11tokatheel

Flexibility of the Mind

2010-05-02T01:17:00.000-07:00

"A scientist knows that evidence will change her mind, but a fundamentalist knows that nothing will change his mind."

The essence of the flexibility of the mentality of scientists lies in the fact that it is a common agreement that humans are the ones who come up with scientific theories. Fundamentalist or not, we all agree that humans can make mistakes, so that offers the first reason as to why it is much easier for scientists to believe that a scientific theory could be defunct. On the other hand however, it is God, or some higher power and perfect entity; on whom religious beliefs are based. So, with evidence or not - due to the fact that this higher power- is literally put on a level above any human. It makes sense that fundamentalists believe that no human can challenge their beliefs.

Moreover, when establishing this distinction between science and religion. It is important to note that a major difference is that science is the pursuit of knowledge; theories are made and tested in order to continue moving forward...science is going to- as a pose to religion which is coming from; once again, this makes it much easier for scientists to question their theories than it does for fundamentalists to question their beliefs.

However, I think it is very important to mention, that these ideas apply namely to fundamentalist. Fundamentalism is basically an interpretation of religion that is very narrow, very strict and very literal. I personally believe in a great difference between religious people and fundamentalists. For example, continuing with the idea that is introduced in the previous paragraph; it might still apply when speaking about fundamentalism; and people who simply blindly follow their religion; and never question the validity of their beliefs...

Nonetheless, I personally think, contrary to popular belief that the true essence of religion is going to- rather than coming from. I think religion is about asking questions, and about seeking the truth; the idea behind the views expressed by religion; is that they should be there as a guide through life; and that even if one chooses to break them at some point; after his own experiences, there will be this strong force that might not exactly make sense when assessing the situation logically; but this force will drive him back to his religion.

On the other hand, what if we ask questions, and break rules...but in doing so become more and more distant from whatever views are expressed by our religion. I think that in that case, there is no point in blindly following something that one does not actually believe and truly understand.

What causes a heart attack?

2010-04-30T02:54:00.000-07:00

A cause of something is a person or thing that gives rise to an action, phenomenon, or condition. In this specific case, it would be the one thing that has given rise to the man’s heart attack. Some of the pieces of information offered are very irrelevant to the end result (the heart attack,) so they can be omitted from the consideration of causes.

Causation is the causal relationship between content and result. However, can we say that any of these pieces of information have a direct and unquestionable relationship to the heart attack? I do not think so, so what we mean by causes in this case is slightly different. Here we are referring to hypotheses as causes. Hypotheses are basically proposed explanations made on the basis of some evidence as a starting point for further explanation.

I think that in the scenario presented, the most plausible reason for this mans heart attack would probably be that he has always loved chocolate cake and hadn’t been able to resist it for years (3.) One of the main medical reasons for heart attacks are a clotting of coronary arteries; and the plaque that clogs these arteries comes from negative dietary habits, such as high fat diets. This “cause” is basically based on association. This hypothesis or opinion even- is derved from statistical extrapolation. Because most people who get heart attacks get it due to that reason more than any of the other ones mentioned. I hypothesize, that the pattern continues in this case…however, there is not concrete certainty. The more associations you have, the stronger your case becomes.

I think there are plenty of patterns in life, and although it is not a rule that everything fits into these patterns, experiments and experience have shown that a large percentage of things do, and the same concept applies to science. Science is often associated with facts and certainty, quite ironically however, there is not very much certainty in science. & I mean 100% certainty. This is the case to the extent that no scientific theory can be proven…trials and experiments only support scientific theories, but never prove them. The more support a theory has, the more credible it is….

Emotions unit essay

2010-04-05T00:49:00.001-07:00

You are a supreme leader in "Brave New World" attempting to persuader readers to understand the necessity of emotions and their value in human life - convince them with examples and reason that more emotion is better.

