Friday, February 27, 2009
Intelligent Design vs. Evolution ♥ 5:42 AM
On February 13th, the class debated about evolution and intelligent design and on which is the reason behind our existence. This is topic that can go on for hours and in circles as it can go either way.
To begin with, evolution describes changes in species which then allows for observable changes in individual organisms over time. It is the sequence of events involved in the development of a species or taxonomic group of organisms. It is one way that people theorized and provided evidence for in order to explain how things came to be.
On the other hand, intelligent design is the universe and living things are the way they are because of an intelligent cause and created by an unspecified intelligent agent, God. This disregards all the science that comes along with evolution. It simply states that God created everything, and it is because of Him that everything on Earth exists the way it does.
Personally, I do not agree on just one of these reasons for the existence of things. I believe in a combination of these two ideas. I believe that God is the one who started everything and evolution was one the ways he put into motion in order to get to where we are today. He was the one that created the planets and the universe but not in the way it was described in the Bible. I see Him as the one who put the one organism that everything derived from in place and then put the process of evolution into play mode.
This debate between evolution and intelligent design is a very personal and controversial topic. In my opinion, neither one is wrong its just that I see the way things came to be as a combination of the two.
The End.
The Fallacies of Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf ♥ 4:57 AM
"On Nation and Race" - Adolf Hitler [Chapter 11 of Mein Kampf]
On February 17, 2009, we learned about fallacies, forms of bad argumentation or inductive reasoning, which leads to faulty conclusions/statements. As we examined "Nation and Race" by Adolf Hitler, we discovered that it included some fallacies that created in hole in his argument.
"There are some truths which are so obvious that for this very reason they are not seen or at least not recognized by ordinary people. They sometimes pass by such truisms as though blind and are most astonished when someone suddenly discovers what everyone really ought to know." is the beginning of chapter 11.
- Straight off the bat, Adolf Hitler has written a fallacy. The quote is an example of an ad hominem, "against the man". An ad hominen is a fallacy which refers to an attack on a person instead of the argument being discussed. Here, Hitler is implying that people are blind to his ideas of race. He is implying that his ideas about race is the truth and everyone who disagrees is blind and wrong.
- Here is a quote that demonstrates a hasty generalization as well as a false analogy. A hasty generalization is a conclusion on the basis of insufficient. The quote shows that Hitler is coming to the conclusion that organisms from different species do not mate with each other. However, today, we can see that different members of different species do mate with each other and reproduce. For instance, in nature a tiger and a lion came together and reproduced an offspring, known as a liger. The quote is also a false analogy, which is an analogy that does not offer proof of a connection. Hitler is trying to give evidence to his idea by saying that the different races are species of humans and act the same as the species of animals. However, there are no species of human and thus, there is no connection to the different species in nature.
The End.
Suor Maria Celeste: The Daughter Behind Galileo ♥ 4:11 AM
Maria Celeste was the daughter of Galileo Galilei and Marina Gamba. She was entered into the San Matteo convent after her thirteenth birthday. Her original name was Virginia, but she changed it to Maria Celeste in honor of the virgin Mary and her father's love for astronomy. Although Maria Celeste was confined inside the walls of the convent at San Matteo for the rest of her life, she remained as a constant source of support for her father.
Ultimately, she was the one who kept Galileo alive and healthy. She took care of him by providing him with food and shelter. Maria did his laundry and shopping. Not only that, she made sure that her father didn't drink too much or overwork himself. Maria sent her father herbal medicines, she made herself, for his various sicknesses. For instance, during the time of the Bubonic plague in 1630, Maria put together medicine for her father to help him defend himself against the disease. Despite being away, Maria never lost her sense of being a dutiful Italian daughter and was constantly worried about her father's health and well-being.
Maria Celeste also assisted Galileo in other things besides keeping him healthy. While Galileo was writing his book The Dialogo, letters were being sent back and forth between Maria and him. She was essentially the editor of The Dialogo. She read the unfinished manuscript and edited it so it can be published. She cut and took out pieces of information that was irrelevant as well as put information that was missing/needed. The mistakes and the needed information her father forgot as well as advice about the book was sent back forth between them in their letters. She prepared the manuscript of Galileo's book so that it could be published and be acceptable to the church. She was able to do this since she was nun. She knew what pieces of the book would go against the church, and thus would not let the book be published. Therefore, without her, Galileo's book probably would have not been the way it is and maybe even couldn't be published.
