FINAL

FINAL EXAM IS NOW ONLINEFINAL EXAMINATION: Spring 2008, CRITICAL THINKING, Professor DavidC. Lane, Ph.D.Due April 19th at midnite.Instructions1. Be sure to place your entire FINAL on your website and when youare finished send a link of your test to your teacher directly at neuralsurfer@yahoo.com (don't sendit to any other email address, except that) 2. 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 April 19th at midnite.3a. Each answer should be at least three paragraphs long, ifpossible.----------------------------------4. What is your real name? Jennifer Linnastruth5. What is your "user" name? Jennifer6. What is your email address that you use for this class? Jlinnastruth@yahoo.com7. Name and address for your website.Jennifer’s Critical Thinking… JennifersCriticalThinking.blogspot.com8. Have you done all the reading for the entire class? Yes9. Have you watched each of the films that were required? Yes10. What was your midterm grade? Or, if you revised it, your revisedmidterm grade? Provide a LINK to your midterm.
My grade was a C. Here is the revised midterm link. http://jenniferscriticalthinking.blogspot.com/
11. Please place here all of the postings you have done for thisclass (you can copy and paste them. ALL SIX WEEKS OF POSTINGS.)
Week 1 & 2
Post 1- Richard Feynman Interview( 1981)
Richard Feynman talks about how flowers can enrich someone’s perspective of life. I think that flowers can show us in the inner beauty of the world and show us much more than just something pretty to look at. Feynman says that he looked more into flowers like into the cells for more answers. The colors that were born to each certain flower were done because insects would have to pollinate each flower. If the insects were not attracted to the flower they would not do their job. That can go for any kind of relationship in life.
The color or the scent of the flowers added questions to if the insects would pollinate. If the insects were not attracted to the flowers then pollination would not occur. I think that this can teach us a lot about life on a greater scale because from the simplest thing such as a flower reproduction occurs.
Post 2- Beyond Belief Video 1
In this video the speaker talked about the clash of cultures. The clash of cultures was conflicting between science and religion. Mentioned in the film the speakers said that sixty two percent of people don’t believe that humans were evolved from a earlier form. When he was talking about how people go to heaven and heaven doesn’t come to us I was kind of confused. I think I was confused because yes I think we go to heaven but God or heaven I think does come to us. When we need he’s there but I guess that does depend on your own religious beliefs.
In the sense of the clash of the cultures I don’t think there is ever going to a be a right answer because people are always going to disagree. For example I don’t agree with the fact that science made us, I believe that we evolved from god and not everyone is going to agree with me.
Post 3- Beyond Belief Video 1
Science deals with fact and religion deals with values. Is that true? I find that statement to be absolutely true. Science deals with that we see and what we can prove, and by we I mean scientist. Religion deals with values and what we want to believe. How we see things or what believe is the religious side to life. How can one say that this statement is false. Even if you don’t like science or have no religious values I don’t see how this can be proved wrong.
The speaker in this video thinks that the controversy with science and religion has deeper roots. Such as that they both will go on for some time but will always have negative affects on each other. I find that statement to be true because science and religion depict life on two different levels. One can believe we came about one and then another can believe something else.
Post 4- Beyond Belief Video 2
The law of gravitation doesn’t mention God at all. God created this world and everything in it right? Well one that is religion based would say so. So why doesn’t everything mention God as the sole creator? Well the answer to this is easy because not everyone believes that he created this world or even that he wasn’t the only reason why it was created. So a complex thing such as gravitation doesn’t give thanks to God. But should it? My answer that would be no because I think that sometimes things such just be unknown and then it makes us wonder what really happen or even how things can about.
A long time ago when there was no explanation of how things were people always answered God, but now we have science. When people didn’t understand science or didn’t know what it was the only answer for things was God. He created this world and he is our answer. I believe in God but science has helped our world and God can not be the answer for everything. Both God and science are important to this world but both help us live.
Post 5- Beyond Belief Video 2
I think that teaching young people about the sun, planets, and comets is a great thing. It is what surrounds us and there could be other intelligent life out there. Isaac Newton says there is another intelligent and powerful being in this world. He brought up an idea of intelligent design and told the world about it. The most brilliant people in this world are learning and researching intelligent design just as people are teaching it in the classrooms. How can this be? Well I think that people that everyone is still learning about it and there is no true answer.
The speaker says that it is a deeper problem from teaching it in the classroom to scientist that are writing about it. Fifteen percent of the most brilliant minds accept this thought of intelligent design.
Post 6- Cargo Cult
This reading was very interesting and I enjoyed it. Cargo Cults are very interesting because it is what certain people believe. Some of the things that were mentioned in the reading were such things as UFO’s and mystical things that are unexplained. Theses things are said to be scientific because we study them right? The answer to that is yes, but no one can actually know the correct answer. We don’t actually know that there are UFO’s or aliens floating around.
I like the example about the teacher in that reading. Teachers know how they want to teach children how to read but the school system says they have to do it a certain way. I know if I was a teacher that would drive me crazy. I guess sometimes you have to do things you don’t like to actually do what you love and have a passion for.
Post 7- Richard Dawkins
Viruses can be a very dangerous and difficult thing to take care of. The part of the reading that interested me was about computers getting viruses. Computer viruses travel throughout computers on there networks and even on discs. Viruses are worms work the same way in computers. They both are bad and travel the same way whether one is worse than the other.
Viruses can attack us in many ways and now I would like to talk about the religious side to the matter. Richard Dawkins says that religion is like a viruses. Do you think that is true? Well I think that it is. Once a virus attacks you it is hard to get rid of, but religion is something that people accept in their lives and usual keep. They keep not because they have to but because they want too.
Post 8- Karma Video
WOW! That video was pretty intense if I have to say so myself. I never thought I would see something so crazy in a classroom. The violence and the language were pretty bad. When I think about it though it makes sense to show something like that because honestly that is what happens in our world today. Karma is something that a lot of people believe in. I know for myself I do and have done it to people. In the end it is probably not the right thing to do because it always comes back around especially when you least expect it.
Karma is a funny thing because everyone probably once in their life has done it to someone or had a friend that was involved. So is it a good thing to do someone? Well my answer to that would be at the time yes but in the long run no.
Post 9 - Skepticism- What is Cold Reading?
This reading was pretty interesting to me. I think that people who actually can believe a fortune teller are pretty gullible. How does this person know everything about you that you want to know. That is absolutely impossible. You know yourself probably the best and if you cant answer that question, how can a stranger?
The person that does these reading probably already knows that the client wants to know something about their personal lives. The client probably wants to know about their families, jobs, life, marriage, and so on. These people that do the readings but the client in a mood to where they probably will believe anything they hear. I think that this is pretty stupid and anyone that believes needs some serious help!
Post 10- Bertrand Russell on Clear Thinking
This film was very short on you tube.com so I didn’t really get much out of it. Bertrand Russell was a very intelligent man and I didn’t get that from the film but from other things I have read. He was the kind of guy that thought God wasn’t the wisest man. He looked at God as a great creator but nothing special. He choose not to be a Christian for many reasons.
He asked what a Christian actually was and his answer was someone that wants to live a pure and good life. What person doesn’t want to live like that? Any person that believes in any kind of religion would want that for themselves wouldn’t they? Well that’s what he believed. I think that is true but he mentioned that he would make the best Christian out there and if that’s true then why wasn’t he one?
Week 3
Post 1- John Maynard Smith and Evolution
John Maynard Smith was a big part in Evolutionary Biology, new ideas about Darwinism, and how natural selection began corporative behavior. He left with us many ideas after he died at the age of eighty four in two thousand and four. He wrote about three books and most where about evolution. John is atheist and he admits it but he did give up his faith in his earlier years.
He is very well known for bringing the game theory up. He has applied this to viruses but it has nothing to do with natural selection. He thinks that natural selection is to apply to something then ask the question how does it help. Natural selection is a process of design even if it doesn’t design anything. Whatever the rarer sex is they will have more children, that is what he states.
Post 2- John Maynard Smith and Evolution
As human beings we are not supposed to question whether we might run into someone again someday. During this film when this was brought I was very confused because I know myself I question that all the time. I was wonder if I am going to run into someone again. I am that type of person that always remembers faces and body language. Just the other day when I was at school I saw this girl that works in a nail saloon I went to just once. I thought it was pretty random.
Why are we supposed to think this way? I think that we are supposed to think this way because there are so many people in this world and honestly we probably wont ever run into more than once again if we only see them once. Now in my case that was pretty random and probably wont happen again but it could, you never know.
Post 3- Kevin Miller on Intelligent Design
To me this video was not very interesting but it got the point across. Intelligent Design can be explained by one thing and that is intelligent cause. If something has a purpose then it must have a cause. Kevin Miller is a very intelligent man and wrote many books that were placed in classrooms all over the country so I believe what he says.
Kevin Miller totally thought that Michael Behe’s idea was wrong and I side with Kevin on this one. He says it was nonsense and I think that is true, for the reason that how can someone think that way.
Post 4- Eleven
WOW! This video was very warming to me because I felt as though I could relate in some weird way. I feel as though sometimes people look at me funny and I feel like I can’t pursue my dreams. In this video people were being pushed back because of who they were or even because of where they are from. That is the most ridiculous reason I can think of because it is so not fair. Ever since nine eleven a lot of people are viewed different because they are from those terrorists countries.
When I was in high school I was seen as this girl that always got good grades and always did well in everything I attempted. Now that I am in college for some reason my studying skills have dropped and now I feel as though people look at me different. So I can relate to this video.
