Can Christians be scientists? To some people, this appears to be a very controversial topic due there being a major conflict between science and Christianity: evolutions vs. creation. When we talked about this in class, I was very pleased to see how many people believed Christians can also be scientists. Trying to find the quote my old chemistry teacher said, I found an interesting article that answers this question. Here is the link:http://www.grisda.org/resources/dialogue_0708.htm. I am going to read about it and later post about it.
When trying to find the quote, I also stumbled upon another article about can Christians be scientists. Even though this one does not seem nearly as interesting as the one I provided the link for, it was interesting to see how many famous scientists were Christians. For example, George Washington Carver was both a Christian and a scientist. (http://forerunner.com/mandate/X0075_Can_Scientists_Be_Ch.html)--link for less interesting article.
Can being a Christian hinder your knowledge as a science? From my knowledge, I do not think so. I learned a lot from my Christian chemistry teacher and sometimes a lot more than my friends in the local public school. However, I am not engraving my position on this. I hope to be able to contact my friend who recently took a college level biology class at his Christian college to see what his view is on this issue.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Monday, February 25, 2008
Where did the time go?
Where did the time go? This is a question I asked during our last discussion on time today. Sometimes the time does go by really quickly while other times it does not. Why is that?
One of the answers that I was given during class was because when we are productive time goes by more quickly while when we are unproductive time seems to stand still. I agree with this answer to an extent. Of course when you are doing something such as listening to a lecture you are engaged in time goes by quickly. However, I come to find that sometimes I feel some of my productive times go by so slowly. This is even includes they things I love.
For example, I love to dance. Sometimes, a two hour dance block seems like it has been 9 hours. Yes, I am having fun but the time does not seem to go by. Why is that? Maybe it's because it is repetitive. Maybe practicing the same day 10 times gets old after a while. However, there are some two hour dance blocks I have that seem like they have only been an hour. I enjoyed both of the dances equally. But why do two dance blocks that are the same amount of time seem to go by faster than others?
I thought an interesting answer to this question was the one Nick mentioned about the stimulus. I hadn't ever thought that the amount of stimulus mattered. It is something I might look into further to understand the concept more.
One of the answers that I was given during class was because when we are productive time goes by more quickly while when we are unproductive time seems to stand still. I agree with this answer to an extent. Of course when you are doing something such as listening to a lecture you are engaged in time goes by quickly. However, I come to find that sometimes I feel some of my productive times go by so slowly. This is even includes they things I love.
For example, I love to dance. Sometimes, a two hour dance block seems like it has been 9 hours. Yes, I am having fun but the time does not seem to go by. Why is that? Maybe it's because it is repetitive. Maybe practicing the same day 10 times gets old after a while. However, there are some two hour dance blocks I have that seem like they have only been an hour. I enjoyed both of the dances equally. But why do two dance blocks that are the same amount of time seem to go by faster than others?
I thought an interesting answer to this question was the one Nick mentioned about the stimulus. I hadn't ever thought that the amount of stimulus mattered. It is something I might look into further to understand the concept more.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
What is the supernatural?
What is the supernatural? I haven't ever heard of a definition of this term so I decided to look it up on Wikipedia. Here is what I found:
The term supernatural (Latin: super "above" + natura "nature") pertains to entities, events or powers regarded as beyond nature, in that they cannot be explained by the laws of the natural world. Religious miracles are typical of such “supernatural” claims, as are spells and curses, divination, the belief that there is an afterlife for the dead, and innumerable others. Supernatural themes are often associated with magical and occult ideas. (Wikipedia)
What determines whether something can be explained by the natural world or not? What if there are still things that appear to be supernatural but are not?
Then there comes the question of whether there really is an afterlife or not. How can we determine if there is an afterlife if we haven't been in the after life? Is part of believing in the supernatural believing things we that won't ever be explained?
Hopefully I will find answers to these questions after our discussion.
The term supernatural (Latin: super "above" + natura "nature") pertains to entities, events or powers regarded as beyond nature, in that they cannot be explained by the laws of the natural world. Religious miracles are typical of such “supernatural” claims, as are spells and curses, divination, the belief that there is an afterlife for the dead, and innumerable others. Supernatural themes are often associated with magical and occult ideas. (Wikipedia)
What determines whether something can be explained by the natural world or not? What if there are still things that appear to be supernatural but are not?
Then there comes the question of whether there really is an afterlife or not. How can we determine if there is an afterlife if we haven't been in the after life? Is part of believing in the supernatural believing things we that won't ever be explained?
