sunken, with closed eyelids- a head that seemed to sleep at the top of that pole, and with the shrunken dry lips showing a narrow white line of the teeth, was smiling too, smiling continuously at some endless and jocose dream of that eternal slumber”(Conrad 57). These heads that Marlow sees are first hand evidence of Kurtz’s unusual behavior. The novel ends with Kurtz “gradually engulfing the atrocities of the other agents in his own immense horror”(Dorall 303). At his dying moment, Kurtz utters “The Horror! The Horror!’, which for the novel are words reflecting the tragedy of Kurtz, and his transformation into an animal. Apocalypse Now is a movie that is similarly structured to the book but has many different meanings. The movie takes place during the Vietnam War. The narrator is Captain Willard, who is given a mission to locate and kill Colonel Kurtz, who is said 2004-10-30T04:47:25-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Heart-of-Darkness-vs_-Apocalypse-Now-25638.aspx A great man was born in the small Italian city of Assisi in the year 1182. This man is Francesco Bernardone or Francis of Assisi. Francis came from a wealthy family where his father was in the textile business. He sold cloth and marketed it on the street. His father was in the south of France when he was born and on his trip home thought of the name Francesco or “the Frenchman.” The Crusades were going at time of his birth so he had strong influences to become a knight in shining armor. His parent’s names were Giovanna but they called her Pica and Pietro was his father’s name. Growing up he was sent to Saint George’s a school right next to the town walls but rather far from home. He learned a lot from this school but seemed to show an interest in an old canon named Guido who told him the story of Saint George and the Dragon. This was the story that gave Francis his drive to become a famous knight. In his down time as a kid he would help out his dad selling woolen cloth at the local markets. His parents spoiled him and spent enormous amounts of money on their son. He liked to wear very bright clothes so that he would stand out. When he turned twenty a war broke out between the cities of Assisi and Perugia. He joined so that he could fight in it he was captured and imprisoned for a year. He was freed when his father paid a hefty ransom to get his son out. When he returned to Assisi he became very ill and had to remain in a bed for several months. After coming out of his illness he began to work in the fields around Assisi and started to pray a great deal. He even gave some of his money to lepers, who he started visiting on a daily basis. Francis started going to a little broke down church called San Damiano. He asked the lord, “ What do u want of me.” The crucifix said, “ Francis repair my church, it is falling down.” This marked the point in Francis’ life where everything had changed and he realized that he had to live a more spiritual life. Francis had stole some clothe from his father and a horse and sold it in 2004-10-30T03:29:36-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Francis-Of-Assissi--25623.aspx Two hundred years ago, to question the absolute worth of human life was an unforgivable offense. Individuals who attempted suicide were often punished in courts, and even sent to work camps. Those who were successful were often buried with stakes in their hearts, and the state confiscated their property rather than dispersing it to their relatives. If taking one’s own life were so serious, asking a doctor to help one commit suicide would have been unthinkable. Although our society is certainly more liberal today, physician assisted suicide remains a perplexing question, both legally and morally. In this paper, I will argue for the moral permissibility of euthanasia. First, I will deal with the moral permissibility of assisted suicide as a principle, and then I shall explore the distinction between active and passive euthanasia. Finally, I will conclude with a short discussion of the legality of assisted suicide. In the interests of brevity, I shall consider voluntary euthanasia only for individuals who are terminally ill and suffering from unmanageable pain. All arguments will be evaluated from a utilitarian and deontological perspective. The first argument for euthanasia is a utilitarian one. “Actions,” according to the utilitarian John Stuart Mill, “are right as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce pain or the reverse of happiness.” If we were to apply a hedonistic calculus to the case of a terminally ill patient suffering from severe, untreatable pain, we would see that the happiness is maximized and pain minimized by euthanasia. The sort of pain caused by an advanced, terminal illness would clearly score a negative value, perhaps a negative seven. The level of pain and the progression of the disease would also render the person unable to enjoy the activities that made his life pleasurable, so there could be no higher intellectual or emotional pleasures to balance the physical pain. At best, the person continues to suffer at the negative seven; if his illness has not reached its climax, his suffering may increase. In contrast, his death will create a value of zero, and thus misery is reduced. Moreover, his family and friends will be spared the pain of watching him suffer through a prolonged illness. Hospital space and resources will be free for patients with more treatable conditions. (Lest such