Midterm

MIDTERM EXAMINATION:
MIDTERM EXAMINATION: Winter 2008, Critical ThinkingProfessor David C. Lane, Ph.D.Instructions1. Be sure to place your entire midterm on your website and when youare finished send a link of your test to your teacher directly at neuralsurfer@yahoo.com2. Make sure that it is YOUR OWN work and that if you use otherauthors please be sure to quote and/or cite the material appropriately. Plagiarism will not betolerated and you will receive an "F" automatically for the examination.3. The test is due NO LATER than January 27th at midnite.----------------------------------My name is Crystal Casillas and my user name is Crystal. My email address is iluvmy3@verizon.net and my web address is myviewofthings08@blogger.com. I have completed all of my reading and watched all the films up to week three.Post 1,2 WK 3
Post 2, WK3David Lane wrote a second part to the “Pretext” paper. He talked about consciousness and how to reduce it down to its pretext. I thought this paper was interesting. He went on to talk about how consciousness can be transcending. It is interesting to see that this pretext conceot can be applied to basically anything. but as David had mentioned in the paper we will often come across question what is the pretext, context, and text? Its true that no matter what is being looked at it is as if it’s a cycle. One context is another’s pretext. Post 1, WK 3There was a short film called “Nicholas of Cusa”. It was of a boat sailing in the sky towards the sun and then away from the sun. It is the type of film that is open to interpretation. I wasn’t sure what to look for when watching this short film but I found it fun and lifting. I have no idea what the lyrics to the music went but the melody seemed to really fit the mood is the film. I wonder how much the lyrics to the song would effect my interpretation of the film. I felt that this film could have been about anything. For me it was about life journey. You could go in any direction but no matter what there will be one huge life changing moment that will help cement the direction you are going.
Posted by crystal casillas at 9:00 PM 0 comments
Discussion/Reaction/Elaboratipon Wk3
Reaction WK 3There was a documentary done on Freeman Dyson and his idea on a mathematical universe. This film for me was a little difficult to follow. They began by discussing things that I really didn’t understand. It was almost as if they were speaking in a foreign language. Freeman disused religion and how he is a follower without him actually believing in it. He goes to church because he enjoys the environment. He says that religion is more of a way of living then an actual belief. He also say’s that God goes beyond the scale of mind.I really enjoyed listening to there discussion on religion I raises good questions and allows me to see thing from another point of view. I think he is right by saying that religion is a way of life. Some people live there religion. I mean they eat drink sleep and breath there belief. They live their life in solitude because they believe that God will … I don’t know reward there dedication. Other people believe, and try to live there life in a way that is appropriate to there belief. For most religion raises a sense of wrong from right. Religion also gives hope that with good behavior will come good things. Religion and living for me go hand and hand. Religion has a huge affect on behavior and the way a person lives there life. We don’t really understand why but most people believe in a high being, as Freeman says God goes beyond the scale of mind.Discussion WK3I watched a film called “The Secret of Faqir”. It was about religion and the saint and Gods that are involved. He talked about religion from his own point of view and experiences. He really didn’t touch anything that was new. While he was talking he had some slide and on these slides were religious figures. As he was going through the pictures they all had the word no typed across them. It didn’t feel right watching these religious figures with writing on them. The film states that the only helper is you. They are right because we are the ones who keep religions going. We are the ones who believe and pass are beliefs onto our children. Elaboration or Rebuttal WK3David Lane wrote a paper called “Pretext/ Text/ Context”. It is about how things can be broken down. He talks about how science tries to break things down more simply or fundamentally. He gave a number of examples of how things qualify as pretext, text, and context. He gave one really good example that was really easy for me to understand and that was one of the body. He said that the brain was the pretext, and the body can be the text and so on. He also mentioned that no matter what is being broken down it is always going to be the context of something else.I thought this paper was really interesting. I never really looked at things in that way. I have learned to be able to break thing down into simpler forms but not by pretext, context, and text. In the paper used different term in place of pretext, context, and text. What I got from this is that no matter how small you try to break something down it is always going to be apart of something bigger. You can try to give these parts different names but no matter what they are they are just a small part of something larger.
Posted by crystal casillas at 8:32 PM 0 comments
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Post 1-4 WK 2
Post 4 WK 2A 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 2A 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 2Paul 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
Posted by crystal casillas at 11:27 PM 0 comments
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Reaction WK2
Intelligent DesignKen 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.
Posted by crystal casillas at 11:35 PM 0 comments
Discussion WK 2
ELEVENThis 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.
Posted by crystal casillas at 9:53 PM 0 comments
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.
Posted by crystal casillas at 10:35 PM 0 comments
Post 3/6 , WK 1
The Pleasures of Finding Things OutRichard 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 BeliefWow, 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.
post 1/2, wk 1
What is Cold ReadingA 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.