Hopefully I will find answers to these questions after our discussion.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Time and the Supernatural
Time and the supernatural--can they be related? I think that they could possible be related, depending on which religious group you follow. While reading the article on Time, I noticed that time has to deal with a cause and an effect.
I remember learning when I was high school about this initial cause. My former teacher explained that the initial cause caused the cause and effect patterns to occur. My teacher claimed that the initial cause was God. This made me think if God controls time or not. I am very curious to see how the supernatural conversation goes. Since I went to a Christian high school, most people's views on the supernatural were the same. However if their views were different, they usually did not speak about them.
I think that this conversation on the supernatural is going to open my eyes up a lot to different views and I'm excited about it. I like the fact that everyone in our class does not have the same view on the supernatural. It will make the conversation on this topic more interesting.
I remember learning when I was high school about this initial cause. My former teacher explained that the initial cause caused the cause and effect patterns to occur. My teacher claimed that the initial cause was God. This made me think if God controls time or not. I am very curious to see how the supernatural conversation goes. Since I went to a Christian high school, most people's views on the supernatural were the same. However if their views were different, they usually did not speak about them.
I think that this conversation on the supernatural is going to open my eyes up a lot to different views and I'm excited about it. I like the fact that everyone in our class does not have the same view on the supernatural. It will make the conversation on this topic more interesting.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Time and Animals
During our discussion on time, Betsy brought up how her dog knew when class was over and woke up at that exact time? Why are animals and humans able to do this?
One possibility is that the human or animal is so accustomed to waking up at that certain time that it becomes natural for them to wake up at that time. For example, during the weekdays my dad wakes up at 5:30 in order to get to work on time. On the weekends, he sometimes wakes up at 5:30 because his brain is accustomed to it. Another example is when the electricity goes out in the middle of the night. Even though the alarm is not set anymore, my dad wakes up at 5:30 regardless of the alarm clock not going off.
Another possibility is extinct. I think this reasoning explains more why animals wake up at the right time rather than humans. Maybe Betsy's dog just realizes that it needs to wake up at that time. Maybe the dog's body is used to waking up ever 50 minutes or 75 minutes (depending on how long the class is).
Who knows. Maybe someone will study this some day and give us the answer.
One possibility is that the human or animal is so accustomed to waking up at that certain time that it becomes natural for them to wake up at that time. For example, during the weekdays my dad wakes up at 5:30 in order to get to work on time. On the weekends, he sometimes wakes up at 5:30 because his brain is accustomed to it. Another example is when the electricity goes out in the middle of the night. Even though the alarm is not set anymore, my dad wakes up at 5:30 regardless of the alarm clock not going off.
Another possibility is extinct. I think this reasoning explains more why animals wake up at the right time rather than humans. Maybe Betsy's dog just realizes that it needs to wake up at that time. Maybe the dog's body is used to waking up ever 50 minutes or 75 minutes (depending on how long the class is).
Who knows. Maybe someone will study this some day and give us the answer.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Our sense of time
How can we determine our sense of time? Is it something we know by extinct or something we can only know by looking at a clock? Today's society heavily relies on clock as a sense of time. It is the tool we use to tell us where you should be during a certain period of the day. However, how accurate is a clock? No matter how hard we try, each clock does not tell the exact time in the same time zone-whether that means minutes or seconds. If clocks are not reliable then why do you use them to tell time?
Does a clock truly keeps us organized and "on track?" I think it does not. Whether we like to admit it or not, at one point everyone is "late" to class or to a meeting. However, this is according to the clock. Is there ever such a thing as late when relating to time? For example, when I was in elementary school, I used to pass out tardy passes to students that did not come in before the school bell rang. On a particular occasion, I gave a pass to my friend who claimed she was "on time." She stated that the clock in her car said she was "on time." Although the clock is the school said she was "late" and so did the bell. Was she truly late to school? Was the clock in the class too fast or was the clock in my friend's car too slow?
Time seems like it is a topic that keeps our heads spinning in circles. Some questions we have about time are very complex and hard to answer.
Does a clock truly keeps us organized and "on track?" I think it does not. Whether we like to admit it or not, at one point everyone is "late" to class or to a meeting. However, this is according to the clock. Is there ever such a thing as late when relating to time? For example, when I was in elementary school, I used to pass out tardy passes to students that did not come in before the school bell rang. On a particular occasion, I gave a pass to my friend who claimed she was "on time." She stated that the clock in her car said she was "on time." Although the clock is the school said she was "late" and so did the bell. Was she truly late to school? Was the clock in the class too fast or was the clock in my friend's car too slow?