concerns sound callous, it is important to recognize that utilitarianism requires us to evaluate all possible 2004-10-29T22:20:14-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Euthanasia-Comparing-Kantian-And-Utilitarian-Ideas-25608.aspx Applying the views of Epictetus to Everyday Living The human condition is in a constant state of evolution. Through experiences that are usually thrusted into a category of either positive or negative depending on their direct effect on us, we are always changing. Early on in life we become aware of this certainty and learn to accept it on some levels. But as human nature would have it we are determined to be in full control of our environment and ourselves at all times. This is the nature of the beast and a human characteristic that both limits and enslaves us all in relation to our own mental and emotional levels. Life is given to us as a gift. What we do with it from there is for the most part in our control, in addition to our own actions and judgments. Other than that, there is little that is in our direct control. But as nature must have it human beings refuse to accept this and spend the majority of their time in this gift of life at a constant battle with that with which they have absolutely no control over. Thus there levels of joy and sorrow, honor and pleasure all become based primarily on what else, but that which is un-controllable. This is a fact that many would both deny and cast aside upon first approach, but with honesty and true insight into ones own actions and thoughts it would quickly become apparent. Although this is in fact human nature, that in no way means that it is irreversible. The Handbook of Epictetus presents the views of the stoic Epictetus. Through his advice we immediately become aware of the faults of many men. It becomes apparent how we all seem to make our own lives that much more difficult. Through a careful presentation of Epictetus views I will attempt to summarize his thoughts in a way that will give an explicit view on how one should live their life. I will then interpret these views into modern day living so that through its application ones life will become simplified and therefore enhanced. The most succinct statement on Epictetus view of the best possible condition for a human being to be in is: “ Do not seek to have events happen as you want them to, but instead want 2004-10-29T22:17:12-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Handbook-of-Epictetus-25607.aspx Gnosticism, Docetism and kenosis are all words which were originated from the Greek civilization. Even though the three words have entirely different meanings, these words are used widely by Christian theologians through out the world in describing the relationship of soul and body. Defining Gnosticism is a difficult task, since modern writers use the term to cover a wide variety of religious phenomena. For instance, in Nature of Gnosticism by Grant, the writer describes Gnosticism as a system, which influenced Christianity in the second century. Another definition points out Gnosticism as a philosophy, which is related to a body of teaching. In both the cases however, the acquisition of “gnosis” or inner knowledge has been stressed. The knowledge sought might not be strictly intellectual, but definitely mystical. The gnosis is considered as “inner and esoteric mystical knowledge of ultimate reality”(Grant 33). Gnosticism is believed to be derived from the Greek word “gnosis” which means “knowledge”. The emphasis here is on knowledge, as the means for the attainment of salvation. Therefore Gnosticism could be defined as a spiritual power, which seeks to detach from the physical body in search of salvation (wallhausser notes). Gnosticism also conveys the message that the physical body is something in which the soul should be rescued from. Docetism is derived from the Greek word “dokein” which means, “to seem”(Wallhausser notes). This again, like Gnosticism has been a broadly used historical term. Therefore defining the term is a tedious task. Ancient theologians named Docetists, as those who believed that Christ’s divinity was irreconcilable with his actually having been physically born. It should also be noted that some theologians use the term “docetic” to describe Christologies that lack sufficient historical grounding. In any case, the most widely believed definition seemed to suggest that the human appearance of Christ is more illusion and has no objective reality. It’s interesting to note that the word “appearance” refers to Christ’s whole earthy career. Therefore in other words, it means that the spirit cannot be crucified and it’s only the physical body, which can(Jonas 56). Moltmann, refutes Gnostic concept throughout the article. The physical body and soul seems to be interwoven and not used as two separate concepts. For instance, he questions passionate devotion and his answer is, “it’s not the yearning of the soul for life free of pain in heaven, but the love of the kingdom of God in the 2004-10-29T10:05:38-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Gnosticism,-Docetism-and-kenosis-25596.aspx In my life on this planet I have come to question many things that many take on as blind faith. We all know that someday we will 'physically' die, Yet, we continuously deny the forces working inside ourselves which want to search out the true outcome of what may or may not come after death. It's far easier for humanity to accept that they will go