Life = School ?

Does life equal school... Or is it the quickest way to legally make money? Do we go to get smarter or to get richer... is it about being a better person or is it about being the best ever. Do we plan to make a statement or have statements made in school? Can you have true success in school or does grades just measure a relative ability according to a system set by administrators? Does School help plan for life or is school a void set by the government to consume a persons life. If we didn't have school where would we be? Could we as a nation funtion if school wasn't manditory. Why is it just school or work in our society? Why can't people sit around and think and discover all day and night? Did our standards and lifestyle kill future philosophers or are we thinking less as a race? Will technology take over customs or can humans live free from what is deemed as normal? When consciousness and unconsciousness colide are we then dreaming? What do you consciously think about...let it flow.

Blog Assignment # 6

The Counter-Argument

In blogs 1, 2, 3, I've covered all of the philosophy book arguments. I've even covered a few of my own. In Blog 5 I recover every counter-argument I've come across in class. Please someone give me a counter-argument!!!

FOR GRADES SAKE HERE IS A COUNTER-ARGUMENT:
The main topic is that God created the universe.
The counter argument is that if God created the universe then who created God.
The response, putting God into creation is taking away from God being that perfect being, as stated in the definition of a god, thus God can't be created, God has always been.

Blog Assignment # 4

5 Terms and Concepts
The following terms and concepts play key roles to my future final paper. They are displayed in this post to clear any confusion and explore their importance. I start each term/concept with the definition which is then followed by its explanation of importance.

1) Existence/Exist
existence - 1. continuance in living 2. actual or present occurrence
exist - 1. to have being 2. to continue to be: LIVE

The main question to answer within my topic is "Does God and the Universe Exist?" To further explore this idea. One must first define existence and the meaning to exist. Once the concept of Existence is sought and explored, then the question can be fully understood. Also, when explaining the rest of my terms, the idea of existence is processed through definitions and other ideas.

2) Life
1. the quality that distinguishes a vital and functional being from a dead body or inanimate matter; also : a state of an organism characterized esp. by capacity for metabolism, growth, reaction to stimuli, and reproduction 2. the physical and mental experiences of an individual 3. BIOGRAPHY 4. a specific phase or period 5. the period from birth to death; also : a sentence of imprisonment for the remainder of a person's life 6. a way of living 7. PERSON 8. ANIMATION, SPIRIT 9. living beings 10. animate activity 11. on providing interest and vigor

The common term "life" is used throughout the explanation of the existence of God and the Universe. So first I decided to define life to clarify its use.

3)Spirit
1. a life-giving force; also : the animating principle : SOUL 2. cap: HOLY SPIRIT 3. SPECTER, GHOST 4. PERSON 5. DISPOSITION, MOOD 6. VIVACITY, ARDOR 7. essential or real meaning : INTENT 8. distilled alcoholic liquor 9. LOYALTY

I defined spirit here because when the discussion of God is presented, the word commonly used is "spirit."


4) Belief/Believe
Belief- 1. CONFIDENCE, TRUST 2. something (as a tenet or creed) believed
Believe- 1. to have religious convictions 2. to have a firm conviction about something : accept as true 3. to hold as an opinion : SUPPOSE

"Belief" and "believe" are two words that play a pivotal in the explanation of the universe. Also when showing proof of God, these two words will be found quite often.

5) Faith
1.allegiance to duty or a person : LOYALTY 2. belief and trust in God 3. complete trust 4. a system of religious beliefs

In my processes of analyzing God and the Universe, I came across this word. I wanted to clarify what it meant and its difference from "belief." Belief is trust, where faith, on the other hand, is belief or trust in something. The difference in the terms breaks the interchangeability between the two terms, thus, causing many arguments to change in meaning. It all is further explained in my paper. It basically comes down to philosophers and people using diction improperly on purpose to prove their point. Tis Tis....

Blog Assignment # 3

The two videos, below, are portentous to my topic of God and the Origin of the Universe. The first video is about the universe and how it is finite. Proof that the universe being finite means that it had to begin, therefore having a creator. It's better explained in the video. The second video proves that God does exist. The speaker uses a common layout of ideas and arguments to show that the existence of God is true, but also that we think of God in a normal aspect, where as we should be thinking in an abstract sense of mind.


The Finite Universe.


Proof that God exists.