Time seems like it is a topic that keeps our heads spinning in circles. Some questions we have about time are very complex and hard to answer.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Where does knowledge come from?
Where does our knowledge come from? It is purely "book-smarts" or based on our experiences? I believe that our knowledge to an extent can come from both "book-smarts" and our experiences. Our "book-smart" knowledge comes from what we read for school. It is the knowledge we gain about certain subjects. The knowledge we gain from experiences comes from the people around us. Also, the knowledge we gain from experiences is intertwined with the knowledge that other people gain from one another. However, which "type" of knowledge is more important?
I believe that the knowledge we gain from experiences is more important than "book-smart" knowledge. Knowledge that we gain from others helps shape who we become. It is more valuable because it helps us learn from other people's mistakes. It helps the human race as a whole progress. Overall, I believe that we gain a lot of knowledge both from textbooks and others.
I believe that the knowledge we gain from experiences is more important than "book-smart" knowledge. Knowledge that we gain from others helps shape who we become. It is more valuable because it helps us learn from other people's mistakes. It helps the human race as a whole progress. Overall, I believe that we gain a lot of knowledge both from textbooks and others.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
What is our reality?
What is our reality? After class on Monday, Nicole and I started talking about it in a joking manner. After talking about with her, it made me wonder what is my reality? While listening to the discussion in class, I realized that everyone uses their parts of what their reality is to the discussion. In order to understand our own realities, we need to understand where they come from.
How does my reality form? Does it form from my experiences, other people's realities, or both? I believe that my reality comes from my own experiences but mainly other people's realities. Yes, my experiences do affect my reality. It helps shape the way I see the world and what I think about it. However, I believe that other people's realities are the bigger influence.
I believe that other people's realities shape my reality more because I believe that our reality comes more from the people around us rather than our individual experiences. The people we interact with on a daily basis use their own realities to help shape our own. People have a huge impact on one another. One's persons view on reality can completely change another's through people sharing what they consider reality to be.
I hope to understand this more by the end of the semester and look forward to discussing it.
How does my reality form? Does it form from my experiences, other people's realities, or both? I believe that my reality comes from my own experiences but mainly other people's realities. Yes, my experiences do affect my reality. It helps shape the way I see the world and what I think about it. However, I believe that other people's realities are the bigger influence.
I believe that other people's realities shape my reality more because I believe that our reality comes more from the people around us rather than our individual experiences. The people we interact with on a daily basis use their own realities to help shape our own. People have a huge impact on one another. One's persons view on reality can completely change another's through people sharing what they consider reality to be.
I hope to understand this more by the end of the semester and look forward to discussing it.
Can we always have doubt?
Can we always have doubt? This question was recently discussed when discussing von Glasersfeld and radical contructvisim. I believe that yes, we can always have doubt. People doubt the unknown. It is inevitable. However, the more important question is how much power/control does doubt have on us? Is doubt something we should worry about or is it normal?
The situation of being in a car accident was brought up. For example, my car has been hit by another car twice in the exact same spot. So should I doubt that I can drive through that intersection without being hit? Yes, I should doubt it to an extent (which I do). I know how easily it can happen. It makes me fully aware of my surroundings when driving there. However, should I let the doubt control my life?
No, I believe letting doubt control me is ridiculous. Right after being hit by the car, I do understand. Although I believe as time goes on, so does the doubt. The doubt lessens in my mind and makes me more comfortable driving in that area.
I believe that doubt should not control your life. Yes, it is okay to doubt things. I believe that at one time or another, everyone doubts something. However, I doubt think it should be such a major factor in someone's life that it changes their lifestyle. The key to having doubt is being able to control it and not let it overpower your life.
The situation of being in a car accident was brought up. For example, my car has been hit by another car twice in the exact same spot. So should I doubt that I can drive through that intersection without being hit? Yes, I should doubt it to an extent (which I do). I know how easily it can happen. It makes me fully aware of my surroundings when driving there. However, should I let the doubt control my life?
No, I believe letting doubt control me is ridiculous. Right after being hit by the car, I do understand. Although I believe as time goes on, so does the doubt. The doubt lessens in my mind and makes me more comfortable driving in that area.
I believe that doubt should not control your life. Yes, it is okay to doubt things. I believe that at one time or another, everyone doubts something. However, I doubt think it should be such a major factor in someone's life that it changes their lifestyle. The key to having doubt is being able to control it and not let it overpower your life.
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