After Galileo published his book, Pope Urban VIII took a very angry view of the book and two, former friends, never spoke with each other again. Galileo then had to appear before the Inquisition because of his book. Before appearing on trial, Maria Celeste heard about the news and wrote to her father, giving him advice on how to stay alive and avoid the grossum punishments. She advised him to say what they want you to say and to do what they tell him to do. She warned him not to say anything that would go against or anger the Church. Because of Maria's advise, Galileo was able to stay alive and begin his studies on physics.
Despite the fact Maria did not receive formal education or training, she was a very intelligent woman who assisted her father in his scientific discoveries greatly by keeping him alive and editing his book's manuscript.
The End.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Thomas Aquinas' Five Ways ♥ 6:28 AM
In Thomas Aquinas' five ways, Aquinas tries to put religion and reasoning together by explaining God and his role in our life. However, when we carefully read these arguments he has, we can see that they are nothing more than the fallacy of begging the question. He is assuming that the existence of God and what he is saying about God has already been proven true.
For instance, in his first way, the argument from motion Auinas is assuming many things. He is assuming that God was the first thing created and that God's existence has already been proven true. Why does God have to be this "UNMOVED MOVER"? Again he is assuming and concluding that God is the unmoved mover who set things to motion.
The End.
Monday, February 23, 2009
St. Augustine & Gothic Architecture ♥ 6:41 AM
A similarity between St. Augustine and Gothic architecture is the fact that people are able to attain introspection and divine wisdom. St. Augustine believed by looking inward, one can achieve salvation and happiness. He saw it as only "inward experience" or introspection as valid in attaining divine wisdom. The main characteristic of Gothic architecture is the glass windows. These glass windows not only allowed light in but they also had biblical stories on them. Through art, people the illiterate are able to learn these stories and thus, gain introspection. With people like St. Augustine, they were able to gain introspection through thought and philosophy.
The End.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Affirmative Action ♥ 5:36 AM
Topic: The election of Barack Obama made affirmative action irrelevant?
And Affirmative Action is....?
Affirmative action is a policy or program that seeks to avoid discrimination through active measures and ensure equal opportunity for the minorities in education, employment, etc.
The election of Barack Obama has not made affirmative action irrelevant.
Many people will believe that the election has made affirmative action irrelevant because it shows that the minorities can be successful in life and do not need this "advantage" they are given. First of all, Barack Obama (a black man) does not represent the entire minority. He was one man that is from a minority that was able to fight against the norm and become the first black president. It does not demonstrate the entire minority being able to fight against the discrimination they face. Secondly, Barack Obama was able to go to places like Harvard because of this affirmative action. Who knows maybe there was someone from the majority who would have been accepted over Obama?
Secondly, the election of Barack Obama does show that discrimination against minorities does not exist. There is still racism in our country no matter how much we want to believe there isn't.
Affirmative action allows equal chances for the miniorities, who are usually the ones being discriminated against.
[will be edited later]
The End.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Reasoning ♥ 10:15 AM
Syllogism:
- has 3 statements to it: major premise, minor premise, conclusion
- 3 terms to it where you can switch the terms horizontally but not vertically
- the middle term also known as B is the segment of the major and minor premises that allows you to have a conclusion
- Example: Girls like cute things.
- Pandas are cute things.
- Girls like pandas.
- positive if then statement
- If p, then q
- p
- therefore q
- is positive
- Example: If I have an A, then I worked hard.
- I have an A.
- Therefore, I worked hard.
- negative if then statement
- If p, then q
- not q
- Therefore, not p
- If premise "p" is true, then premise q is also true.
- Premise q is false
- Therefore, premise p must be false.
- Example: If I have an A, then I worked hard.
- I did not work hard.
- Therefore, I have no A.
The End.
"Gates of Paradise" ♥ 6:27 AM
- located at the Florence Baptistry
- the Florence Baptistry located in Florence, Italy
- architecture of the building is in Florentine Romanesque style
- In 1401, a commpetition was announced to design the baptistry North Doors.
- several competitors competed including Lorenzo Ghiberti, Filippo Brunelleschi, Donatello, and Jacopo della Quercia
- Lorenzo Ghiberti was the winnner
- took him 21 years to complete the doors
- gilded bronze doors consist of twenty-eight panels, with twenty panels depicting a biblical scene from the Old and New Testament. The eight lower panels show the four evangelists and the Church Fathers Saint Ambrose, Saint Jerome, Saint Gregory and Saint Augustine. The panels are surrounded by a framework of foliage in the doorcase and gilded busts of prophets and sibyls at the intersections of the panels.
Labels: Gates of Paradise
The End.