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Post by Gaijinda Fonseka on Jun 27, 2015 13:23:50 GMT
Week 1 Question 2:
The conflict between science and religion can be taken to be a result of the different interpretations of the question of matter vs. spirit and the mechanics behind each interpretation. Scientists believe that we are made of 'matter' while religion would classify as the human being as made of 'light'. The single core idea correlating to both of these view points is the the phenomena present in quantum mechanics like Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle. Science prefers to observe, analyze and deduct the (possibly) correct explanation for phenomena. Religion on the other hand prefers to attribute the unexplained mysteries of the universe to a higher force or consciousness. Science cannot disapprove religion as it does not have an explanation either but religion likewise cannot deny the facts that are presented and proved by science. In other words, the conflict between science and religion can be said to a different viewpoints on worth of humans (difference between a body of 'light' and a few pounds of 'meat') and the nature of matter.
Week 1 Question 1:
To sum up the reason why Socrates died in a few words, it can be said that he died because he was scientific philosopher in a time where religion dominated society. The charges brought against Socrates in court were 1. That he corrupted the youth and 2. That he did not believe in the Athenian gods and created new ones. The 'corruption' was a result of Socrates sharing his thoughts with the younger generation and the the second charge is a result of Socrates's examination of the gods in question. For example in the Socratic Dialogue, Socrates converses with Euthyphro on subjects like holiness, piety and justice as related to the gods where it is shown that Socrates prefers to break things down and not take them at face value like, presumably, most of the society of that time. In the end, Socrates died by his views but was able to impart much of them to his students in which case, the first charge, that of 'corruption' was actually being carried out even after the trial!
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Post by misarea on Jun 27, 2015 22:24:43 GMT
Week 1 Essay Questions: Why was Socrates sentenced to death? 2. Why is there a conflict (for some) between science and religion? The main charges against Socrates was that he "corrupted the youth," did not believe in God, and created new gods. In a society built on order, these charges were deemed highly offensive and serious. Socrates' defense speech attempts to support his actions versus apologize to the court and people. He likens himself to the gadfly, having tried to "wake up" the people of Athens from their mundane and robotic actions of simply accepting societal law and order versus questioning ideology and thinking for themselves. He is narrowly sentenced to death, a death he chooses of drinking poison. The death of Socrates calls into question the conflict between science and religion. Why do both seem to clash so consistently? Why was Socrates' charges seen as repulsive and horrendous enough to end his life? The answer comes down to matter, everything and anything around us that takes up space. Yet, in short, we do not fully understand the essence of matter or how it came to be. As written in The Great Mystery "The limits of our skull are the limits of our understanding." (Lane 12). This is why religion has such a powerful influence. It provides an answer, the answer of mystery, that seems to soothe one's mental dilemma of life and its purpose. Yet, what science does is call into question some of these "mysteries" and attempts to provide a materialistic solution. Similar to the plight of Socrates, those who seek religion do so to provide meaning and order in life. Having any scientific reasoning threatens this sense of order and causes one to take on a more questionable approach to life. I agree with sabinalee and her response as to why science and religion clash. Mystery is the "culprit." For those who seek religion, mystery threatens their "sense of order," as she wrote. Once another possibility comes into play, a type of anarchist situation occurrs, causing one to believe that what they have come to understand may be false. Has everything else that led up to this point been false as well? Without mystery, one is safe and content. |
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Post by vanessamagdaleno on Jun 27, 2015 22:50:19 GMT
Question 1:
Socrates is sentenced to death based on two charges. The first charge was on the account of his beliefs. Socrates’ beliefs were said to be different from those of the state. The person who accused him, Meletus, believes that Socrates went as far as to completely deny the old Gods and to completely create his own. (How Socrates Died, 6) Socrates was from a time when people could be prosecuted for their beliefs. “He did not believe in the Gods recognized by the state.” (How Socrates Died, 2) This gave enough basis for Meletus to believe Socrates’ beliefs were corrupted. Meletus recognized that Socrates shared his debauched knowledge with others, in particular with youthful friends. This gave way to the second charge, which stated “he corrupted the Athenian youth with his teachings.” (How Socrates Died, 2) Socrates defended his own trial but the state did not agree. The charges against him and his losing of the trial are what lead to his death.
