Logic And The Meaning Of Life Essays - Religion, Philosophy

Logic and the Meaning of Life In approaching the meaning of life we have to examine the nature of meaning itself. Meaning is by definition the point, or the intended goal. Consider the point of humans and the universe as seen from monotheistic religion. If life and the universe is some sort of toy or form of entertainment for some prime mover, his point, his own entertainment, would then be the meaning of humans and the universe. Consider the goals of the deities of various cultures. Some strive for a balance between the forces of 'good' and 'evil'. This balance seems to simply be a choice of the deity, the way he thinks it ought to be. The concept of a prime mover as a source of the meaning of life is flawed, because in talking about an actual point to absolutely everything, we are simply considering the goals of a being more powerful than ourselves who has chosen one of many possible goals that humans can conceive of. This is to say that, if a god like this exists, his goal for life and the universe is not nece ssarily valid as a meaning of life, the universe, and himself. For instance, the Bible claims that the Christian deity created the universe and placed humans in it that they might be in awe of his power. If this is so, why is worship the correct response? The meaning of the universe as created by God is the entertainment of God, but what is the meaning of the larger system containing God and his creations? We could conceive of an even 'primer' mover, but that simply takes us all the way back into the wall of infinite regression. When I first read the Bible, it struck me as neutral on the idea of worship. The Bible flat out tells you that God created humans so that they would be in awe of him, which amounts to saying God created us to inflate his ego. We are to God as our pets are to ourselves, sources of unconditional love. In the book of Job, God essentially makes a gentleman's bet with Satan that Job's worship is genuine and not inspired by God's kindness. In other words, you throw a rock at my dog and I'll swing my arm so it looks I threw it, and we'll see if he still comes when I call him. In the end, Job is not simply the dog, because he questions God's throwing of the rock. God's response is consistent with his goal of inspiring awe. Even though the idea of a bet with Satan is well within Job's grasp, God claims that his purpose was inconceivable to Job. God is simply fortifying the concept that is critical to the continuance of human worship: that with inconceivable power comes incredible intelligence and unknowable purpose. The narrator of the Bible, which is supposedly God himself, speaking through humans, never directly says that he should be worshipped. This is merely the interpretation of humans, who may be created in God's image with one crucial difference, the need to worship. Perhaps then, God is after the meaning of life. Imagine a being so powerful as to be able to create and mould the universe, who, like Roman and Greek gods, is only marginally more intelligent than his creations. Perhaps God, in all his ridiculous power, cannot change himself. In order to find the meaning of his own existence he creates the human race so that we might evolve to an intelligence greater than his own, in much the same way that a computer programmer wishes to create true AI, an intelligence greater than human, which might 'evolve' within a computer. We are given the title of pet and the instinct of worship while the creator waits for a companion in the search for meaning. Of course this is wrong, or I would have been struck by a lightning bolt during that last sentence and brought to God's side. Or perhaps God is not aware of his own success yet, or perhaps I am not the first to uncover God's purpose, and my predecessor is debating meaning with God as we speak. Or perhaps I

Students Skipping School Essays

Students Skipping School Essays Students Skipping School Paper Students Skipping School Paper Truancy has been a problem since the first schools. In the past, students were punished by parents and their schools for skipping. Today however, with many human rights laws and rules against punishing children (Parliament of Canada), truancy comes with almost no consequences and has grown in popularity (The Independent). Truancy is often caused by the students family problems, abuse and neglect, mental and physical health issues, drug and alcohol abuse, low self esteem, lack of friends, safety concerns and a number of other reasons. Some effects of truancy on students include involvement in crime, more likely to be unemployed, decreased academics, and risk of not obtaining a higher education (GTC Michigan). Truancy not only effects the truant student itself, but also an entire class, when a teacher slows down to help him catch up. Theory  B.F. Skinner (1904-1990) was only concerned with observable behaviors, not the mental processes behind them. Skinner used animals to study how the use of rewards and punishment can influence behavior, which became known as operant conditioning. He performed the Skinner box experiment, where a rat in a cage must press a button for food to be released into the cage. After the food has run out, the rat stopped pressing the button after a few futile attempts. This is called extinction. Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) studied â€Å"self actualizing† people, which is reaching ones full potential, only after basic needs are met. Maslow created his Hierarchy of Needs, it explains that basic needs must be fulfilled before higher order needs become important.  Carl Rogers (1902 – 1987) developed client-centered therapy. This approach focuses on the potential of each person to realize his or her own growth in self-awareness and self-fulfillment. I think B.F Skinners research could be applied to the issue of skipping school the best. Although therapy is important for truant students, rewards and punishments are more important. School is a place that teaches discipline, and Skinners idea demonstrates just that.  Solutions  The following are some possible solutions to dealing with truancy in the classroom.  1. Make students feel needed at school. To do this, teachers can assign certain responsibilities to the students, such as group projects. This way, the students will feel a responsibility to others and may be less likely to skip because they will feel guilty. 2. Use a reward system (operant conditioning). Offer truant students a reward for perfect attendance for a certain amount of time. This may encourage them to attend school for the reward.  3. Make students feel liked at school. To do this, teachers can display students work, be supportive of students, and engage students in group activities and clubs where they can be social and do work at the same time.  4. Work together with the truant students families. Find out why the student skips school and figure out a solution to prevent or change this behavior. This is an effective method because the families know the students the best and can find productive solutions together with the school. 5. Find out why the students skip school and figure out a solution. Counseling groups and guidance counselors are very important for this role, but they must respect the students opinions and statements and work with them to fix their problems (client-centered therapy).  6. Some students skip school because they are failing and see no point of returning to school. Teachers should give these students an opportunity to make up for their missing work and provide extra help at lunch or after school.  7. Make sure that the school is a safe and positive atmosphere for all students. Teach students to respect each other through assemblies and in class work. Increase teacher supervision. Conduct student surveys to find out how they feel about the school environment. Be open to suggestions from students on how to improve the school environment.

