Post by iann on Jun 28, 2015 5:44:17 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.
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.
"Right then, another professor chimed in and said, “Oh, Dave, that guy who just verbally assaulted you is a fundamentalist Christian and he thinks your publication contradicts the Bible and insults his religion.” A few other colleagues also confirmed the same and it became clearer to me why he would be upset by Churchland’s advocacy of eliminative materialism".
Quotes obtained from Page 9 and 10 of The Great Mystery
Extra Credit
Jun 27, 2015 2:19:53 GMT -7 julia said:
1. Why was Socrates sentenced to death?
Socrates was sentenced to death because " one he did not believe in the gods recognized by the State, the other that he had corrupted the Athenian youth by his teachings". The reasoning behind his dead can be understood by analyzing the charges against him. In society, individuals are (usually) socially accepted if they understand and agree with the ideas of the public. The behavior of individuals are judged appropriate or inappropriate depending on the public's prior understanding of social norms. A behavior or idea that is socially accepted generally means that it is "normal". However, determining what is socially accepted comes from a complicated process. How do humans judge whether what is right or wrong? Laws are created to protect the people, but how do the lawmakers know whether the socially accepted ideas are moral or immoral? Socrates was sentenced to death because he "did not believe in the gods recognized by the State", or in other words, Socrates had ideas that were different from what society believed. When analyzing this information, it can be suggested that the public sentenced Socrates to death because he was different; instead of following the beliefs of the majority, he tried to increase his understanding of the world by creating new ideas of his own. Thus, the public may have felt threatened by Socrates. Most individuals feel comfortable when they think that they have an understanding about a topic.Having an understanding of the world brings comfort and a sense of familiarity. Thus, when an individual questions the morality of a socially accepted idea, the general public feels a bit threatened and becomes defensive. By believing in a god that was not recognized by the State, Socrates proved that he had a different attitude than the general public. Sharing opposing beliefs also proved that Socrates did not surrender to the pressure of conformity, rather he had an independent mindset.
When examining something as great as life itself, it can be overwhelming and frightening. Common ideas are generally accepted so that individuals feel a safe in their existence. Socrates had "corrupted the Athenian youth" by sharing his different ideas. By sharing his new ideas, he suggested to the youth that it is acceptable to hold contrasting views from the public. Socrates can be viewed as more enlightened or wiser because did not pretend to believe what the public believed. Socrates was shamed because he questioned the knowledge of the public. Socrates encouraged the people to have their own understanding of the world. Perhaps while doing so, the public started to form hostility towards him. Forming an own opinion is far more complicated than believing in a commonly accepted idea. Having a personal understanding of a concept forces the individual to question what is right and what is wrong. Thus, there is a space of uncertainty that lies beneath the surface. Socrates encouraged his listeners to question ideas, and while doing so he may have proved to them that they are not as knowledgeable as they initially thought. He was believed to have "corrupted the Athenian youth" because he encouraged them to ask questions rather than just accepting what is told to them. He taught them to think and understand concepts before accepting ideas. Socrates was sentenced to death because he threatened the ideas in a stable society.
Quote Source: Page 2, How Socrates Died
1. Why was Socrates sentenced to death?
Socrates was sentenced to death because " one he did not believe in the gods recognized by the State, the other that he had corrupted the Athenian youth by his teachings". The reasoning behind his dead can be understood by analyzing the charges against him. In society, individuals are (usually) socially accepted if they understand and agree with the ideas of the public. The behavior of individuals are judged appropriate or inappropriate depending on the public's prior understanding of social norms. A behavior or idea that is socially accepted generally means that it is "normal". However, determining what is socially accepted comes from a complicated process. How do humans judge whether what is right or wrong? Laws are created to protect the people, but how do the lawmakers know whether the socially accepted ideas are moral or immoral? Socrates was sentenced to death because he "did not believe in the gods recognized by the State", or in other words, Socrates had ideas that were different from what society believed. When analyzing this information, it can be suggested that the public sentenced Socrates to death because he was different; instead of following the beliefs of the majority, he tried to increase his understanding of the world by creating new ideas of his own. Thus, the public may have felt threatened by Socrates. Most individuals feel comfortable when they think that they have an understanding about a topic.Having an understanding of the world brings comfort and a sense of familiarity. Thus, when an individual questions the morality of a socially accepted idea, the general public feels a bit threatened and becomes defensive. By believing in a god that was not recognized by the State, Socrates proved that he had a different attitude than the general public. Sharing opposing beliefs also proved that Socrates did not surrender to the pressure of conformity, rather he had an independent mindset.
When examining something as great as life itself, it can be overwhelming and frightening. Common ideas are generally accepted so that individuals feel a safe in their existence. Socrates had "corrupted the Athenian youth" by sharing his different ideas. By sharing his new ideas, he suggested to the youth that it is acceptable to hold contrasting views from the public. Socrates can be viewed as more enlightened or wiser because did not pretend to believe what the public believed. Socrates was shamed because he questioned the knowledge of the public. Socrates encouraged the people to have their own understanding of the world. Perhaps while doing so, the public started to form hostility towards him. Forming an own opinion is far more complicated than believing in a commonly accepted idea. Having a personal understanding of a concept forces the individual to question what is right and what is wrong. Thus, there is a space of uncertainty that lies beneath the surface. Socrates encouraged his listeners to question ideas, and while doing so he may have proved to them that they are not as knowledgeable as they initially thought. He was believed to have "corrupted the Athenian youth" because he encouraged them to ask questions rather than just accepting what is told to them. He taught them to think and understand concepts before accepting ideas. Socrates was sentenced to death because he threatened the ideas in a stable society.
Quote Source: Page 2, How Socrates Died
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.
