The Value of Philosophy Essay Example for Free

The Value of Philosophy Essay Thesis Statement: According to Russell, the value of philosophy is that it frees our mind to think of other possibilities; unlike science which may provide us definite answers, but does not deal with other aspects of human soul.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Russell described â€Å"practical† men as individuals who only recognize material needs for the body, but not goods for the mind where the value of philosophy can be found. Russell is pertaining to the knowledge that can be achieved through the study of philosophy. This knowledge is different from what science can study or tell. Science can provide definite answers, but philosophy may not. Although, philosophy can deal with questions with no definite answers (Russell).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Philosophy has uncertainty in answering questions, but it allows for more consideration of the question, its importance, and extends the limitations of what are already answered by science; and because of this uncertainty, we find the value of philosophy (Russell). Given all the definite answers we have and needed, we tend not to raise questions, doubts, or think of other possibilities; but with philosophy or through philosophizing, we are able to think of other possible consequences or problems that may arise. Our thoughts are freed and liberated. It increases are knowledge through the reduction of dogmatism because dogmatism reduces ability to reason and expand in learning.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Life with philosophy is free unlike a life that is bounded by the world because we are limited and controlled. We just accept what is given and live a life that we think is acceptable, a life that is dictated. The value of philosophy is that it helps us in finding the true meaning of life and not just living life as it is. With science, we are bound by its limitations, limitations to answer all our questions thus proving that science has weakness too or that it may not provide complete answers. On the other hand, philosophy allows human mind for more speculation of how things are and on how things will be. REFERENCE: Russell, B. Chapter XV: The Value of Philosophy.  Ã‚   Retrieved 17 September, 2007, from http://skepdic.com/russell.html

The Great Gatsby: Tragedy From Lies :: essays research papers

The Great Gatsby: Tragedy From Lies In the world people try to hide things from each other but one way or another they find out what they are hiding. In the Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the secrecy and deceit practiced by Jay, Daisy, and Myrtle leads to inevitable tragedy when the truths are revealed. Jay failed to realize that if you tell a lie most of the time they tend to come to a boil and burst. For example, "My family have been prominent, well-to-do people in this Middle Western city for three generations."....pg.2 why did he have to lie when he knew that if they really got to know him they would find out the truth. Jay gave everyone the impression that he was this kind of rich-snobbish guy. Who knows why. It is not always good to lie. In Jay's case when it came down to them finding out the truth they didn't know whether he was telling the truth or lying. So it was hard for them to believe what he was saying. Daisy was another who would lie because she thought it would keep happiness. The way she lied was different from Jay. She lied to keep the person she thought was the love of her life, Tom happy. Daisy's relationship with TOm was quite unusual. Tom was having an affair with Myrtle and Daisy really wanted to be with Tom, but not really because she only did it because she thought she had to. Daisy was really in love with Jay but because she felt like she had to be in love with Tom she would make up lies to keep them together. Tom pretty much felt the same way or he thought Daisy really liked him so he didn't want to break her heart. But for them it didn't really work out well. If they would of told each other their feelings and wouldn't of held them back from each other they could of discussed their personnal situations and they might of had a nice seperation. But since they chose to keep things back from each other and lie to each other everything went terrible. For instance when the story about Jay and Daisy was coming out she still wanted to keep it a secret so she said "Please let's all go home. Why don't we all go home?"...pg.131 it was coming out but she was still trying to keep things back from Tom. What Daisy failed to understand was the lying was not helping at this point at all. The Great Gatsby: Tragedy From Lies :: essays research papers The Great Gatsby: Tragedy From Lies In the world people try to hide things from each other but one way or another they find out what they are hiding. In the Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the secrecy and deceit practiced by Jay, Daisy, and Myrtle leads to inevitable tragedy when the truths are revealed. Jay failed to realize that if you tell a lie most of the time they tend to come to a boil and burst. For example, "My family have been prominent, well-to-do people in this Middle Western city for three generations."....pg.2 why did he have to lie when he knew that if they really got to know him they would find out the truth. Jay gave everyone the impression that he was this kind of rich-snobbish guy. Who knows why. It is not always good to lie. In Jay's case when it came down to them finding out the truth they didn't know whether he was telling the truth or lying. So it was hard for them to believe what he was saying. Daisy was another who would lie because she thought it would keep happiness. The way she lied was different from Jay. She lied to keep the person she thought was the love of her life, Tom happy. Daisy's relationship with TOm was quite unusual. Tom was having an affair with Myrtle and Daisy really wanted to be with Tom, but not really because she only did it because she thought she had to. Daisy was really in love with Jay but because she felt like she had to be in love with Tom she would make up lies to keep them together. Tom pretty much felt the same way or he thought Daisy really liked him so he didn't want to break her heart. But for them it didn't really work out well. If they would of told each other their feelings and wouldn't of held them back from each other they could of discussed their personnal situations and they might of had a nice seperation. But since they chose to keep things back from each other and lie to each other everything went terrible. For instance when the story about Jay and Daisy was coming out she still wanted to keep it a secret so she said "Please let's all go home. Why don't we all go home?"...pg.131 it was coming out but she was still trying to keep things back from Tom. What Daisy failed to understand was the lying was not helping at this point at all.

