Post 4 WK 2
A documentary was done on John Maynard Smith and his ideas on evolution. In this documentary he talked about his religious upbringing as a child and the first time he read Darwin. He stated the he felt a sense of relief. And that religion didn’t give him the freedom that he needed. He went on to say that he is now a agnostic but still attends church. He does this because it is like a community that offers help and security. I’m thinking that this goes back to science and religion. Do the two go hand and hand now? I never really thought of applying science to religion but I have had some questions of proof. Is what is out there real and how can they tell if it is or not? Now I have a better understanding of the possible answers to those questions. John soon goes on to talk about how design and natural selection are similar. Animals and insects adapt to their environment to survive. There body structures are designed to survive a certain type of environment. Though I did enjoy this documentary it was at times difficult for me to follow. John Maynard Smith is a very interesting individual and he made an interesting comment about dependent selection. He talked about how one sex would be more valuable and what would happen if one sex was more popular then the other. I found this documentary very interesting and for me evolution is still something I’m trying to get a grasp on.
Post 3 WK 2
A journal article called “The Himalayan Connection” written by David Lane was about what and how people believe. I have to admit it was a little hard for me to follow. Some words I just did not understand. There was a sentence in the article that really stood out to me and it said “the natures of ones attention is related directly to the perceptions one experiences”. My interpretation of this is that everyone is different and lives different lives; thus, giving them different experiences. These experiences influences a persons beliefs, there behavior and overall out look in life. Each of these experiences are different and for some they may think that there is something mystical about it. For others that might experience something similar they may just brush the experience off and go on with there day. It makes me think that no matter the experience if the person thinks that there is some more to it; mystical, bad luck, or religious. If they want to see something they will find it. At times I have to admit, I will say oh that was just bad luck or what goes around comes around. But I truly believe that because I am a quiet, patient, and very tolerable person I can take a lot of crap. These traits of mine allow for bad experiences from other people, and to justify these experiences I use terms as Karma and luck. My experiences influence how deep I will look into an experience, and what I take from it.
Post 2 WK 2
“A Field Guide to Critical Thinking” written by James Lett is about the importance of critical thinking. James Lett is a college professor that concluded most of his freshman and sophmore students didn’t know how to evaluate evidence for answers. To help his students he came up with the acronym FiLCHeRS. FiLCHeRS is falsifiability, logic comprehensiveness, honesty, replicability, and sufficiency. This acronym is to help students better determine what is true by having evidence for FiLCHeRS.
After reading this paper I found that it is helpful to have something to act as a guideline in determining what is true. Honestly, this paper is basically about needing to have facts and verifiable information to now weather the claim is true. It is important to be able to back up any statement with evidence no matter what it is. I always tell my younger cousin when she’s having problems. If you keep calm and state the facts and have information to back it up you won’t be dismissed. The adults will take you more seriously because they would have realized that you have though things through. And of course she just nods her head.
Post 1 Wk 2
Paul Kurtz wrote a Paper called “Should Skeptical Inquiry Be Applied to Religion?”. He states that skepticism is essential in all areas of scientific research, and to what extent should it be applied to religion. I really enjoyed reading this paper. It raised some interesting questions, and concerns. He states, to some degree, that there are issues in trying to research religion. People are more resistant to researching religion then psychics, palm readers and things of that nature. Applying skepticism to religion is in other words questioning if religion is real.