Question 2:
After reading The Great Mystery: Matter vs. Spirit, I understood that the main conflict between science and religion is our own understanding of the words. We have outdated definitions about them and have thus far come to believe that they are complete opposites. Those with spiritual roots believe and really feel that there is a transcendent aspect to themselves and to be reduced to pure matter is insulting and isolating. However, if we see what matter really is we see how truly liberating and majestic it would for our consciousness to be truly matter. Science doesn’t support spiritualism because of its lack of empirical evidence and its inability for falsifiability. However, experiencing a state of higher consciousness is something not all can feel so it would not make sense for certain people to study something they have never felt themselves.
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Post by Valerie on Jun 28, 2015 0:42:54 GMT
1. Why was Socrates sentenced to death?
Socrates was put on trial and sentenced to death, being accused of (1) not believing in the God’s recognized by the State, and (2) that he had corrupted the Athenian youth by his teachings. Representing himself, he did not deny or confess to the charges, he merely provided a statement. For the first charge, he stated that he “conformed to the religious customs of his country, and that he believes in God more than he fears man.” Regarding the second charge, he stated that the charge was absurd, that if he had done so it was unintentional and could not be held liable to punishment. The Judges condemned him to die by drinking a poisonous hemlock. At the time of his death, Socrates stated that it was “his belief that in going to his death he was only passing to a better and a happier life.”
2. Why is there conflict (for some) between science and religion?
The conflict between science and religion stems from a confusion over the meaning of matter and what the person’s perception of that is. There are some who believe that reality is what they can see (science) and there are some who believe that there is something else, something more (religion) The advancement of science and technology has given people confidence in something that is testable and more concrete but religious teachings allow them to also believe in a God, afterlife and a higher power.
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Post by nicole on Jun 28, 2015 0:54:52 GMT
Why was Socrates sentenced to death?
Socrates had “two charges…against [him]—one that he did not believe in the gods recognized by the State, the other that he had corrupted the Athenian youth by his teachings” (Pg. 2). He preferred “to stand upon his own integrity and innocence, uninfluenced by the fear of the imaginary evil, death” (pg. 2). In response to the charges against him, “he neither denied nor confessed the first accusation, but shows that in several instances he conformed to the religious customs of his country, and that he believes in God more than he fears man” (pg. 2). Although he may not have believed in the same gods the State did, he still expressed his belief in a type of God. “The second charge he meets by a cross-examination of his accuser, Melitus” saying to corrupt the youth designedly would be absurd, and to corrupt undesignedly would not be liable by punishment (Pg. 2). By the end of it, Socrates “is condemned by the judges to die by drinking the poisonous hemlock” and in doing so, Socrates expressed “his believe that in going to his death he is only passing to a better and happier life” (pg. 2).
Why is there a conflict (for some) between science and religion?
The primary conflict between science and religion is because of the “linguistic confusion over what the term ‘matter’ means and what it ultimately implies” (pg. 1). In terms of religion, the “matter” a human being is made of would make individuals feel “exhilarated and boundless and happy” because of the use of the words “light” and “energy” (pg. 2). If individuals were told in terms of science, they would be “just material and just the body…just a bundle of neurons” and would feel a “sense of deflation, a depression, a grayness or flatness, as if the air had been sucked out of a balloon” (pg. 3). Science and religion may have a conflict because of the different way each views certain objects and events. Science views things in more detail and to the point of exactly what it is. Religion on the other hand looks more into what and object or event is and looks beyond what is observed. It is common to “think that matter and spirit are opposites and that focusing on one discounts the other and vice versa” (pg. 3).
What is matter? (Flash extra credit)
Matter is a word that has “been derived from the word mother” (pg. 4, What’s the Matter?). Each object is made of “millions of cells, which in themselves are made of even smaller bits called molecules” (pg. 4, What’s the matter?). Everything is made of atoms just reconfigured in different ways. The same atoms that make a boat will make a building if rearranged in a different way. “Every physical composition on planet earth is essentially the reconfiguration of atoms” (pg. 4, What’s the Matter?). In the beginning, atoms were believed to be indivisible, but with more study, it has been found that atoms can be divided into three different parts. Each atom is divisible into electrons, neutrons, and protons, where each part has a different weight and charge. The electron has a negative charge and is the lightest of the three, neutrons have a neutral charge with a mass of around one, and protons have a positive charge also with a mass around one.
