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Post by jess998 on May 18, 2015 7:30:26 GMT
Film Exam Questions 4 code:22-2
1. I think people resist the theory of evolution by natural selection because it makes sense in so many ways. For example, us humans are all here just to leave a copy of DNA and once that is done, the job for that individual is done here in the world. So a pro is that there will be many new life's entering the world, and many leaving because they will get old.
2. Something I think can't be explained by evolution is how was the first human being created since, evolution practically starts from Natural Selection, which starts with sexual selection and genetic mutation and so on. I don't understand how the first person was created since there needs to be two humans in order to exchange DNA in order for the female to be pregnant and make another human.
3. The first example of eliminative materialism is scientists try studying the subject of consciousness by math,physics, chemistry, biology, pyshcology, and sociology and if any of these options do not explain it correctly, the answer is that god did it. The second example is the understanding of our bodies and the universe was studied by electrical magnetic currents, bacteria viruses, essential nervous system. Scientists studied them this way instead of using Thor, gods, or spirits to come up with a more precise explanation and understanding of our bodies. This is how scientists came up with naming their method eliminative materialism. The third example of eliminative materialism is what helps us believe and understand why a person acts or believes what they do they way they do. Eliminating certain things help us understand why certain thoughts or things happen in our mind, bodies, and society.
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Post by mannyn on Sept 29, 2015 6:10:49 GMT
What is evolution? I recently asked my friend Robert (not his real name) if he understood what evolution is. He told me that blond people exited because they come from places where there is less sun. In other words, my friend Robert (again not his real name) believes that environment affects evolution, and he is partly right, but he is also partly wrong. What my friend does not understand is that evolution is completely random. According to my psychology teacher, Mrs Blacksher last spring, we carry about 100 different mutations, but because of epigenetics only about 2 of those manifest themselves. By the way, epigenetic is the play between genetics and environment that account for physical features. In other words, the genetic code replication system inside the cells is constantly making mistakes – mutations – but only a very few of them ever become physical mutations. That means that Blonde hair was a mutation that appeared randomly. But because of Natural Selection, blond hair became widespread first in what today is Germany. Did you know that Germany has the largest concentration of blondes? Anyway, the blonde gene became widely spread because people found it sexually attractive – sort of like those birds with fancy feathers that attract the opposite sex (Natural Selection) – and that is why there are so many blondes in the world. Why do people resist the Theory of Evolution? I assume that one of the biggest reasons why people resist the theory of evolution is religion. Many people know Genesis – the creation of the world according to the bible – but very few people are familiar with the Theory of Evolution. Although religion has always pitted itself against science, some people with some sort of formal education still don’t really understand evolution. Take my friend Robert for a reason. He thinks he knows evolution, but upon closer inspection he really doesn’t know. And in my book that is just as bad as people who resist the theory of evolution. mnunez23.com/2015/09/29/the-evolution-debate/
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Post by FAVINA on Oct 1, 2015 3:54:08 GMT
Week 4
Film Test Question 22-2:
1.I think a large number of people resist the theory of evolution because it leaves no hope. Though science can show a large amount of proof to show that we evolved through evolution, it is still not enough to eliminate other options. It is still just a theory and is just as likely as religion. Darwin's theory on one had implys that death is the end of us. Religion leads us to believe that there is an afterlife, . In my opinion if we didn't have something better to hope for then there would be no incentive for people to be good or do good things.
2.Evolution can pretty much be explained as far back as the big bang theory. People don't know what happened before that or how the first atoms or electron were created. The only explanation philosophers have is that it is all by chance. I think the same way religious people blame God for things they can not explain, is the same way philosophers or scientist blame chance
because no one knows the real solution.
3.One example of eliminative materialism is how parents often lead their kids to believe in fictional characters like Santa Clause and the Easter Bunny or even the tooth fairy. Another example would be how people are led to believe if you go to college and graduate you will make a lot of money, but if you drop out you will be broke. Although statistics show this is often the case, there are many instances where college graduates are broke with no job and drop outs are making a lot of money. Lastly, i think young girls getting the idea of a prince charming coming and sweeping them off there feet and living happily ever after is another form of eliminative materialism.
