...quality in a fair-minded way. People who think critically consistently attempt to live rationally, reasonably, and empathically. They are keenly aware of inherently flawed nature of human thinking when left unchecked. They strive to diminish the power of their egocentric and socio- centric tendencies. They use the intellectual tools that critical thinking offers- concepts and principles that enable them to analyze, access, and improve thinking. They work diligently to develop the intellectual virtues of intellectual integrity, intellectual civility, intellectual empathy, intellectual sense of justice and confidence in reason.” Critical thinking is taking a thought thinking about it, analyzing it, and then elaborating on it with facts and evidence. Based on Linda Elder’s argument critical thinkers use intellectual tools to improve their thinking through numerous skills. The numerous skills used such as intellectual empathy and rationale allow for critical thinkers to reason at a high level of quality. With Linda Elder’s definition in mind the following texts offer evidence to support her definition. In John Berger’s Ways of Seeing he offers the problem of people being subjective. In David Foster Wallace’s essay “Deciderization 2007-A Special Report” he shows a solution or choice to the problem. In Leon Weiseltier’s “The Democratic thinker” he shows the obligation that people have. “The Blind Men and the Elephant” shows conflict between knowledge and understanding...
Words: 1467 - Pages: 6
...has the power to consume, burn and destroy anything in its path, yet it can also be an agent of rebirth and growth, clearing a path for the new while destroying the old. The earthquake that struck Lisbon Portugal on November 1, All Saints Day, 1755 left 15,000 dead, the city destroyed and the faith of thousands of Christians in jeopardy. The resulting blaze that torched the city for a week afterwards acts as a symbol for the catalyst of the intellectual crisis that resulted. More than a thousand years of faith was called into question as intellectuals searched for a superior explanation for the disaster other than it playing a small role in Gods plan. The disaster opened the door for openly questioning God’s role in the natural world allowing for the growth of new ideas and the rejection of old and antiquated ones. In the end the earthquake in Lisbon presented such an intellectual crisis because it forced Philosophes and Theologians alike to question their own faith as well as the core beliefs that society was built upon. The sheer destruction of the event placed Theologians on the defensive as they attempted to rationalize the event while pushing Philosophes ever further from the core views of the church. While every disaster is a tragedy, the Lisbon earthquake sparked an intellectual crisis because of the disturbing nature of its destruction and the time period in which it happened. Occurring on All Saints Day 1755, disaster struck during the beginning of the Intellectual revolution...
Words: 1565 - Pages: 7
...Melody Wing Professor Benedict Aiden ENGL 2210 – 900 2/29/2016 Annotated Bibliography Cox, Gerard H.. “Marlowe's "doctor Faustus" and "sin Against the Holy Ghost"”. Huntington Library Quarterly 36.2 (1973): 119–137. This article discusses about the Renaissance play, Dr. Faustus play that deals with ideas of sin and redemption. Faustus commits six sins against the Holy Ghost. Faustus is guilty, as he is envious of a brother’s spiritual good and resistance to the known truth. Philosophers agree that man sins against the Holy Ghost are to choose evil over good. Thus, Aquinas says that rejection should prevent a man from choosing evil and acknowledge God’s gift to withdraw man from sin. Some of Faustus’ sins did not happen once, but were repeated sins. The sin against the Holy Ghost has two important consequences and they are to make Faustus damnation unambiguous and helps to clarify the sense in which Faustus’ fall is tragic. Faustus withstands the words of Bad Angel and it becomes clear that Faustus is going beyond despair to impenitence. Kaula, David. “Time and the Timeless in Everyman and Dr. Faustus”. College English 22.1 (1960): 9–14. This article compares the two morality plays and the time represented in each play. In Everyman play, moral time replaces astronomical time with human freedom, which also means that humans can control their destinies in any way they want. Both plays have their main themes as the eschatological predicament confronting each and every...
Words: 942 - Pages: 4
...Showing Your Skills A lot of people don’t realize that there are intelligent people out there waiting to be found, waiting for their time to shine. Because everyone is intellectual in their own way whether or not they attend college. You would think that with the title of a degree would come with massive amounts of knowledge in a certain subject. But in reality college isn’t always the best way to show your strengths. Some of the most intellectual people you will meet will neither be a college graduate with a fancy job and lots of money, or a person who works at the local grocery store who has the memory of your home computer someone who can remember anything you tell them. People like that are just waiting for their time to show their skills. Someone who knows firsthand on the subject of blue class workers is Mike Rose who wrote the essay “Blue Collar Brilliance” where Rose challenges the view that intelligence can be measured by the amount of schooling a person has completed. He suggests that blue-collar and service jobs require more intelligence than meets the eye. He describes his experiences growing up; observing his mother as a waitress in coffee shops and family restaurants, Rose also talks about the language that the employees had. Rose states “Lingo conferred authority and singled know-how.”(244) He depicts his mother as a dynamic women who lived her job and put her heart and soul into being a waitress. He described the way she became a pro at deciphering...