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Post by nicole on Jun 28, 2015 1:04:32 GMT
1. Why was Socrates sentenced to death? Socrates was put on trial and sentenced to death, being accused of (1) not believing in the God’s recognized by the State, and (2) that he had corrupted the Athenian youth by his teachings. Representing himself, he did not deny or confess to the charges, he merely provided a statement. For the first charge, he stated that he “conformed to the religious customs of his country, and that he believes in God more than he fears man.” Regarding the second charge, he stated that the charge was absurd, that if he had done so it was unintentional and could not be held liable to punishment. The Judges condemned him to die by drinking a poisonous hemlock. At the time of his death, Socrates stated that it was “his belief that in going to his death he was only passing to a better and a happier life.” 2. Why is there conflict (for some) between science and religion? The conflict between science and religion stems from a confusion over the meaning of matter and what the person’s perception of that is. There are some who believe that reality is what they can see (science) and there are some who believe that there is something else, something more (religion) The advancement of science and technology has given people confidence in something that is testable and more concrete but religious teachings allow them to also believe in a God, afterlife and a higher power. 1) Socrates neither admitted to or denied the charges against him. I agree with what she said about his corruption of the youth as unintentional which would not be able to have him held liable to punishment. In going to death, Socrates believed that he would be going to a happier life. 2) I agree with what Valerie states about how some believe that reality is what they can see which is science, and those who believe there is something more is religion. Also that with the more advancement there is in science and technology there is a higher ability to allow the people to test and study more and have a more concrete understanding of things. On the other hand, there is a higher understanding of God and the afterlife through religious teachings. |
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Post by Valerie on Jun 28, 2015 1:57:42 GMT
Extra Credit:
What is Matter?
Matter is derived from the Latin word meaning “mother”. Matter is a substance that occupies physical space (air, water, anything you touch or see) and consists of various particles that form atoms, each with its own size and mass: electrons, protons and neutrons. Everything in the world is made up of matter. Matter is broken down into three states of matter: solids, liquids, and gas. Water is the only matter on earth that can be found naturally in all three states. Each can have a physical or chemical change, where it changes from one state to another. This process is also known as a phase change. An example of a phase change would be an freezing an ice cube and then melting it again.
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iann
New Member
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Post by iann on Jun 28, 2015 5:49:18 GMT
Week One
Question 1. Why was Socrates sentenced to death?
Socrates was sentenced to death because of two reasons given by his persecutors. The first reason being that Socrates "did not believe in the gods recognized by the State". Being the way he is, Socrates prefers to teach other people with his own way, integrity, innocence, as well as method. Though he was threatened by the State, Socrates remained "uninfluenced by the fear of imaginary evil, death". He only believes in teaching the people what he thinks and what he follows, but does not care for the harmful consequences that his actions may cause for himself. "He neither denies nor confesses the first accusation, but shows that in several instances he conformed to the religious customs of his country, and that he believes in God more than he fears man". It is shown that Socrates himself isn't much of a problem for the State, the reason being that he does conform to the religious customs of his country and that he believes in God like his people. The second reason for Socrates' death is because "he had corrupted the Athenian youth by his teachings". Although he conformed to the belief of religious customs to God, he did not, however, conform to the ordinary methods that other orators used. His second accusation was charged by Melitus because he supposedly corrupted the young Athenian people. His appeal for "defence, however, avails him nothing, and he is condemned by the judges to die by drinking the poisonous hemlock".
Quotes obtained from Page 2 of How Socrates Died
2. Why is there a conflict (for some) between science and religion? Be sure to support your answers with references to the required readings and films.
There is a conflict between science and religion because the argument "stems from a linguistic confusion over what the term "matter" means and what it ultimately implies". The reason that there is conflict between these two topics is because that science is almost purely factual and religion is believed and may or may not be true. The truth is that facts are often misinterpreted and confused with opinions of others. The conflict between science and religion is the result of that confusion.
Another reason for this conflict is because people in the religion side have a strong emotional bias toward protecting and reinforcing their opinions along with the sayings of the Bible.
Quotes obtained from Page 9 and 10 of The Great Mystery
Extra Credit
I agree that Socrates was sentenced to death entirely because his society of people felt that he was different than everyone else, and that he is not socially acceptable by their standards. The only way to rid of him, according to them, would be to charge him for inconformity to society. By developing his own method of teaching, people found ways in which they could exploit him and find a reason to get him the death penalty.