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Post by mannyn on Oct 1, 2015 16:47:03 GMT
Last week, my professor Lane asked the class if there was anything that the Theory of Evolution cannot explain. This was right after taking questions from the class and using evolution to explain things such as love – a chemical bond evolved to keep mates around to help raise children – to consciousness. More specifically near death experiences. My professor said that near death experiences all here 3 things in common. The first is a source of light at the end of a tunnel. The second is some sort of being waiting for them there – it can be a deity, and animal, thing – someone saw a giant tortilla with a bite on it – or it could be a relative (dead or otherwise). He explains that the purpose – or I should say the outcome – is to compel the person to survive (almost always the person is told or has an overwhelming feeling that they should turn back). So, the question is: Is there something that evolution cannot explain? To my understanding Evolution is guided by a few principles. The first being mutations. Tiny mistakes in the transcription of DNA by RNA. According to my psychology teacher Mrs. Blacksher mutations are not that uncommon. She goes on to say that we are walking with about 100 new mutations, but only less than one percent of those mutations result in different physical characteristic or behavior. Remember that not all parts of the DNA are active at the same time. The second principle – according to my understanding of evolution – is Natural Selection and Sexual Selection. The fist part states that only the fittest members of a species will survive. For example birds with long beaks will be able to such the nectar from bell shaped flowers. And the second part is either competition among males for the opposite sex, or developing physical characteristics or behavior that attracts the opposite sex. The last principle is that when there are dramatic chances in the environment those species that are fitted with the right sort of physical characteristics or behavior will be most likely to survive. A clear example of this happen during the British industrial revolution. Prior to the industrial revolution, white months outnumbered black moths because they were better able to hide by using camouflage – the trees had white bark. However, during the industrial revolution the trees were covered in black soot from smoke from factories and automobiles. This meant that now, the black moths were better able to hide from predators. I find that a lot of people who argue against the theory of evolution do not really understand the last principle. For instance they say things like this: “One of the best examples of evolution nonsense is the thought that a wingless bird began to evolve a wing… The wing stub did not make the bird more adaptable to his environment. The first wing stubs would be much too small for the bird to fly.” – Alexander Light This person clearly doesn’t understand that wings in birds begun by a random series of mutations – fist principle – and they did not develop wings because their environment demanded that they fly. To the contrary, some birds learned to fly because they had wing-like appendages. And through natural selection and sexual selection those birds had a certain advantage. In other words wings came fist, flying came later. Conclusion: I cannot think of a specific thing that the Theory of Evolution cannot explain. I tried to look for theories against, and I only found myself using the theory of evolution to prove they were wrong. mnunez23.com/2015/10/01/evolution-explain-everything-question/
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Post by bhart1992 on Oct 3, 2015 4:59:44 GMT
Film Test #4 22-2 Philosophy 5 M/W 8-9:25AM
Brandon Hart
1. I believe there are multiple reasons for people not believing in evolution. I would have to say that I personally believe that religion is the large benefactor to this. Religion seeps into almost every part of our society. Whether it be schools, government, workplace, or just out on the streets. Most radical religious people will deny any proof for the mere reason of faith. Another reason for people rejecting evolution would be sheer ignorance, or misinformation being spread. I feel that a large majority of people don’t truly understand the theory of evolution.
2. Something that i believe evolution can’t really explain is what was before the big bang? What is nothing and how can nothing evolve? If everything in existence came from the big bang, then what came from the big bang and how can evolution explain that? This may be a redundant question, but a question nonetheless. How can evolution explain explain light? or most things at the subatomic level? How can evolution explain electrons being in two places at the same time?
3. Something that I think most people experience is to believe a thought to be real. We all have the ability to construct vivid little worlds in our own heads where we can create situations, that may or may not have actually happened. Moments like this could lead to one becoming angry, or happy, or even sad. An example would be say another driver cuts you off; in your head you’re thinking he did that to make me mad! But, maybe in reality he had no idea you were there, however, using your mental construct you created a situation that wasn’t real. Another example could be suspecting your significant other of cheating, something that plagues people. Sitting in your head making up scenarios that just aren’t real.