- refugee camps and charity work

- they keep wars limited

- offer challenges…./ ma us feel the need for advancement (motivation etc)

- at a personal level: communication

- counter example: autism article/response

Emotions form the foundation of our thought, our perception, and most importantly our logic and "common sense." Human emotions in my opinion, with no doubt have been the reason for our advancement. What sort of a world would we live in if emotion did not exist. In what way do emotions specifically better the human race?

Lets take charity work as an example. We build refugee camps and make other attempts to help those who are less fortunate than us. Due to the existence of positive emotions of compassion and caring, people who have the ability often work towards making other people's lives better by building refugee camps for example; they offer shelter and protection to a great extent, for people who need it more than anything in the world.

Also, taking war as an example for the benefits of emotion; it is our emotions that led previous world leaders to try and develop some sort of "just war theory" even when it comes to warfare. World War one is one of the few examples of a total war…otherwise, most wars are usually fought on scales of limited wars, that limit some sort of factor such as geographical location or weapons used. For example, there are some chemicals such as white phosphorus whose use in wars is considered a violation of human rights…therefore restricting governments from their use. If all wars could escalate to total wars, there would be serious damage around the world both in terms off loss of life and human rights violations, but also in terms of infrastructure, economy and social welfare in general.

Furthermore, taking a more abstract approach to the issue, it is due to our emotions that we feel compelled to challenge ourselves. Motivation, drive, desire and willpower are all emotions that make us want to do better and give us the needed inclination to advance. If we look at technological advancements starting from the 20th century, I would say that these emotions of inspiration and inducement have bettered our lives in ways we could never before imagine.

Also, I think that funny enough, emotions are actually the foundation of our logic and reasoning. There exists something within us that gives us the "logic" to "think without thinking" somehow, we have some sort of instinct that guides us through situations in which we have no time to think about our actions, i think this is the way that humans adapted and survived since the earliest of times. Emotions of fear for example, send waves from our brain to receptors in our body, and somehow seem to guide us through decisions and situations. A recent concept of much interest to psychologists and authors is the way in which our subconscious brain encompasses our emotions, the idea of emotional intelligence.

Furthermore, at a personal level, emotions help us communicate with each other. People with similar emotions at a time often feel connected. Our emotions are the bond that ties us all together in some way. It helps us understand each other and surprisingly decrease our need to think hard about things that seem so simple and straightforward to us simply because of our emotions.

This idea can be further developed through examining a counter example. Our emotions help us develop the basic instincts that have nothing to do with our conscious brain, that make communication a natural process. Autistic people have to work out a separate 'translation code" for every new person they meet; responding appropriately to social interactions is not a natural process.

Our emotions also help us understand each other, and ourselves, as well as to communicate with others. It is due to emotions, that others can understand subtle emotional cues, such as a change in our tone of voice to indicate disturbance for example.

Grandin writes about how it was through her experiences only that she learned that certain social behaviors can make people angry; for most of us, we do not need to learn these things by doing; our emotions give us some inherent tendency that makes our lives so much easier if you think about it!

It is true that perhaps autistic people are much more logical; but to what extent can they put that logic and sense to use, do they have the necessary skills? I think that our emotions sometimes do get the best of us, can can blind our judgment; or cause us to act irrationally. But somehow, I think that at the same time, they give us a feeling of safety and of ease of interaction. Emotions connect us to each other; we do not feel alone, it is easier for us to establish connections to people, places and events that eventually build up our character and perception in life...it is through these experiences and relationships that we form who we are.

Religion and Emotion

2010-04-04T08:46:00.000-07:00

It is difficult to argue that religion does not encompass emotion. I do believe however, that it is a common misconception that religion is based purely on emotion. In most religions, one must feel a connection with God, and believe the beliefs of ones particular religion...however, if religion was purely emotion...why are there some atheists that become religious? Or why do people convert? I think that conversion is proof that one must be able to objectively look at the ideas of a religion and assess that they make more sense that religion x or y. I think that there would be many more atheist and agnostics if religion was based purely on emotion. Although society has instilled in our minds, the idea that religion must not be questioned...I think that it is in our nature, to feel that there is some sort of foundation of logic on which we base our emotion. And I do think that that is present in religion, which is why so many people believe in it...

