Ending Thoughts

http://www.zazzle.com/plato+posters

In my opinion, the Big Bang chapter contains some of the most interesting information from the book. It makes the reader question time and the actual validity of the senses. Since most of us live deep within the rabbit’s fur we never question what we see, or think we see. What is there is reality. But, when Hilde’s father starts to explain how our observations in outer space actually happened many years ago, we find it hard to grasp. How can it be that the starry night I see today does not represent how it really looks like? I find it extremely puzzling to fit that in my head. These ideas only prove further what Sophie and Alberto have been talking in the whole book. Throughout history there have been many philosophers, like Descartes, who doubt almost everything. These final thoughts just prove that they are right; one can never rely on the senses. This is just an example which concretely proves all of these theories. Therefore with this final thoughts, philosophy is receives greater value and further thought.

Bases of Society

Marx believed that society was composed of three levels. The most basic level is called society’s conditions of production. This refers to the natural conditions or resources available in a society. This foundation clearly determines the type of production in a society, and because of this, its culture in general. The second level in the means of production, which means the various types of equipment, tools, and machinery, as well as the raw materials found there. The last level consisted of those who own the means of production, which is called society’s production relations.
Gaarder, Jostein. Sophie's World


PELICAN, AlASKA (conditions of production)
Pelican is a old-fashioned Alaskan fishing village. These pioneers, fishermen, and descendants of Tlingit warriors have a deep love and appreciation for their lifestyle, wich mainly involves salmon fishing.
http://www.highlinerlodge.com/
This image represents society's conditions of production because it demonstrates that the town focuses of the fish indusrty because it is next to the ocean.



http://www.highlinerlodge.com/



COSTA RICA Pineapple Plantation (means of production)
Because this society depends on agriculture, several evident tools will be found here. This includes: fertile land, tractores, watering systems, substances for pineapple maintenance, and required facilities.
This relates to the means of production because it talks about the tools that will be found in this type of agricultural society.

http://www.costaricantrails.com/espanol/tours/sarapiqui/pinapple-tour5.html/espanol/tours/sarapiqui/pinapple-tour5.html


JOHN DEERE OWNERS (production relations)
This store of John Deere represents the people who own the tractores in North America and then sell them to the people in need of them.
This represents production relations because it shows those who own the means of production. It shows the ownership part of the relations in production.

http://www.jddealer.deere.com/benningtonequipment/

Areas of Knowledge
These bases of society can be seen throughout history in many occasions. Especially in the southern United States in the mid eighteen hundreds with the slaves and the plantations.

Also relates to psychology because it refects the change in people’s way of thinking, depending on what bases are applied in the society they live in.

Simplifying a Complex Idea

I do agree with Descartes statement because I also believe that a complex idea cannot be defined if its simpler components are not studied. Two areas of knowledge that support this belief are Psychology and History.

http://dianaruntu.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/phineas-gage.jpg

This is a picture of Phineas Gage, a man who, the last years of his life, was unable to control his emotions. If one were to see a man like him in the streets, one would conclude that he was crazy. However would not ask why he was crazy. In order to understand a complex state of a mad man, one must look at the simple factors that contributed to his change. By seeing that he was involved in an accident in which a large iron rod was driven completely through his head, destroying much of his brain's left frontal lobe, one can observe the effects on his personality and behavior.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phineas_Gage

http://www.pccua.edu/keough/Wc%202/-French-Revolution-Delacroix.jpg

In history we learn how in 1792 the monarchy of France was forever destroyed. One can immediately conclude that the French people were upset with the king, but one must simplify the reasons he was hated. France in that time was faced with economic difficulties, mostly concerning taxation. Louis XVI, his ministers, and the far-flung French nobility had become immensely unpopular. This was a product of the fact that peasants and, the bourgeoisie, were burdened with high taxes in order to support wealthy aristocrats and their rich, lifestyles.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Causes_of_the_French_Revolution

THE FINAL CAUSE

THEORY

GLOBAL ISSUE

AREA OF KNOWLEDGE

Aristotle stated that there are four causes that explain why events occur. These are the material cause, efficient cause, formal cause, and the final cause. All of these causes analyze a certain aspect of an event and explain the process of that certain area. This certain philosophy relates back to the area of knowledge of science. In biology class we learned about the water cycle, as well as the digestive system, all of these natural processes correspond to Aristotle´s theory of The Final Cause.
A global issue that relates to this theory is Global warming. Every day I see news of how the world is warming up because of the excess of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. I really became aware of this problem when watching the documentary of An Inconvenient truth. Aristotle´s final cause theory explains each aspect of why this event takes place. However the final cause of this issue is negative since it is the trapping if sunlight in the Earth´s Atmosphere.

ART BLOG: The Tumbling Woman

http://s3.amazonaws.com/readers/2008/09/24/0_19.jpg

The intention of the artist who created this sculpture was to illustrate the horrible flight of the 9/11 victims. The artist, Eric Fischl said that his work was a sincere artistic attempt to put out his feelings and be able to share them.
Even though it is considered controversial, the quality of the work of art is very good. It requires enormous skill to create a life-size sculpture of a human. The position in which it is laid is very original and difficult to make.
The response of the audience was very negative. It evoked much controversy since the viewers were vividly reminded of people falling from the World Trade Center. It was seen with much anger and anxiety.
The sculpture is trying to imitate the feelings that people felt on 9/11. The feelings of sadness, and the shocking reality of what happened. It communicates to the viewers what the artist feels towards the matter, and how he tries to express this feeling. It educates people on the biggest act of terrorism on human society as well as how people mourned and suffered for this catastrophe.
http://quazen.com/arts/visual-arts/the-tumbling-woman-and-other-most-disturbing-classical-works-of-art/

The Stroop Effect

http://nogfod.com/products/stroop/the_stroop_effect.jpg

The Stroop effect is a psychological experiment conducted by John Ridley Stroop. The goal of this experiment was to expand human knowledge on the capacity of a person performing two tasks at the same time and the effects it had. Psychologists wanted to prove how conducting two tasks simultaneously had a negative impact on the outcome.

In order to prove this theory, Stroop created several variations of the same test in which three different kinds of stimuli were created. In the first one, names of colors appeared in black ink. In the second, names of colors appeared in a different ink than the color named. Finally in the third one, there were squares of a given color. He would then time the participants while they read the different stimuli. For the first one they had to say the name written, in the second they had to say the color that the name was written in, and for the third stimuli they had to say the color of the square. With this experiment, Stroop’s theory was accepted.

The outcome did prove how humans were not as efficient in performing a task while they were also trying to do a different one. This was seen when the participants read the second stimuli. They had trouble saying the colors, because they were in words. This experiment also explains why it is dangerous to talk on the phone while driving or why some people cannot read while listening to music. Through this experiment psychologists gained a better understanding on humans multitasking.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stroop_effect

Capital Punishment

http://www.fashion-res.com/EX/10-09-20/o31.gif

Capital punishment in the United Kingdom was prohibited in the twentieth century.

Death penalty in China is currently applied for a variety of crimes, but the majority of executions are for cases of either murder or large scale of drug trafficking.

Capital punishment is legal in Japan. Japan, the majority of the United States, and South Korea are the only three industrialized democracies that conserve the death penalty.

In my opinion taking away someone’s life is violating basic human rights, which I believe is unethical. No matter what the person might have done, death is not a proper punishment. There have been cases in which someone has been proven innocent after they have been killed for a crime that they did not commit. These are the kind of horrible mistakes that can be done with capital punishment, therefore I am completely against it.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_in_Japan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_in_the_United_Kingdom
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_in_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China