Wow, what can I say about questioning religion. This is such a sensitive issue. Yes, I believe skepticism is important. It is essential to science in that it raises questions that we have to try to answer by testing possible answers. However how do you apply skepticism to religion? What do you question? There are so many people in this world that believe some type of higher being. Believing in God is more then just something that is done. Believing in God is a way of life. It effects the way people behave, how they treat others. It can even determine what days they are going to demonstrate there belief. Believing in a high being even gives people hope, and faith that people are good, and that good things are out there in the world for those who are good. Questioning religion is a scary thing because as I said before religion is a belief. There may not be any physical evidence that religion or a higher being really exists. If a higher being were to be proven real then things would be great for most, but what will happen if it were proven false? What would happen to all those who believe? Skepticism and religion is a scary combination and for me I’m not sure if I’m ready to seriously put those two together
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Reaction WK2
Intelligent Design
Ken Miller held a discussion on the collapse of intelligent design. He stated that there have been some issues in teaching intelligent design and evolution in some schools. Some schools banned books that mentioned evolution, and other schools put warning labels on books. There was a big fuss on weather or not to teach students about evolution. The schools made it a point to put more emphasis on intelligent design then evolution. They mentioned that evolution is not fact, but they never mentioned anything about intelligent design. Intelligent design leans more towards God and religion. It was stated in the film that intelligent design requires the presence of everything for one thing to function. Ken Miller gave an example, which I cannot remember, but it proves this theory wrong. In the discussion Ken Miller mentioned that students were being presented this information in a manner that would have them choose between evolution and God.
I really enjoyed watching Ken Miller discuss this topic. I think it is important for everyone to be exposed to both evolution and intelligent design. However, it is important not to put more emphasis on one thing then the other. They are both equally important, because they raise some interesting questions. They make the person think more deeply about how we got here then if they were only learning about Intelligent Design. It opens there mind up to the many possibilities that are out there in the world. If outside the school they choose to focus more on one thing then that is there decision. But at school it is important to hear both sides. This topic raises some interesting questions about my own children’s education and how it will affect them. Yes, I do have my religion, and intelligent design is geared more towards that, but I also like the theory about evolution. Evolution is fascinating. I think both evolution and intelligent design are important to have in our schools. They will allow for our students/ children to think more outside the box and ask some interesting questions.
Ken Miller held a discussion on the collapse of intelligent design. He stated that there have been some issues in teaching intelligent design and evolution in some schools. Some schools banned books that mentioned evolution, and other schools put warning labels on books. There was a big fuss on weather or not to teach students about evolution. The schools made it a point to put more emphasis on intelligent design then evolution. They mentioned that evolution is not fact, but they never mentioned anything about intelligent design. Intelligent design leans more towards God and religion. It was stated in the film that intelligent design requires the presence of everything for one thing to function. Ken Miller gave an example, which I cannot remember, but it proves this theory wrong. In the discussion Ken Miller mentioned that students were being presented this information in a manner that would have them choose between evolution and God.
I really enjoyed watching Ken Miller discuss this topic. I think it is important for everyone to be exposed to both evolution and intelligent design. However, it is important not to put more emphasis on one thing then the other. They are both equally important, because they raise some interesting questions. They make the person think more deeply about how we got here then if they were only learning about Intelligent Design. It opens there mind up to the many possibilities that are out there in the world. If outside the school they choose to focus more on one thing then that is there decision. But at school it is important to hear both sides. This topic raises some interesting questions about my own children’s education and how it will affect them. Yes, I do have my religion, and intelligent design is geared more towards that, but I also like the theory about evolution. Evolution is fascinating. I think both evolution and intelligent design are important to have in our schools. They will allow for our students/ children to think more outside the box and ask some interesting questions.
Discussion WK 2
ELEVEN
This is a short film about a young man named Josh Willliams. Josh had dreamt of becoming a news reporter. His first report was on problems caused by a man who lost his father on September 11th. This man’s name was Simya Jones. Simya created a group called Group 11 after losing his father. Simya and his group’s goal was to rid the world of terrorists, and their first target was Muslims. A young man named Malik Sharie who was a biology student was the first they had attacked. Josh was supposed to do a follow up with Muslims about the attempted murder on Malik. Simya didn’t mean for the other man to survive and made sure it didn’t happen again. The movie ended with Josh getting his dream, he died at the hands of Simya and their group. Josh Williams left the movie as an A list reporter, and on the front page. He also noted that he was not pissed.