The Importance of Emotions - Dr. Richard van de Lagemaat

2010-04-04T08:33:00.000-07:00

Once again, this article discusses the importance of emotions and our need for human emotion. In the battlefield between emotion and logic, logic is often portrayed as the objective and wise side of the human being; while emotions are the subjective and folly side. That might be true to a certain extent, but would logic and reason be of any use to our race had we lacked emotions? Motivation, drive, desire, passion....these are all emotions. And not only are they emotions, they are the emotions that give us the something to work for, and the inclination for advancement...

Dating Data- response

2010-04-04T06:18:00.000-07:00

I can honestly say that "Dating Data" by Temple Grandin, was one of the most eye opening things that I read. It is written in first person limited, which made is very touching; it gave real insight into the life of this woman.

I always knew the definition of autism, but i never truly understood what it was like to be autistic. However, the reason that the article had such a big influence on me is that it made me aware of the importance of emotion; and of how heavily we rely on our emotions on a day to day basis.

During this unit; we spoke a lot about the distinction between emotion and logic. I thought i understood the concept very well; and it was easy for me to point out the differences; however, through this article, I realized how intertwined the two are. Emotions are not simply a feeling or a state of mind, such as being happy or sad. Emotions are much more complicated, which is what I was trying to say in my previous blog. However, I now understand why they are so complicated.

Our emotions are our instinct. Since early childhood, even before our brain or logic begins to develop; our emotions are already at work. We form personal relationship simply and firstly through our emotions; and I was able to see that through the authors description of how she could not understand them. I thought personal relationships were established firstly according to our personalities; but something exists that isolates autistic people and prevents them from fitting in; it is the bond of our subconscious emotions. "I have very few subconscious cues to guide me during complex social interactions." we have an instinct that guides us, we do not even need to think to know- or sense rather; that telling someone they are fat or ugly, is rude. Our emotions conduct us through the dynamics of people's emotions, feelings and reactions. However in the case of autistic people, they actually have to be taught appropriate behavior that seems so very obvious and "logical" to us.

Our emotions help us develop the basic instincts that have nothing to do with our conscious brain, that make communication a natural process. Autistic people have to work out a separate 'translation code" for every new person they meet; responding appropriately to social interactions is not a natural process.

The need to feel in control

2010-03-05T23:45:00.000-08:00

Psychologists think there are six primary emotions – happiness, sadness, fear, anger, surprise, disgust. Are these like the three primary colours in light, where all others can be made of combinations of these six? Do you agree with the idea of “primary emotions”?

I think the idea of primary emotions comes from the human need to feel in control. I think human feelings and emotions are too complex to classify so simply.

There are some emotions that are not really connected to any of these "primary emotions"...for example; when one feels confused...he is not sad...or angry...or disgusted...he is confused! Another example, is the feeling of disappointment; once again; I think it is quite different to any of the primary emotions.

Furthermore, not only do I not think they cannot be classified so easily; I also think that there aren't enough words in the English dictionary for human feelings...which further supports the point that they can't be categorized as such. Sometimes, I personally feel a certain way; but do not find the words to describe it;l it could be a combination of one or more emotions...that are not so easy to identify.

The topic of human emotions is one into which a lot of extensive research and study has gone in to. Psychologists have tried to comprehend how our complex and intricate system of emotion works. Classifying emotions makes it easier to feel like we have come a step closer to understanding the way that our emotions influence us. When something so complicated yet such a significant part of our daily lives; is foreign to our understanding...Fear of the unknown leads us to classify and generalize....which I personally disagree with.

Shaping a Civilization

2010-02-21T06:13:00.000-08:00

- Do words have power? To what extent does language enhance knowledge?

- What are some problems with language/ how can they impede our knowledge?