Words: 1078 - Pages: 5
...Jean-Jacques Rousseau, “The Social Contract” (1762) Jean-Jacques Rousseau, a leading intellectual during the French Enlightenment period, published his seminal work, “Du contract social ou principes du troit politique” in Holland in 1762. This is translated as “Of the social contract or principles of political right” and as the name suggests, is a political treatise outlining the principles that Rousseau felt would reform political society. The Age of Enlightenment existed in seventeenth century Europe, and was essentially a cultural movement of intellectuals who wanted to challenge set ideas or advance knowledge. Rousseau, Voltaire, and Diderot, among others, were known as ‘philosophes’ and their goal was to bring attention to societies’ ills. However, Rousseau has been found to be an unusual man with many contradictions in his writing. He was a man who was a champion of individual freedom yet his “social contract” proposed a collectivist state. This essay will discuss the author and the historical background behind the “social contract”. Next, the document will be analysed as to its purpose and central ideas. Rousseau was born in Geneva in 1712 but came to live most of his life in France where he became acquainted with other fellow intellectuals. After winning a major essay prize, Rousseau then contributed to the crowning glory of the enlightenment, Diderot’s “Encyclopedie”. Love said in 2008, ‘Rousseau was the eighteenth century’s leading apostle of democracy’...
Words: 1098 - Pages: 5
...democratic meaning? Isn’t it strange that few render democracy as the bludgeoning of the people, by the people, for the people? On the other hand, for some, it is a government of all the people, by all the people, for all the people; a government after the principles of eternal justice, the unchanging law of God; the idea of freedom. Idea of democracy as rule of people traces its expression from Athens in ancient Greek. From a philosophical stand point doctrines of natural law evolved into the idea of natural rights, i.e., all people have certain rights, such as self-preservation, that cannot be taken from them. Then, why should majority rule minority? Tocqueville (1945) argues that the doctrine of the sovereignty of the people and the power of public opinion are corollaries to the...
Words: 2171 - Pages: 9
...According to several essays in the Longman Anthology of World Literature, there are differing views as to how humans originated. One essay stated that the heavens and the earth were first created. Then the creatures that fly, next were the creatures that live on the earth and those in the waters were then created. Then God said, “let us make a human in our image and likeness to hold sway over the fish and the fowl of the heavens and the cattle and the wild beast and all crawling things upon the earth.” He created a male and female and then he blessed them. He then said to them, “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. So the first couple was told to have children and fill the earth with offspring (Genesis, chap. 1). Other writing such as Jacob Carothers Intellectual Warfare perspective on the origin of human was more of a mythological stand, which dealt with more than one God Zeus and the Titians. For many years Scientist, archeologist searched for the origin of mankind, many years of research has gone into finding out the big mistery of where do and how was this earth created? Genesis, chapter two elaborates that the man was created first and since God did not want him to be alone, he created the woman and he used one of the man’s ribs to do so. Genesis, chapter four introduces the first child, Cain who unfortunately kills the second child, Abel. In Genesis chapter five we learn that the third child born is Seth. We learn also that the first man and his wife had...
Words: 634 - Pages: 3
...He instigates that studies serve us by giving us pleasure, by assisting us with self improvement and enhancing our capability in profession. He considers the evils of excess studying as over reading leads to laziness, vanity and precocity. Education extracts the best in us and experience further perfects it because experience teaches us the prudence to consider only the useful information and eliminate unnecessary details. After discussing the function of education, Bacon moves on to imbibe the right attitude towards acquisition of knowledge. Cunning people dislike reading as knowledge might teach them those lessons that might be inimical or contradictory to their self-interests and they are too rigid to change themselves. Destitute people admire education as possessing it is a goal for them. However, the right approach towards studies is to adopt and comply with it which can be possible only after careful observation and experience. Bacon advises to acquire knowledge neither to argue or attack nor to deliberately display it as jewellery, but to train the mind to be logical and sensible. He divides the books into three categories: those to be read in parts (like dictionary, law books), those to be read entirely out of necessity and those to be read with care, diligence and sincerity (holy books). Certain books are to be read out of necessity in order to support an argument or to solve a problem, but these books do not serve humanity at large. Otherwise a good book is like...