Post 5- THE HIMALAYAN CONNECTION
I don’t believe in UFO’s and after reading this I still don’t. while reading this I agreed with some things such as how UFO’s can just merely be rare occurs that happen. The human eye is very interesting and maybe our eyes just play tricks on us. Maybe we want to see things like this and our eyes just all of a sudden see it, but that is just too weird.
Studies have been done and our scientist found no other living things in our world but that doesn’t necessary mean there is nothing out there. People always claim to see UFO’s but I think it is for mere attention. They think that they can get their fifteen minutes of fame on their local news, but in reality they are making themselves look stupid. There are no such things as UFO’s or anything like this. When I read the reading I laughed.
Week 4
Post 1- Freeman Dyson and the Mathematical Universe
Quantum physics is something that Freeman Dyson came up with. This has to do with mathematics but it is hard to describe with words but it is a great thing. It explains a lot but it is hard to understand and even explain. Scientific materialism is how people sometimes described themselves. They are still around but Freeman Dyson has no idea who they are or even what they do. Things at the micro level are what Freeman Dyson did very well. He was a very intelligent man and understood things that most don’t
Freeman Dyson says that religion is a way of life and not a matter of belief. He says that he is a very religious person and believes in Christianity. He is a Christian without the theology. God is such a mystery to him but he doesn’t try to depict God as anything bad.
Post 2- Freeman Dyson and the Mathematical Universe
Does science lead us to religion? Well Freeman Dyson thinks so and when I think about it I think it does too. Religion is a way of life like Dyson said but he thinks that science is too. I believe that statement to be kind of true but false too. What I mean by that is science has made our world better and without it we would be less technology based. If we didn’t have science we might be better though only because it creates so much hate and trouble it seems like. When we buy things they are not always perfect and then we have to get them fixed and that is trouble on us.
Is mind the way to describe things? The mind can choose what we do on a daily basis. In my perspective the mind is yes a way to describe things. When we make our choices in life the mind makes them for us, so of course they minds can describe things. Doesn’t that make sense? Well I think it does.
Post 3- Faqir Chand
After watching the film about Faqir Chand I was very shocked. Was he trying to say that religion doesn’t exist? I mean he said there is no God and no Jesus. In my understanding I think that is what he is trying to say. That is just so weird to me that someone believes that there is nothing out there. No nothing so I guess he is not religious at all. Usually people believe in at least something or are atheist. So is Faqir Chand atheist? That is a very good question and I am not sure. He seems to be a very different and out there person.
How can someone actually think that way? Especially since people back in the day were very religious. So I really don’t understand how he could think like that. What do they call people that believe in things like this? There must be some explanation for people like this.
Post 4- Session Five
What is an atheist? Well it is pretty easy to understand because they have no certain religion. This is a person who doesn’t believe in any kind of religion. Either for the reason that they cant choose one specific religion or because they don’t believe anything. In most cases that I find to believe is that people just don’t want to believe in God. In other cases it is that someone finds that all religions are wrong and there is no point believing in anything like that.
In my view there is nothing wrong with being atheist. Many people believe this way just as there are many people that believe in Christianity. How can someone say that being atheist is wrong? They shouldn’t because someone can say that being Catholic or even Christian is wrong. I guess it is just the way you see things and believe things.
Post 5- Session Five
Are meaning and purpose two different thoughts or ideas? We see this as trying to describe the universe. Maybe such questions like why are we here on earth and not on another planet? So is that meaning or purpose? Well in my perspective I see that as purpose because we are here for purpose I believe. Humans were put on the universe for a reason I think. If someone saw it as meaning maybe they would say that we were meant to be here, but I see it as having a purpose to make the world a better place.
Science is a great thing and you can apply it to purpose and meaning. When applying it to purpose someone might say that we are here for a purpose to work , become old, and change the world. When applying it to meaning someone might say that we have a meaning on this earth to serve our God that died for us.
Week 5&6
Post 1- An Introduction To Critical Thinking
When students are being taught how to critical think it is to better their knowledge for their futures. Educators are very good at what they are “supposed” to teach us. The law says that they are supposed to teach us certain material that is required for that course. Educators seem to fail when it comes to teaching students how to actually think about the subject matter. All educators had to learn how to think critically or they could have not received their degree to teach. So why don’t educators teach students how to think critically?
Teachers do what the system tells them to do, right? Well I think that it is true because they want to keep their jobs and they do what they are told. I think that a true educator teaches what they are told but also what they believe. They would be doing the right thing but also giving students more than what the system says they are supposed to know.
Post 2- Professor Mark Juergensmeyer
Mark Juergensmeyer is an educator at The University of California Santa Barbara. He believes very highly about religion and thinks that it has been abused. He traveled to countries where terrorism has hit and explored religious beliefs. When he traveled to Egypt he got the people out of the Iraq mind. In my view it might have not been to safe to go where the actually war is going on.
What I got out of this lecture was that for a developing country or even a third world country to have politics they have to have religion. Its not that they have to agree on certain religion but just have it in the politics. I never really realized that every where you turn in the US we have politics but with it always follows religion, or even visa versa. Through all the movements that have taken place in this world there was always religion. Whether we see it or hear it is there.
Post 3- Edgar Cayce and the Skeptic
Edgar Cayce was thought to have psychic abilities. The man known as Mr. Johnson is the best known source for knowing all about Edgar Cayce. After reading this reading Mr. Johnson seems to make Edgar Cayce untruthful in a way. He makes it seem like he is lying to us about how someone people thought that he had psychic abilities. When one wants to judge Edgar Cayce’s readings they have to be either pro or con of them. Maybe someone like me because I have no views of this man but I do now from doing a little reading.
Edgar Cayce was merely a man of God and was very religious. There is no real educated response into knowing that he had psychic abilities. We can see it more as him as a modern myth. When people question his psychic abilities is it much more of a larger question of sacred meaning and purpose.
Post 4- CULT-BUSTER DAVID LANE
Wow! This was probably the most interesting thing I have read all semester. David lane was threatened by many various cults because he spoke his mind to them. For twenty years you would think that he would learn his lesson and stop exposing the truth because he kept getting harassed. The lies and scandals of different cults were exposed because David Lane told the truth, but was that a smart thing to do? I find David Lane to be a very intelligent mad but this just seems crazy. Dealing with cults can be a dangerous thing and I am pretty sure he knows that now.
The religious movements that were going on raised the questions about the truth of true believers of these cults. Religion can cause a lot of trouble if people get mad about. It seems so crazy that people would get mad over something like this, like they can dish out what they want but they can not accept what others have to say. That does not seem far at all. That is all David Lane was trying to do. You never know someone might have read what Lane said and changed their minds about that cult or even being in it. Maybe that’s why the cults got very angry and threatened his life. That just seems a little over board to me.
Post 5- Sai Baba's Film One
After watching his first film I was pretty impressed by his abilities. It was pretty hard to see but his is very talented with his hands. I could not really tell what he did at first but when he made something appear that looked like a necklace I was like wow. Living in the US we see things like this all the time in magic shows. Magic has always seemed to impress me. I think that people in other countries like this seemed to really just be in awe of someone like this.
How do we really know that he might have powers? Honestly by watching this film I find it to be fake, but at first I believed it. After watching it many times I just do not seem to believe it. It was probably up his sleeve or something. I mean he is wearing a lot of clothing, so you never know.
Post 6- Sai Baba's Film Two
The second film by Sai Baba was a little bit longer but harder to actually see what was going on. At the beginning of the film it looks like he is pulling something from his left hand to the right hand. Honestly I do not see how it works or even if I could try to believe it. It looks like he is pulling something out of the envelops from his right hand. So if I were to guess maybe something was under those envelops and he just pulled it out. If I actually did believe he had powers then I obviously would believe that he did it out of air.
In the second part of the film it looks like he is going to make an offering to someone and in the mean time he is receiving envelops from the audience. When we think he is going to make a blessing to someone he does not, and actually produced a certain kind of ash like product. When I read the reading before the video it said that his arm was not fully extended so that means that ash like product could have been up his sleeve. Well that is what I like to believe because I take these videos as merely magic of a great performer that fools people.
Post 7- Thakar Singh- Blindfolding Children
In the country of India a person by the name of Thakar Singh believed in blindfolding children till they reached the age of five years old. They believed that a children being blindfolded could become in touch with their spiritual self’s. The cults that believed in blindfolding children would poison people so that they would stay. These people could not travel back home really sick so that was the goal of these cults. Cults wanted people to stay active with them so they would make them sick so they would stay and continue their practices.
These children were being abused from various cults among India. It was physical and sexual abuse that was going on. The religious followers that belong to Thakar Singh were absolutely crazy if they thought this was something good to do. My thinking is that these people were taught to be pure evil by their master Thakar Singh. Who honestly would blindfold a child for five years? That is just not humane at all!
Post 8- Thakar Singh and Abusing Women
At the beginning of the film they were interviewing a man and he referred Thakar Singh to as God. He said that he would only stay with him and his believing as long as he let him. When he said I was just amazed that someone would bow down to someone like that. I do not understand why people think he is a master or even a God! The man being interviewed said that as long as he was a follower of Thakar Singh. He even said that he would die for Thakar Singh.
This man known as Thakar Singh was thought to have abused women whether it was sexually, physically, and even emotionally. Thakar Singh said that he used physical force on women or even men to get rid of the demons that were living in their souls. These women were being beaten and thought that this great man they thought as God was helping them but really he wasn’t. So they did not fight back or even resist him because they thought he was doing what he thought was best for them.