Flash Extra Credit
Matter , by definition, is a "subject of thought, speech, or expression". This word originates from the word "mother". This reasoning may be because of the reason that matter has always existed since the dawn of time and that everything contains matter. In his published book, Shadows Of The Mind, Roger Penrose uses fine quality paper used from trees' "pulp". On first observation, a tree sprouts from a seed and gradually matures while growing stems, bark, leaves, and other necessities. On further research, a tree is made up of millions of cells that are made up of even smaller microorganisms called molecules. These molecules are not the end of it; they are made up of billions of atoms. Matter is the physical manifestation of the build up of multiple layers of billions of indivisible particles known as atoms.
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Post by kirvin on Jun 28, 2015 7:32:50 GMT
WEEK ONE: The Great Mystery and How Socrates Died
1. Why was Socrates sentenced to death?
Socrates is a historical philosopher, in which during the B.C era he had a significant impact on philosophy. In 399 B.C., Socrates was accused of two charges that ultimately lead to his death. One charge against Socrates was that he did not believe in the gods recognized by the state. In a highly unorthodox way Socrates discussed his thoughts and beliefs with the people of the Athenian City. Socrates influence was so powerful and as he gained followers of his teachings, he also drew the attention of being some crazed lunatic terrorizing the city with unfavored beliefs. Most notable about Socrates is that he would always question the truth. For example, while conversing with Euthyphro, Socrates asked what is impious and pious. This question proved to be difficult as the answer lies in what the gods believe to be impious or pious. Do all the gods agree on what is impious and pious? This is one of the many instances that brought hate to Socrates. The Athenian City found Socrates teachings and beliefs to be socially unacceptable, and that Socrates was a danger to the community. In conclusion, Socrates was sentenced to death for corrupting minds and not living up to community standards. However, he handled his sentence with great humility and humbleness.
2. Why is there a conflict (for some) between science and religion?
For some, there is a conflict between science and religion mainly because science contradicts religion. Religion believes that many of the worlds mysteries are contributed to some higher intellectual or force, and this goes without question. Science seeks to question the causes for all the naturals and mysteries of the world. Science in some cases go against religion. For instance, science is supported by facts, observation, research, and experiments. Science aims to find what is true and what is false with the use of data. Religion relies on faith and belief that go unquestioned. Arguably religion makes claims that can never be shown to be false. Science tactically makes claims that can be shown as false. In conclusion, religion is unable to avoid the facts and truths supported by science. This is why there is conflict for some between science and religion. Science and religion have completely different points of views that that some may say go against each other.
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Post by desmendoza on Jun 28, 2015 8:52:33 GMT
Week 1:
1. WHY WAS SOCRATES SENTENCED TO DEATH?
Socrates was condemned to death for what others believed as, 'corrupting the youth'; he discussed many philosophical ideas that caused discomfort to the state and society. Socrates views was blasphemy to the common people. The people were not by Coupon Companion Plugin" class="kdffmkgeds" href="#87606167"> open minded and viewed Socrates as a threat. The fact one is challenging authority and thinking differently in society is a problem, especially back then. Socrates mind was complex and due to his philosophical questions and ideas he was sentenced to a forced suicide, "he is condemned by the judges to die by drinking the poisonous hemlock”(2), (a poison). At the time of Socrates death the higher authority and people believed condemning Socrates was justice since apparently he was dangerous not only to society but to the government. Socrates knew the ignorance of everyone around him. He was given a chance to appeal and defend why he should not be condemned to death and instead of giving an answer that could save his life and give the judges what they wanted to hear, he stuck with what he believed in. Ultimately in the end of his day Socrates was not afraid to die, he knew as a philosopher he couldn't fear death or have any reason to fear it. He embraced it and was calm till the end
2. WHY IS THERE A CONFLICT (FOR SOME) BETWEEN SCIENCE AND RELIGION?
Looking at this conflict in a deeper way, I come to the conclusion that it is only because of how close minded we can be sometimes, how blurred our rational thinking is, when by Coupon Companion Plugin" class="kdffmkgeds" href="#27394720"> clouded by emotions. If people with any kind of religious belief weak or strong would understand that science is expanding and understanding the knowledge of our very existence, Religion is based on Faith, and Science is based on fact that are ultimately unknown speculations of what could be. Conflicts between Religion and Science would be resolved if people would open up to the idea that the human being is created with an insatiable desire to ultimately come to the illumination or understanding the true meaning of all. Religion and science need to understand, "matter"; they need to have a better, richer understanding of what matter really is. Science shouldn't have to literally define what matter is and religion shouldn't have to classify matter as some spiritual being connecting to a higher power. The two religion and science need to come to an understanding and take it as is. Once these two subjects come to grasp the uncertainty and take it as is, then they can resolve their thought by Coupon Companion Plugin" class="kdffmkgeds" href="#76155121"> process and be able to connect on the same page with what, "matter" really is.