Blog Assignment # 2

The Chosen Topic

My chosen topic, yes that topic I will write my final paper on, is God and the Origin of the Universe. My initial thoughts I've added onto with more relative thinking. First, existence must have come from somewhere. Since "by chance" doesn't explain where anything came from and is most unlikely, then there must be a creator. The common question, then composed is who created the creator? In reply, I ask who created time? If time can exist in such a way that we cannot, then why can't the creator exist in a similar way? Also in asking this question I researched this link and ended up with another philosophical answer and the answer to my question too. Another question that would arise is, "Can't there be another way everything came into existence?" I would then answer, if there was another way, even "by chance", then something had to trigger this "by chance" because there would have to be other "chances" that would have to come about to prove that anything could happen just "by chance", speaking on the level of existence. Since there isn't any other chances that I, or science, have discovered, then I believe that we were created. To make sure I wasn't speaking just to sound right, I searched the web for "God and science" and came across this. In reading around the web page, I learned a lot about the size of the universe and the different components. Quarks and antiquarks, for example, are the particles that make up matter. What I didn't know was that out of a billion quarks and antiquarks, quarks out number antiquarks by 1, therefore, making up our universe with that 1 quark. Intriguing is it not?

For more about the existence of God please check these links:

http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/theism/arguments.html
Interesting links of the different arguments for God's existence.

http://www.godlessgeeks.com/LINKS/GodProof.htm
Some of these make good points..some are just jokes.

http://www.mb-soft.com/believe/text/argument.htm
I like this one because it actually covers, or uncovers I
should say, some topics brought about in our philosophy book.

For more information on the universe please check these links:

http://www.space.com/universe/
This link covers a lot of universe questions.

http://www.universetoday.com/
I like this link because its variety in the coverage of the
universe along with its source variety.

http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/universe/index.html
This link is really "Big Bang Theory" oriented.

Blog Assignment #1

God and the Origin of the Universe

In Problems from Philosophy second edition, by James and Stuart Rachels, chapter two discusses the topics of God and the Origin of the Universe. This chapter intrigues me in many ways. One of the reasons this chapter tickles my mind is because of the topic of religion. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary2004, Religion is 1: the service and worship of God or the supernatural, 2: devotion to a religious faith, or 3: a personal set or institutionalized system of religious beliefs, attitudes, and practices. René Descartes stated, by a quote in the introduction to chapter two, that basically everything exists because of co-operation of God. (Pg. 10) Peter van Inwagen also is quoted in chapter two with the basic idea that God is a necessary being because God is independent and the universe is dependent on something, which is God. (Pg. 25-26) Keeping all of this in mind, the dictionary, Descartes, and Inwagen all prove that a religion must be present for a society to exist. Even people who are atheists have a religion because they practice a certain system of beliefs, attitudes, and practices. Everyone follows certain beliefs, attitudes, and practices, therefore, everyone has a religion of some sort, thus making every society contain a religion because a society cannot exist without people.


Our Knowledge of the World around Us

Chapter ten in Problems from Philosophy second edition, by James and Stuart Rachels, talks about the World and Man’s Knowledge of it. Section two about Idealism is what heightened my interest in this chapter. (Pg. 137) Since I was a little boy I’ve always thought in terms of Idealism, I wish I ‘d known what it was called then. It would have saved a few parent-teacher discussions. The concept posed at the beginning of the section on page 137 talks about a tree’s representation of colors and shapes is only an idea because of the different views, people, and eye-sight variation that is in the world. It’s like the question I would ask in class; "Does everyone see the same things?" I would use the color shade of red on an apple as my example and pose this very question. I wanted to know was it the eye that really caught the image or something more. All in all, the chapter definitely shows potential in brainstorming for me.


This video I found is quite intriguing and covers both of the topics I've talked about. When you get over the boringness, come down to the basic facts, and evaluate the arguments, you can actually pick up on the flaws and fallacies given by these world-respected scienteists and phiosophers. ENJOY

At the Lunch Table

Many of my favorite conversations have been sparked up and/or held during lunch. Everyone sitting at the table has their own unique view and is anxious to share it. Many people spend a numerous amount of minutes trying to explain, prove, and debate their theories, reckonings, and viewpoints. Overall, the experience is a fascinating convolution of thought, opinion, proof, and presentation. So please, sit down, discuss, and enjoy the topics here at this lunch table!


Discussion Board:

With each new discussion comes a new question, so pick a number and lets talk!

1) Does philosophy spark innovation or do new creations spark philosophical questions?

2) Does philosophy ever answer what came first, the chicken or the egg?

3) If you could ask a question and expect an answer what would you ask and why?

Video Test

What is Philosophy

According to Dictonary.com (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/philosophy)
this is philosophy:

phi·los·o·phy

1. the rational investigation of the truths and principles of being, knowledge, or conduct.

2. any of the three branches, namely natural philosophy, moral philosophy, and metaphysical philosophy, that are accepted as composing this study.

3. a system of philosophical doctrine: the philosophy of Spinoza.

4. the critical study of the basic principles and concepts of a particular branch of knowledge, esp. with a view to improving or reconstituting them: the philosophy of science.

5. a system of principles for guidance in practical affairs.

6. a philosophical attitude, as one of composure and calm in the presence of troubles or annoyances.


To me, philosophy is answering life's big questions with proof behind the reasoning.