Phil 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Phil 3 - Essay Example This idea was suggested by the representatives of positivism, namely Ludwig Wittgenstein, who stated that things and events in a certain life can have meaning but life itself is meaningless. Simply stated, such context implies that the life of a person has certain meaning for itself and for others in the shape of events happening within it and the results of this very life embodied by achievements, heritage and ancestors. This theory, to my mind, has reason, as it is rather fare to define meaningfulness of a person’s life based on the actions and achievements. I think that the meaning of life based on such theory could be estimated both in positive and negative way: for instance, a person who devotes his or her life to crimes and destruction also therefore grants the meaning to it – evil proves to be the meaning of life, but it actually exists, even such life is meaningful. On the other hand, there are people whose lives acquire meaning through positive actions and even ts (at least, the positive dominates). For the second type we could provide two movies as an example. They are Amelie and Ikiru. The first one is Amelie, the French movie telling the life story of a girl working as a waitress and living in modern Paris. Amelie felt that something important was about to happen in her life, that’s why, being encouraged and inspired by this premonition, she gladly helped people to add joy and color to their lives. Once she found toys in the cache of her bathroom, they belonged to a â€Å"boy† who used to live in that apartment in 1950s – she found him and brought the toys back to him (he was already an elderly man). There were many things she did for others like writing a love letter to a neighbor on behalf of her husband, readjusting the alarm clock of a wicked greengrocer, substitution of shoes and toothpaste etc. Amelie lives with an open heart ready to lend a helping hand, to give

Existentialism in Night Essay -- Essays Papers

Existentialism in Night In his essay â€Å"Existentialism†, Jean Paul Sartre discusses the main beliefs of existentialism. Perhaps the most important belief of existentialism is that there is no human nature, and there is no God. This means that each individual man has control of his own destiny. The definition of each individual man is the sum of his life and all he has accomplished in his life. He is also responsible for all the choices and actions he makes in his life. These types of choices and actions can be seen in the book â€Å"Night† by Elie Wiesel. This book is a story about a boy, Wiesel, who is taken to a concentration camp with his family. It follows him and his father through their trials and movement from Auschwitz to Burkenau, and to Buna and how they continue to narrowly escape death. By the end of the story, readers see how Wiesel has become indifferent to the horrors of the camps. From the beginning to this point in the book, Wiesel and other characters make decisions that Sartre would call existentialist. Wiesel himself makes the first of these decisions. When Wiesel is a young boy in Sighet, he decides he wants to study the Zohar, the cabbalistic books. He would go to the synagogue ad weep while he prayed. His parents said that he should be in school. Wiesel said of his father, â€Å"He wanted to drive the notion out of my head. But it was in vain. I found a master for myself,† (2). His father wanted him to stop with his wishes to be educ...

