Galileo's daughter was essential to his writing and his success. She was a nun is one of the poorest convents and suffered greatly on a daily basis. Yet, she selflessly carried on and famously did not complain. Before she left for the convent, she took care of her father, making him medicines to keep him alive (she was an apothecary) and cleaning his home. After she became a nun, she still kept in contact with her father and agreed to edit his book The Dialogue. Obviously, there are many things that were controversial in his book, and she agreed to keep the ideas in his book quiet to avoid sooner trouble from the Inquisition. After his arrest, she took upon some of his punishment by praying for him several hours a day.
Without the help of Galileo's daugher, we would not remember Galileo as we do today.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
The Worst of Aquinas
The fourth way of St. Thomas Aquinas makes NO SENSE to me! Sure, things are measured by what is greater than the other, but I believe that everyone has their own seperate perception of beauty or knowledge. Its impossible to see eye to eye on the definition of these individual things. As they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. As humans we hold our own standards of what we think are right. Although people are extremely judgemental, I dont think we really are able to comprehend the idea of perfection, probably because we have never encountered TRUE perfection. How are we to know God is perfect? The Bible has show us otherwise; God has some jealous and manipulative tendencies. How are we to comprehend that he is perfect then? Perfection is objective, and there is no ruler to how perfect someone is. It is your own belief and opinion.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
St. Augustine and Gothic Architecture
Gothic architecture came from Abbott Suger, who was a follower of St. Denis He was influenced by the idea of 'light' that soon became a main part of a Gothic cathedral. Both men believed that light was God himself on Earth, and that the more light there was, the closer you were to him. The farther you are from the light, the darker it is, and the more physical and material things get, the light is obscured. The writings of St. Denis also argued that the world, since it is a reflection of God, isn't so bad after all, and encouraged people to observe it and love it.
St. Augustine had very similar beliefs. His philosophy was centered around introspection. He believed that beautiful light would bring you closer to Jesus. The light, to him, had the power to give people the vision of God. St. Augustine, like Abbot Suger and St. Denis, awknowledged the fact that it had been over a thousand years since Jesus died, and at this rate, he probably wouldn't be coming back soon. So they decided to let go of this hating of the outside world and decided to accept it. That is how Gothic Architecture and St. Augustine are similar: they both were accepting the fact that Jesus would not return soon.
St. Augustine had very similar beliefs. His philosophy was centered around introspection. He believed that beautiful light would bring you closer to Jesus. The light, to him, had the power to give people the vision of God. St. Augustine, like Abbot Suger and St. Denis, awknowledged the fact that it had been over a thousand years since Jesus died, and at this rate, he probably wouldn't be coming back soon. So they decided to let go of this hating of the outside world and decided to accept it. That is how Gothic Architecture and St. Augustine are similar: they both were accepting the fact that Jesus would not return soon.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
The Numerous Fallacies of Hitler
Hitler: one of the most hated men in history. Yet, he was able to unify Germany, albeit by manipulating them, but he unified them to create one of the worst wars in history. His book, Mein Kampf, describes his racist beliefs that often make the reader wonder what is wrong with this guy's head?! His supposed support and proof of these radical ideas are not even there; he describes on end how the Aryans are the master race, yet he never gives sufficient evidence why. Hitler is begging the question, stating something that he believes has already been proved or accepted by society. He also spends much of the chapter telling how Nature requires of us to breed with our own kind, as animals do. He compares us to animals, yet this analogy is extremely false. Animals have many different species, and that is why they can only breed with one another: it is impossible not to. Humans, regardless of race, are a single species. It is scientifically possible for an African man to mate with an Asian woman, or an Indian man to mate with a Latina woman. Thus, this analogy is false, among numerous other fallacies found in Mein Kampf.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Cause for Question
I tend to lean towards Intelligent Design because it is the closest to what I believe. I believe that we have been created by a higher power, a God. He has not molded this world to his liking, though, he has left nature to take its course. He has created the little systems inside our bodies, the cells, the processes that make our world go round, and he has let it be. As we studied last unit, God is farther away, thus he created a world that can function without him, full of intricacies that allow it to work. These little parts of life that scientists call proof that a God doesn't exist just makes it more plausible that there is a higher being. How could all that be created from one little microorganism billions of years ago? It makes no sense to me. Even though I tend to lean towards intelligent design, our country is a mixture of lots of religion. To force this Christian idea upon everyone, I feel, is wrong. The education system should mention it, but not in depth, or state that it is a possibility. They should let the people who believe in it decide, because it is morally wrong to force any belief or idea on anybody.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Affirmative Action: Necessary or not?