Post 9- Thakar Singh at a town meting goes badly
This film actually made me laugh a little bit because I think that people are actually seeing they real Thakar Singh. Maybe they now realize that he is fake and phony. I think that this is a really good because from what I have seen he is no good. During the film people were laughing at him because he was not keeping his audience happy at all. People were probably making fun of him and he was like “wow what is going on”.
At the end of the film people that attended the meting probably his followers said that he was a con man and no good. I was kind of shocked to hear that because most people such as his followers refer to him as their master and even God.
Post 10- Thakar Singh’s Physical and Sexual Abuse
Thakar Singh seems to have a lot of allegations against with abuse and women. The film showed a women but they disguise her because she was so embarrassed by what happened to her. It shocks me that people believe in and love this man and everything he does seems to be bad. I do not understand why people follow him when all he calls them are demons. I think that he makes them think they are bad and that he is the only one who can help them, when in reality they are not bad at all. They might be sinful but they should look to God not to someone who hurts them and tells them he is God.
Susan Dean claims that he gently touches people and with a deep force but he does not hurt them. She says that she has never seen any kind of abuse from this man they call Thakar Singh. Then another women says that her nose was bleeding and she was uncurious on the floor. I seem to believe the women that was hurt more I think. Dean to me seems to be more of a sexual advance rather than any harm against her.
Week 7
Post 1- John Polkinghorne
John Polkinghorne believes in both religion and science. I find him to be very intelligent and a amazing speaker. He is a very strong believer in religion and told us he was a Christian by faith. He believes that God has a divine purpose for all of us. We can change and become believers if we just try. Polkinghorne has always believed and always will. God created this universe so we are all children of him. That then raises the question about how religion and science can co exist? Well I believe that they can and I have not really read anything this semester about someone believing they could. Science has also created us into who we are today just the same as how religion has. Whether you believe in God or not he created us, but some people beg to differ I am sure. Science has helped us grow as people and actually created us in a sense.
Science is a pretty amazing thing that has taken over the universe. Without it where would we be? Would we even exist? Yes I think we would exist because God created us but we would not be advance in ways that we are.
Post 2- Nietzsche
Nietzsche does not believe in God at all. He believes that God is just an expression of the mind. Christianity to him is something bad such that people that believe in that faith are giving up their freedom, pride, and even self confidence of the spirit. Nietzsche believes that we are sacrifices these three things if we are faithful Christian. I know that I am not sacrificing anything to believe that way. So I have no idea what this guy is talking about it. He also talks about the Catholic faith believers saying that those people are just escaping from their faith and freedom. I think that does not make very much sense when they are believing in God so how can they be escaping him?
I totally understand if someone chooses not to believe in God and that is what Nietzsche has done. It is just something society has to deal with because not everybody is going to agree.
Post 3- Film Number 13 Electric Surfing
The entire universe is made of matter, but to understand matter one has to understand electricity. The force that holds matter together is an electrical force or nature. Protons have a positive charge and electrons have a negative charge. The positive charge of the protons is equal to the negative charge of the electrons. Opposite chargers attract each other within fields. An atom is in balance, if it has an equal number of protons and electrons. All these facts are from the film that I watched. So without all of this we would not exist I guess.
Post 4- Film Number 11 Brain Burn
The reason why we raise questions about certain things is because your brains have this architecture to them. Consciousness is a way around pure chance by developing an internalized map of probabilities which can be visualized internally without having to be outsourced prematurely. When we question less to do with reality and more to do with our evolutionary needs we seem to more well rounded. What is the best way to survive chance contingencies? The answer to that would be by developing deep understanding of what varying options portend. Every deep thought or question we have in our brains is from is the result of confusion we have. Philosophy is why are brains are so complex and the reason why they think the way they do.
The confusion we have in our brains is from what? Well I like to believe it as our brains are taking us on a little trip to other world. Our brains wonder and then the philosophical beings in our brains have to come up with an answer. I also think that by the way we were raised and if we had religion in our lives makes up our answers different then someone who did not have that in their lives.
Post 5- Film Number 10 Flame On!
“Homosexuality is regarded as shameful by barbarians and by those who live under despotic governments just as philosophy is regarded as shameful by them, because it is apparently not in the interest of such rulers to have great ideas engendered in their subjects, or powerful friendships or passionate love-all of which homosexuality is particularly apt to produce”, Plato. I love this quote my Plato because it sounds so profound. Homosexual people are seen as confused and misunderstood people. The world we live in today I think still does not really except it. It is every where around us. Back in the old days like my parents generation it was looked down upon and not exposed.
In the Bible it says that a man and a woman are supposed to married or even have intimate moments. So I can see why people look down upon this because it is either man and man or woman and woman, but that is not what God intended.
Week 8
Post 1- Dr. James Watson
Watson went through many schools to be where he is now. I find him to be very outgoing and interesting. He became interested in DNA after a couple year of being in college and wanted to know more about it. He believes that if DNA it what makes us up then it is much more important than protein. DNA and protein were being studied at the same time but in different places but they then realized that protein is what helps our body. So in reality one can say that protein helps our DNA. I mean if we are made up all of DNA then protein is actually helping it and making it stronger.
He actually is one of two peoples that came up with the double helix. On February 20, 1953 the structure of DNA was made and they had a model of it. He also tired to make a three dimensional version of it to make it easier to see and understand. I think that this is pretty cool because DNA is interesting but sometimes hard to understand. This man figured out how all of it worked and realized that it was what we are made up of.
Post 2- Dr. James Watson
What I found to be very interesting when Dr. James Watson was speaking is when he said
how we act in school. The reason why we do not do well sometimes is because our
genetics. It is not because our teachers are bad or anything like that. Sometimes people
like to claim that the system is corrupt but in reality maybe it is because we do not apply
ourselves to the fullest. If students tired harder they might be successful to another level.
Our genetics and DNA are what makes us human.
What I find to be very interesting is this question. So if your genes make our intelligence then how can we be successful in life in they are no good? Well my answer to that is pretty easy. I guess it just our luck in life how we succeed and I am pretty sure that if it takes more for someone to become what they want they have to try a little more. Sometimes people understand things so easily but others just do not get it.
Post 3- Dr. James Watson
Our genetics and DNA can work in many different ways. While watching the film I was very interested in learning more about autism. My younger cousin has autism and I never really understood what it actually was. So by watching this film I think I understand it a little more. The genetics and DNA that are all in us makes us who we are and if that is messed up then something like autism can occur. I always like to believe that my cousin had this defect from his mother because she was not healthy and did not take care of herself. She did things that are not good for you when you are pregnant, but then Dr. James Watson said that autism children received it from their mothers that were cold. When a child has autism it is kind of like a burden on the family but they just have to deal with. Now me personally I am not around my cousin that has autism all the time, maybe like once a year. He has improved and attends school and his mother is trying to make a difference in his life. I think that she feels bad about what she did and nothing can change that. Children that have autism can not see faces because their brains do not allow that. I never knew that, and that must be very hard for them, but I guess if they never could do it then they would not know what it was like so they wouldn’t miss it.

12. Why are certain religious zealots prone to use terrorism,according to Professor Mark Juergensmsyer? What does Juergensmeyerbelieve we should do in the future to mitigate such attacks?
Religion plays a big role in any country that one could travel too. After nine eleven terrorism has rose a great deal. Professor Mark Juergensmeyer traveled to Egypt and other countries to better his knowledge about terrorism and how religion plays a role in it. Bush made a speech on politics about the war and Mark doesn’t think that it helped any. The war is going around all of us and we really can not escape it. Religion helps war because it changes the way people think. I remember from the lecture that Mark was talking to some of the family members about the war of terrorism and they said that their family members were just there to kill the Islam people. I was shocked when I heard that but I guess the soldiers think that’s all they are the for. Is that true? Well I don’t know to be honest.
Mark thinks that we should bring religion into our lives so that when our world is attacked we have something to believe in. I feel as though you can always look to God for everything that might ever worry you. God has all the answers that we people do not have. In the future he believes that we should always look to God if we haven’t not or in the past. He holds the society together and all the people that belong to it.
When Mark visited the nine eleven scene two days after it happened he said that it was like clouds of gray covered the city. As you got closer to the actually scene it was like a colored movie turned black and white. He believes that religion has something to do with that. I feel as though he is correct because only people that don’t look to God are evil and would do something like that to others. So many lives were lost but so much hate, grief, and American pride was gained from that day. The evil doers thought that they would do harm on us and they did, but they only made our religion stronger.
13. Is there sufficient evidence to support the claim that EdgarCayce was psychic? Use your critical thinking field guide tosubstantiate your answer.
After reading Mr. Johnson’s review of Edgar Cayce I felt that there was not enough evidence to support that he was psychic. Cayce was a scientific man but his life was normal as could be. Nothing to be known as “spooky” was going in his daily life or work that he did. So why would people think that he had psychic abilities? Maybe he was different and people do not like different so they put a name on it. Mr. Johnson read most of Cayce’s reading and he does not think that anything of the paranormal is happening.
To find the real truth behind Edgar Cayce Mr. Johnson claims that someone that has a broad mind rather than someone that would side with Cayce explore his reading and figure out if he really does have psychic abilities. If the person that researches Cayce has no clue of the subject matter and has done no research then they are more likely to believe what they want to by just reading what he has to say. If someone is pro or con again Cayce then obviously they already think they know what is right or wrong.
So really he does not have psychic abilities but he just a religious figure. He believes in what he wants too and tells people how it is. He is merely a modern myth and when people question his supposed to be psychic abilities it is only a larger question of sacred meaning and purpose.