on to a safe haven and be forgiven for all, rather than to question the existence of a super omnipotent being. Fortunately, there are some of us who tend to question the why's and how's that come before us. We question the creation of humanity and the religious teachings received from our parents, our church and our society. This paper examines the many rational arguments for and against the existence of God. It is based on the views of some of the great philosophers and scientists of our world. I will show that there is no sufficient proof or comprehensive arguments for the existence of God. Some people search for eternal peace through the beliefs in God; but this is an impossible belief because of the chances, the plausibility, and because of science. ONTOLOGICAL ARGUMENTS God generally refers to one supreme, holy, personal being,. The divine unity of ultimate good-ness and of ultimate reality. St. Anselm of Canterbury developed what we have learned to be the ontological argument. He began his argument by saying that even a fool can grasp or understand the concept of "a being than of which nothing greater can be conceived." He continues to state that a fool would say that the concept of this being's existence is only in his mind and in the mind of others but not in reality. However he also admits to the possibility of this being existing in reality. Whatever is understood by the fool is argued that than which nothing is greater can be conceived cannot solely exist in the mind but also in reality, hence, God exists. (Angelfire) This personally sounds like a salesperson's pitch to confuse and conquer for a sale. Gaunilo felt the same. He frequently debated with St. Anselm on behalf of the fool. He stated that it was not possible to visualize the concept of this perfect being because one can only imagine an image when one has an idea of what that image is suppose to resemble. 2004-09-25T05:49:01-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Is-there-a-God--25565.aspx Poems usually begin with words or phrase which appeal more because of their sound than their meaning, and the movement and phrasing of a poem. Every poem has a texture of sound, which is at least as important as the meaning behind the poem. Rhythm, being the regular recurrence of sound, is at the heart of all natural phenomena: the beating of a heart, the lapping of waves against the shore, the croaking of frogs on a summer’s night, the whisper of wheat swaying in the wind. Rhythm and sound and arrangement –the formal properties of words—allow the poet to get beyond, or beneath the surface of a poem. Both of Charles Roberts poems "The Herring Weir" and "The Skater" emphasize poetic sound to express their themes. Assonance—the repetition of the same or similar vowel sound, especially in stressed syllables—can also enrich a poem. Assonance can be used to unify a poem as in Roberts' poem in which it emphasizes the thematic connection among words and unifies the poem’s ideas of the humanoid and nature. Roberts indirectly links certain words and by connecting these words, he calls attention to the imagery that helps communicate the poems theme of how different mother nature and humans can be. In addition to alliteration and assonance, poets create sound patterns with rhyme. The conventional way to describe a poem’s rhyme scheme is to chart rhyming words that appear at the ends of lines. Naturally, rhyme does not have to be subtle to enrich a poem. Rhyme can also be classified according to the position of the rhyming syllables in a line of verse. Poets, too, create rhyme by using repeated words and phrases. “The red flats are uncovered, mile on mile" (31). Meter, the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables that govern a poem’s lines, largely creates poetic rhythm. This gives readers the “beat” of the poem and approximates the sound of spoken language. A way of varying meter is to introduce a pause in the rhythm often created by a caesura--a “cutting” within a line. Both Brooks and Bradstreet use caesuras to complete individual thought and to add to the beat of the poem. Although the end of a line may mark the end of a metrical unit, it does not always coincide with the end of a sentence. Poets may choose to indicate a pause at this point, or they may continue, without 2004-06-10T06:13:41-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Rhythm-and-How-it-Affects-Poetry-25139.aspx David Hume Theories Knowledge is gained only through experience, and experiences only exist in the mind as individual units of thought. This theory of knowledge belonged to David Hume, a Scottish philosopher. Hume was born on April 26, 1711, as his family's second son. His father died when he was an infant and left his mother to care for him, his older brother, and his sister. David Hume passed through ordinary classes with great success, and found an early love for literature. He lived on his family's estate, Ninewells, near Edinburgh. Throughout his life, literature consumed his thoughts, and his life is little more than his works. By the age of 40, David Hume had been employed twice and had failed at the family careers, business and law. Occasionally, he served on diplomatic missions in France and other countries. Hume's major work, A Treatise of Human Nature, was not well understood when first published, and received much criticism. The first two volumes were published in 1739, and the third in 1740. Immanuel Kant and other philosophers did