This short film was very good. I felt that it was so realistic and touched on some serious issues. After September 11, and finding out who the culprits were there was a lot of commotion about Muslims. And till this day there still are some remnants of hostility towards Muslims. It is unfortunate that judgment was passed on an entire culture based on the actions of such a small fraction of the whole. This incident affected not only the United States but the world. A similar terrorist attack happened in London. Emotions of everyone, those that were and were not effected, ran high. How can a person properly react to such a horrendous crime? Though there was a lot of help offered to those that were affected, was it enough? Some people did retaliate, what were they thinking? How do you help someone with such a loss? How do you protect an entire culture from possible harm? Tons of questions are running through my mind. It was said at one point that September 11 could have been avoided. What it was, would it have stopped them from trying again? Probably not. Now, 7 yrs later things are still trying to settle down, but I don’t think people will ever be totally healed from the terrorist’s attacks of 2001 and 2005.
This is a short film about a young man named Josh Willliams. Josh had dreamt of becoming a news reporter. His first report was on problems caused by a man who lost his father on September 11th. This man’s name was Simya Jones. Simya created a group called Group 11 after losing his father. Simya and his group’s goal was to rid the world of terrorists, and their first target was Muslims. A young man named Malik Sharie who was a biology student was the first they had attacked. Josh was supposed to do a follow up with Muslims about the attempted murder on Malik. Simya didn’t mean for the other man to survive and made sure it didn’t happen again. The movie ended with Josh getting his dream, he died at the hands of Simya and their group. Josh Williams left the movie as an A list reporter, and on the front page. He also noted that he was not pissed.
This short film was very good. I felt that it was so realistic and touched on some serious issues. After September 11, and finding out who the culprits were there was a lot of commotion about Muslims. And till this day there still are some remnants of hostility towards Muslims. It is unfortunate that judgment was passed on an entire culture based on the actions of such a small fraction of the whole. This incident affected not only the United States but the world. A similar terrorist attack happened in London. Emotions of everyone, those that were and were not effected, ran high. How can a person properly react to such a horrendous crime? Though there was a lot of help offered to those that were affected, was it enough? Some people did retaliate, what were they thinking? How do you help someone with such a loss? How do you protect an entire culture from possible harm? Tons of questions are running through my mind. It was said at one point that September 11 could have been avoided. What it was, would it have stopped them from trying again? Probably not. Now, 7 yrs later things are still trying to settle down, but I don’t think people will ever be totally healed from the terrorist’s attacks of 2001 and 2005.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Elaboration, WK2
The physics behind four amazing Demonstrations David G. Wiley wrote a paper called “the Physics Behind Four Amazing Demonstrations. In this paper he starts out by telling about his experience in a physics class that bored him. He later discusses a move that changed his physics experience thanks to a new instructor. This instructor demonstrated physics rather then just speaking about it. Today David Wiley does the same thing in his classes. He uses some demonstrations that are both new and familiar. David show how these demonstrations can fool a person into believing that they are witnessing magic but it is only an illusion. What I got from this article is that some things though they seem real simple they are actually pretty complex. Some magic tricks that are sometimes seen on TV actually take time and thought to prepare and demonstrate. David Wiley opened my eyes to realize that there are a lot more things that can be and are scientific. The Magic tricks that I am often fascinated with are really a scientific procedure that takes time and knowledge. I wonder if walking on glass and lying on a bed of nails was discovered by a magician or a scientist? I also wonder who was the more daring of the two to actually go through trail and error for these mind boggling demonstrations? I used to wonder about these types of things before. I would think how they are done, what do they do. Know I can look further into it knowing that it has some type of scientific background.
Post 3/6 , WK 1
The Pleasures of Finding Things Out
Richard Feynman did a short documentary film called “The Pleasures of Finding Things Out”. The film starred him and was about how his father had a big influence on his learning habit. His father taught him how to notice the details of thing and not just their names. By having his father so interested in teaching him how to learn Richard Feynman became great at learning. Having that kind of influence in anyone life can have a great impact. It helps a person build confidence and security. But if you really think about it though, is it possible to have such a good influence and still be bad? Well not necessarily bad in behavior but not stable in the mind. I think that can and has happened somewhere, even though I can’t think of a name off the top of my head. Teaching someone to learn is one thing, how this person decides to use the knowledge they have gained is entirely on them. Lucky for us the great intelligence that Richard Feynman has acquired over time has not been put to bad use.
