Archive for 'Education' Category
Is Free Will a Philosophy Invention?
31 July 2007 <The twentieth century society has taught us that almost everything we think or feel is connected to philosophy or was at least generated by it. And, honestly, if you come to think about it, it really is so, because we live and act according to moral values and inner conceptions that have been previously been formulated and dealt upon by great philosophy thinkers. So, is philosophy really living our lives instead of us? Is our free will an innate gift, or rather a piece of philosophy that we share?
Philosophy has disputed the question of free will over and over again, without really reaching any conclusion. Those of us who consider themselves “on their own” are definitely advocates of free will and will therefore support the idea according to which people can make decisions by themselves rather than be obliged or influenced. Have you ever heard somebody saying “well, he did it out of his own free-will"? This means that people understand by free will having desires and dreams and acting upon them, without paying too much attention to the philosophy behind all this.
Philosophy is an ardent advocate of the cause-effect theory. However, just because the world works in such a way that your reasons are causally determined, that doesn't make them any less your reasons. It is just like the fact that you being the product of influences doesn’t make you any less yourself. The fact that everything might be pre-determined because that's the way the universe works, is not exactly tantamount to everything being pre-determined because some conscious entity chose it that way for his/her own purposes.
Philosophy and philosophical ideas always get people to think problems over and over again, until they really become questionable. The free will theory is very likely to remain a dilemma many years from now, as it is really a gang idea fight.
What’s so Funny about History? A User’s Guide to Famous People
31 July 2007 <History is, without doubt, the most impressive subject when considering destinies and famous lives. Even if we regard history as a chronological axis on which acts, wars, treatises, murders or pacts are included, there is a sea of secrets somewhere behind these stories. After all, that crowd of generals, kings, emperors and presidents were, first and foremost human beings, with qualities that set them apart, but also with shortcomings that made them famous.
If you were to think about one interesting piece of information about a famous president, other than the one in history books, what would it be? Surely enough, you must have heard that the teddy bear was named after Franklin D. Roosevelt. Or that the same famous president was forced by his mother to wear dress until he was five. What would you say if you knew that Benjamin Harrison was so afraid of electric lights that he used to have White House staff turn them on and off? History doesn’t seem just as plain and boring, does it?
Some skeptics might ask what’s the use in knowing such history facts. But then again, why only take for granted everything and omit the interesting part in things. For instance, it might be fun to know that John Tyler had 15 children, or that Rutherford Hayes was the first president to use a phone and his number was easy to remember: 1! How about Chester Arthur, who owed about 80 pairs of pants he would change daily, or Herbert Hoover, who would speak to his wife in Chinese, in order to keep their secrets?
History information is vast and, fortunately, history is still being written. So why should we stand apart and only skim what really happened, instead of getting into the kernel of actions and getting acquainted to any spicy detail that could have(why not admit this?) contributed to one event or another? The result of this productive curiosity can only be fruitful!
Chemistry in the Work of Nature
14 July 2007 <Have you ever though of how important colors are to us? What would happen if the world would be monochrome? You can imagine how dull, sad, discomforting this would be, unless this world of ours is also boring. The modern world can’t be separated from color that is present in the details of the daily existence, from the deliberately colored objects to the ambiance of the parks and of the streets. Our sensibility to color, to the discretion, the refinement and the fantasy in using colors, all these influence the biological and the psychological equilibrium.
The 17th century marks the debut of the interpretation of the color as a physical phenomenon, on the basis of Newton’s theory. These days, the science of color has close connection to arts, biology, physics, chemistry, psychology, geology, and so on. Until the 19th century there have been used only the natural dyes, but in 1856 it has been discovered a coloring substance. In the same period, chemistry developed as a science. Moreover, the chemistry of the dyes has become a component of the organic chemistry during the formation of the first scientific theories.
The fabrication of the coloring substances has always brought many benefits even in the periods of economic recession because the value of the dyed product is twenty times higher than the value of the un-dyed product.
But if we think of the food that was colored, then we see the limitations and the flaws of the dyed products. We have to take into consideration the fact that these coloring substances are extremely toxic, many of them causing even different types of cancer and other abnormalities at the level of our body. Therefore, chemistry can be both benefic from an economical point of view, but also destructive for the health system.