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Post by esoemardy on Oct 4, 2015 2:39:24 GMT
Film test questions 22-2
1. In my opinion, a large number of people resist Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection mainly because they refuse to believe that the human race was apes at one point in time. This by itself is a misconception. The theory of evolution suggests that we human share a common ancestor as apes, not directly evolved from apes themselves. People that don’t believe in the theory of evolution believe that humans are special creatures in this world. They do not want to believe that we evolve from previous life forms, but instead they want to believe that God had created each and every one of us separately. This way, instead of being an “evolved form of apes,” humans would be a special species that God had structured and created. I personally believe in Darwin’s theory of evolution, since I’m not a very religious person. I wouldn’t have another idea of how humans come to be and Darwin’s theory is very well proven over time. In natural selection, the ones that are fit to live long enough to pass on their genes will survive and those who aren’t won’t. This idea makes a lot of sense in explaining why some mutations die out while others survive.
2. I believe the things that cannot be explained by evolution are the things that have never changed ever since the universe was created. These things would be the four fundamental forces, which are gravity, electromagnetism, strong interaction, and weak interaction.
3. A long time ago, before humans know any science, many phenomenons are defined as the actions of God or demons and ghosts. One of them is mental disorders. Before we know about abnormalities in the brain, people believed that a person who has mental disorders is possessed by a demon. People try to cure it by calling a priest and trying to exorcise the demon within. Another example would be dreams. People used to thinks that when we dream our spirit leave the body to go into another world. Now we know that dreams are just occurring in our brain. A third example would be natural disasters. People used to think that natural disasters were caused because they angered the Gods and receive natural disaster as punishment. Now we know that natural disaster is just a phenomenon caused by nature.
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Post by lyannemedina on Oct 5, 2015 4:47:29 GMT
Lyanne Medina
Intro to Philosophy
Mondays 3:30 - 6:40
Code:22-2
1) I believe that a large amount of people resist the theory of evolution due to religion. Many people believe that God created humans and that it is impossible for us as a race to have evolved from animals, especially by ape-like animals. Even more so that we evolved to get to where we are now by natural selection . Darwin's theory makes me feel comfortable due to the fact that it makes complete sense to me. It just makes sense to me that it would take us thousands of years for all of us as a race to achieve what we have, the mindset we have the skills we have achieved over time.
2) One thing that I do not believe that can be explained by evolution is the universe . Obviously our planet was strong enough to house one celled organism the point where they were able to evolve and become different plants and animals. On the other hand the rest of the universe and solar system are a complete mystery that have no true connections with theory of evolution. Of course there is a big bang theory of how the universe came into being but other than that there's not much information for it to have any connections to evolution .
3) One example of a eliminative materialism is that when we were younger a lot of us believed in things such as the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, and even Santa Claus. We wholeheartedly believed in these beings and had no doubt that they were not real. As time went on and we grew older we started to figure out the truth that these beings were not actually real and we're just stories made up to sooth children and make them behave. Also the more we learn when we were younger also helped us come to the conclusion that it was impossible for these beings to exist. Another example is that people with mental disorders were often thought to have been possessed by demons or spirits. This was all before we truly understood the brain and all that went on in it. As time went on and more information about the brain became discovered the spirits and demons that took possession over the body were able to be eliminated and explained by the going on in the brain such as chemical imbalances and other things. Another example is young children believing that there are monsters under their bed. Children come up with ideas that there are creatures living in their closets, under their beds or any small space that something could fit in. They are only calmed when they have someone that they look up to look at these places and state that there is nothing there. It may only work for a night but the next night they might believe that they are there once again. It is only when they have started to grow older and stop believing in monsters that they realize they were only a figment of their imagination.