14. Why is your professor so critical of cults?
My professor is very critical of cults and I had no idea what this meant till I read into it. Professor David Lane was threatened by many different cults in his life. Lane has wrote many books and articles that exposed many of these cults that threatened. Well obviously they threatened him because he brought out the lies and sandals of these certain cults and they did not like it. No one would want to be exposed like that but he did it and there is nothing wrong with it.
The religious movements have raised questions for true believers and I believe that David Lane was just trying to prove what was right or wrong. No one wants to be told they are wrong and I believe that these cults that threatened him must have not like what he said. When these cults made death threats, wrote him letters with skeletons on them, broken into his apartment, threatened lawsuits, and harassed him I find that to be a little far out there. Who does this? I guess people that do not like to be talked about.
These cult members seem to be very crazy and that is why David Lane is so critical of cults. You can even think that maybe Lane did prove these cults wrong and they wanted to kill him because he knew the truth about them. It is very understandable why he is so critical I mean who wouldn’t if their life was threatened a number of times. The funny thing is, is that he probably kept critizes different cults knowing that they would get mad and do the same as other cults. I guess he wanted to let them know what an outsider with a broad mind thought of them and what they were doing. He spoke his mind and look what happened.
15. What do the films reveal about Sai Baba's claim for paranormalpowers?
The two films that I watched were very hard to see what was actually going on. In the first film he transfers something from his left hand to his right hand. I watched it many time and I could not fully understand or know what he was transferring from hand to hand. It seems that it just appeared from air, maybe even something like magic. Later in that film in his right hand he produces a necklace for a young boy. He does a couple waves with his hand and all of a sudden a necklace appears. I do not think that it just appeared in his hand but I like to believe that it was work of a talented magician.
In the second film that I watched once again Sai Baba transfers something from his left hand to his right hand, but this time he had envelopes in his hand. Those envelopes were in his left hand so maybe something was under those envelopes and he pulled them out and they got into his right hand. In the second half of this film it looks like he is going to make an offering to someone but he all of a sudden pulls a sacred ash out of his hand. The only thing is that in his right hand the reading said that all of his fingers were together except his thumb.
Honestly I can see why people might think that Sai Baba was believed to have paranormal powers. I mean things are appearing out of no where so why doesn’t he have paranormal powers? Well if I had never seen anything like this I would believe it, but in reality I have and I do not believe it. I do not think that Sai Baba has powers but that he is a great magician. The claim that he did have paranormal powers could stand up and probably win because things did appear out of no where.
16. Why did Thakar Singh believe in blindfolding children? Why dosome religious followers lack critical thinking skills?
Thakar Singh believed in blindfolding children until they reached the age of five years old. He believed that if the children were blindfolded they could become closer with their spiritual self’s. He believed that meditation was the goal to inner light and sound. He was believed to the master of these people and he has about one hundred thousand followers. They meet in hotels to discuss there maters.
Cult members were thought to have had allegations of physical and sexual abuse. The cults would deliberately give people unclean water so that they would get sick. These cult members were not good people and were dirty as in evil. They literally made people to where they were just vegetables. I do not understand how people could do this to others when they are such religious people of God.
Religious followers lack critical thinking skills because they are literally killing people and doing stupid things and do not think they will get caught. They are abusing innocent people. One of the cults that Thakar Singh ran was Sign’s of the Soul and believing that blindfolding children would help them mediated is just ridiculous. These religious followers do not understand the true meaning of being religious if they think the actions they are doing is what God would want. I do not think God would want children being punished and abused like that.
17. JOHN POLKINGHORNE believes both in religion and science. Why?
John Polkinghorne is a very intelligent man and I enjoyed watching the film where he was being interviewed by Wright. Both religion and science and co exist according to Polkinghorne. God is a great being and created this world. He has a great seeing of God because he is a Christian. People that do not have faith could be taken and maybe believed in God. Polkinghorne believes there is a divine purpose of God and anyone that does not believe him has the chance to always change.
A divine mind can make God what he is. He says there is a difference between religion and science but it just depends on what you personally believe. Science is one thing and religion is another. Religion in Polkinghorne’s life has made him the man he is and always was. He is a big believer in the Christian sense of God. Religious believers have to take things very seriously and never loose their faith because it is easy to fade away.
Science can make the universe a very beautiful place to live. Whether it is the quantum theory or anything to do with science he believes that it helps out universe become what it is. It is very easy to understand why Polkinghorne believes in both religion and science because they both make the world go round. Most people either believe in one or the other but I love the way he thinks. It all makes sense. Religion and science are both the reasons why we all are here, but I guess it depends on what you believe in. I feel the same way that Polkinghorne feels. God made us and science is why we are here too. This is proof that they both and co exist and work together.
18. How does Nietzsche critique religion? What are his mainarguments against a belief in God?
He critiques religion by saying that Christianity is a sacrifice of all freedom, pride, and self confidence of the spirit. The thing is that he only says that about the Christian faith what I find to be very bias. Obviously he is not a Christian and thinks that all Christians are giving up to much. He is so rude when it comes to Christian faith believers by saying that there is cruelty against others and how the spirit of each individual is hurt. I do not understand this because I am a Christian and I have no idea what he is talking about.
When it comes down to Nietzsche he does not believe in any kind of God and critizes all kinds of religion and any kind of God. When it comes to the Catholic faith he believes that people that believe that way are just escaping from faith. They are essentially getting freedom from faith. I think that he does not believe in God because he is so negative against many religious beliefs that nothing will ever be perfect enough for him.
God is represented as a great figure and can do no wrong because there is no room for mistake. So if man makes a mistake then God will see that he is a sinner. So Nietzsche believes that if man mistakes they are not perfect and that would make them an animal. The higher a man can get in this universe makes the room for error less possible he thinks. Everyone makes mistakes and if we ask God to forgive us he will because he is that kind of God.
19. Why does James Watson believe that genetics holds the secret forunderstanding human behavior? Why do some people resist believingthat we are just bundles of DNA?
James Watson believes that studying rats or any kind of animal is not the same as a human. Human behaviors are much more different than that of an animal. In some ways we are similar but in reality we are much different. They way we act and the things we do depend solely on ourselves. James Watson believes that DNA makes us who we are . The way we act and the way we do things is because of our DNA. Everyone has different kind of DNA unless you are a twin. One twin could have a horrible disease and the other could be perfectly fine, but their DNA strands are very similar or identical matches.
A good example for genetics and human behavior is when someone has autism. Their chromosome are sometimes duplicated or sometimes some are missing. Our DNA and genetics make us think and act they way we do. So if our chromosomes are messed up and are not perfect then we have a defect like autism which causes a person to act different. When a person has autism they do not actually see faces because their brain will not allow them too.
People resist believing that we are bundles of DNA because they believe we are what we are from God. If you really think about it all we are all just strands of DNA. Understanding this concept is not hard at all because not matter what you do your DNA is left everywhere. Any kind of body fluids have DNA in them so how can someone say that we do not consist of all DNA? I think that they are confused because it is only obvious.
20. Why is intelligent design regarded as "junk" science by mostevolutionary biologists?
Intelligent design is regarded as junk because it is DNA that is known as worthless. It was found true that most of the higher DNA strands are junk. If the junk DNA showed a helping sign for the future or even in the present then it would not be considered junk. The DNA in the genomes of higher organisms should have some kind of function one would think. These non coding regions in our DNA are just there floating around and are pretty much useless to us. No one has found why they are just there doing nothing for us. They are doing no harm yet not making us smarter or faster.
Researches did try to find a function in these junk DNA strands but they were just known to be philosophically motivated junk science. It seems a little weird that no one can find out why they are there and why they do not serve us a purpose. The junk DNA is only active under stress and that means that it only happens during situations where rapid evolution is required. I really do not understand what that means but it most not happen often in our bodies.
Most evolutionary biologists believe that it serves us no purpose and that is why it is consider junk. A few say that just because we know it does something does not actually mean that it is not serving a purpose in us. I find that to be true because no one has found that it does anything but it quite possibly could. Someday someone might find that it does have a function that serves our body and brains, but just because no one has found that to be true does not mean it does not exist.
21. What is the underlying theme behind the movie the ZAHIR?
Well to start off the Zahir “stands for beings or things which have the terrible power to be unforgettable, and whose image eventually drives people bad”, Jorge Borges. The underlying theme behind this film is that you can not let the things get to you in life. Jorge Borges tells us in the movie that a such a thing as money is abstract and it is future time. Money makes the world go around and maybe Borges had money issues. He had many dreams that he was money which I find to be very odd. I can only think that he was in money troubles and it was getting the best of him.
The message that I got out of this movie is that if you need help you should receive. Do not let the little things if life get the best of you because it will over take your life. God would not want us to worry about things because he will take care of all. If you have issues in your life God will always take care of you because that is his job for all of us. I am not sure if that is what the movie was trying to tell us but that is what I thought. I think that if someone has a lot of things on their minds they just need to free themselves. The pain that we get in our lives is only there to make us stronger not to bring us down. You can always look to God for help but in this movie Jorge Borges went to a psychologist for this insomnia problem.
22. How can little things that jiggle reveal the universe around us(hint: think of the movie of the same title).
Little things that jiggle do make the universe what it is. Richard Feynman said “ what I cannot create, I do not understand”. What I found to be interesting right off the bat was that the host of this movie had a universe as a head. I think that tells us a lot right off because you know what they are going to be talking about. All the elements on the atomic chart make up the universe. So I guess the theme behind this movie is that all the elements that jiggle and help us are in our universe for a reason. What would we do without those elements? We would be lost but in reality they do exist so we have nothing to worry about.