I wholeheartedly believe that affirmative action is needed in our communities. For educational purposes, not everyone has the opprotunities that others have in order to succeed. Lots of people have parents that went to college or just stress its importance to their kids on a daily basis. Some parents, on the other hand, believe that education isn't very important, or need their kids to drop school in order to help them. I have overheard people talking at school saying stuff like "I didn't go to school yesterday because I had to watch my little brother". These are the families I am talking about.
Of course, there are people who have several doors open for a good education and money to do it, yet they just don't give a damn. Affirmative action should take that into consideration. Maybe there are reasons for not caring about education, and they should educate students on it's importance and instill it into them at a young age, as many parents do.
Even though we do have an African-American president, it doesnt end racism in our country. I have heard several people say during the election they are not voting for Obama because of his race. He still won, but that doesnt mean that those people are won over. Racism still exists, whether we like it or not. Sadly, there are some employers, that if forced to choose between two people, will pick the white person. There are universities that select only a small number of applicants and will pick a greater number of caucasions. This is absolutely not fair. Anybody, regardless of race, should have opporotunities to succeed in life.
Stereotypes such as "black people and latinos are lazy and don't work hard" are just that way for a reason. The discrimination and the way they are forced to live affect them greatly. Imagine a Latino boy born in the Projects, being surrounded by gangs and drugs and poverty. He's going to see his mother suffering to pay the rent, he's going to see gangbangers get rich from selling weed. There will be no stressing of a good education, and he could drop out of school if he wanted to without any repurcussions. This influences him into thinking that school will get him nowhere, that he will stay the way he is forever. He's going to think he won't need a good education if he can just sell drugs to make a living. Yes, Barack Obama being president makes minorities feel hopeful that they can succeed in life, yet just the fact that our president is an ethnic minority doesn't change the people out there who think that minorities can't do anything.
Yes, Koreans have the same background as several minorities, yet they all seem to do well in school and succeed. By my knowledge, Korean parents are adament about their kids recieving a good eduction, and pressure them into doing better and going above and beyond. The cultural difference IS what makes the difference. Korean immigrants do tend to work minimum wage jobs and not have very much money, yet their culture proceeds them to drill this sense of working hard and getting a good education in order to succeed. This is what sets them apart from other minorities.
These people should be able to succeed if they choose too, and hopefully all will become motivated by proper teaching. Nobody will learn if it is thrust in their face, so at an early age they should be taught and make learning and a want to succeed a habitual thing. Once taught, these skills should be maintained through continuous teaching throughout their educational career. Hopefully, over time, we will see more minorities in power through motivation and a want to succeed in life and overcome their hard past.
Of course, there are people who have several doors open for a good education and money to do it, yet they just don't give a damn. Affirmative action should take that into consideration. Maybe there are reasons for not caring about education, and they should educate students on it's importance and instill it into them at a young age, as many parents do.
Even though we do have an African-American president, it doesnt end racism in our country. I have heard several people say during the election they are not voting for Obama because of his race. He still won, but that doesnt mean that those people are won over. Racism still exists, whether we like it or not. Sadly, there are some employers, that if forced to choose between two people, will pick the white person. There are universities that select only a small number of applicants and will pick a greater number of caucasions. This is absolutely not fair. Anybody, regardless of race, should have opporotunities to succeed in life.
Stereotypes such as "black people and latinos are lazy and don't work hard" are just that way for a reason. The discrimination and the way they are forced to live affect them greatly. Imagine a Latino boy born in the Projects, being surrounded by gangs and drugs and poverty. He's going to see his mother suffering to pay the rent, he's going to see gangbangers get rich from selling weed. There will be no stressing of a good education, and he could drop out of school if he wanted to without any repurcussions. This influences him into thinking that school will get him nowhere, that he will stay the way he is forever. He's going to think he won't need a good education if he can just sell drugs to make a living. Yes, Barack Obama being president makes minorities feel hopeful that they can succeed in life, yet just the fact that our president is an ethnic minority doesn't change the people out there who think that minorities can't do anything.
Yes, Koreans have the same background as several minorities, yet they all seem to do well in school and succeed. By my knowledge, Korean parents are adament about their kids recieving a good eduction, and pressure them into doing better and going above and beyond. The cultural difference IS what makes the difference. Korean immigrants do tend to work minimum wage jobs and not have very much money, yet their culture proceeds them to drill this sense of working hard and getting a good education in order to succeed. This is what sets them apart from other minorities.