Faith Integration Essay

A main reason for the existence of the Christian college or university is to provide an educational environment that includes both academic subject matter and Christian knowledge. At Azusa Pacific University, the school emphasizes their motto â€Å"God First† in and out of the classroom. According to APU’s Mission Statement, APU is a â€Å"Christian community of disciples and scholars who seek to advance the work of God in the world through academic excellence in liberal arts and professional programs of higher education that encourage students to develop a Christian perspective of truth and life.† Christian Worldview A worldview is a set of beliefs, values, and attitudes that enable us to process new information and maintain a consistent view of reality. Through our worldview we apply the standards that allow us to make connections between what we know, what we experience, and what new knowledge claims we encounter. Our worldview supplies the interpretive framework for understanding our experiences and the events of the world, and it provides the values that form the basis for decision making. Because faith-learning integration is closely linked with judgments about what is or is not knowledge, our worldview is therefore clearly crucial to the proper functioning of faith and learning integration. Indeed, our worldview is the philosophical engine that drives the integrative process. A challenge facing Christian educators is that a Biblical worldview foundation has been taken for granted. Successful faith-learning integration is impossible for students who lack a clear and well defined Biblical worldview. The unity of truth—including academic and Biblical or theological truth—is at the heart of integration. The construction of a Biblical worldview must be an ongoing process. It must be built and added in to every course. Christian Worldview forms the basis for decision making. Decisions are based on criteria, which are themselves based on values, which are part of one’s worldview. The Christian worldview provides the necessary basis for science. A worldview is the particular bias  in our presuppositions that influences how you look at the world and what we see or expect to see. A person’s worldview influences what they expect to see and how they explain things. For instance, two people can observe the identical event and explain it differently based on the bias of their worldview. A Christian worldview can be defined as a single worldview that all Christians share and can be deemed as core theology or the theology that most all Christians agree upon, which is a short list. Wesleyan Quadrilateral The Wesleyan Quadrilateral is a four-source system of theological reflection that forms the core beliefs of the Methodist Church and is attributed to the works of its 18th century founder and leader John Wesley. Wesleyan Quadrilateral is referred to in the Methodist Church as our theological guidelines. The four-score system includes: scripture, reason, tradition, and experience. Wesley stated that Scripture alone should determine Christian teaching. The authority of Scripture can logically be divided into two functions, authority as source of truth and as norm for truth. Wesley sees the Bible as both. Reason may be part of a practical theology, provided it is carefully defined. Interpretation of scripture and experience may be evaluated in terms of its reasonableness. Reason can have a role in practical theology. The third belief that John Wesley put in place is tradition. Tradition has sometimes proven to be wrong, and   inconsistent with the truths of scripture as confirmed by human experience. Nobody is perfect and errors of those in religion can become tradition and thus infecting the truth, even if it is unintentional. More importantly than these concerns is the need to acknowledge the importance and strength of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is active in the lives of believers and the Holy Spirit should be given great weight as religious authority only second to scripture but more significant than ancient tradition. With scripture, tradition, and reason in place, humans are prepared to experience the reality of God’s love. That is the fourth attribute in the four-source system that John Wesley adopted. Faith Integration in the classroom Every student in an educational environment comes from a different spiritual  background. Some may have more firm beliefs than others, but it is important that all are treated with equal amounts of respect. Integrating faith in the classroom can be difficult for new teachers because of the vast amount of religious differences each student has. Religion is just another belief and has been a part of the society since the world was first created. It was one of the first thoughts that man had. It is a teacher’s responsibility to integrate some sort of religious discussion in the classroom because it gets the students to think about different cultures and religions that other people in their class follow. It expands their minds to the various different religions and cultures throughout the world. A teacher should design instruction appropriate for all students that reflects an understanding of relevant content and is based on continuous and appropriate assessment. Also a classroom environment that is centered around respect and a  positive learning environment will lead to a positive education experience for all students. I will also promote student learning by providing responsive instruction that makes use of effective communication techniques, instructional strategies that actively engage students in the learning process, and timely, high-quality feedback. A good teacher is one who has the ability to learn as much from the students as they learn from him or her. In an effort to match instruction to the needs of students, I will spend much time evaluating the implications of my teaching decisions in the classroom.

Is It Safe to Eat Snow

You wouldnt think twice about catching a snowflake on your tongue, but using snow to make snow ice cream or melting it for drinking water might get you wondering whether its safe or not. It is generally safe to eat snow or use it for drinking or for making ice cream, but there are some important exceptions. If the snow is lily-white, you can safely ingest it. But  if the snow is colored in any way, youll need to stop, examine its color, and understand what it means. Also, its important to be aware of where you are collecting the snow. Read on to  see when its safe to eat snow—and when it can pose a health risk. Crystallized Water Snow is crystallized water, meaning its purer than most types of precipitation. If you think about how snow forms in the atmosphere, its essentially frozen distilled water, crystallized  around a tiny particle, so it might even be purer than the stuff coming out of your faucet. Campers and mountaineers all over the world use snow as their primary water source without incident. Even if you live in a city, you can eat clean snow. Snow does fall through the atmosphere before hitting the ground so that it can pick up dust particles and other impurities in the air. If the snow has been falling for a while, most of these particles have already washed out. The biggest consideration for snow safety is where and how you collect the snow. Safe Snow Collection You dont want snow that is touching the soil or street, so either scoop up clean snow above this layer or use a clean pan or bowl to collect fresh falling snow. If you intend to melt the snow for drinking water, you can ensure extra purity by running it through a coffee filter. If you have electricity, you can boil the snowmelt. Be sure to use the freshest  snow you can find, since the wind deposits a fine layer of  dirt and pollutants onto the top layer of snow within a day or so. When You Shouldnt Eat Snow You probably already know to avoid  yellow snow. This color is a big warning sign that the snow is contaminated, often with urine. Similarly, dont eat other  colored snow. Red or green colors can indicate the presence of algae, which may or may not be good for you. Dont take the chance. Other colors to avoid include black, brown, gray, and any snow containing obvious particles of grit or grime. The snow that falls around smokestacks, active volcanoes, and radiation accidents (think  Chernobyl  and  Fukushima) should not be ingested. The most common warnings about eating snow have to do with eating snow near roads. Exhaust fumes used to contain lead residues, which would get into the snow. Toxic lead isnt a modern-day concern, but its still best to collect snow away from busy streets.