Posted by crystal casillas at 10:54 PM 0 comments
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.
Posted by crystal casillas at 11:48 AM 0 comments
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.
Posted by crystal casillas at 11:30 PM 0 comments
Labels: Elaboration of Critical Thinking
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.
Posted by crystal casillas at 10:31 PM 0 comments
Labels: Reaction to Expert Lecture

Why does Richard Dawkins consider religion a "virus" of themind? Do you agree or disagree?Substantiate your view.
Richard Dawkins considered religion a virus because at a young age it is easy to absorb into the mind. He talk about a six year old girl that is very gullible and is believes everything that is said to her. He then goes on to compare this virus of the mind to a computer virus. I agree that religion is easy to believe even though there is no real physical evidence to prove it existence. But I disagree that it is like a virus. A virus is a living organism that infects and eventually kills. After writing that I have to question my self, but I still disagree about religion being a virus. Religion can be incorporated into every aspect of a persons life, mind, actions, and heart. But it isn’t something that can kill a persons existence on its own.
12. Give an example of a "cargo cult" belief and critically analyzeit from a scientific perspective? Hint:think of something that people believe in that lacks overwhelmingevidence to support it.
Karma can be an example of cargo cult. Many people believe in that what comes around goes around. That there is some type of energy that is put out into the environment after something good or bad is done. If a person does something good sometime during their life something good will happen to them. the same thing is believed about doing something bad. There is no scientific proof that Karma exists. That the body throws off energy after a good or bad thing is done. Karma is something that is believed in even though the is absolutely no evidence to support it.
13. How does one do "science" according to Richard Feynman. Why is this form of science so important to human beings? How can such a view of science help enrich one's appreciation for beauty? Be sure to give YOUR own example of Feynman's point (no "flowers" allowed).
According to Richard Feynman a person does science by performing steps. In trying to solve a problem a person would have to find out all the possible solutions and then try to prove them. He states that all facts should be recorded. Not just the ones that support the finding but even the ones that go against it. Having science is great because it allows us to ask questions and eventually find the answers. By recoreding all possible answers other people can repeat our finding or find something better. In Feynman’s film he talks about how he was taught to learn. He states that his father taught him how to relate everything he was learning to something he new. An example can be the stars in the sky. In Arizona the night sky sparkle with millions of beautiful stars. Occasionally when you watch the night sky log enough you can catch a glimps of a falling start. It is almost breath taking because most of the time it catches you off guard. Know we now that these beautiful start are much more then thing that sparkle in the sky. These stars are planets, comets moons. Its amazing what people have discovered with science.
14. Give your interpretation of the movie "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 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.
15. Explain, in brief, Darwinian evolution and why John MaynardSmith's contribution is important in thinking differently about survival of the fittest.
Darwins evolution in about biological evolution. It has nothing to do with religious belief of how we came to be. It is about how species survival is based on natural selection and adaptability to an environment, and the ability to reproduce. John Maynard Smith contribution is that his idea adds to that of Darwin. In the documentary film of John he talks about dependent selection and how the rare and unpopular have a greater chance for survival. He gives an example of having children in, and how it would be more important to have a child of a sex the is out numbered.
16. What are Freeman Dyson's views on the "design" of the universeor the purpose of humankind?
Freeman Dyson discusses the universe as having a mind and making decisions. At first I did not get it, and honestly it sounded comical. But after a while it did make sense. He states the universe is life friendly, and that the Earth is self regulating. He also states that humans are capable of overcoming difficulties and are able to survive.
17. What IS the "secret" that Faqir Chand discovered about religionand its founders?
The secret that Faqir discovered is that each person is responsible for their own faith. He found that the only one that can help you is yourself and that no religious figure is going to do it for you. He made it clear that he does not believe in religion period.
18. Explain the movie Eleven and what is YOUR interpretation of it?In other words, what is the underlying message that thedirector is trying to convey?
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.
19. Why is distinguishing the message from the medium so important?Use the Da Free John article as your context.
Sometime a message can be so overwhelmingly beautiful that a person will automatically believe that the person who wrote it is just as beautiful. But this is not always true. In the Da Free John article he talks about a man, Alan Watts, who did not live according to his teachings. This man was sometimes believed to be the ultimate Zen Master but he was actually an alcoholic and a womanizer. It is important to keep the message and ,medium separate because the medium is only human. The message that is given may be perfect and beautiful but no human being is perfect.
20. What are Bertrand Russell's reasons for NOT being a Christian?Do you agree or disagree with him? GIVE RATIONALARGUMENTS FOR your position (pro or con).
I think that Bertand Russell’s reasons for not being a Christian is because there is no proven evidence that a greater being that exists. That there is to much in religion and the belief of a greater being is that is unclear. Wow, this is one subject that is truly difficult to discuss. Culturally God was a huge part of my up bringing and is still apart of my life. I still believe is God but I do (hesitation) have to say I agree with (to an extent) with Bertrand. I have always question my religion, not in a bad way, but only out if curiosity. There is a lot to believing but I have to admit if I did not have my religion I don’ t know if I could be as optimistic as I am.