notice his work and began respecting Hume for his reasoning. Later, he republished the first and third volumes as An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding, and An Enquiry concerning the Principles of Morals in 1748 and 1751 respectively. The second volume was used as Part 2 of Four Dissertations in 1757. During his lifetime Hume's reputation derived from the publication of his Political Discourses (1751) and six-volume History of England (1754-1762)," (Langley 415). David Hume discovered he was literary celebrity when visiting France in 1763. He retired to Edinburgh in 1769 and lived a happy life. He passed away August 25, 1776 and left in his will that he only wanted his name and date on his gravestone, "leaving it to posterity to add the rest," (Langley 415). Skepticism is the belief that people can not know the nature of things because perception reveals things not as they are, but as we experience them. In other words, knowledge is never known in truth, and humans should always question it. David Hume advanced skepticism to what he called mitigated skepticism. Mitigated skepticism was his approach to try to rid skepticism of the thoughts of human origin, and only include questions that people may begin to understand. Hume's goal was to limit 2004-06-10T06:12:04-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Dave-Hume-Theory-Analysis-Discussion-25138.aspx Luther began his ecclesiastical career as an Augustinian Monk in the Roman Catholic Church. Consequently, Luther was initially loyal to the papacy, and even after many theological conflicts, he attempted to bring about his reconciliation with the Church. But this was a paradox not to endure because in his later years, Luther waged a continual battle with the papacy. Luther was to become a professor of biblical exegesis at Wittenberg where, in 1957, he posted his critique of the Roman Catholic Church's teachings and practices. This is otherwise known as The Ninety-Five Theses, which is usually considered to be the original document of the Reformation. Basically, this document was an indictment of the venality of the Roman Catholic Church, particularly the widespread practice of selling indulgences in association with the sacrament of penance. Luther's beliefs on the matter were that after confession, absolution relied upon the sinner's faith and God's Divine Grace rather than the intervention of a priest. At this point, Luther did not advocate an actual separation from the Roman Catholic Church. Instead, Luther felt his suggested reforms York-3 could be implemented within Catholicism. If this had taken place, the Protestant Reformation would probably not of ever seen the light of day--nor would it have been necessary. But the theological practices being what they were in the Roman Church, there was little chance at that time for any great variations to occur within its folds. The Church of Rome was thoroughly monolithic and set in its ways and was not about to mutate into something else. "The turning point of the Reformation and of church history in general is the experience of an Augustinian monk in his monastic cell--Martin Luther. Martin Luther did not merely teach different doctrines; others had done that also, such as Wyclif. But none of the others who protested against the Roman system were able to break through it. The only man who really made a breakthrough, and whose breakthrough has transformed the surface of the earth, was Martin Luther. . . . He is one of the few great prophets of the Christian Church, and his greatness is overwhelming, even if it was limited by some of his personal traits and his later development. He is responsible for the fact that a purified Christianity, a Christianity of the Reformation, was able to establish itself equal terms with the Roman tradition" (Tillich 227). Tillich's 2004-06-10T05:16:04-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/Martin-Luther-and-Thomas-Moore-25114.aspx I have chosen to write St. Thomas Aquinas’ proof citing motion as proof of the existence of God. Although I must admit to being a little confused the wording, I see it as being in terms of ability too, act of, and the first to act. The ability too, is the potential of the object to act. This potential cannot be converted to the act unless acted upon by another object already in the state of action. An example, as used in the book, of the object that would be considered to have potentiality would be wood, it is potentially hot. This wood cannot become hot until that which is hot, the fire, acts upon it. When this meeting occurs the action of the wood becoming hot is a movement or change in the object. The object in the act of in the above mentioned example is the fire. It is in the state of action. The fire is the initiator of the woods action. It transfers its energy to the wood allowing the wood to fulfill its potential. In this case, or any other, neither the object that has the ability too nor the object in the state of action can be the first to act. The wood cannot be the first to act, as it is in the state of ability too. When the wood is in this state, it has no action to transfer, and therefore is obviously not the first to act. The fire, although able to transfer the action, must have been at one time in the state of ability too, and therefore was acted upon, making it not the first too act. The first to act is understood to be God. God is that which has action, but did not receive the action from