One great riddle of the world was solved when Sir Isaac Newton discovered what holds the world in their places. So what that means is that every aspect of life is held together by something. No matter what you think of some kind of elements is holding it together. Humans are made of matter for example. Four forces explain everything: gravity, strong, and weak nuclear interactions, and electromagnetism. Electromagnetism is energy liberated. Gravity in the universe is figured out simply by geometry.
Strong and weak nuclear forces guide matter and a good example of that would be a moving train. Now that man has figured out how all these elements work can he be the creator and destroyer of the world? Well I guess one can say that because without man then none of this would have been possible to begin with. So did man become God then? Well I do not think so, I think that we have the power to create and destroy things but God is much more than that.
23. Why is fundamentalism a mental disease, according to the movieof the same title?
Did humans evolve from the apes or did the apes evolve from man? I honestly believe that humans evolved from apes because it just seems like that is the only way it could happen. The apes were here first so how could we evolve from them. That is a very good question. According to this movie fundamentalism is a mental disease. Creationist have realized what when it comes to God or the Bible talking about science does not work. So they are saying that God and science can not co exist. There was too much complexity in a cell for them to be just arranged that way by chance. A cell is a very complex thing but scientist believe that it did not just work without help.
I believe that God just created us and things in our bodies just work because they have too. Intelligent design movement was just other reason for Christianity to bring God back into biology. The author in this movie says that fundamentalism is a mental disease due to the fact that creationism can only be taught by those who do not know how to think. Natural selection is probably one of the best things that ever happened to man kind. He believes that once one believes and understand evolution then everything in this universe will be clear. I find that hard to believe because where does God come into play with evolution? Most people do not believe in both it is usually one or the other.
There is no such thing as intelligent design because that is why natures cruel being has become intelligent. What they mean by that is maybe when animals hunt each other they are intelligent enough to find food. Evolution transforms human beings to believe in some kind of God, but they do necessarily want you too. With evolution God does not have to explain anything.
24. Name eight common fallacies when arguing for a position. Be sureto give examples, perhaps drawn from your own life, for each of them.
1. Appeal to ignorance. An example of this would be when you are driving in a different and do not know the laws of the road. I can not exactly remember but there is a state that I visited and my mom was driving and you could not make a right hand turn when the light was red and she did. She then got a ticket, even if she had no idea. There is no room for ignorance on the road.
2. Emotional appeal- hatred. An example of this would be when someone is making a persuasive speech and they want their audience to agree their argument. I remember last semester I had to make a speech like that. I was trying to persuade my audience to take action to help the people of Africa with their AIDS problem. I also made a speech when I was a junior in high school about the death penalty.
3. Pride. An example of this would be on nine eleven when the US was bombed in New York. This is just not from personal experience but for everyone that lives here and is a citizen. Everyone was hit with the pain whether we knew anyone in those buildings or not. The terrorists that bombed us thought that they would bring our pride down, but yet it did not. Americans have more pride now and believe in their country and now know that nothing can bring us down.
4. Appeal to nature. An example of this would be when my dad use to use tobacco chew. He was very addicted but decided to change his ways. He started using this natural tobacco but actually it had no nicotine in it. So he was breaking his bad habit and actually got a natural kind of chew.
5. Popularity. An example of this is when a married couple fight over things. If the husband gets a new gun for hunting the wife finds it unfair that he can spend that kind of money on something. I know this because that is how my dad is. He always spends money on things that he already has but needs the new and improved gun to go hunting with. He has to show of this new gun with his buddies when he goes out hunting and they all praise him for it. It is absolutely ridiculous.
6. Pity. An example of this would be when someone’s loved one dies. My boyfriend actually has lost a lot of family members that live in San Diego in the last past two months. He has lost about six family members and it is just so random and crazy. I do give him a lot of pity because that is such a terrible feeling to feel. I can only image how that feels for one person to die but not six.
7. Appeal to force. An example of this would be when I was in high school. I went to Don Lugo High School in Chino and I can remember when our students protested. Now it was not all the student but it was the Mexican students. The cops and security guards tried to stop them but nothing worked. This was also happening at the other local schools too. At my school it was funny because after a week of protesting it just was not the Mexican students but other races joined. It was pretty stupid if you ask me.
8. Appeal to consequences. An example of this would be when I stay out past my curfew. Now when it comes to my parents they tell me I have to be home at a certain time and I usually come home late every time, but I only go out once a month or so and I am twenty years old. I have to be home at midnight and I think that is really crazy when I am twenty years old. I have had the same great job for two years and go to school full time and I still do not have more freedom as when I was in high school. So I disobey and the funny thing is I never really get in trouble even though they say “ THERE WILL BE CONSEQUENCES”, and then I laugh.
25. Provide your own critical analysis (using the terminologylearned in this class, etc.) of the current "war on terrorism" aswaged by the USA. Your argument can be either pro or con or both,provided that you substantiate your reasoning.
The war on terrorism is a very touchy subject in the USA. Some believe that we should be in war and some beg to differ. I feel at first our president was doing a good job by sending our troops into battle but know I am not quite sure if that is how I feel. We went to war because of nine eleven right? Well I feel that is correct but it has been seven years and we are still there. Obviously we are not accomplishing anything but killing people over there and our men and women of the US.
Nine eleven did change our world and the way we live today, but I just do not understand why we are still over there fighting. Another reason why we were over there was to recover weapons of mass destruction right? Well didn’t we find out that there was none? So why are still over there? I feel that the president should take us out but for some reason he thinks that it is right. I do actually like George Bush but I just don’t understand his thinking.
So I feel that I would be against the war but I feel that the president is doing what he feels is best. I would have voted for him if I was old enough at the time so I go along with him in whatever he decides. It is very hard for me to pick whether I am pro or con so I guess I can just say I am both. I guess I do and don’t agree with the choices made in this country but I go along with them. There is so much hate in this world that I think people just overlook it. 26 (very important question, don't skip it): In the Beyond Beliefconference there was much heated discussion about religion and itsplace. Provide a 750 word or more review of the entire series. Whosearguments were most persuasive? Whose arguments were less so? BESPECIFIC.
Can science and religion co exist? Evolution could have created this world but so could have God. So who did it? Some people believe one or the other, but I honestly do not know and maybe by the end of this I will have made up my mind.
Evolution today is probably one the most talked about idea. Charles Darwin(1809-1882) was the creator of this dangerous idea. It seems like this idea of evolution matters more today then it every did. If you think about it could answer the question how we got on this universe and the future of our existence. Darwin was the first evolutionary biologists, and the originator of the concept of natural selection.
Darwin’s Theory Of Adaptation: Charles Darwin was born into a very well off family and he went to Cambridge University. He was actually expected to become a doctor or clergyman, but instead he revolutionized science. A professor at the university offered Darwin to go on the HMS Beagle with him. The Beagle was a Royal Navy vessel whose charter was to spend two to three years mapping the coast of South America, then they would return to London. In the end they would have thought to have circled the world. His father actually told Charles that he could not go but his uncle urged him to, lucky Darwin did go on this adventure which was a turning point in his life. While on this voyage he learned that plants and animals sometimes slowly change through time and that is key into understanding how new species came into existence. Darwin’s theory of adaptations follows from three postulates: 1. The struggle for existence, 2. Variation in fitness, and 3. The inheritance of variation. So now I will explain each of those. 1. The ability of a population to expand is infinite, but the ability of any environment to support populations is always finite. 2. Organisms within populations vary, and this variation affects the ability of individuals to survive and reproduce. 3. This variation is transmitted from parents to offspring.
Natural selection is the traits that confer advantages in survival and reproduction are retained in the population, and traits that are disadvantageous disappear. Observations of Darwin’s finches provided a good example of how natural selection produces adaptations. He published his autobiography in 1887, Darwin claimed that the patterns of adaptations he observed among the several species of fiches that lived on the Galapagos Islands was crucial in the development of his ideas about evolution. Darwin’s postulates lead to adaptation. The food supply on the island was no sufficient to feed the entire population and many of the finches did not survive the drought. The population on that island in two years went from 1200 to only 180 birds. The second reasoning that helped his adaptation theory was the beaks of the finches. The finches that had deeper beaks were able to process large, hard seeds more easily than birds with shallower beaks were. While the drought was happening the abundance of small seeds decreased which cause the shallow beaked birds to move to the larger seeds, but they could not break them open to eat so they died. The third was that the parents and offspring had similar beak depths. So this all means that through natural selection the average morphology of the bird population changed so that birds became better adapted to their environment.
Evolution need not always lead to change in the same direction. Species are populations of varied individuals that may or may not change through time. Adaptation results from the competition among individuals, not between entire populations or species. Natural selection can cause evolutionary change that is much more rapid than we commonly observe in the fossil record. Evolution is only a theory, it is not a fact or a scientific law. Natural selection is based on circular reasoning: the fittest are those who survive, and those who survive are deemed fittest.
The process of evolutionary change explains that the organisms of today got to be the way they are, at least in part, as the result of natural selection over billions of years and even billions more generations. During the course of evolution, traits that no longer confer a reproductively disadvantageous.
The theory of evolution does not refuse the presence of God at all. Scientist acknowledge that evolution is the description of process that governs the developments of life on Earth. Science has nothing to say one way or the other about the existence of God or about people's spiritual beliefs.