Conference on Beyond Belief
Wow, this film I have got to say was very hard for me to follow. What I could watch was interesting, but it was so slow. I would find myself wanting to fast forward but the computer I was using did not allow it. This conference was done in a discussion type style. They were discussing science, religion, reason and survival. They started the first segment of the conference by talking about religion and science. The thing that caught my attention was the mention of there being tension between science and religion. I believe this is true. Taking science to religion can have a serious effect on religions and churches. Imagine what would happen if religion was proved false. What would happen to the churches, the people who believe? What if religion is proved to be true? Would there be panic among those who did not believe? Honestly, I’m not sure I even feel comfortable discussing this. It’s such a sensitive subject; I don’t know what to say. Religion is much more then a belief for myself and my family. It is apart of my culture, it is a way of living for many of my family. Religion, I know is believed and practiced differently, but the one thing that probably remains the same is its importance. I really do understand why there is tension between science and religion and it is not suppressing.
Richard Feynman did a short documentary film called “The Pleasures of Finding Things Out”. The film starred him and was about how his father had a big influence on his learning habit. His father taught him how to notice the details of thing and not just their names. By having his father so interested in teaching him how to learn Richard Feynman became great at learning. Having that kind of influence in anyone life can have a great impact. It helps a person build confidence and security. But if you really think about it though, is it possible to have such a good influence and still be bad? Well not necessarily bad in behavior but not stable in the mind. I think that can and has happened somewhere, even though I can’t think of a name off the top of my head. Teaching someone to learn is one thing, how this person decides to use the knowledge they have gained is entirely on them. Lucky for us the great intelligence that Richard Feynman has acquired over time has not been put to bad use.
Conference on Beyond Belief
Wow, this film I have got to say was very hard for me to follow. What I could watch was interesting, but it was so slow. I would find myself wanting to fast forward but the computer I was using did not allow it. This conference was done in a discussion type style. They were discussing science, religion, reason and survival. They started the first segment of the conference by talking about religion and science. The thing that caught my attention was the mention of there being tension between science and religion. I believe this is true. Taking science to religion can have a serious effect on religions and churches. Imagine what would happen if religion was proved false. What would happen to the churches, the people who believe? What if religion is proved to be true? Would there be panic among those who did not believe? Honestly, I’m not sure I even feel comfortable discussing this. It’s such a sensitive subject; I don’t know what to say. Religion is much more then a belief for myself and my family. It is apart of my culture, it is a way of living for many of my family. Religion, I know is believed and practiced differently, but the one thing that probably remains the same is its importance. I really do understand why there is tension between science and religion and it is not suppressing.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Post 4/5 , wk 1
Karma
A short film called “Karma, What Goes Around Comes Around….. Bitch” by Tamara Fiolas was interesting. The film starts with a young man walking to his car. As he is making his way he gets images from everyone he bumps into doing good or bad things. He also gets images of them having the opposite happen to them. For example, one man beats and steals from another man. Later, he steals a bag from a man and as he’s running away he gats hit by a car.
I think that almost everybody knows something about Karma, and if not they may know the saying “what goes around comes around”. Most people may find it easy to believe in Karma. It’s probably so easy to believe because it is often used to justify things we do or things that happen to us. For most Karma occurs when something bad happens to us, or when someone is going to do something good. For me it’s difficult to believe because it is not something that I can prove or see. Karma isn’t something that can be proven scientifically. In the film it is said that Karma is “a distinctive aura, atmosphere feeling”. Karma is interesting. It is a belief that is convenient. However, even though we cannot see it, karma can be a good thing. Karma can almost act like a conscious by keeping people doing good rather then bad.
Cargo Cult Science
Cargo Cult science was written by Richard Feynman and it is about what is science, and the integrity of it. Mr. Feynman tell about what Cargo science is. He says that there were a bunch of people during a war that witnessed a cargo drop and wanted the same things to happen to them now. So, they made a runway, a makeshift watch tower and headphone set. After the people did all this they waited for the planes to come, but nothing happened. These people were missing something important but they didn’t know what. Cargo Cult Science came from this, it is when everything for an investigation is done but a key element is missing. Mr. Feynman continues on to discuss how science started and how little integrity it had. People would want, or expect certain result and would make them happen. People would doctor information, or continue experiments until they got the results they wanted to report. Science is important it helps to find out what things work, how and why. Mr. Feynman writes in his paper that it important to document all finding, good and bad.