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Post by michael on Oct 5, 2015 4:53:38 GMT
Michael Woo Code: 22-2 Film Exam 4 1. I think many people, especially those that follow Abrahamic religions don't like the theory of evolution because it would mean that their way of believing wouldn't be perfect. If their ideology isn't perfect then then it means that it can be wrong. If how they came into existence was wrong then it could possibly mean other parts of their religion are wrong, and this creates uncertainty. Being uncertain bugs a lot of people because they want to be sure that all that time and energy is put to good use. Darwin's theory of evolution makes me feel comfortable to me because it makes sense and there is evidence to back it up. If later on there were evidence to suggest that evolution is false, then it would make me feel uncomfortable, knowing that something I believed in my entire life was wrong. 2. While human's brains have gained the ability to use and recognize symbols from its distant relatives, Homo erectus, it has also gained the use of empathy. I think evolution cannot explain a human's empathy for things other than itself. From a survival standpoint, having empathy for other things is totally useless, as it does not provide food or help them defend themselves against disease or other outside forces. 3. Eliminative materialism is basically the idea of replacing old, outdated concepts with new ideas that can accurately explain what is going on. For example, the Yanomami tribe of South America believe that diseases are spread because of their enemies performing rituals to send demons into their bodies to harm them. With eliminative materialism, we know that they are getting sick because foreigners are unknowingly giving them the diseases, and the Yanomami lack the antibodies to defend themselves. Another example would be ancient Greeks thinking that the sun god Apollo rode his chariot across the sky in order to create day and night. We now know that the Earth orbits around the sun, and that only certain parts of the Earth gets sunlight at a particular time every 24 hours. A personal example when I was around six, would be when I thought language was something someone was born with, depending on who your parents were. I later learned that language is learned and anyone can learn a certain language depending on how much exposure they have to it.
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Post by eddiep on Oct 5, 2015 6:10:19 GMT
Eddie Pineda Film Exam 4 Code: 22-2 1. I believe that a majority of the disbelief that people have with Darwin’s theory of evolution stems from religion. This is simply due to the fact that religion has been embedded into our society for centuries. Although the theory of evolution makes complete logical sense, it is hard to change the mind of someone who grew up believing that if they questioned the “almighty” they’d be sent to eternal hell. If you grow up without having religion being forced down your throat, you’re more likely to look at the theory of evolution without an open mind and unbiased. What makes me feel so comfortable with Darwin’s theory is the factual evidence supporting his claim. With theory of evolution there’s countless amount of evidence. Whereas, in religion the belief in god is based on faith. 2. The only thing that boggles me about evolution is as to why life even exists. If the big bang theory is true, is our existence based on chance? Did everything just coincidently fit well together and make a planet that can sustain life? Also, is there any way to re-create evolution on another planet even if it isn’t on the same level? 3. Eliminative materialism is fundamentally the debunking of a myth. An example of eliminative materialism would be what my mother’s explanation as to why it rained. As a kid my mother would tell me that the rain meant god was crying for our sins (Although I don’t believe she was doing this to shove religion down my throat, it was most likely a scare tactic to make me behave well) . Therefore, whenever it would rain i would feel disappointed because I had failed god and “sinned”. Now that I am older I have a basic understanding of evaporation, condensation, and gravity, so when it does rain I no longer believe I am disappointing god.
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Post by ozzieluna on Oct 5, 2015 18:23:18 GMT
Osvaldo Luna (M) Week #4 Questions Code = 22-2
1.I feel a large number of people resist the theory of evolution because they're afraid of it. The idea that we evolved from something else and that we as humans may then evolve into something more impressive is scary to some people. Why, because its hard to put your faith into evolution. People want something they can put their faith into because it gives them a sense of purpose and that purpose translates into joy and relief. Some people just don't want to believe that we could have evolved from something like apes or other creatures because then they will feel like well that is it i am just an ape or a fish or whatever evolved and nothing more.
2. I Believe that what happens after death for us on a conscious level can not be explained by evolution because death itself is a mystery. Nobody has been dead for a long time and just came back out of no where and gave stories about what he/she experienced.