The Bible explains that the universe was created in six days. Logically that is totally impossible, but people have faith and the people of faith believe that God can do anything. So people of faith would believe that God could have created the universe in six days whether it was impossible or not, he is God and can do anything. The religious proportion of this just depends on someone’s faith. Adam and Eve were created by God to take care of His creation, to populate the earth, and to have a relationship with Him. The Jewish, Islamic, and Christian religions hold that all people are descendants from them. Creationists are men and women who share a belief in God and a conviction that He created us and the world in which we live. Creation science, in its most general sense, is an effort to apply the scientific method to discover how God created the Heavens and the Earth.
So in conclusion I believe in both. I feel this way because I believe the science to be true but also I am a faithful Christian believer.


27. What was the favorite thing you learned this semester?
What I learned this semester was very interesting and I am glad that I took this course. I think that my favorite thing was realizing how people actually think. I never really thought that people would think critically about certain things. Many different people through this course examine certain things like terrorism, religion, and even diseases. Who actually thought people would put those certain subjects into effect and discuss what they thought, but it great depth.
These critical thinkers are often called philosophers and are very intelligent people. I find them to be great thinkers and wonder what in their minds strike them to think that way. To examine something so far in depth that actually made questions rise about certain things is amazing. When I was reading or even watching lectures from these people it really made me think. Questions popped in my minds and probably others too.
I find it very interesting that people can do something like that, but they probably are very critized about things they say or write. That has to be very understandable because not everyone will agree with what people say. I did not agree with everything all these people said so there is the evidence. I find intelligent people to be very amazing that is why this was probably my favorite thing this semester.

revised midterm.

Instructions http://jenniferscriticalthinking.blogspot.com/1. 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 March 23rd at midnite.----------------------------------4. What is your real name? Jennifer Linnastruth 5. What is your "user" name? Jennifer6. What is your email address that you use for this class? Jlinnastruth@yahoo.com7. Name and address for your website. Jennifer’s Critical Thinking… JennifersCriticalThinking.blogspot.com8. Have you done all the reading for the first three weeks? Yes9. Have you watched each of the films that were required? Yes10. Please place here all of the postings you have done for thisclass (you can copy and paste them)
Week 1 & 2
Post 1- Richard Feynman Interview( 1981)
Richard Feynman talks about how flowers can enrich someone’s perspective of life. I think that flowers can show us in the inner beauty of the world and show us much more than just something pretty to look at. Feynman says that he looked more into flowers like into the cells for more answers. The colors that were born to each certain flower were done because insects would have to pollinate each flower. If the insects were not attracted to the flower they would not do their job. That can go for any kind of relationship in life.
The color or the scent of the flowers added questions to if the insects would pollinate. If the insects were not attracted to the flowers then pollination would not occur. I think that this can teach us a lot about life on a greater scale because from the simplest thing such as a flower reproduction occurs.
Post 2- Beyond Belief Video 1
In this video the speaker talked about the clash of cultures. The clash of cultures was conflicting between science and religion. Mentioned in the film the speakers said that sixty two percent of people don’t believe that humans were evolved from a earlier form. When he was talking about how people go to heaven and heaven doesn’t come to us I was kind of confused. I think I was confused because yes I think we go to heaven but God or heaven I think does come to us. When we need he’s there but I guess that does depend on your own religious beliefs.
In the sense of the clash of the cultures I don’t think there is ever going to a be a right answer because people are always going to disagree. For example I don’t agree with the fact that science made us, I believe that we evolved from god and not everyone is going to agree with me.
Post 3- Beyond Belief Video 1
Science deals with fact and religion deals with values. Is that true? I find that statement to be absolutely true. Science deals with that we see and what we can prove, and by we I mean scientist. Religion deals with values and what we want to believe. How we see things or what believe is the religious side to life. How can one say that this statement is false. Even if you don’t like science or have no religious values I don’t see how this can be proved wrong.
The speaker in this video thinks that the controversy with science and religion has deeper roots. Such as that they both will go on for some time but will always have negative affects on each other. I find that statement to be true because science and religion depict life on two different levels. One can believe we came about one and then another can believe something else.
Post 4- Beyond Belief Video 2
The law of gravitation doesn’t mention God at all. God created this world and everything in it right? Well one that is religion based would say so. So why doesn’t everything mention God as the sole creator? Well the answer to this is easy because not everyone believes that he created this world or even that he wasn’t the only reason why it was created. So a complex thing such as gravitation doesn’t give thanks to God. But should it? My answer that would be no because I think that sometimes things such just be unknown and then it makes us wonder what really happen or even how things can about.
A long time ago when there was no explanation of how things were people always answered God, but now we have science. When people didn’t understand science or didn’t know what it was the only answer for things was God. He created this world and he is our answer. I believe in God but science has helped our world and God can not be the answer for everything. Both God and science are important to this world but both help us live.
Post 5- Beyond Belief Video 2
I think that teaching young people about the sun, planets, and comets is a great thing. It is what surrounds us and there could be other intelligent life out there. Isaac Newton says there is another intelligent and powerful being in this world. He brought up an idea of intelligent design and told the world about it. The most brilliant people in this world are learning and researching intelligent design just as people are teaching it in the classrooms. How can this be? Well I think that people that everyone is still learning about it and there is no true answer.
The speaker says that it is a deeper problem from teaching it in the classroom to scientist that are writing about it. Fifteen percent of the most brilliant minds accept this thought of intelligent design.
Post 6- Cargo Cult
This reading was very interesting and I enjoyed it. Cargo Cults are very interesting because it is what certain people believe. Some of the things that were mentioned in the reading were such things as UFO’s and mystical things that are unexplained. Theses things are said to be scientific because we study them right? The answer to that is yes, but no one can actually know the correct answer. We don’t actually know that there are UFO’s or aliens floating around.
I like the example about the teacher in that reading. Teachers know how they want to teach children how to read but the school system says they have to do it a certain way. I know if I was a teacher that would drive me crazy. I guess sometimes you have to do things you don’t like to actually do what you love and have a passion for.
Post 7- Richard Dawkins
Viruses can be a very dangerous and difficult thing to take care of. The part of the reading that interested me was about computers getting viruses. Computer viruses travel throughout computers on there networks and even on discs. Viruses are worms work the same way in computers. They both are bad and travel the same way whether one is worse than the other.
Viruses can attack us in many ways and now I would like to talk about the religious side to the matter. Richard Dawkins says that religion is like a viruses. Do you think that is true? Well I think that it is. Once a virus attacks you it is hard to get rid of, but religion is something that people accept in their lives and usual keep. They keep not because they have to but because they want too.
Post 8- Karma Video
WOW! That video was pretty intense if I have to say so myself. I never thought I would see something so crazy in a classroom. The violence and the language were pretty bad. When I think about it though it makes sense to show something like that because honestly that is what happens in our world today. Karma is something that a lot of people believe in. I know for myself I do and have done it to people. In the end it is probably not the right thing to do because it always comes back around especially when you least expect it.
Karma is a funny thing because everyone probably once in their life has done it to someone or had a friend that was involved. So is it a good thing to do someone? Well my answer to that would be at the time yes but in the long run no.
Post 9 - Skepticism- What is Cold Reading?
This reading was pretty interesting to me. I think that people who actually can believe a fortune teller are pretty gullible. How does this person know everything about you that you want to know. That is absolutely impossible. You know yourself probably the best and if you cant answer that question, how can a stranger?
The person that does these reading probably already knows that the client wants to know something about their personal lives. The client probably wants to know about their families, jobs, life, marriage, and so on. These people that do the readings but the client in a mood to where they probably will believe anything they hear. I think that this is pretty stupid and anyone that believes needs some serious help!
Post 10- Bertrand Russell on Clear Thinking
This film was very short on you tube.com so I didn’t really get much out of it. Bertrand Russell was a very intelligent man and I didn’t get that from the film but from other things I have read. He was the kind of guy that thought God wasn’t the wisest man. He looked at God as a great creator but nothing special. He choose not to be a Christian for many reasons.
He asked what a Christian actually was and his answer was someone that wants to live a pure and good life. What person doesn’t want to live like that? Any person that believes in any kind of religion would want that for themselves wouldn’t they? Well that’s what he believed. I think that is true but he mentioned that he would make the best Christian out there and if that’s true then why wasn’t he one?
Week 3
Post 1- John Maynard Smith and Evolution
John Maynard Smith was a big part in Evolutionary Biology, new ideas about Darwinism, and how natural selection began corporative behavior. He left with us many ideas after he died at the age of eighty four in two thousand and four. He wrote about three books and most where about evolution. John is atheist and he admits it but he did give up his faith in his earlier years.
He is very well known for bringing the game theory up. He has applied this to viruses but it has nothing to do with natural selection. He thinks that natural selection is to apply to something then ask the question how does it help. Natural selection is a process of design even if it doesn’t design anything. Whatever the rarer sex is they will have more children, that is what he states.
Post 2- John Maynard Smith and Evolution
As human beings we are not supposed to question whether we might run into someone again someday. During this film when this was brought I was very confused because I know myself I question that all the time. I was wonder if I am going to run into someone again. I am that type of person that always remembers faces and body language. Just the other day when I was at school I saw this girl that works in a nail saloon I went to just once. I thought it was pretty random.
Why are we supposed to think this way? I think that we are supposed to think this way because there are so many people in this world and honestly we probably wont ever run into more than once again if we only see them once. Now in my case that was pretty random and probably wont happen again but it could, you never know.