I think that Mr. Feynman is right about reporting both the positive and negative findings of any experiment. A negative result of a medication testing experiment would save a life. It’s interesting to think about because these types of thing are now being reported. A good example is commercials that are on TV for different types of medications. The make there fascinating commercial about a drug and then right before it ends a fast speaking narrator reads off a list of possible complications. Now, most products that are purchased from a store have some type of warning label. But, as Mr. Feynman stated negative or bad result were not always reported. Despite warning labels of possible side effects people still take the medications and smoke cigarettes. No matter what information is out there about an experiment, good or bad, it is always important to know.
A short film called “Karma, What Goes Around Comes Around….. Bitch” by Tamara Fiolas was interesting. The film starts with a young man walking to his car. As he is making his way he gets images from everyone he bumps into doing good or bad things. He also gets images of them having the opposite happen to them. For example, one man beats and steals from another man. Later, he steals a bag from a man and as he’s running away he gats hit by a car.
I think that almost everybody knows something about Karma, and if not they may know the saying “what goes around comes around”. Most people may find it easy to believe in Karma. It’s probably so easy to believe because it is often used to justify things we do or things that happen to us. For most Karma occurs when something bad happens to us, or when someone is going to do something good. For me it’s difficult to believe because it is not something that I can prove or see. Karma isn’t something that can be proven scientifically. In the film it is said that Karma is “a distinctive aura, atmosphere feeling”. Karma is interesting. It is a belief that is convenient. However, even though we cannot see it, karma can be a good thing. Karma can almost act like a conscious by keeping people doing good rather then bad.
Cargo Cult Science
Cargo Cult science was written by Richard Feynman and it is about what is science, and the integrity of it. Mr. Feynman tell about what Cargo science is. He says that there were a bunch of people during a war that witnessed a cargo drop and wanted the same things to happen to them now. So, they made a runway, a makeshift watch tower and headphone set. After the people did all this they waited for the planes to come, but nothing happened. These people were missing something important but they didn’t know what. Cargo Cult Science came from this, it is when everything for an investigation is done but a key element is missing. Mr. Feynman continues on to discuss how science started and how little integrity it had. People would want, or expect certain result and would make them happen. People would doctor information, or continue experiments until they got the results they wanted to report. Science is important it helps to find out what things work, how and why. Mr. Feynman writes in his paper that it important to document all finding, good and bad.
I think that Mr. Feynman is right about reporting both the positive and negative findings of any experiment. A negative result of a medication testing experiment would save a life. It’s interesting to think about because these types of thing are now being reported. A good example is commercials that are on TV for different types of medications. The make there fascinating commercial about a drug and then right before it ends a fast speaking narrator reads off a list of possible complications. Now, most products that are purchased from a store have some type of warning label. But, as Mr. Feynman stated negative or bad result were not always reported. Despite warning labels of possible side effects people still take the medications and smoke cigarettes. No matter what information is out there about an experiment, good or bad, it is always important to know.
post 1/2, wk 1
What is Cold Reading
A document called “What is Cold Reading?” by Austin Cline is about psychic readings. The writer Austin Cline states that there are two types of readings. The first type is cold reading and it is when the psychic convinces the client that they are actually getting read. Cold reading is also done with the reader not knowing any information and is able to trick the client by asking questions.
The second type of reading is hot reading and that is when the reader knows some information. Mr. Cline basically states in this article that psychics are not real and what they do is not scientific.
