A critical student is one who does not accept information at face value without first examining it in detail and from different angles or perspectives. Students at first year university level are expected to not only maintain a high level of academic performance, but also, to think, form judgments...

Pascal builds his argument in "Man and the Universe" out of a series of paradoxes, seemingly contradictory truths. In writing, "Man and the Universe," Pascal reflected his views on what is our place in the world as human beings. Pascal's writing shows a harmony be...

In David Hume's Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, Cleanthes' argument from design is successful in supporting the idea that the universe has an ordered arrangement and pattern. This argument is not sound in its ability to prove the existence of the Christian God. However, Cleanthes...

Perfect Misunderstanding: As Understood by Epistle I of "An Essay on Man" Alexander Pope's "An Essay on Man" is a crowning achievement, as it enjoys, simultaneously, the arching comprehensiveness of a distinguished volume, and the judicious simplicity of poetry. Bri...

The concept of freedom is not a skill to be learned, practiced or improved upon. Nor could it be utilized or withheld upon volition. It is only optional either in its existence or in its exercise. It can either be increased or diminished by wish or labor. The idea of being free begins when we ...

Ideas of the ParthenonThe Greek people of the 5th century BC created a culture that was deeply rooted in philosophy and the arts. Their endless search for their place in the grand scheme of the universe and in nature around them influenced everything in their lives especially their love of the arts....

In the novel \"Frankenstein,\" Mary Shelley is not trying to reinforce the biblical thought of forbidden knowledge but is rather introducing the thought that science is capable of being dangerous if it becomes divided from humanity. The reason that it could be conceived that Mary Shelley is reinfor...

It has been well-established that every individual personality is the sum total of her or his life experiences. Since a person's life experiences usually represent a mix of influences such as family upbringing and values, religious teachings, and social culture, it follows logically that ea...

Psychology in SportsThe mind-body connection is a very powerful one. For everything you think in your mind, your body has a reaction, regardless of whether it is real or imagined. For example, have you ever had a bad dream? Usually, you will wake up and your heart is racing, you are sweating and ver...

Words and Ideas Ideas are pure. They are unfiltered perception. In the dark of all stimulation, there is still that something in our mind contemplating and imagining. Hoping, worrying, conspiring, wanting. Thinking happens with out even having to think about it. It is almost impossible to not do...

Building the Future I am writing this because I feel there is something I must pass on, a terrific contagion that has the potential to change the world. I have experienced something quite beautiful and I want to ensure that others receive that same blessing. I am talking about optimism, not in th...

Scientology is a fairly new religion. Founded in the twentieth-century by a man by the name of L. Ron Hubbard. He began his studies long ago and wrote a book in 1950 called Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health. He claimed that this book was one of the first tools used to solve the ...

Every moment of every day art is created. A person can look at anything for a period of time, and eventually find some artistic quality to it. Will that quality that he or she finds be the same as the artist's, or even the same as the person standing right next to them? Of course not. But ...

Why are we born? In my opinion, I view the world as a game nobody can win. For centuries people have struggled to find the answers to decipher our purpose, but really that answer lies six feet underground. I often wonder if we are just born to die, live day to day fighting our own wars to stay al...

Humanism during the Renaissance During the renaissance, there was a renewed interest in the arts, and the traditional views of society came into question. People began to explore the power of the human mind. A term often used to describe the increasing interest in the powers of the human mind is h...

Descartes and Socrates -- What Knowledge Is Two Approaches to KnowledgeThe concept of knowledge, what it is, what it means, and how it is gained, has been debated for literally centuries. Philosophers, historians, social scientists have questioned the components of knowledge and its acquisition and...

1) Introduction Through out history, as man progressed from a primitive animal to a "human being" capable of thought and reason, mankind has had to throw questions about the meaning of our own existence to ourselves. Out of those trail of thoughts appeared religion, art, and philosophy,...

Walt Whitman's 'This Compost", similar to most of his poetry, is written is free verse; therefor, instead of using rhyme and meter to create an underlying rhythm, he creates a rhythm with his gradual flow of thoughts and abundant use of repetition. Also similar to many of Whitman&ap...

It is my conclusion that dualism does not provide a satisfactory account of the nature of the mind, and I shall attempt to illustrate the major flaws in the argument for dualism as Descartes puts forward. As hinted to above, the argument for dualism is effectively put forward in Rene Descartes&ap...

Interpreting the Poem, The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost "The Road Not Taken" written by Robert Lee Frost, is a poem that consists of four five-line stanzas with only two end rhymes in each stanza (abaab). "The Road Not Taken" can be interpreted in many different ways. The poem deals w...

As we begin the twenty-second century scientists are finally coming to grips with the fact that music, when applied correctly, can act as a stimulant to the brain's response system to enhance its performance. This enhancement to the mind makes the neuron's response more clear, crisp, and ...

A cult by definition is a group or collection of people whose views and acts are considered extremist or false. Cults have come and gone but continue to increase in number with today's technology. Cults come into our world with the intent to draw in followers under false beliefs and convi...

Human Dimension Establishing an environmental ethic is of utmost concern to the human species to better comprehend our place in the world and our potentials for the future. In doing so, we must extend our thinking of rights and responsibilities. I believe we must incorporate not only a temporal comp...

Mersaults' Animal Nature Albert Camus' The Stranger starts with the death of a mother, maybe. Her son, Mersault, is unsure. He is also oblivious to the concepts of marriage, God, and repentance, as well as other institutions of society. According to social law, this is reason to execute him for...

Pages Read: 1- 9 Quote and React: In the start of chapter one, the author introduces countless scientific facts and details about the Earth and Mars. He refers to humans as vain, "blinded by vanity," and serene. While reading how he was describing our race, I realized how small and hel...