Overseas Territories of the United Kingdom

Overseas Territories of the United Kingdom The United Kingdom (UK) is an island nation located in Western Europe. It has a long history of worldwide exploration and it is known for its historic colonies around the world. The UKs mainland consists of the island of Great Britain (England, Scotland,  and Wales) and Northern Ireland. In addition, there are 14 overseas territories of Britain that are remnants of former British colonies. These territories are not officially a part of the UK, as most are self-governing (but they do remain under its jurisdiction). List of British Territories The following is a list of the 14 British Overseas Territories arranged by land area. For reference, their populations and capital cities have also been included. 1. British Antarctic Territory Area: 660,000 square miles (1,709,400 sq km) Population: No permanent population Capital: Rothera 2. Falkland Islands Area: 4,700 square miles (12,173 sq km) Population: 2,955 (2006 estimate) Capital: Stanley 3. South Sandwich and the South Georgia Islands Area: 1,570 square miles (4,066 sq km) Population: 30 (2006 estimate) Capital: King Edward Point 4. Turks and Caicos Islands Area: 166 square miles (430 sq km) Population: 32,000 (2006 estimate) Capital: Cockburn Town 5. Saint Helena, Saint Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha Area: 162 square miles (420 sq km) Population: 5,661 (2008 estimate) Capital: Jamestown 6. Cayman Islands Area: 100 square miles (259 sq km) Population: 54,878 (2010 estimate) Capital: George Town 7. Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia Area: 98 square miles (255 sq km) Population: 14,000 (date unknown) Capital: Episkopi Cantonment 8. The British Virgin Islands Area: 59 square miles (153 sq km) Population: 27,000 (2005 estimate) Capital: Road Town 9. Anguilla Area: 56.4 square miles (146 sq km) Population: 13,600 (2006 estimate) Capital: The Valley 10. Montserrat Area: 39 square miles (101 sq km) Population: 4,655 (2006 estimate) Capital: Plymouth (abandoned); Brades (center of government today) 11. Bermuda Area: 20.8 square miles (54 sq km) Population: 64,000 (2007 estimate) Capital: Hamilton 12. British Indian Ocean Territory Area: 18 square miles (46 sq km) Population: 4,000 (date unknown) Capital: Diego Garcia 13. Pitcairn Islands Area: 17 square miles (45 sq km) Population: 51 (2008 estimate) Capital: Adamstown 14. Gibraltar Area: 2.5 square miles (6.5 sq km) Population: 28,800 (2005 estimate) Capital: Gibraltar