I believe that Mr. Cline is right about psychics not being real. Psychics are around and continue to fool people because we allow them to. We know that there is no scientific way to prove what psychics do are real. However people continue to go and see them. I believe people continue to pay for being tricked is because they need someone to give them some type of glimmer of hope. They need something to help them believe that there is more to life then just the nine to five. They need to no that possibly after we die we will go to a better place where we can all be happy and healthy forever. Psychic may no be real but to a certain extent they are needed to help so to speak. Psychics can give hope or crush it depending on what is said and by doing this they can influence a persons behavior. After seeing a psychic a person can be tricked into feeling hopeful and happy or scared and upset.
Viruses of the Mind
“Viruses of the Mind” written by Richard Dawkins is about how the mind, DNA, and computers are similar. He says that they are similar in the sense that they are open to suggestion and are capable of being poisoned by a virus. An example he gave for the mind is a little girl and how she is so gullible. This little girl will believe in anything including a talking train. For DNA his example was how it is always replicating in a very mechanical manner, but is still able to contract viruses. For computers they process information in the same mechanical fashion, and it to can unknowingly download a virus. These viruses that are allowed in can be both beneficial and harmful. For DNA and computers they can be used to vaccinate against further infections of the same virus. The mind it’s not that easy to keep from being poisoned, for the most part viruses are probably more harmful then helpful.
I think that the mind is the same as DNA, and computers. They all process important information and sometimes viruses. However, for me I believe the one that is most difficult to protect is the brain. How do we know what information is poisonous? Mr. Dawkins used religion as an example. To be more specific he used a Reverend that was on TV convincing people to donate money. These people believed they were helping God by sending him this money. This is not to say that all religious people on TV are bad, but it does bring up a good question. Can we really believe in them? Our minds are tricky. For me believing is seeing, but I believe in God. Does that mean that my mind could be poisoned? I believe that every one decides on there own what is poisonous information and what is not. That’s where that saying comes in “to each is own” in other word everyone is different in their beliefs, and lifestyle. Our minds may process like a computer and DNA but what we accept as a virus changes with our beliefs, and standards.
A document called “What is Cold Reading?” by Austin Cline is about psychic readings. The writer Austin Cline states that there are two types of readings. The first type is cold reading and it is when the psychic convinces the client that they are actually getting read. Cold reading is also done with the reader not knowing any information and is able to trick the client by asking questions.
The second type of reading is hot reading and that is when the reader knows some information. Mr. Cline basically states in this article that psychics are not real and what they do is not scientific.
I believe that Mr. Cline is right about psychics not being real. Psychics are around and continue to fool people because we allow them to. We know that there is no scientific way to prove what psychics do are real. However people continue to go and see them. I believe people continue to pay for being tricked is because they need someone to give them some type of glimmer of hope. They need something to help them believe that there is more to life then just the nine to five. They need to no that possibly after we die we will go to a better place where we can all be happy and healthy forever. Psychic may no be real but to a certain extent they are needed to help so to speak. Psychics can give hope or crush it depending on what is said and by doing this they can influence a persons behavior. After seeing a psychic a person can be tricked into feeling hopeful and happy or scared and upset.
Viruses of the Mind
“Viruses of the Mind” written by Richard Dawkins is about how the mind, DNA, and computers are similar. He says that they are similar in the sense that they are open to suggestion and are capable of being poisoned by a virus. An example he gave for the mind is a little girl and how she is so gullible. This little girl will believe in anything including a talking train. For DNA his example was how it is always replicating in a very mechanical manner, but is still able to contract viruses. For computers they process information in the same mechanical fashion, and it to can unknowingly download a virus. These viruses that are allowed in can be both beneficial and harmful. For DNA and computers they can be used to vaccinate against further infections of the same virus. The mind it’s not that easy to keep from being poisoned, for the most part viruses are probably more harmful then helpful.