Physics Knowledge - Part of Our World
14 July 2007 <Physics is not only for those whose brain weights more that average. Yes, you heard me correctly, knowing at least some notions of this domain will definitely not kill you, nor harm you in any way whatsoever. On the contrary, these valuable pieces of physics information might be of help the next time your car crashes or when the power goes down.
Some will say that most of the physics laws are hardly comprehensible and are mostly concerned with endless formulas and calculus. But if you manage to read between the lines you will learn that physics id perhaps on of your closest allies: always having that missing piece. Take for instance a situation where your car has to make a turn on a road.
Keeping a car's center of gravity low is very important in order to avoiding disaster during turns. And cars that have high centers of gravity and narrow wheelbases are susceptible to flipping and several production cars have been found unsafe in this respect. The higher a car's center of gravity, the more likely it is to tip over during a high-speed turn. So you do not need to be a specialist in mechanics or a physics professor to make sure your car is safe.
But the universe of physics is basically unlimited. It never stops, as inventions are brevetted day by day and theoreticians spend their entire lives to up-date matters and elaborate new branches of physics. So getting to know physics is perhaps one of the best improvements you can do for yourself in order to keep you with the flow and always receptive at novelties. What is more, physics has come a long way and is now regarded as the solution provider for whatever universal problem there could possibly be.
Most Frequent (Bad) Excuses Why Not to Go to College
11 April 2007 <- It is too expensive. Sure it is expensive, but the facts are that it is all worth it. Even if your parents can not afford to keep you in college, you could benefit from a scholarship or you could benefit from various aids. Furthermore, you could get a job and pay for college yourself – in this way, by the time you will be out of college, you will have some relevant experience that will definitely help you land a job faster.
- My parents, brothers/sisters didn’t go to college. Well, this might be a top reason why you should go to college. Think about it this way: they will all be proud of you, they will all look up to you and give you as an example. That is like what you wanted all your life, so give college a change and be the first intellectual in your family.
- I am not smart enough. Well, you might just need a little more self confidence. College never killed anyone and you will do just fine, as long as you give your interest and do your best. After all, the main purpose of college is to make you smarter and to extend your knowledge, so you should just grab that chance!
- I don’t like to study. You might be thinking that high school was bad enough, with all the exams and homework. Well, the good news is that in college, you will finally get the chance to do what you like – not to mention do what you like for the rest of your life. In college, you will choose your preferred subject and study it as a major, so you might be surprised to find out that learning about your favorite things is quite entertaining.
- I don’t want to leave home. Sure, there might be some advantages to living home until you are 30 years old, but did you ever think about doing what you like and want for a change, without your parents’ supervision? College life is not just about studying - it also includes college parties, quality time with friends, dating, campus life and many more. Tempted?
Exercise Your Writing Skills
11 April 2007 <Did you ever considered writing as a top hobby? If you did, then good for you, since there are few hobbies that stir the imagination and the creativity more than writing does. Besides the fact that it is an artistic and highly intellectual hobby, it definitely helps you speak better in society, interact better with various groups, develop your communication skills and improve your imagination. So, even if you never considered writing as hobby before, it is time to do so now, especially if you are headed to a university or to a job and career that require certain language and communication skills – and which jobs don’t require such skills, nowadays?
How can you start? Surprisingly enough, you can start your writing passion by… reading. Yes, reading helps you imagine, create, visualize. You can combine heroes, you can be inspired by actions or simple elements and create your own, original and unique plot, scenery or, why not, philosophical essay.
When you start writing, don’t be surprised if you can’t find or identify your style from your first writings. Style is developed with time and experience, and this happens in a natural, progressive way, so it is the last thing that needs to concern you. Still, be careful and try to identify the things you like to write about, the things you are good at writing about, discover your favorite literature species and the stories or types of essays that you write with less effort.
When can you know if you have the right thing for it? Well, it is a known fact that if you do something easily or with a lot of passion, you must be good at it. But this doesn’t mean that only because you are trying to find a conclusion to your essay for weeks, you are not a skilled writer – after all, some of the greatest writers were genuine perfectionists that were capable of searching the right word for days.
Hope to see your books on the library shelves soon!