These people should be able to succeed if they choose too, and hopefully all will become motivated by proper teaching. Nobody will learn if it is thrust in their face, so at an early age they should be taught and make learning and a want to succeed a habitual thing. Once taught, these skills should be maintained through continuous teaching throughout their educational career. Hopefully, over time, we will see more minorities in power through motivation and a want to succeed in life and overcome their hard past.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Deductive Logic...or is it?
For most people, logic comes when they don't even try. We figure out our daily problems or help a friend out with reasoning that helps us or our loved ones overcome the obstacles of life. Like a wise man said today in third period (cough cough, Mr. Basinger), "common knowledge is actually uncommon". I disagree. I think that all of us know the right things to do and have good morals, it's just theres always that devil on your shoulder that tempts you into stupid stuff like stealing or tagging. There is a such thing as common sense, and we all have it, it's just uncommon to be in touch with your concious that tells you the moral thing to do.
Technically, there are three main ways of using deductive logic. First, there is the syllogism. As the most confusing of the three, it is the most precise. It must have three statements: the major premise, the minor premise, and the conclusion. This form of logic is viewed as the most difficult because of it's structure. An example is:
Major Premise:All athletes eat healthy.
Minor Premise:Michelle is an athlete
Conclusion: Michelle eats healthy
A good way to model this is by using the 'transitive property':
A=B
B=C
A=C
The above syllogism can be labeled as followed: A=Healthy, B=athlete, C=Michelle
If the terms are labeled properly, the syllogism should read as the formula does.
The second form of deductive logic is called Modus Ponens. This fairly straightforward way of thinking goes as follows:
If p, then q
p
therefore, q
If I have a million dollars, then I am rich.
I have a million dollars.
Therefore, I am rich.
The next form of logic, Modus Tollens, is extremely similar to Modus Ponens, but has one slight difference.
It's formula is:
If p, then q
not q
therefore, not p
If I have green eyes, I am pretty
I do not have green eyes.
Therefore, I am not pretty.
As you can see, it is the negative form of the Modus Ponens.
Yet, as observed, these examples of the three types of deductive logic seem a little...off. Just because someone eats healthy doesn't mean they are athletes! Or just because someone doesn't have green eyes doesn't mean they're ugly. As mentioned before, a more reasonable source of logic comes from within us. These forms seem to just have the sole purpose of adding structure to thinking, although the thought process is purely unstructured in itself. Most of the examples I saw or heard in class have been valid in the sense of the way they are formed, yet they are not the truth. Why even bother learning how to think logically when the conclusions made are rarely ever what is really true?
Technically, there are three main ways of using deductive logic. First, there is the syllogism. As the most confusing of the three, it is the most precise. It must have three statements: the major premise, the minor premise, and the conclusion. This form of logic is viewed as the most difficult because of it's structure. An example is:
Major Premise:All athletes eat healthy.
Minor Premise:Michelle is an athlete
Conclusion: Michelle eats healthy
A good way to model this is by using the 'transitive property':
A=B
B=C
A=C
The above syllogism can be labeled as followed: A=Healthy, B=athlete, C=Michelle
If the terms are labeled properly, the syllogism should read as the formula does.
The second form of deductive logic is called Modus Ponens. This fairly straightforward way of thinking goes as follows:
If p, then q
p
therefore, q
If I have a million dollars, then I am rich.
I have a million dollars.
Therefore, I am rich.
The next form of logic, Modus Tollens, is extremely similar to Modus Ponens, but has one slight difference.
It's formula is:
If p, then q
not q
therefore, not p
If I have green eyes, I am pretty
I do not have green eyes.
Therefore, I am not pretty.
As you can see, it is the negative form of the Modus Ponens.
Yet, as observed, these examples of the three types of deductive logic seem a little...off. Just because someone eats healthy doesn't mean they are athletes! Or just because someone doesn't have green eyes doesn't mean they're ugly. As mentioned before, a more reasonable source of logic comes from within us. These forms seem to just have the sole purpose of adding structure to thinking, although the thought process is purely unstructured in itself. Most of the examples I saw or heard in class have been valid in the sense of the way they are formed, yet they are not the truth. Why even bother learning how to think logically when the conclusions made are rarely ever what is really true?
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