To speak means to be in a position to use a certain syntax, to grasp the morphology of this or that language, but it means above all to assume a culture, to support the weight of a civilization. A man who has a language consequently posses the world expressed and implied by that language.

“Every colonized people- in other words, every people in whose sole an inferiority complex has been created by the death and burial of its local cultural originality- finds itself face to face with the culture of the civilizing nation; that is, with the culture of the mother country.” In his book “Black skin, white masks,” Franz Fanon examines the importance of language in colonialism, specifically focusing on its effect on the colonized people.

When the colonized are faced with the culture and thought of the colonized people, they adopt a sense of inferiority that gives them the desire to learn the language of the colonizing nation. It is implicit that to speak means to exist absolutely for the other. If we take African colonialism by the white man as an example, the African Negro believes and feels that he will be proportionally whiter –that is- he will become closer to becoming a real human being, in direct proportion to his acquiring of the white man’s language. Once the Negro starts to adopt the new language, many problems can start to arise, the most important one being a problem of identity. He no longer feels at home among his people, because he now feels the superiority that is associated with acquiring the new language, he no longer fits in among others of his kind, because he is now more sophisticated in being. On the other hand however, is he ever truly accepted into the white man’s society as an equal?

The black man now has two dimensions. One with his fellows, the other with the white man. A Negro behaves differently with a white man and with another Negro. That this self-division is a direct result of a colonialist subjection is beyond question…If language has the ability to completely alter one’s personality and outlook on life, ascribes a basic importance to the phenomenon of language.

Continuing the cultural focus on colonialism and language, another problem that can arise is from a lack of communication. When the colonizing people enter a country whose language they do not know, and do not have the interest to adopt, it leads to a great degree of categorization and loss of individualism. The colonized become insignificant, and due to this lack of respect for their culture (of which the most basic element is language) hostility and antagonism arises between the two people. Furthermore, it prevents the colonizing people from learning from the culture of the locals, and impedes their expansion of perspective and thought due to exposure to new cultures.

The power that language has is unquestionable, but with that power, comes an associated complexity that opens a window for counter effective problems to arise.

Why have rules if they're going to be broken

2010-01-25T00:21:00.000-08:00

Every language definitely has its set of rules in terms of syntax, punctuation, grammar and vocab. That helps develop the language as a means of communication, so as to provide a guideline for people to communicate with each other.

Does simply having these rules means that we are all going to follow them? - Just like rules of anything, there are always going to be those who bend them or break them. I am going to focus on the English language as a case study to try and demonstrate this point. I think that now more than any other previous time, people are breaking the "rules" of written and spoken language. Rules of syntax, are constantly broken, both in an obvious and subtle way. In our pop culture, whether its contemporary rap songs, which have drastically increased in popularity, or whether its in movies and other interactions of our daily lives that would have an impact in developing our language; these "rules" are constantly being broken. For example, one of today's popular rap artists says in one of his songs : "Look at what I done; look at where I be." The phrase contradicts the language's grammar rules in terms of tenses, and yet, it is used and more importantly, its intent is understood by others. Especially teenagers, and especially online, they often purposely "mis-spell" words whether its for efficiency or because its just the thing to do...such as spelling "you" as u instead of y o u. There are also a lot of subtle, perhaps unintentional mistakes that lots of people from different age groups make. For example, most people say things such as "dispute about...." when it should technically be dispute over; also, most people say " if i was (bla)" when it should technically be if I were. "it is me" is also grammatically incorrect, it should be....it is I. These are just a few of many many examples that demonstrate the fact that we break the rules of language all the time.

So if we break these rules so much, why do we still have them? The thing is, that this set of rules needs to be established as starting point. Language needs to be unified in some way. It cannot simply be haphazard. There needs to be guidelines that people can follow, so as to ease communication. I think using an analogy would perfectly demonstrate my point:

The painting above is one of Picasso's. Many people would not guess that it is since he is more famous for his cubist style paintings. The thing is, one needs to master the rules before one can break them. Picasso had to practice conventional art and perfect it before he could go on to his more creative, "rule breaking" ideas of what art is. I think this is the case with language to a large extent. Otherwise, people would not understand each other. If i did not even know teh word "you"....i would not know that "u" meant you in the first place. So, when people have a good understanding of the language, and its rules, they can break them; but still have the ability to communicate and understand each other, therefore still maintaining the main purpose of its creation.