Anode materials in Li-ion batteries Research Paper

Anode materials in Li-ion batteries - Research Paper Example Moreover, future development requires different ways of improving the anode materials which shall be discussed in this paper. The paper would be of prime importance for engineers and electronic professionals dealing in Li-ion Batteries whereas it will also benefit other researchers and people who are interesting in learning about the anode materials. Description Li-ion Battery is also known as Lithium ion battery which is primarily used as rechargeable support to different electronic devices. Currently its market sell is around 11 billion which is expected to reach 60 billion by 2020 (Li-ion batteries). Due to the technological advancements human lives are now prominently dominated by electronic gadgets and other devices. These portable electronic items require immense support of rechargeable batteries and hence Lithium ion Battery performs a very crucial role in the technological development. However, these batteries are associated with another important factor which directly impact s their performance and efficiency i.e. the properties of Anode materials used (Li-ion batteries). Source: Futurity 1 Li-ion batteries function on the basis of discharge and recharge of lithium ions. When Lithium ions are transferred from anode to cathode the Li-ion battery discharges. Subsequently it is attached to a socket in order to recharge the ions which now travel in opposite direction i.e. from cathode to anode. The property of materials used in anode substantially affects the capacity and performance of the battery. If some lapses occur in the performance of batteries then particular anode materials are replaced with substances having more capacity, density, battery life cycle, life span of the charge etc. (Li-ion batteries). The chemical reactions taking place in Li-ion batteries are presented below: Complete reaction in a cell of Li-ion Battery At Anode At Cathode The following diagram depicts the Li-ion battery in a functioning state and the movement of ions can be close ly observed. Source: Nexeon 1 Properties of Anode Materials Different anode materials are used in Lithium batteries depending upon the requirement of chargeable devices. The selection of material is further associated with the capacity constraints and the overall life of the battery. Graphite is commercially used in Li-ion battery. The first generation of Li-ion batteries was primarily operated with graphite anode material because it was found beneficial in placing the Lithium ions in to variable layers. Later on these materials were changed due to the limited capacity of graphite to store charge i.e. 300mAhg-1 (Li-ion batteries). Extensive research was conducted so as to identify other suitable materials which could be placed at anode and consequently silicon was examined to be more productive than graphite. Silicon gives the maximum gravimetric capacity while increasing the battery life. The volumetric capacity of anode significantly enhances with the insertion of lithium ions tak e in to the silicon material (Li-ion batteries). When a Li-ion battery is charged which is primarily designed with silicon anode material then the lithium ions enter the silicon ions subsequently increasing the volume by 400%. On the other hand when the battery discharges the lithium ions are removed from silicon material hence decreasing the overall volume. Although silicon has found to be more efficient than the graphite anodes but the continuous contraction and expansion ultimately causes

Open letter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Open letter - Essay Example Unlike me, my friend is an introvert and prefers staying by himself. Additionally, he lacks experience with women and ends up breaking up with most of the women he gets from me. For the three years that we have been very close, we have shared several amenities. The fact that we have similar interests heightened my relationship with him. We were together most of the time. However, early last year I met a girl and fell in love. I am therefore currently in a very steady relationship where we are planning marriage. My girlfriend is also our classmate and a friend of my roommate, as a matter of fact. As would be expected, I am closer to my girlfriend than my roommate, and this is straining my relationship with him. He feels rejected and, to some extent, betrayed. I cannot understand what he might have expected from our friendship. A week ago, while my girlfriend was visiting, he acted absurdly; he waited for me to leave the room for a call and made a plan with my girlfriend. Later my girl friend shared with me his wish for the two of them to meet secretly. I encouraged her to meet him but convinced her to share with me the outcome of their discussion. They met in secret as they had planned and converted in length over a cup of coffee in the cafeteria. My girlfriend later reported to me that he kept advising her to terminate the relationship because he knew me more than the lady did and according to him, â€Å"I was not the best choice for my girlfriend†. He told her that I am a flirt and would break her heart. According to him, it was therefore pointless for her to sacrifice her time being in a relationship with me while the outcome was evident. After the meeting, my girlfriend started acting differently. We could not share anything, and that worried me. However, after I learned about their discussion with my roommate, I concluded that it was as a result of the issues that they had discussed. Meanwhile, I maintained friendly relationships with him. My roommate was quick to offer his advice telling me that the lady was not the best woman I could date. He tried to discourage me from continuing and committing to the relationship. He even offered to take me out for lunch and a film that was debuting in town that day. He did not make sexual advances towards me, but he was so friendly that he suggested to share my bed after we drank several bottles of whiskey in a bid to get my mind off my girlfriend. I did not avoid my girlfriend because she soon approached me and was willing to share with me the outcome of her meeting with my roommate. She recounted the advice she got from my roommate and I also opened up and shared with her the advice I received from my roommate, and, I must say, I was shocked. He had gone to great lengths to separate me from the girl I loved, for reasons best known to him. Besides his attempts, he tried becoming very close to me—closer than he had ever tried in our three-year-old friendship. After reconciling with m y girlfriend, we became closer; we would spend more time together which angered my roommate. He currently does not come into the room when I am in. At such times, he would prefer spending the night elsewhere. Other than that, he seems to be distracted by alcohol. Whenever I try to reach out either by calling or texting him, he refuses to reply my texts or receive my calls. My roommate’s current careless attitude towards his social and academic life distresses