Impact of video games in society Essay

A video game is an interactive computer that displays a video signal, allowing you to play thousands of games on your television or handheld video game device. (Wikipedia, Video Game) We have came a very long way since the very first type of video game console was invented by Ralph Baer in 1967. From the very first console, the â€Å"Brown Box† to the more interactive video game consoles such as the Wii, Playstation, XBOX or the handheld Nintendo DS. Regardless of which video game is being used, it has made a huge impact in life’s of many children, as well as adults today. In the beginning, the games were user friendly and parents did not have much to worry about if they purchased a video game for their child. Take Pac Man for example, a very simple game where the player â€Å"Pac Man† eats dots and tries to avoid getting touched by an enemy. Now in 2012, we have games such as Call of Duty which focuses on killing members of the opposite team. As we as a society became more developed in technology, the video game systems became more and more high tech. For today’s generation, playing a 3D interactive video game is normal. The manifest function of video game systems of today is the ability to connect the console to your television and even internet and play virtually with friends online. In 2009, it was reported by the Entertainment Software Association that nearly sixty-eight percent of households told have at least one gaming system. There are many video games aimed at children today that can be used as a learning tool. However, the amount of violent games greatly outweighs the educational ones. There are many sociological impacts from video gaming systems today. Gaming systems are a very popular way of keeping children and teenagers entertained. Teenagers and children are becoming more and more addicted to these gaming systems everyday, which could lead to many issues such as poor school work or childhood obesity. Instead of doing homework or playing outside as we did before video games became popular, children are spending hours a day sitting on the couch due to the addictiveness of these games. Many of the games being sold today are full violence and teaching children bad morals such as sexuality, drug trafficking and even rape. According to Dr.Craig Morrison, a professor of psychology at Iowa State University, even if children are playing games without violence, these children are forty percent more likely to show aggressive behavior after playing. The latent functions of these video gaming systems are quite clear. If we continue to allow children to play them it will lead to childhood obesity, violence as they grow older and even lack of motivation to communicate with the real world. In 2007 a sixteen year old boy in Ohio killed his own mother and shot his father simply because they took a game away from him, â€Å"Halo 3. † According to the boy’s lawyer, he was injured in an accident that did not allow him to go anywhere, so he focused all of his time, energy, and mostly anger on playing this video game. When his parents decided the game was too violent, they took it away, causing the boy to snap. This is just one example of how video games can unintentionally lead to violence, and in this case death. The University of Texas performed a study on the relations of childhood obesity and video games. Results were found to be that video games, due to their addictiveness were the cause of the children’s overweight status, and not linked to watching television as some may argue. It was found that children with a high weight status spent more time inside and less time performing outside activities, such as sports or riding bicycles. Perhaps the parents are to blame for allowing their children to do this; however, many parents today are of the working class group, sometimes being forced to leave their children unattended to do whatever they please. Each and every video game is required to have a rating. There are seven total. Early childhood being the most non-violent and inappropriate. The rating Adults Only, requiring the purchaser to be eighteen years or older. Titles in this category usually include scenes of intense violence and or graphic sexual content and nudity. Even with the ratings, these video games are still getting into the hands of children. As our society and technology begins to grow, the problem will continue to worsen. Citations: (Iowa State University Newspaper Article) http://www. public. iastate. edu/~nscentral/news/2007/mar/vvg. shtml (Cleavlead. com Article) http://blog. cleveland. com/metro/2008/12/boy_killed_mom_and_shot_dad_ov. html.