Words: 598 - Pages: 3
...be formed by a contract that laid basis for social order and individual happiness Power must remain with ruled Humans are natualy equal, free, and capable through reason of defining the common good Humans are born without pre-existing qualities, natural state one of perfect freedom People have, by their nature of humans, the right to life, liberty & property Believed if a ruler is oppressive, people have right & obligation to rebel. Served justification for “Glorious Revolution 1688” & revolutions in American and France toward the end of the 18th century Believed in the notion of government as product of social contract between ruler & ruled. Idea has become dominantly of modern western, Eastern European & Asian political life Jean-Jacques Rousseau Believed humans may be good by nature but corrupted by society & institution, "God makes all things good, man meddles with them & they become evil" Safeguard individual liberty from a contract among yourself, "man is born free & everywhere he is in chains" General will done can direct the state according to the object for which it was instituted that is the common good. Whoever refused to obey the general will should be contained to do so by whole society; that is all humans should be forced to be free As nature gives each man absolute power over all members the social contract give the body politic absolute power over all members also --- Might have contributed to newly developed theories of democracy ...
Words: 485 - Pages: 2
...Roger Logan Professor Garvin English 1010 Paper #3 Comic Book Boys Peter Middleton’s essay “Boys Will Be Men” begins with simple anecdotes about the relationships between boys and men of different ages. Middleton then changes his focus towards comic books, where his focus remains all the way through the rest of the paper. Circling back to his original thoughts, the focus on comic books leads to an analysis of comic books in regards to children and their development into men. In his conclusion to the essay, Middleton states, “Nevertheless, action comics for boys are certainly damaging because they offer false solutions to the difficulties of growing up which both sexes face” (Middleton 141). Often Middleton points out that the reason that little boys read such comic books is that their true role models, their fathers, are not home. So in their absence, the children latch onto the traits found inherent in the superheroes they read about. However, the newly found role models, and superheroes, do not represent that which should be portrayed to our children. Throughout many comic book series there seems to always be portrayed a sense of masculinity gone wrong or hypermasculinity. Along with others, though primarily in the comic series of both Batman and of Spiderman, this specific form of masculinity being shown to the children is expressed through a relationship between the superhero, and the law. In the end, comic books become what is essentially a display case for the extremes...
Words: 1390 - Pages: 6
...himself. Both present themes that are developed in the essay. The passage from Plotinus suggests the primacy of spirit and of human understanding over nature. Emerson's poem emphasizes the unity of all manifestations of nature, nature's symbolism, and the perpetual development of all of nature's forms toward the highest expression as embodied in man. Nature is divided into an introduction and eight chapters. In the Introduction, Emerson laments the current tendency to accept the knowledge and traditions of the past instead of experiencing God and nature directly, in the present. He asserts that all our questions about the order of the universe — about the relationships between God, man, and nature — may be answered by our experience of life and by the world around us. Each individual is a manifestation of creation and as such holds the key to unlocking the mysteries of the universe. Nature, too, is both an expression of the divine and a means of understanding it. The goal of science is to provide a theory of nature, but man has not yet attained a truth nbroad enough to comprehend all of nature's forms and phenomena. Emerson identifies nature and spirit as the components of the universe. He defines nature (the "NOT ME") as everything separate from the inner individual — nature, art, other men, our own bodies. In common usage, nature refers to the material world unchanged by man. Art is nature in combination with the will of man. Emerson explains that he will use the word "nature"...
Words: 3638 - Pages: 15
...constitute the minority. Moreover, these "gender feminists," or "militant feminists," as many call them, although they receive the most public attention because of their aggressive tactics and high visibility, alienate people in broadcasting their views. Their goal, to create a "sentimental priesthood" that will achieve collective power and retribution as oppressed "victims" of a white-male supremacy, seems unreasonable (Himmelfarb 20). In contrast, "equity feminists," or "academic feminists," embrace the basic principles of feminism. They celebrate women's achievements, work for the individual rights of all women, and, as Christina Hoff Sommers aptly says, "want for women what they want for everyone, equal protection under the law" (Himmelfarb 20). Though not all feminists agree on how to reach this goal, most argue for a reasonable, realistic, and positive method. By contrasting the differing feminist ideas of writers like Adrienne Rich, Gertrude Himmelfarb, and Camille Paglia, one defines a winning brand of feminism: a philosophy founded on equity feminist ideology and dedicated to the achievement of social, political, economic, and intellectual reform. David Thomas and Camille Paglia, two contemporary cultural critics concerned with gender issues, share...