EXTRA by Coupon Companion Plugin" class="kdffmkgeds" href="#3788964"> CREDIT
I by Coupon Companion Plugin" class="kdffmkgeds" href="#55943344"> agree with aperez119 on the answer provided, "our evolution has bounded what we can and cannot know about the world around us. Because of this our brains are not well adapted to understand either the very large or very small ( p.10). Since science and religion are so massive a field to try and understand, we as humans will never fully comprehend these subjects which will lead to confusion and misunderstands, in turn conflict" (aperez119).
Our minds and thought process can only comprehend so much due to the fact we still haven't received all the information there is to know. Every day we learn something new, there is never a limit. To this very moment more and more information is received and although we gain more knowledge throughout the years we will never learn every possible thing there is. To get to the very root of when, where, why and how we all came to be would not even be possible, it could be just too much which goes back to the answer provided by aperez119.
FLASH EXTRA CREDIT:
Matter is composed of molecules and atoms, it is everything around us. When reconfigured differently it makes up the different things around us, such as: a table, books, plants, etc. 'Matter is a mystery', (literally), not much is known but is constantly doing something at every given moment. |
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Post by Adam Elashi on Jun 28, 2015 20:55:11 GMT
1. Why was Socrates sentenced to death?
Socrates arguably the greatest philosophical thinker that has ever lived on this earth, leaving mankind dumbfounded by his teachings. At the old age of 70 years old when he was taken to trial. He was taken to trial on two major charges “he did not believe in the gods recognized by the state, the other he had corrupted the Athenian youth by his teachings.” Lane Page (2) What socrtes did to defend himself was stunning to me he neither denies or confesses the first accusation, but shows that in several instances he conformed to the religious customs of his country. He is able to speak his mind because he is uninfluenced by the fear of that imaginary evil, death. Socrates defends himself in the second charge by having a cross examination with one of his accusers a man by the name of Milieus he reduces to the dilemma of charging him with corrupting the youth making him not liable for the punishment. In Socrates's closing argument he says death is going to take him to a better happier place, people believed in the underworld and thought death was horrific but Socrates put a spin on that. Socrates’ was sentenced to drinking the poisonous hemlock, even when he was about to die he was still the cheerful person he was letting us know he was genuine in what he was preaching. “Criteo thereupon asks if he has any commands go give, Socrates answers with his usual cheerfulness “just as you please, if only you can catch me”.” Lane (Page 79)
2. Why is there a conflict (for some) between science and religion?
Religion has always been a mean for people to have answers to questions they never knew, creation stories gave a way for people to understand and not seem lost of how their world was created. Religion also gives hope for mankind for it preaches the idea of a an after life where people will be judged accordingly for their actions, this creates a series checks and balances in one's life. Science on the other hand offers theories that are not proven and backed in the real world giving one a dilemma in believing it. I think many people who are afraid of people who believe in science because they think they will love this world and commit many grave sins. This type of thinking is wrong because people who believe in science want to do just good as other people. Many people people often say that religion has limitations, but in reality science has the same or even more. The video limits of science it goes in depth talking about the limitations science faces. “ Einstein's limitation of light is theory where people cannot see all types of light.” (limitations of science) Another interesting point made in the book Matter Vs Spirit is that god cannot be explained by science rather is supernatural in beyond nature. “The only way to do this for theists is to posit that God is outside
of time and space; that is, God is beyond nature—super nature, or supernatural—and therefore cannot be explained by natural causes.” Lane (Page 32) “The limits of our skull are the limits of our understanding” ( limits of science) this quote can be useful because shows that sometimes our minds are incapable of thinking that there is higher deity.