It is important to mention, that this is to some extent a generalization. Some people break the rules of language simply because they do not know them, or did not learn them. An example would be someone who picked up a language from the streets, from people who do not know the rules themselves. However, I think the fact that everyone else knows these rules, also gives these people the ability to break them, simply due to the fact that they would be understood.

Here is one of Picasso's more famous & unique paintings:

What is language?

2010-01-17T00:17:00.000-08:00

Language does not simply say ideas, it creates ideas...

To speak means to be in a position to use a certain syntax, to grasp the morphology of this or that language, but it means above all to assume a culture, to support the weight of a civilization.

To know a language, means to develop a capability to understand that culture's way of life, and therefore their way of thinking, which in turn changes the way that we think and our perceptions of the world. When one learns a new language his horizons are truly expanded. our awareness of a new outlook on life has potential to seriously alter our thought.

In a book called "Black skin, white masks" Franz Fanon examines the effect of language on colonized people. He believes that every colonized people, in other words, every people in whose soul an inferiority complex has been created by the death and burial of its local cultural originality-finds itself face to face with the language of the "civilizing nation;" that is, with the culture of the mother country. The colonized person adapts his standards to adopt the colonizing people's cultural standards. In doing so, his identity, and his mental boundaries that he has lived by his entire life by are profoundly shaken. He now has a new outlook on life. Once this man acquires the new language, he no longer feels at home among his people. He now feels like he is better than them, and does not want to be associated with their primitivism. He now faces a serious identity struggle. I would say that his ideas were definitely affected on many various levels because of language.

In the end of the day, whether from a cultural perpective or otherwise. Language is thought.

Presentations

2009-12-14T06:53:00.000-08:00

I greatly enjoyed the presentations that were given by my fellow classmates. I think this was a really fun and engaging way to apply the concepts that we have learned so far in TOK to real life examples and situations. Hassan and Kiana's presentation about drugs was quite informative; it gave me insight into the reasons that people might turn to drugs to escape the reality that is infringed upon them. Although I now have a better understanding about the concepts and ideas behind the act, I do not really think that using drugs is the best way to discover ourselves or to become creative. I understand that the first time one uses drugs, one would feel this unique sensation that can no longer be repeated....but I actually think that turning to drugs to escape reality, discover ourselves, or awake our creative side makes us weaker. I personally believe that the power to escape this reality and our journey of self discovery should be something that comes from within, and not through chemicals that we inhale, smoke or inject. I think that the act of developing the adequate strength to escape this reality or to get in touch with a more spiritual, or to get to a deeper level of self understanding; and the perseverance that comes with that is part- a vital part in fact- of self discovery. Because if you think about it, its not really you, its the chemicals, and how they make you think/feel and act; if it was really who you are, you should be ab le to experience these thoughts without being under the effect of these chemicals. Nonetheless, i still see where the ideas, and the mentality come from.

The idea of meditation that was presented by Nastasja was one that appealed to me a bit more. I think that if one is able to reach that state, beyond the 'normal' or 'usual' ability of the mind and body, and if one is able to free himself form the constraints imposed by the two, then one has truly reached a higher level of thought and of self control and understanding. It is definitely more difficult to master though, and it might not work as well for most people, simply because of factors such as our expectations of what we should get out of the experience, this is an example of how this process is once again interrupted by our conscious thinking and of things and ideas that society instills and imposes upon us as individuals.

The presentation about the aboriginals in Australia was extremely interesting simply because it was something that i knew nothing about, so it was very exciting to get to know about a new way of perceiving life and what it means to a certain group of people....