Catcher in the Rye Essay Example for Free

Catcher in the Rye Essay The word ‘morals’ is concerned with the principles or rules of right conduct or the distinction of right and wrong. Themes such as innocence, isolation and youth reside in the novel, the audience is made aware of Caulfield’s view on children’s innocence, the isolation he feels and how he perceives adults as ‘phony’. Holden Caulfield is a 17 year old adolescent boy that becomes infatuated with protecting the ‘innocence’ of younger children. Caulfield feels mentally, socially and personally isolated from everyone else. He desires the need to be not alienated. He attempts to reach out to someone but this desire for a connection is mitigated by hesitation. â€Å"The first thing I did when I got off at Penn Station, I went into this phone booth. I felt like giving somebody a buzz, but as soon as I was inside, I couldnt think of anybody to call up. So I ended up not calling anybody. I came out of the booth, after about twenty minutes or so. The short sentence structure emphasises Caulfield’s hesitation of trying to contact someone but not being able to commit to it, this then positions the reader to feel sorrow for the isolation that Caulfield feels. Caulfield’s hesitation to immerse himself in a connection with another person, explores the idea that whilst Caulfield was progressing with his coming of age, this isolation is a step back for the development of himself. Salinger captures an adolescences bias perception of adults being phony and that they only think of themselves. Salinger explores the perspective of children being a complete world apart from the adults through Caulfield. ‘The Catcher in the Rye’ examines the theme of youth in conjunction with the process of becoming an adult. Caulfield has an idealized perception of what children are like, he has a fantasy of what children are like, and he hastily makes assumptions of adults, predominately on how they treat children. â€Å"There was a lady sitting next to me that cried all through the goddam picture. The phonier it got, the more she cried. Youd have thought she did it because she was kind-hearted as hell. But she had this little kid with her that had to go to the bathroom, but she wouldnt take him. She kept telling him to sit still and behave himself. She was about as kind-hearted as a goddam wolf. † The simile ‘She was about as kind-hearted as a goddam wolf’ emphasises the similarities between the lady and a wolf, this then positions the reader to become aware of Caulfield’s feelings towards adults and the lack of ‘respect’. This sense of him having no ‘respect’ for adults’ challenges society’s moral of respecting your elders is explored throughout the novel and represented through Caulfield’s character. In conclusion, J. D Salinger explores ideas and concepts of what it is like to become of age and how society’s morals are challenged by adolescents and children. He uses themes such as the innocence of children, the isolation of Caulfield and how the youth perceive adults to represent these ideas. I believe that Salinger effectively explores the ideas of coming of age and challenging society’s morals within his novel by using these themes and allows myself as an individual to understand the novel on a deeper level.

Internet Pornography :: Cyberporn Research Papers

Internet Pornography Material that is reserved for adult use has been widely available to everyone via the Internet. Without any regulation the Internet has remained untouched until a few days ago when the president passed the Communications Decency Act. This law was put into effect to put an end to the problems that have derived from the Internet. The CDA makes it a crime to knowingly send "indecent" material that could be viewed by a minor over a computer online service or on the Internet computer network. To those people who are found guilty of this crime could face up to two years in prison and fines of as much as $250,000. Pornography is still available on then net but when this law is implemented its going to drastically change the Internet as a whole. The law makes it illegal to knowingly transmit obscene or indecent material to a minor. There are some protection to online service providers such as America Online, and Prodigy, whose systems are used for such transmissions. Controlling cyberporn has raised many first amendment questions when the government tries to regulate who controls the flow of that information. Many people seem to think that this is the best way to police the internet without restricting free speech. In my opinion the only reason why pornography on the Internet is such a big topic is because children are now learning to use computers at such a young age that they can find their way to these small group of sexually explicit sites. But in reality these pornographic related sites are only a very small fraction of the millions of sites out there on the world wide web. Their has been a large discussion of proposing a rating system. Their has been a rating system for violence, nudity, sex and language successful with video games and movies. Threw the Recreational Software Advisory Council, hundreds if not thousands of web sites and home pages could be rated and regulated. Their would be no problems with violating constitutional rights if this only leads to making sure that minors cannot get access to this type of information. But, as soon as the federal government decided to tell us what we can and cannot say over the Internet would be considered a violation of my first amendment rights to freedom of speech. One point brought up by author of the article I found in Editor & Publisher "If hard-core pornographic materials are illegal in the mainstream distribution channels, it should be also illegal on the Internet.