Extra Credit
Question 2: vanessamagdaleno
After reading The Great Mystery: Matter vs. Spirit, I understood that the main conflict between science and religion is our own understanding of the words. We have outdated definitions about them and have thus far come to believe that they are complete opposites. Those with spiritual roots believe and really feel that there is a transcendent aspect to themselves and to be reduced to pure matter is insulting and isolating. However, if we see what matter really is we see how truly liberating and majestic it would for our consciousness to be truly matter. Science doesn’t support spiritualism because of its lack of empirical evidence and its inability for falsifiability. However, experiencing a state of higher consciousness is something not all can feel so it would not make sense for certain people to study something they have never felt themselves.
I agree with Vanessa is our understanding of the words, and this can be seen in the real world where people can believe in science and believe in god at eh same time and theirs nothing wrong with that. Unfortunately I have to disagree with Vanessa's statements on how science lacks spiritualism for it tries to prove spirituality at every turn. Science uses proven fact and critical thinking to come to conclusions and spirituality can be seen in that way too.
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Post by kirvin on Jun 28, 2015 21:21:57 GMT
Flash Extra Credit-Week 1
What is matter?
According to the short film, matter is a mystery. However, the definition of matter is a "physical substance in general, as distinct from mind and spirit". Through philosophy, matter constitutes the substratum of all things, which endures through changes in form. For instance, the short film mentions that "all things are made of smaller things that jiggle", and all things of matter are made of atoms and molecules that vary in production. Atoms and molecules contribute to all things such as, a rock, a mountain, a horse, and even even a tree. The possibilities are endless. In conclusion, matter can be considered very complex and hard to understand, therefore matter is a mystery.
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Post by kirvin on Jun 28, 2015 21:41:53 GMT
Question 1: Socrates is sentenced to death based on two charges. The first charge was on the account of his beliefs. Socrates’ beliefs were said to be different from those of the state. The person who accused him, Meletus, believes that Socrates went as far as to completely deny the old Gods and to completely create his own. (How Socrates Died, 6) Socrates was from a time when people could be prosecuted for their beliefs. “He did not believe in the Gods recognized by the state.” (How Socrates Died, 2) This gave enough basis for Meletus to believe Socrates’ beliefs were corrupted. Meletus recognized that Socrates shared his debauched knowledge with others, in particular with youthful friends. This gave way to the second charge, which stated “he corrupted the Athenian youth with his teachings.” (How Socrates Died, 2) Socrates defended his own trial but the state did not agree. The charges against him and his losing of the trial are what lead to his death. Question 2: After reading The Great Mystery: Matter vs. Spirit, I understood that the main conflict between science and religion is our own understanding of the words. We have outdated definitions about them and have thus far come to believe that they are complete opposites. Those with spiritual roots believe and really feel that there is a transcendent aspect to themselves and to be reduced to pure matter is insulting and isolating. However, if we see what matter really is we see how truly liberating and majestic it would for our consciousness to be truly matter. Science doesn’t support spiritualism because of its lack of empirical evidence and its inability for falsifiability. However, experiencing a state of higher consciousness is something not all can feel so it would not make sense for certain people to study something they have never felt themselves. Week 1 I agree with Vennessa in that Socrates was sentenced to death on account of two charges. Indeed, Socrates was charged for denying the "Old Gods", and corrupting the Athenian youth with his teachings. It is said that Socrates gathered alot of attention for his teachings, in which lead to much controversy in the community. The act of denying "Old Gods" and creating his own Gods was highly frowned upon, and seen as a danger to the social/religious practice standards of the community. Sadly, his punishment was death. |
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Post by antonia on Jun 28, 2015 23:28:14 GMT
Week 1
Question #1: Socrates was one the most revered Greek philosopher of his time; teacher to Plato, whom would later go on to be to be known as “possessing an inexplicable but unquestioned supremacy” to philosophy (2). Though Socrates did enjoy the riches of being a great philosopher/teacher in life, it did not immune him from the eventual condemnation from his peer. Socrates was charged with corrupting the youth and denying the existence of the gods while at the same time inventing his own gods (6). Socrates was trialed for his supposed crimes where he proceeded to defend himself in his own trial by cross-examining his accuser Melitus and speaking to the Athenian people. Though giving a convincing case in his defense, the judges still proceeded to find Socrates guilty and he was condemned to death (52). Despite the death sentence Socrates showed no fear and in fact one can hypothesize Socrates was rather content with the sentence, “but this is clear to me, that now to die, and be freed from my cares is better for me (56).” Socrates was surrounded by his friends when he later died from the hemlock poison that had been pounded for him (82). Question #2: There always seems to be a divide between individuals that believe things are science-derived versus those that believe things are religion-derived. There is a mentality that a belief in one thing means the denial of the other, which is not necessarily true. There are limitations in exclusivity. For example, if one tries to explain occurrences on a purely scientific basis, there would still be major holes in those theories. Like emphasized in the clip The Limitation of Science, “we will be inevitably be stuck in our own neural constraints from the very beginning,” and as explained in The Great Mystery there will be that lingering “mystery that transcends our ability to grasp it (13)”. Just as science has its own limitation so does the sole religious approach. As the author of Matter vs. Spirit ponders, “…and aren’t mystics and spiritualists and religionists too prone to explain their numinous encounters with outdated modes of thinking? (28)” At the end of the day, conflict between science and religion comes down to the fundamental mentality of two opposing sectors, “if I am right, then you must be wrong.” It’s a tale as old time of fighting for supremacy. Extra Credit: 2. Why is there a conflict (for some) between science and religion? Religion has always been a mean for people to have answers to questions they never knew, creation stories gave a way for people to understand and not seem lost of how their world was created. Religion also gives hope for mankind for it preaches the idea of a an after life where people will be judged accordingly for their actions, this creates a series checks and balances in one's life. Science on the other hand offers theories that are not proven and backed in the real world giving one a dilemma in believing it. I think many people who are afraid of people who believe in science because they think they will love this world and commit many grave sins. This type of thinking is wrong because people who believe in science want to do just good as other people. Many people people often say that religion has limitations, but in reality science has the same or even more. The video limits of science it goes in depth talking about the limitations science faces. “ Einstein's limitation of light is theory where people cannot see all types of light.” (limitations of science) Another interesting point made in the book Matter Vs Spirit is that god cannot be explained by science rather is supernatural in beyond nature. “The only way to do this for theists is to posit that God is outside of time and space; that is, God is beyond nature—super nature, or supernatural—and therefore cannot be explained by natural causes.” Lane (Page 32) “The limits of our skull are the limits of our understanding” ( limits of science) this quote can be useful because shows that sometimes our minds are incapable of thinking that there is higher deity. Adam, interesting perspective that one belief (religion) bases their superiority on the idea that they feel they are “good” or better than those with a more scientific approach. It is something I did not ponder when reading the text, but now it makes sense to me. Since most religions are based on the premise of good vs. evil it’s understandable that religionists would view opposing factions in a negative light. The same can be said of scientists as well though not in a good vs. evil sense, but more in a sense of stagnant vs. evolving our society and the human race. Flash Extra Credit: Matter is a word derived from the word mother. Based on the video clip matter is something that is unknown, but is doing what we know. On a closer examination matter can be explained as being physical beings/things made of reconfigured atoms.
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Post by jessica1822 on Jun 28, 2015 23:37:15 GMT
Week 1:
1. Why was Socrates sentenced to death?
Socrates was a philosopher who had his own thoughts and chose not to conform to the beliefs of society and for that he paid the ultimate price. He was sentenced to death for two reasons. One being that he didn’t believe in the gods organized by the state and secondly because “he corrupted the Athenian youth”. His punishment was to drink poisonous hemlock which resulted in death. Although they claim he had corrupted the youth, he was merely trying to express his new way of thinking. He asked questions to find out about the knowledge that people knew or thought they knew and tried to encourage people to have their own understanding of things. Due to Socrates trying to convey his own thoughts and questions about the “what ifs, he was seen as a threat. Many people do not like change, because of the possibility of the unknown outcome. Socrates was creating that new wavelength for change in his new way of thinking and because of that society felt uncomfortable he was punished.
2. Why is there a conflict between Science and Religion?
There is a conflict between Science and Religion for some because of their views on them contradict one another. In the Great Mystery: Matter vs. Spirit, Religion is a belief that there is a higher power that causes certain occurrences and phenomena’s that are unexplainable. Where science is based on the belief that there is an answer to everything, and that everything is made up of matter. It was stated in the book, “If consciousness is not physically produced then science will not be able to explain it as such. Science will confront a border it cannot cross”. In this particular sentence I took from it, that science does not exist without spirit. Meaning that one being was created from spiritual aspects and science would not be relevant if that being hadn’t been created by the spirit itself. Although the belief of some is that they contradict one another I believe in some senses they coincide with one another.
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