The Truman Show

2009-11-22T08:13:00.000-08:00

“We accept the reality of the world with which we are presented” Bearing in mind this quote from the film, what does this film teach us about perception? Consider our discussions surrounding the concept of illusion.

I strongly agree with this quotes, and i believe that it is perfectly illustrated through this movie. Truman is a man who really believes his world to be the real world. He grew up his entire life on a reality TV show, believing that his world was real, because that was what he was presented with his entire life. He had no reason to think or believe otherwise. Furthermore, he continues to believe so until he slowly begins to realize that some things don't fit in, at which point he slowly & reluctantly begins to question his world. We see that he doesn't directly assume that it isn't actually reality, for that is actually quite difficult to do. He realizes something going on, but he can't immediately figure it out (naturally.) Furthermore, the audience share his experience to a certain extent. At the beginning, we think that its all real, until we slowly begin to realize what is actually going on. We are very surprised when we see the size of the dome studio, at which point we are convinced that his entire world is literally manufactured. I think it is beyond our brains capability to question the information that it receives and the 'reality' that it is presented with. So the film basically teaches us that reality can in fact be subjective and is entirely based on the informaion that we are given. This movie exemplifies the fact that, what we perceive to be reality can be affected by external factors. More importantly it causes the audience to question their own 'realities' and wonder if there is more to it that what we do already know.

2. How does this link with the concept of our senses being the only link to the outside world?

Our senses are actually the connection between our brains and the outside world. We develop a perception of what our world is, based on the information that we receive from our senses. There might well be a bigger picture than what we do already know, but the reason that we do not question that possibility is due to the fact that we do not receive any information that insinuates it from our senses. At the end of the day, what we know and believe is limited by what our senses deliver to us. That is what we base our perception of reality on. In real life, there are people who believe that they have a sixth sense, those might be ones whose sense of feeling or intuition is stronger than that of the average person's. Often, they believe in a larger universe more strongly, simply due to the fact that they feel that they can feel it. In other words, they receive stronger information about that from their senses.

3. Give three real life examples where a person’s concept of reality is deliberately altered.

- Often, we believe certain things to be inappropriate for children for one reason or another. This is the perfect example of how reality can sometimes to be altered. A adults we consciously and deliberately choose not to inform children of somethings. Funny enough, to them these things aren't hidden, they simply do not exist. For example, often children do not understand the phenomenon of death, and they are never faced with it until they directly experience it through the death of someone they knew (even then they might not fully understand it) but the point is that prior to that point, to them, there is no such thing as death. They do not think about what happens after we grow...this is because of the limited information that we sometimes allow them to have. There are many other things that we do not tell them, which results in the fact that reality to an adult, is usually very different to what reality is to a child.

- We watch movies and read books knowing that they are not actually real. The authors and writers often make up these scenarios. But we are often so emerged in some movies and stories, and we relate so strongly and sympathize with the characters that we are willing to forget the fact that they are made up, and often use them for life lessons and inspiration. This concept is known as suspension of disbelief. There are many science fiction movies that are not meant to be realistic, and directors make the conscious decision to do that. They choose to alter our concepts of reality.

- The last example is so mundane that it might not even seem like one. The truth of the matter is, that as individuals,we often try to alter someone's perception of reality, almost on a daily basis. Think of every time you have tried to convince someone to do something for you, or tried to convince someone of your point of view. We often try to make others have a certain image of something...for example, as students, we often want our teachers to have a certain image of us that they view very positively. As a result, students often act very differently in classes than they do among friends. To a teacher, the reality is, that student X is a very serious person (because student X knows that this teacher likes serious students) Although, to this person's friends, s/he could be the most light hearted person. Examples such as this one are soooo common in our everyday lives.

The truth is, people almost always try to manipulate reality in some way, shape or form.