Post 3- Kevin Miller on Intelligent Design
To me this video was not very interesting but it got the point across. Intelligent Design can be explained by one thing and that is intelligent cause. If something has a purpose then it must have a cause. Kevin Miller is a very intelligent man and wrote many books that were placed in classrooms all over the country so I believe what he says.
Kevin Miller totally thought that Michael Behe’s idea was wrong and I side with Kevin on this one. He says it was nonsense and I think that is true, for the reason that how can someone think that way.
Post 4- Eleven
WOW! This video was very warming to me because I felt as though I could relate in some weird way. I feel as though sometimes people look at me funny and I feel like I can’t pursue my dreams. In this video people were being pushed back because of who they were or even because of where they are from. That is the most ridiculous reason I can think of because it is so not fair. Ever since nine eleven a lot of people are viewed different because they are from those terrorists countries.
When I was in high school I was seen as this girl that always got good grades and always did well in everything I attempted. Now that I am in college for some reason my studying skills have dropped and now I feel as though people look at me different. So I can relate to this video.
Post 5- THE HIMALAYAN CONNECTION
I don’t believe in UFO’s and after reading this I still don’t. while reading this I agreed with some things such as how UFO’s can just merely be rare occurs that happen. The human eye is very interesting and maybe our eyes just play tricks on us. Maybe we want to see things like this and our eyes just all of a sudden see it, but that is just too weird.
Studies have been done and our scientist found no other living things in our world but that doesn’t necessary mean there is nothing out there. People always claim to see UFO’s but I think it is for mere attention. They think that they can get their fifteen minutes of fame on their local news, but in reality they are making themselves look stupid. There are no such things as UFO’s or anything like this. When I read the reading I laughed.
Week 4
Post 1- Freeman Dyson and the Mathematical Universe
Quantum physics is something that Freeman Dyson came up with. This has to do with mathematics but it is hard to describe with words but it is a great thing. It explains a lot but it is hard to understand and even explain. Scientific materialism is how people sometimes described themselves. They are still around but Freeman Dyson has no idea who they are or even what they do. Things at the micro level are what Freeman Dyson did very well. He was a very intelligent man and understood things that most don’t
Freeman Dyson says that religion is a way of life and not a matter of belief. He says that he is a very religious person and believes in Christianity. He is a Christian without the theology. God is such a mystery to him but he doesn’t try to depict God as anything bad.
Post 2- Freeman Dyson and the Mathematical Universe
Does science lead us to religion? Well Freeman Dyson thinks so and when I think about it I think it does too. Religion is a way of life like Dyson said but he thinks that science is too. I believe that statement to be kind of true but false too. What I mean by that is science has made our world better and without it we would be less technology based. If we didn’t have science we might be better though only because it creates so much hate and trouble it seems like. When we buy things they are not always perfect and then we have to get them fixed and that is trouble on us.
Is mind the way to describe things? The mind can choose what we do on a daily basis. In my perspective the mind is yes a way to describe things. When we make our choices in life the mind makes them for us, so of course they minds can describe things. Doesn’t that make sense? Well I think it does.
Post 3- Faqir Chand
After watching the film about Faqir Chand I was very shocked. Was he trying to say that religion doesn’t exist? I mean he said there is no God and no Jesus. In my understanding I think that is what he is trying to say. That is just so weird to me that someone believes that there is nothing out there. No nothing so I guess he is not religious at all. Usually people believe in at least something or are atheist. So is Faqir Chand atheist? That is a very good question and I am not sure. He seems to be a very different and out there person.
How can someone actually think that way? Especially since people back in the day were very religious. So I really don’t understand how he could think like that. What do they call people that believe in things like this? There must be some explanation for people like this.
Post 4- Session Five
What is an atheist? Well it is pretty easy to understand because they have no certain religion. This is a person who doesn’t believe in any kind of religion. Either for the reason that they cant choose one specific religion or because they don’t believe anything. In most cases that I find to believe is that people just don’t want to believe in God. In other cases it is that someone finds that all religions are wrong and there is no point believing in anything like that.
In my view there is nothing wrong with being atheist. Many people believe this way just as there are many people that believe in Christianity. How can someone say that being atheist is wrong? They shouldn’t because someone can say that being Catholic or even Christian is wrong. I guess it is just the way you see things and believe things.
Post 5- Session Five
Are meaning and purpose two different thoughts or ideas? We see this as trying to describe the universe. Maybe such questions like why are we here on earth and not on another planet? So is that meaning or purpose? Well in my perspective I see that as purpose because we are here for purpose I believe. Humans were put on the universe for a reason I think. If someone saw it as meaning maybe they would say that we were meant to be here, but I see it as having a purpose to make the world a better place.
Science is a great thing and you can apply it to purpose and meaning. When applying it to purpose someone might say that we are here for a purpose to work , become old, and change the world. When applying it to meaning someone might say that we have a meaning on this earth to serve our God that died for us.
11. Why does Richard Dawkins consider religion a "virus" of themind? Do you agree or disagree?Substantiate your view.
I think that Richard Dawkins considers religion a virus of the mind because I think once you believe in something it is stuck in your mind. Virus is something that can be taken away and fixed but it is very hard to do that. When I think of a virus I think of a computer virus or even a virus when you are sick. Dawkins thinks that people are going to replicate religion but the ones who are doing that are the ones who believe in it. He gives us the example of who fast children can be replicated or even how viruses in computers can be replicated. So when people talk about religion and give their input about others will hear and might believe. If these people believe then it is a chain reaction that will be happening to cause religion to grow like a virus. So actually viruses are not good things. So it sounds like Dawkins thinks religion as a virus which is bad. I don’t understand how religion could be such a virus when it is something that most people believe and live by. If someone does not have religion in their lives of course they are going to think of it as a virus.
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.
The cargo cult that I am going to talk about it is how people believe in superstitions. A cargo cult is a group of unorthodox religious movements meaning that they are myths. When I was in high school I was a water girl/ trainer for the varsity football team and some of the boys believe that if they wore the same socks they would win the game. Some even believed if they brushed their teeth a certain way that day they would win the game. Now honestly the things they did, did not make a difference to whether the game that night was won or not, but they believed that. I think that when they did these certain things it was just in their minds to play their hardest and that is why we won, not because of some stupid superstition. Feynman said that everyone who thinks they want to become a cargo cult scientist should think twice and realize one thing. That one thing is that scientist have to learn that they are not always going to be right about everything they do or discover. These scientist have to question themselves and realize that they could be wrong about their discoveries. The cargo cult scientist must have to learn to investigate possible flaws in their experiments.
13. How does one do "science" according to Richard Feynman. Why isthis form of science so important tohuman beings? How can such a view of science help enrich one'sappreciation for beauty? Be sure to giveYOUR own example of Feynman's point (no "flowers" allowed).
According to Richard Feynman one can do science on a basic scale. What I got out of the film was that he looks into things with greater motivation of knowing all. The simplest things like a flower , a bird, or even a ball can mean much more than the human eye sees it as. This form of science is important to human beings because it makes us who we are I think. Even though I think God made us science has a lot to do with our daily lives. I think that this kind of science can enrich our appreciation for beauty because it makes us look at it in a different way. What average person looked a flower and wondered why it was scented that way. Most of us would just think it smelled nice and moved on with our lives. This shows us how everything in the world can mean more than be take it to be. Science to humans isn’t really anything until we can appreciate the beauty of it.
14. Give your interpretation of the movie "Karma."
My interpretation of the movie Karma is pretty short and simple. Karma is something that you do to someone when you want to get them back for something they did. For example a boyfriend lied to his girlfriend about his age for six months and she was very mad. So she told him that she was pregnant and she really wasn’t. At the time the girl probably felt that was the right thing to do and that it would really make him sad when she told him that she had a miscarriage, but in the long run the truth always comes out. So eventually he probably found out that she was lying. This movie wasn’t really like that though it was more violent, but both cases someone was getting revenge on someone. So in the long run I don’t think that karma is a good way to solve your problems or even to make you feel better. It’s wrong!
15. Explain, in brief, Darwinian evolution and why John MaynardSmith's contribution is important inthinking differently about survival of the fittest.
His contribution is that he made people think differently about survival of the fittest. He thinks that if one species is very intelligent they will eventually out number all the other species. Obviously they will exist longer and be the survival of the fittest. He think that survival of the fittest is when only one certain species out numbers and out plays all the other ones. Maynard’s theory about natural selection was thought to have come out when he was attending school. The film said that he was raised in church and I find that hard to believe because he is an atheist. Doesn’t that seem a little weird? He also talks about how different people believe in different religions and how they will go to different places when they die.
16. What are Freeman Dyson's views on the "design" of the universeor the purpose of humankind?
The universe is very friendly to human life. Such things like water and air are things that we need to survive on this planet. The universe supports human life and mind to be challenged. There are so many properties that could have changed and this world would have been something totally different that we know today. Diversity has made our world what it is. No one is the same or what the same things in life. We have different ethical backgrounds and religions. The purpose of humankind is to live life and make the world a better place. There are many intelligent people in this world and they were meant to make this world better and more effective for everyone. Freeman Dyson’s also questions the obligations that God has on each and every single one of us. The design of the universe is a mystery in itself. Everyone around the world perceives God as something different. Some of us see him as this great being and others find him to be false.