21. Give a summary of Jim Lett's field guide to critical thinking (inyour own "300" words, no more). Don't use quotes but write it like aletter to a friend explain how to think critically in light of Lett'snumerous points.
To my friend,
I am writing you a letter so you could have something to help you in critical thinking. Jim Lett, a professor of anthropology is going to help me help you. I will be stating six rules that I have read in his article. These rules should help with evidential reasoning that will help better under\stand critical thinking. The first rule is falsifiability, and the rule is about looking at evidence that would prove a claim false, and be able to distinguish it. The second rule is logic, this rule is about finding an argument that can support a claim. The third rule is comprehensiveness, and it is when all evidence is tested a number of times and every solution is considered. The fourth rule is honesty, and it is when you are to use you judgment on weather evidence has been evaluated correctly. The fifth rule is replicability, this rule is about being able to reproduce the same result of an experiment that has proven something true over and over again. The last rule is sufficiency, this rule is about looking at evidence that proves a claim true with three conditions. It is important to be able to prove something true with evidence. You will have to be very careful where you find your information and support, so use these rule and you should be fine. God luck in critical thinking.
22. Why does Kurtz believe that skepticism should be applied toreligion? Do you agree or disagree?
Kurtz may believe that skepticism should be applied to religion because there is no evidential proof. I guess I would say yes skepticism should be applied to religion. But religion obviously is not something that can be proven.
23. Why is pretext, text, and context important in analyzing a bookor an argument. Provide your own example.
I think it is important because if you lokk at something from beginging to end you can have a btter understand of things. It is important in an argument and book because you can take the information that is found and analyze it from different perspectives. A great example is that I had recently finished classes on how the body functions. In order for me to understand how our body survives I had to learn microbiology, physiology, and anatomy.
24. What is a "transformative" UFO encounter and does the author ofthe Himalayan Connection really believe in UFOs as genuineextraterrestrials?
A transformative UFO encounter is one that cannot be proven. After reading what the aurthor had to say about his own experiences, I can’t be sure if he really believe what happened to himself to be real.
25. How does one think more critically when using online sources?(hint: think of one of the required articles). Substantiate yourviews.
I think that because there is such a vast amount of resources’ that are readily available that it is easy to be more critical about online sources. If you are not sure about a subject you can goggle it and read others opinion. Even though you may not agree with what they have to say; you will be leaving their sites with questions that will help you be more critical. I think that online resources are good to help raise question that would not other wise be raised. They broaden a persons mind and allow for room to grow.
26. What are Steven Weinberg's views on religion? Do you agree ordisagree?
27. Why is Sam Harris an atheist? Explain his reasons. Can you argueagainst his views? If so, how?
I could not remember this name and didn’t find this name in any of the articles that I had printed out. I found Sam Harris in the Beyond Belief Conference film. He wrote a book called The End of Faith, and A Letter to Christians. He speaks about atheism, and he said that atheism the word should not be used. He basically says there is no evidence of religion, and it cannot be proven.
28. Of the first five installments of BEYOND BELIEF which speakerdid you find most persuasive? Explain why.
I will be honest, I couldn’t sit there and watch who was speaking. I did listen to them speaking, while I was cleaning. And what made it more difficult for me is that I couldn’t fast forward or go back without starting the whole film over again.
I eventually goggled Sam Harris and eventhough he wasn’t really a speaker I think he was the most interesting for me. I am basing my judgment on the fact that he was able to keep me watching.
29. Ken Miller argues against Michael Behe's notion of irreduciblecomplexity and the notion of intelligent design in biology. Is heright? If so, explain. If not, give your reasons why not.
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.

30. In the conference BEYOND BELIEF, which speaker did you find tobe the weakest in terms of substance? Explain.
I will be honest, I couldn’t sit there and watch who was speaking. I did listen to them speaking, while I was cleaning. And what made it more difficult for me is that I couldn’t fast forward or go back without starting the whole film over again. DOUBLE EXTRA CREDIT:Give a 200 word interpretation of the required movie, Nicholas ofCusa. What do you think it actually means?
There was a short film called “Nicholas of Cusa”. It was of a boat sailing in the sky towards the sun and then away from the sun. It is the type of film that is open to interpretation. I wasn’t sure what to look for when watching this short film but I found it fun and lifting. I have no idea what the lyrics to the music went but the melody seemed to really fit the mood is the film. I wonder how much the lyrics to the song would effect my interpretation of the film. I felt that this film could have been about anything. For me it was about life journey. You could go in any direction but no matter what there will be one huge life changing moment that will help cement the direction you are going.