A Beautiful Mind

2009-11-20T10:07:00.000-08:00

A Beautiful Mind is basically a biography about John Nash, who was a brilliant mathematician that eventually became schizophrenic. In his own mind, Nash had an image about how his life was. At the beginning we think that everything that is happening is real, but we then realize that it was all a part of his imagination. The people he sees and meets, are not seen or heard by others. But what I personally think is so brilliant about this movie is the way that the audience firstly thinks that everything is real. So to us, people he saw were actually there, they were reality. But when we learn about his schizophrenia, our idea of reality changes. We now think that this picture was all painted in his mind, and is not truly reality. This movie basically conveys the concept that reality is not one defined viewpoint. Reality is a concept that is often viewed as something standard and agreed upon. This movie examines how reality can be different from one person to another. At the end of the day, our reality is based on the information that we are given and choose to accept. It might well be that there is a whole new race of 'super humans' that live underground. Many people would respond to this saying that that is impossible..."no one lives there, and thats reality." But what is reality? We do not think an idea like this one, or many other things (aliens etc) are real because we have not found them or seen them. So to us, the reality is that no one lives underneath the earth. But does this really guarantee that there isn't? We don't really know, because our reality is very much limited by the information that we have. & even that can be different from person to person, as can be seen from this movie and many others such as Minority Report and The Truman Show.

Through your eyes

2009-11-15T11:51:00.000-08:00

How do we view the world? I think most people don't really question the world or how our perspectives came to be. Most people's lives are so fast paced that they rarely have time to slow down and wonder. I would say that most people are realists. They believe their senses and believe that all the information that they receive is accurate. If they ever slowed down to think about it, they would quickly come to the realization that that is not the case. On the complete other end of the scale, there are the skeptics that question everything that the human race 'knows.' They believe that nothing is actually real, they doubt everything and look at nothing with complete certainty. The third way to look at things is called relativism. Relativists basically believe that we can know things, but what we know is restricted by what our senses tell us.

When we first started talking about these different ways of viewing our knowledge of the world, i automatically thought that i would be a relativist. I know that we cant believe everything, and i am aware of the problems of human perception; but on the other hand, i also think that our perception and our views are not 100% flawed. I believe that we can rely on our senses to give us somewhat reliable information, that we can trust, and base our lives upon. However, the more i began thinking about this, the more i began to realize that we (& me personally) cant exactly be categorized in this way. We are all realists when it comes to some things. I think that very few people would argue that the clothes that we are wearing are not really there, or are some sort of visual illusion, and that we are all naked in reality. At the same time, we are skeptical of some things, especially due to the fact that there is no clear distinction between skepticism and doubt. It is human nature to question or doubt new foreign ideas. We have previously explored this idea through examples such as Plato's Allegory of the Cave. Therefore, we all doubt some things. What these things are could be different from person to person, but i believe we all oppose or doubt at least one idea. This could range form the existence of ghosts to the existence of God. As for relativism, i think that it is the most applicable view that would help us make sense of the world around us; but at the same time, i think that we sometimes go to those extremes, especially if it was something that is more based on belief rather than knowledge.

Ghosts and the media

2009-10-31T04:42:00.000-07:00

I think the answer would probably be yes. Most people have a very negative image of ghosts. Most ghosts that are shown in movies or even children’s cartoons are usually portrayed to be evil. I think this is why ghosts are so affiliated with fear and darkness. Once again, I think this all relates to fear of the unknown. Anything we cannot see or somehow sense is bad. That’s actually very common human behavior. We usually don’t like the idea of not knowing, or being in the dark. No one knows weather ghosts truly exist or not, or at least it cannot be easily proven. I think this is the main reason that ghosts are usually portrayed to be so negative in general. On the other hand however, there are some cartoons and TV shows that challenge this interpretation, some try to justify their existence, while others depict them as friendly and loving.