another object. God was never in the state of ability too. God is only action, making God the beginning action. Aquinas developed a proof that I can, in some ways, agree with. He basically argues that, although there doesn’t necessarily have to be an end to something, there has to be a beginning. He argues that all things are in a state of both the potential to be changed as well as the state of action, but the one understood to be God 2004-06-10T00:43:05-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/God-in-Terms-of-Motion-25064.aspx A Comparison of Classic And Contemporary Philosophers Why is it so important that young children in our society receive a good education? The answer to that question is very simple; because they are our future. The old saying “the youth of today are the leaders off tomorrow” holds more truth than many people realize. By giving children a good start at an early age we are only helping ourselves as well as the children. A good example of this is can be seen in our society. By the time a teacher in our society retires from his or her position their students will have made it out into the real world and taken jobs. This new generation will be the ones to make the decisions about laws such as Social Security, and Medicaid. The students will be able to turn these programs around and make them more beneficial to their recipients. These teachers who are now retired will be the ones who are collecting Social Security and reaping the benefits of the children’s solid education. The idea of educating the youth is not even close to a new idea. Philosophers such as Jean Jacques Rousseau in the seventeen hundreds and even farther back than that to the time of Plato in three hundred eighty six B.C. and after. Both of these great men shared similar ideas on how children should be taught so that they can get the most out of their education. Though educational philosophy dates back thousands of years, there are still many great thinkers who are revolutionizing teaching with their philosophies today. In the later part of the twentieth century there was also Paulo Friere who is considered by some to be the greatest thinker of his time and also Maxine Greene who has also greatly changed education in today’s society. Thanks to these great minds along with many others, modern day education was revolutionized. Many of the teaching techniques and ideals that are practiced in the classroom today originated from these philosophers. These four philosophers though from two very different time periods had some very similar ideas about education. Jean Jacques Rousseau said that children are born innocent and pure, and become contaminated by the world, as they grow older. “Everything is good as it comes from the hands of the 2004-03-20T12:45:51-04:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/A-Comparison-of-Classic-And-Contemporary-Philosophers-68.aspx I. Introduction In the year 1098, the monk/arch-bishop/philosopher Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109) began work on his third text the Prosologium. Though he had written at length before, primarily on interpretative doctrines of religious theology, in the Prosologium he attempted a bold new task. His attempt was to prove the existence of god, through the means just of reason. His efforts produced “the ontological argument” (sometimes referred to as the “argument from perfection” or the “argument from reason”), debated not just during his time, but also for literally a full millennium after. For this noble effort, he is often credited as being “the father of medieval scholastic thought” To better acquaint the reader with the circumstances of the authorship of the Ontological Argument, it may be worthwhile to engage in a thought experiment. Imagine you are a monk living in the middle of the middle ages. The church is extremely strong, and rarely does anyone publicly state beliefs other then those of orthodox religion. Nevertheless, times are not well and more and more people are losing faith. Besides just debating the intricacies of religious interpretation, a puzzle enters your mind. Perhaps you could construct an argument that would be powerful enough to convince even those damned heretics of the truth of your faith. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? Ah but how could one achieve that feat? The first thought might be to simply read a passage in the Bible that states that god exists. But if somebody is questioning the existence of god, they probably aren’t going to buy that one. What common ground do you then have with them? Well, the heretics claim to be using reason to support their claims. Hmmm, what if you could use their weapon – reason – and fight them on their own turf? This might have been along the lines of what Anselm was thinking in constructing his argument. In this paper, the author will look first at the properties of Anselm’s Ontological Argument (that it is deductive and a-priori), reflect on the simple historical form and expand that into the full modern form. Then the author will conduct a review by premise, including objections to the soundness of each premise. The links between premises and validity will then be examined. The author will than consider external objections (of which Guanilo’s perfect island argument is an excellent example). Finally, the argument will not be accepted for reasons to be 2004-02-23T00:43:38-05:00 http://75.150.148.189/free-essay/The-Ontological-Argument-51.aspx