17. What IS the "secret" that Faqir Chand discovered about religionand its founders?
Faqir Chand discovered that there is no Jesus or any kind of figure like that. He went on to name all kinds of people. Let me see if I can remember some of them. He said there was no angels, no Mother Teresa, no God, and no virgin. Those are just some of them but he said they do not exist. So if he is saying that these important figures do not exist then how can religion? Well my answer to that is I guess it doesn’t. so Faqir Chand is saying that there is no religion and nothing like that exist. He thinks that there is no kind of religion that can let everyday human beings speak their mind freely. Faqir Chand does not believe in miracles at all. He also goes on to say that he knows absolutely nothing. He had idea of changing how he preaches to people or even how anyone preaches to someone, and that was that we need to teach ourselves to help only us.
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?
I think that the director is trying to convey that no matter who you are you have problems. No matter where you come from people are always going to look at you funny. Ever since nine eleven everyone from those eastern countries are looked as terrorists. This was a great film to show that not everyone is bad no matter what they look like or where they come from. Everyone can achieve their goals and nothing should hold them back, but we all know that they we are sometimes prevents our goals from happening. The underlying message of this film was to show that there are all kinds of different people that live in our society today, no matter the race, cultures, and religion. We all live together even though sometimes it is hard for all of us to get along. When people disagree there always is judgment and prejudice. Prejudice is a big role in our society today and I honestly don’t think that it will ever stop, solely because of what happened on nine eleven.
19. Why is distinguishing the message from the medium so important?Use the Da Free John article as your context.
Distinguishing the message from the medium is important because in reality they are different things. Some people think that they are the same but I took it as something different. When someone writes something about religious matters we think that he is profoundly intelligent on the matter. In reality how do we actually know that he or she is, we don’t! So this is why knowing what the writer is actually talking about is good. Then the message and the medium will be clear views and thoughts. Well in critical thinking the message comes from the medium because the medium is the person who comes up with the message. They give us information to point where sometimes it is very hard for even the critical thinker to understand.
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).
Bertrand Russell has many reasons for not being a Christian. First he questions what a Christian really is. Isn’t a Christian someone who wants to live a pure healthy life? Well of course but doesn’t every person with any religion. He think that there is an unaided reason for believing in God. Bertrand’s father told him that everything had a reason or a cause so that must mean that God has a cause. Right? Well I think so. Most people that learn the teachings of God believe that he was the most intelligent or wisest of them all, but Russell does not believe that. Bertrand Russell could be the most faithful Christian he says but he chooses not to be for these reasons. My position on this is that I think if he could be such a great Christian then why is he not. I disagree with his reasoning because God was looked at as great being of the world and still is and that is how I view him.
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 aletterto a friend explain how to think critically in light of Lett'snumerous points.
Dear Josh,
After reading Jim Lett’s field guide to critical thinking I thought that I should share a brief explanation of it. He had three basic steps or rules that he think we should follow for critical thinking. The first step is falsifiability which means to experiment something. It is like doing a science project because if you try to prove something by experiment it at least shows you tried. The second step is logic which is pretty easy to explain. If we think logically then critical thinking should be easy. The third step is comprehensiveness which is means that the information you find must have meaning and be true.
22. Why does Kurtz believe that skepticism should be applied toreligion? Do you agree or disagree?
Kurtz refers to skepticism as skeptical inquiry and not to deny that reliable knowledge is possible. This has been an argument of historic conflict between the advocates of reason and the disciples of faith. He believes that skepticism definitely needs to investigate religious claims. In my opinion I think I believe what he is saying. I totally agree with him because how do we know that all religions matters are true. So if we apply skepticism maybe it will make us more aware of things. Maybe we can then see something we didn’t see before and make up our own decisions about religion. Applying skepticism to religion shows us the individual that maybe our religion to others is not right. I think that for every religion we should apply this. This can raise questions about every religion to every person who believes in certain things. People can perceive themselves as one thing but others that believe in something else will probably see it as something else.
23. Why is pretext, text, and context important in analyzing a bookor an argument. Provide your own example.
I think that the pretext, text and/or context in analyzing a book or an argument is important because if you don’t understand the text and can you come to a conclusion. It is a like reading something and not comprehending anything then trying to answer questions. If you understand the text then you most likely will want to continue on and learn more and be more interested in it. In analyzing a book or an argument wouldn’t you want to know what it is about so it makes your job easier and why would someone not want to understand something. That makes no sense. So it is very important to know the text of a book or an argument.
24. What is a "transformative" UFO encounter and does the author ofthe Himalayan Connection really believe in UFOs as genuineextraterrestrials?
I think that author is trying to explain what these certain extraterrestrials are and is trying to help us understand it completely. UFO’s are merely psychological, sociological, and even religious phenomena that is happening. He does his studying under studied under three distinct divisions: translative, transformative, and transfusive. Many studies have been done about other living things that could be living in other planets and nothing was found. So how can we say that there is extraterrestrials out there? I think it is people who are bored and have nothing to do that just all of a sudden see something random in the sky and call it a UFO. I don’t think there is anything out there because most likely we would have found it already.
25. How does one think more critically when using online sources?(hint: think of one of the required articles). Substantiate yourviews.
I think that one can think more critically when using online sources by thinking out of the box. Think of questions that no one else might not think about. Don’t just think for the easy way out and what I mean is think maybe why would this person think this way. Then maybe you will be questioning something that will make you think more critically and make your answers to have more thought and time in them. I guess it also depends on what you are actually reading and if you believe it. If it is something that you can relate your personal life to then it is probably an interesting read for you. I know that when I read something that has common interest in my life I want to continue to read it. It usually is not boring and I find it refreshing to read.
26. What are Steven Weinberg's views on religion? Do you agree ordisagree?
Well to start off Steven Weinberg believes that science has changed our views about religion. Even if we didn’t have religion good people would be doing good things and bad people would be doing bad things. He says that for good people to do evil things or even for bad people to do good things that is where religion comes into play. Religion is the reason why that happens he thinks. Steven Weinberg really dislikes religion. My opinion on this is that I agree with the good and bad person situation. When bad people do good things it probably is because of religion and visa versa. Most people believe in the same religion that their parents or their guardians believe in because that is what they were brought up with. That is the only thing they probably know until they adventure the world and see what other types of religions it has to offer. I think that most people are going to be biased about religions and always think that theirs is right.
27. Why is Sam Harris an atheist? Explain his reasons. Can you argueagainst his views? If so, how?
Sam Harris is atheist because he believes that religious faith is an abandonment of the normal rules of evidence. He mentions how can any religion be the correct one when there are so many. All kinds of people believe in different religions and most religions believe in different things. I guess that it would be to hard for him to believe in one when there are so many different views. Yes I think I can argue against him because I think it takes someone just to believe in something just because you do. Just because you can’t see what really happen in the eyes of Jesus doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist.
28. Of the first five installments of BEYOND BELIEF which speakerdid you find most persuasive? Explain why.
I find the second session speaker to be the most persuasive. I think this because when he was speaking he was interested and related to his subjects. He talked a lot about different intelligent people and what they accomplished. He had the facts to back up what he was talking about. When he brought up God I was very impressed and loved to listen to what he had to say. Even though I believe in God he persuaded me to want to know more about a great man which is God.
29. Ken Miller argues against Michael Behe's notion of irreduciblecomplexity and the notion of intelligent design in biology. Is he
right? If so, explain. If not, give your reasons why not.
Yes I think that Ken Miller is right. Ken Miller thinks that Michael Behe’s idea is totally nonsense. He think that it is a uncompromising way of thinking and doesn’t know why someone would think this way. Michael says that if one thing is missing the whole machine can not work. I find that to be kind true but at the same time something can work if its not all there. You can improvise and make something work. Intelligent design is a very interesting matter because they are explained by intelligent cause. Biology has nothing to do for whether a person has high intelligence or not. I think it just depends on where they go to school and how they apply themselves, but mostly on how they apply themselves. Where a person grows up could also depend on their intelligence.
30. In the conference BEYOND BELIEF, which speaker did you find tobe the weakest in terms of substance? Explain.
I find the first speaker to be the weakest for a good reason. His information was good but he was very boring. When someone tries to relay a message or teach something to someone you have to want to tell it. It seemed as though he was not excited about what he was talking about such as the second speaker. The substance for his information was good but I really didn’t want to listen at all.
31. What constitutes a scientific education according to Huxley?
The thing that constitutes a scientific education according to Huxley is how someone can welcome science or religion into their life. When I first thought about this I was actually thinking science but some people think of science as religion. You have to welcome it into your life and just pursue it the right way. Everyone in our society believe in something different and people can be very biased towards others views. People form their ideas based on what they have learned and what they know. So when someone comes to them with a different idea they blow up. I find that to be understandable because I know I can be that way too
32. Why is the book BELIEVER-SKEPTIC so critical of Ken Wilber and this thinking? Be specific in your answers.
The reason why this book is so critical of Ken Wilber is because the author wants to show what a great critical thinker he was. Ken Wilber was the kind of guy that exaggerated on the craziest things. Ken Wilber doesn’t just say straight out that he likes something or for example when he was talking about that book, he doesn’t say “ this is the best book I have ever read”. He tells us that but in other words that only critical thinkers could understand. Wilber says that he is book is “ perfectly obvious fact”, so there is another clue of him expressing his views but not straight out telling us. The author is so critical about Ken Wilber because it seems like he looks to him for advice about critical thinking. He said that he has read every book that Wilber has wrote, so that means he must admire him a great deal.
Extra Credit:
List any books you read from the list for extra credit. Provide cogent summaries of each.Make your own 3 minute movie on how to be an effective criticalthinker (be creative).DOUBLE EXTRA CREDIT:Give a 200 word interpretation of the required movie, Nicholas ofCusa. What do you think it actually means?