Critical Thinking Blog #2

This is always a tricky discussion, but Jacoby presents some sharp arguments about the debate between evolution and creationism. For this blog, create your own discussion about this debate. Where do you stand and why? What critical criteria have you used to consider this issue (if at all -- maybe it's the first time you've thought about it)? Where does this issue stand among the issues of the day?
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The constant battle between evolution and creationism has been raging for more than a century. Unfortunately though there has been numerous pseudonyms under which they have battled with; social Darwinism, eugenics, fundamentalism, pseudoscience, philosophy of evolution. I stand with the natural scientist school of thought, evolution. I stand with the natural science, evolution, line of thought because their arguments are based off of logic and intellectualism. The pseudoscience of social Darwinism is flawed and is based off of passion and emotion instead of logic, since any form of thought that is based off of emotion is constantly changing based off of the emotion it is a fallacy. William Sumner taught his students at Yale university individual social Darwinism that believed in absolutes, which any person that believes in an absolute is ignorant to the truth. Any theory based off of absolutes is flawed in their line of thinking and is unable to think logically, because as the saying goes “nothing is absolute in life” and whether its evolution or creationism any of there theories that is based off of absolutes is flawed. It is my personal belief that any pseudoscience is flawed, and science based on absolutes is flawed, any religion that believes in absolutes is flawed. I actually debate this argument all the time at work with my colleagues and some of my classmates in my social philosophy class. The issue of evolution and creationism stands among the most unpublicized arguments of the day. Every week there is some argument that involves the battle between evolution and creationism that is just ignored by the main stream press due to the fact that it is a hot topic that could suffer in loses of viewers if they were to air it. I think that by holding back on the severity of the issue in today’s time all that the press is doing is fueling the fire without realizing it. In court, school, church, clubs and YMCAs the effects are noticeable enough that society is being fractured, even if it is slowly. So in conclusion without realizing the impact of self-ignorance and lucidity that Americans are creating to themselves they essentially showing their stupidity and overall failure to grasp the situation between creationism and evolution that is going on in the United States.

critical thinking blog 1

Part 1:
Critical thinking is the human developed skill that allows oneself to judge a subject in a in-depth manner rather than in a simple manner. One situation in which I thought critically through was when I graduated high school I had to thihnk to myself was it better to go straight to Stanford University (SU) for my political science and law degree or should i just go to a regular community college to get all of my GE(general education) material over with. I had to think about the advantages to each coursse of action. Going straight to would be costly but would be more educational and academically acknowledged in the world. But if I went to a community college it would be cheaper, but not as educational. So I was forced to think through the matter to weigh the pro's and con's of each matter. Obviously I choose to go with the community college route, not just becasue it was cheaper but because of the fact that Sierra College actually had a good academic program, and was cheap and affordable. One situation throughout my life in which I did not use critical thinking was when I moved to California I was so upset about moving that I allowed my anger to rule over my emotions and guide my actions rather than reason. For my first-year of high school out here I was a complete ass to everyone and I made myself out to be the person to hate and to avoid. Needless to say I regret that action that I made and have since been trying to act in a manner that is judged as logical and gentlemenly.

Part 2:
When I think of the word "intellectualism" I think of a scholar or an individual who pursues a life of knowledge. Intellectualism provides positive connotations for myself. I look at a person a person who pursues a life of intellectualism to be a rare and noble person. It is an extremly difficult path to follow and I commend any individual that decides to pursue this course throughout his/her life. When I think of "logic" and "reason" I think of a monk or a spiritual affiliated individual and an scholar. I honestly have mixed feelings about my interpretation. I was raised by a catholic family so I look toward the church as a symbol of reason and logic, but I am also an advent believer in scientology so I commend scholars in multiple fields of study. Over the years I have become split minded about my interpretation and have since become confused. I am not sure if that is a common dilemma facing people or if I am just a unique case. I suppose that I am still going to have to think about my interpretation of logic and reason for a while yet. I can only hope that it doesn't take my whole life, because I know that it is a serious issue in modern day society to assimilate both scientolgoy and theology together.

pre-reading blog #1

Honestly I am unsure how college is working out for me. Sure I am getting good grades in all of my classes and I know why I am in college, I just don’t know on an absolute level how it is working for myself at this point in time. I believe education to be a important matter in modern day society. Because of globalizations effect on the education level across the world it is important to have knowledge that pertains to many different fields rather than a single one. I seek to gain knowledge in the fields that I am interested in pursuing as a career and to increase my skills in areas that I feel pertains to that area of study. I enjoyed my high school education. I felt that it was enlightening to learn of so many different fields of education rather than just the basics that I learned in middle school and elementary school. Why has it become important in modern-society to have an educated background?

Rationalism: Is the human thought that believes in reason rather than something that is of divine religious doctrine to regulating human conduct.

Anti-Rationalism: There was no college dictionary definition for this term so I am going to define it with my own words. It is the human thought that believes in the unreasonable and illogical methods to be determined as truth.

Fundamentalism: Is the interpretation that every word in the bible is taken as literal truth.

Class is starting, whoopie

Jolly Hoe prof and everyone else. This is my blog, obviously for this class due to the title. Please read and respond at you own will. I will read everynight through my iPhone, if I am at work that night. Otherwise I will be on at home doing god knows what. Nice to meet you all and I hope we can all get along great during class and have fun during this semester, after all what is life but to not to have fun.