The Revolutionary War - 787 Words

Running head: Paine Thomas Paine’s Role in the Revolutionary War Dallin Hodgkin Mountain View High School Paine What sparks a revolution? What motivates the average man to rise up against everything he’s ever known? There have been many revolutions that have taken place in the past and each one has had different elements that powered them. The revolutionary war is an example of one such revolution. But what gave it power? There are two main ideas that start revolutions. Words and actions. The power of speech and people’s actions are the defining factors in revolutions. Men’s actions are very important during revolutions. They can act out against the government, declare war, or even denounce their king. Although actions are powerful, words can have an even bigger impact. There were many famous figures whose words inspired men to fight for their rights in the revolutionary war. Thomas Paine was one of the many men who fought the war with literature, and he fought to win. Thomas Paine was born on January 29, 1737 in Thetford, England (Erik Klemetti, 1995). As Thom as grew, he went to a local grammar school. At age 12 he dropped out and became an apprentice to his father who was a corseter. Eventually he failed as an apprentice and set out for a life on the sea at age nineteen. His plans changed after a short amount of time on the ocean, and he became a British tax collector in England (Steven Kreis, 2013). Once again things didn’t workShow MoreRelatedThe Revolutionary War957 Words   |  4 Pagestimes leading up to the Revolutionary War. These times include: Navigation Act, French and Indian War, Sugar Act, The stamp Act, Boston Massacre, Townsend Act, The Boston Tea Party, and the Intolerable Acts. All of these events are important in leading to the Revolutionary War. This essay will go into detail about the events leading up to the Revolutionary War. Starting with, the Navigation Act. The Navigation Act was the first event leading up to the Revolutionary War. The Navigation Act is whereRead MoreThe War Of The Revolutionary War118 2 Words   |  5 PagesIn battling the British in the Revolutionary War, the American rebels did just as the great French military and political leader, Napoleon Bonaparte advised, â€Å"Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake†. Though there were a great deal of missed opportunities and misguided actions taken by both sides of this war, none were as great as those by the ministers in London and British Generals Howe and Burgoyne. However, of these three, one held a great deal of responsibility for Britain’s failureRead MoreRevolutionary War1150 Words   |  5 PagesRevolutionary War Taylor Hunter ENG/101 October 26, 2014 The battle of Trenton and Princeton began to erupt in the same year of the Revolutionary War. The Revolutionary War had started because the Americans wanted the same rights the as the British citizens had. 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But with courage and dedication the artillery and its leadership were able to play a vital role in the success on the battlefields, and ultimately the victory resulting in America earning its freedom. During the Revolutionary War, the Artillery assets that were available were a combination of cannons, mortars and howitzers. There were two types of cannons used at this time. The Field Guns, which were lightweight and easier to move, and the Siege Guns, which were muchRead MoreThe American Revolutionary War796 Words   |  3 PagesThe American Revolutionary War was a long hard fought war that lasted about 8 years. Many Countries were involved in the war, such as The United States, France, Great Britain, Spain, and The Dutch Republic. Not all countries actually fought but they provided either side with weapons and supplies to help them have a greater chance of winning the war. More than 70,000 people were killed during the great American Revolutionary War. The Americans were tired of the loyalist British taking advantage ofRead MoreThe Revolutionary War And The War Of Independence1191 Words   |  5 PagesThe Revolutionary war another name for the war of independence and lasted f rom 1775 and ended 1783. There was a lot of tension between the 13 colonies and the British Monarchy. Smaller battles between British troops and smaller militias near Lexington and Concord kicked off the war. And by 1777 the rebels began a full scale war on Great Britain. The war turned into an international conflict when France joined the war and sided with the American colonists in 1778. With the help of the French the BritishRead MoreThe Revolutionary War Of Independence790 Words   |  4 PagesBy the War of Independence, slavery was deeply rooted in the American colonies. However, the Revolution provided African American slaves with several opportunities to obtain their freedom, including through military service in the British and American armed forces. From the war’s outset, both American and British government officials as well as military officers contemplated how they could use African American slaves to further their war efforts. This paper uses a case study approa ch to explore twoRead MoreThe Battle Of The Revolutionary War1263 Words   |  6 Pagesthe militiamen continued to move forward. As the militiamen closed in the British fired the first volley, Private Abner Hosmer and Captain Isaac Davis were at the head of the march and were killed instantly. That volley was the start of the Revolutionary War and is now known as the â€Å"Shot Heard around the World†. The militiamen returned the volley which devastated the Redcoats. Eight officers were wounded and one British soldier lay dead and another mortally wounded. The Redcoats returned the volleyRead MoreThe Costs of the Revolutionary War683 Words   |  3 PagesThe Costs of the Revolutionary War Introduction The American revolutionary war brought about a myriad of costs to both the British and the newly independent Americans. Some of the political, economical, and social consequesnces were felt immediately while others such as slavery and women’s rights would have lingering impacts into the future. The revolutionary war left Americans with significant financial debt, a new government that had to figure out how to pay the debt and strengthen commercial