Ghosts

2009-10-26T01:02:00.000-07:00

I do not believe that ghosts exist, mainly due to my religion. In Islam, we believe that when people die, their souls depart with them. They stay with them in the grave, until judgement day. To me, it does not make sense to say that spirits of people hang around after they leave. Why would our spirits want to remain here. I think that the idea of ghosts was created by humans, simply because of their fear of death.No one knows for a fact what happens after we die, and it is human nature to fear the unknown.This concept is the most thing that no one knows anything about. No one came back to life and explained what happened. What we do know however, is that death is inevitable. & i think people just cannot bear with not knowing, which is why people come up with their theories about what happens. So,although i don't personally believe in them, i can see why some people might. We do not have any signals or signs that imply that ghosts exist. Furthermore, what i cannot make sense of, is why people's spirits would stay here....to do what exactly?

Some people claim that they can feel the existence of ghosts. This is once again is related to perception and the senses. Is it a 6th/7th sense.....or is it imagined? Once again its the difference between knowledge and belief.....theres no one thing that is right. It depends on everyone & what they believe, or what they think the see or percieve

Perception

2009-10-25T06:04:00.001-07:00

People trust their senses too much and fight those who challenge their reality.

It would be a very common approach to say that this is wrong and shouldn’t be done, that people should be more accepting, and should be curious to learn about new things. However, I think that applies for most people. People do actually trust their senses too much. However, I disagree with the fact that people automatically criticize this and view it in a negative way. People cannot really be blamed for trusting their senses too much. Lets take the people in the cave as an example, to them, their senses are the entire world, this is what they know, they have absolutely no way to get different information, so it is more than natural to believe their senses, and only their senses.

Furthermore, it is also natural to repel new ideas as a first instinct. What we know is our comfort zone, it is what we are used to, this is where we feel safe and protected, simply because we know. Knowledge has the power to influence how we feel about things, and how we react the ideas. A very simple example, if a student had a choice to write an essay, either about their favorite book, or about a book that they know nothing about. It is natural for him to choose his favorite book, simply because he knows it. I do not think that it is arguable that people feel more comfortable in situations and environments in which they are familiar. This is the reason that it is our first instinct to resist ideas that “challenge our reality.”

A cliché example, but nonetheless a very good example is the example of religion. People often get sensitive talking about religion, which is natural. We do not want our beliefs to be challenged, this once again relates to the idea of belief vs. knowledge. To us, what we believe is what we know. The two are very much interlinked. To me, Islam is the ‘correct religion’ to someone else, it could be Christianity, and that’s perfectly fine. Neither of the two needs to prove that they are right.

For those of us who do not live in a cave, the important thing is not to try and accept everything that is different, and resist the temptation to shut it out. It is okay to feel like you do not want to accept something that challenges your views and beliefs at first, but the important thing is to be aware of this human nature. We should then go back and rethink about the concept, and be prepared to accept ornate least reason new ideas. Furthermore, it is great if you learn something new that changes your perspective, but at the same time, it is just as fine not to change your opinion, as long as you gave the new idea a chance, because, such as in the fable, there might be a bigger picture!

Beauty

2009-10-18T01:23:00.000-07:00

What are the characteristics of a beautiful person?

When one mentions beauty, they are usually referring to physical beauty. Beautiful hair, skin etc. However, it has been subtly instilled in our modern culture that beauty "comes from within" This idea is presented in various forms through movies and children's stories for example. Some people agree with this idea while many perceive it as irrelevant to the real or modern world. In the end of the day, what determines the meaning of beauty. To start with, it is definitely a subjective and varies from person to person depending on their views and perceptions. There is no doubt that beauty has a positive connotation, at a personal level, beauty comes from personality and therefor actions, how people act towards others, and what they do in order to improve what they do not agree with. Beauty is in respect, and open mindedness. One tends to think that everything that is foreign or different to what one is used to, is not beautiful. With all the diverse cultures and traditions that are present in the world, beauty is very relative. Personally, things that are representative are beautiful. For example, views about paintings and art work vary immensely from person to person, to me, if a piece of artwork represents a certain idea or reflects a certain culture or way of life, then it is beautiful. Furthermore, what is regarded as beautiful definitely changes over time. This idea is seen in many aspects of life,