3. When i was young I believed heavily in the Catholic faith because that is what i was brought up into. It felt right to just have faith in something it gave me a sense of security. In terms of eliminative materialism there is no place for it in the nature of the mind. It holds no science or certain truth. Other examples would be the idea of Santa Clause and the Easter bunny who were brought up to ease the mind on holidays that connect to religon but hold no science base or truth. They were only stories brought up from faith
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Post by jomel28 on Oct 13, 2015 4:52:29 GMT
Code:22-2
1.The reason why people resist the theory of evolution by natural selection is their ego. Humans have this conscious thought that they are the supreme beings of the land. They believe that they are invincible compared to animals. Some even go hunting just for fun to show their superiority like it is some game. Hence, when some idea or theory tells them that “oh you are related to these inferior animals in some way,” of course these people will think this is blasphemy because they see these creatures as thoughtless and dumb. They see these animals as beings that simply eat, poop and mate. This is why some people resist the theory because in their mind we are nothing alike when in fact we are. If one thinks about it from a grander scale, all humans do is eat, poop and mate as well. That is really just the purpose of life. What makes me feel comfortable about Darwin’s theory is I see the progress that nature has bestowed upon us. We evolved from miniscule cells to now beings of consciousness. This to me is amazing because this is nature’s way of letting life progress and survive. To know that I came from a fish or a giant ape astonishes me because we are much more advanced now. It could be compared to be being bad at a sport and you have trained years upon years just to master it. Then after all those years you finally realize how far you have become after winning a big tournament. Doesn’t that feeling feel great? All that hard work has paid off. Another analogy is that you have had multiple relationships and your exes were all horrible people. Finally one day you find the person of your dreams and you start complaining on how “I can’t believe I have ended up with the most perfect girl/guy ever. All my exes were horrible! I can’t accept this. This can’t be true don’t want to be with you.” It is how ridiculous people sound. Humans have reached the point of evolution where it seems to have reached a peak yet they don’t appreciate the beauty of it. Instead they see it as an insult to have come from such a lesser intelligent being.
2.In my opinion, evolution can explain almost everything. If someone wonders why we think a certain way or why we need this or that body part, evolution can explain it. The only thing evolution might not be able to explain is why we humans are so stupid. That is something evolution can definitely not explain (evolution can probably still explain this). Since I do not really have anything against evolution, I will just explain some simple things that evolution can explain. One emotion evolution can explain is fear. If we never developed this emotion, then we would constantly see people die. For example, imagine a human who stumbles upon Brazilian wandering spider in the middle of a forest and this person does not feel fear. Let us say he is curious about this specimen and wonders why it is much larger than a usual spider. He proceeds to touch the spider then bam! There goes the poison traveling around his body. Without any medical treatment around, he would die a horrible and painful death. A similar situation would be a human discovering a male lion. He/she would think the lion is a big fluffy ball of cuteness so he/she approaches the animal then there you go, he/she gets mauled. This emotion of fear developed as a defense mechanism. It is to give us a warning that something may be harmful to us even if that something is not harmful at all. It is like it is a “better to be safe than sorry” mechanism. Another random evolutionary gift we got is thumbs. Having this enabled us to create tools and grab onto things easier.
3.The first time I used eliminative materialism was finding out why I got gifts every Christmas morning under the Christmas tree. Throughout my younger years I always thought that Santa Claus gave me those gifts. When I moved to America when I was around 9, I used reasoning skills to think about how these gifts spawned out of nowhere. My classmates made fun of me because I thought Santa was real, and they told me he was not real. Upset by their words, I went to my parents to confirm if this was true. They told me the truth and that it was them the whole time. I was really was sad about this discovery but realized they loved me since they went out of their way to get me all these extra things. That is the first example of something I thought existed but actually. My second experience with eliminative materialism is believing in ghosts. I always thought ghost exists because when I was a child my parents used that term to make not do bad things. Like if I wanted to go somewhere I shouldn’t they would say “there is a ghost there! It will get you if you go there!” so throughout my life and honestly til this day I still feel like there is someone watching me when no one is around. When I studied about evolution, I realized that this was a trait that was passed down through evolution. The reason why I feel like there is a ghost following me or watching me is a defensive mechanism. In the wild, animals usually pounce on another animal when the other animal least expects it. So we developed this trait of being cautious even when nothing is around, basically expecting the unexpected. Hence, when I feel like I am being watched, it isn’t a ghost; it is my mind saying to be cautious of my surroundings. The last example I have of eliminative materialism is believing in religion. I do not wish to elaborate on this subject because this will be forever in the internet but I will say that when science came into my life, it explained a lot of unanswered questions I had. Being raised in a Catholic school, when I asked questions, I got in trouble for questioning the Bible, and most of the questions I asked were never answered. There was no evidence of anything I was told, but everyone just told me to have faith. However, science gave answers to most of my questions, and even if there is no answer to my question, science admits that it can be fallible.
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