I think that the mind is the same as DNA, and computers. They all process important information and sometimes viruses. However, for me I believe the one that is most difficult to protect is the brain. How do we know what information is poisonous? Mr. Dawkins used religion as an example. To be more specific he used a Reverend that was on TV convincing people to donate money. These people believed they were helping God by sending him this money. This is not to say that all religious people on TV are bad, but it does bring up a good question. Can we really believe in them? Our minds are tricky. For me believing is seeing, but I believe in God. Does that mean that my mind could be poisoned? I believe that every one decides on there own what is poisonous information and what is not. That’s where that saying comes in “to each is own” in other word everyone is different in their beliefs, and lifestyle. Our minds may process like a computer and DNA but what we accept as a virus changes with our beliefs, and standards.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Karma film
A short film called “Karma, what Goes Around Comes Around …Bitch” by Tamara Fiolas was interesting. The film starts with a young man walking to his car. As he is making his way he gets images of everyone he bumps into doing good or bad things. He also gets images of them having the opposite (good or bad) thing happen to them. For example, one man beats and steals from another man. Later, he steals a bag from a man and as he is running he gets hit by a car. Tamara demonstrates in her film that for every action there is a reaction.
For most people Karma is something that is easy to believe. I think it’s so easy to believe because we can use it to justify things we do or things that happen to us. For most karma occurs when something bad happens, or when someone is going to do something good. For me it’s difficult to believe because Karma isn’t something that can we see; it not something that can be proven scientifically. In the film Karma is said to be “a distinctive aura, atmosphere, of feeling”. Karma is interesting. It is a belief that is convenient. However, even though we cannot see Karma it is a good thing. Karma can act like a conscious in keeping us doing good rather then bad.
For most people Karma is something that is easy to believe. I think it’s so easy to believe because we can use it to justify things we do or things that happen to us. For most karma occurs when something bad happens, or when someone is going to do something good. For me it’s difficult to believe because Karma isn’t something that can we see; it not something that can be proven scientifically. In the film Karma is said to be “a distinctive aura, atmosphere, of feeling”. Karma is interesting. It is a belief that is convenient. However, even though we cannot see Karma it is a good thing. Karma can act like a conscious in keeping us doing good rather then bad.
Monday, January 14, 2008
In the article “Critical Thinking in the Online World” by Debra Jones the importance of having librarians teach critical thinking to those searching for information is stated. Librarians are already responsible for helping find information in the library but they can only help up to a point with online information. Online information is growing along with the importance of determining true information. Mrs. Jones states that critical thinking is the stock trade of the librarian. She goes on later to state how to teach critical thinking, and that it is a learnable skill with the help of others.
Critical thinking is an important skill to have. It is important in every aspect of life. For example it can improve a person point of view to include that of others, and not theirs alone. Critical thinking may not be that easy to learn though, it requires the help of others such as teachers and peers. Being a librarian makes it easy to be this teacher because they already have the skills of examining information with an open mind, and being able to focus on the specifics of the big picture. Critical thinking is key for anyone who wants to live life with an open mind.
Critical thinking is an important skill to have. It is important in every aspect of life. For example it can improve a person point of view to include that of others, and not theirs alone. Critical thinking may not be that easy to learn though, it requires the help of others such as teachers and peers. Being a librarian makes it easy to be this teacher because they already have the skills of examining information with an open mind, and being able to focus on the specifics of the big picture. Critical thinking is key for anyone who wants to live life with an open mind.
A documentary called “The Pleasure of Finding Things Out” was done on Richard Feynman. He discussed how he was able to learn. He said that his father taught him how to take thing he read and put them into reality. But Mr. Feynman was able to take the learning skills that his father taught him to another level. Richard Feynman has received many award including a Nobel Prize in Physics, he has taught at many influential schools and held positions in different science associations. In the film Mr. Feynman was very pleased that his father was so involved in his learning experience and how he has been so successful because of that.
Teachers are very important to every person’s life, no matter who they are. A father or mother has the most responsibility in teaching their children. They are not around to tech a child just how to be healthy physically. They also have to teach a child how to learn. It is sad that most parents don’t have the time to teach these learning skills to their children anymore. Mr. Feynman was a very lucky Man to have a father that took interest in his learning experience.
Teachers are very important to every person’s life, no matter who they are. A father or mother has the most responsibility in teaching their children. They are not around to tech a child just how to be healthy physically. They also have to teach a child how to learn. It is sad that most parents don’t have the time to teach these learning skills to their children anymore. Mr. Feynman was a very lucky Man to have a father that took interest in his learning experience.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)