Words: 1949 - Pages: 8
...Lindsay Williams Literary Histories The Victorian novel Comparison of critical sources. Ann Bronte the Tenant of Wildfell Hall APR0055-1516 Tutor: Merrick Burrows 27.11.2015 This essay seeks to discuss, compare and contrast two preferred sources that carried out a critique of Ann Bronte’s, the tenant of wildfell hall. In order to compile a factually based discussion, a key area needed to be focused on, namely, how social changes affected the gender roles in the early 18th century (1832-48). Furthermore detailing how the change challenged traditions and ideologies of the then rather prominent English common law, and the normative principle’s that surrounded motherhood. The Critical sources that bear the utmost relevance to the challenging social content that the tenant demonstrated are Monica Hope Lee’s essay a mother outlaw vindicated: social critique in Ann Bronte’s the tenant of wildfell hall. Nineteenth century gender studies. (4.3), 1-12. And chapter 2 from, Macdonald, T (2015) the new man, masculinity and marriage in the Victorian novel. London: Routledge. Both critics, attempt to dichotomise the tenant of wildfell hall in order to get representative discourse that outlines the social changes in question, moreover they seek to disclose how Bronte summarises her own personal perception of gender ideals in the regency culture, and how she displays openness and vision, as opposed to becoming a shrinking wall flower hidden in the shadows of sporadic sunlight...
Words: 2334 - Pages: 10
...Andreas Balasis 4/25/15 Mark Zeigler Persuasive Essay 1 “According to news reporters, every year it’s getting warmer, these violent weather patterns, some say it’s just nature’s karma.” These lyrics from Tallahassee’s own, Dead Prez, go to show the immutable fact that “global warming” is applicable terminology for our current state of existence. I believe it is beyond our intellectual capacity to examine whether or not the weather is changing, because any rational person could do the research and understand that it is quite apparent. If Dead Prez isn’t credible enough, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, “Scientific evidence for warming of the climate system is unequivocal”. The only thing I can conceivable try to persuade people of, is that we are living within system a being ran by incomprehensibly short sighted and perceivably destructive people. This essay will examine the idiocracy of Republican leaders in Florida, the economic manipulation behind environmental destruction, and simple solutions to a simple problem. “I’m not scientist, man”. These are the words of Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) He is also quoted saying, “I do not believe that human activity is causing the dramatic changes to our climate the way scientists are portraying it”. I think that’s pretty hysterical, given the fact that this man, who is not a scientist, was appointed a chair on the Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard. Any study of the...
Words: 1257 - Pages: 6
...© Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust 1997 Published by Sri Aurobindo Ashram Publication Department Printed at Sri Aurobindo Ashram Press, Pondicherry PRINTED IN INDIA VOLUME 19 THE COMPLETE WORKS OF SRI AUROBINDO Publisher’s Note The first series of Essays on the Gita appeared in the monthly review Arya between August 1916 and July 1918. It was revised by Sri Aurobindo and published as a book in 1922. The second series appeared in the Arya between August 1918 and July 1920. In 1928 Sri Aurobindo brought out an extensively revised edition in book form. For the present edition, the text has been thoroughly checked against all previous editions and against the manuscripts of the revised Arya. CONTENTS FIRST SERIES I Our Demand and Need from the Gita II 3 12 20 29 39 47 57 68 81 94 105 114 124 The Divine Teacher III The Human Disciple IV The Core of the Teaching V Kurukshetra VI Man and the Battle of Life VII The Creed of the Aryan Fighter VIII Sankhya and Yoga IX Sankhya, Yoga and Vedanta X The Yoga of the Intelligent Will XI Works and Sacrifice XII The Significance of Sacrifice XIII The Lord of the Sacrifice CONTENTS XIV The Principle of Divine Works XV 134 145 158 168 177 188 200 212 224 234 247 The Possibility and Purpose of Avatarhood XVI The Process of Avatarhood XVII The Divine Birth and Divine Works XVIII The Divine Worker XIX Equality XX Equality and Knowledge XXI The Determinism of Nature XXII Beyond the Modes of Nature XXIII Nirvana and Works in the...
Words: 230457 - Pages: 922
