...Exam 1 study guide Prothero (lectures for 8/23, 8/30, 9/6) • How is religion defined? How is Christianity defined? What are some dis/advantages with each of the definitions? • What is religious literacy (and what are its different forms – pp.14-19)? Why is religious literacy significant (chs. 1-2)? • What does Prothero mean by religious illiteracy? How does this manifest itself (give examples – either from the text or from the lecture notes)? • What does Prothero identify as reasons behind the current religious illiteracy? • What does Prothero offer as a solution for the religious illiteracy problem? How practical is his solution? (ch.5) • Concepts: creationism (pp.213-4). Popper, Lakatos, Hansson (lecture for 9/13) • What is the demarcation problem? • How does Popper answer the demarcation question? What does he mean by falsifiability? What problems are there with his answer? • How does Lakatos answer the demarcation question? What problems are there with his answer? What are the elements of a research programme? Why is this term significant for Lakatos? What is the difference between a progressive and a degenerating research programme? Give examples of each. • What is Hansson proposed answer to the demarcation problem? How is it different from Popper’s and Lakatos’ proposals? Carrier (lectures for 9/13, 9/20) • How does Carrier define scientific literacy? How does this differ from the definition...
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...movies are fiction and it would take a very intelligent human to create artificial life that could make its own decisions and function like a human. With the help of Hollywood, when we think of artificial intelligence, we tend to think of immense robots that walk, talk, appear human, and also make friends with people such as a human would do. We need to examine the meaning of the word artificial intelligence. All textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its chances of success. John McCarthy, who coined the term in 1956, defines it as "the science and engineering of making intelligent machines.” Reading these definitions brings a greater understanding as to what artificial intelligence is and the fact remains that it has been around a lot longer than we think. I remember my mother buying a vacuum in 2002 called the iRobot. It would roam around the house without a handle or a remote control and vacuum the carpet. The iRobot would know when to stop and turn and it would beep when it was full of dirt so you could empty it. If we look at what the definition of artificial intelligence is, then the iRobot falls into this category. There are many more inventions like this that fall under this category. In 2009 a humanoid robot named TOPIO Played table tennis, a robot named ASIMO used sensors and intelligent algorithms to walk...
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...Question 1. Do a Web search to figure out which of the following tasks can be successfully solved by today's AI systems. For each item, answer "yes," "no," or "it depends." Support your answers with relevant links and/or your reasoning. Play a decent game of ping-pong (table tennis). Safely navigate a car in the desert. Safely navigate a car down Franklin street. Buy a week's worth of groceries on the Web. Buy a week's worth of groceries at Harris Teeter. Discover and prove a new mathematical theorem. Play champion-level Go. Solve crossword puzzles better than most people. Translate spoken English into spoken Swedish in real time. Converse successfully with another person for an hour. Perform a complex surgical operation. Unload a dishwasher and put away all the dishes. Give competent legal advice in a specialized area of law. Read a musical score from a sheet of paper and play it back. Write a funny story. Question 3. Answer each of the following questions and briefly justify your answers: Are reflex actions (such as flinching from a hot stove) rational? Can a simple reflex agent be rational? Is it possible to behave rationally in an unobservable environment? What is the relationship between learning and rationality? Would evolution tend to result in systems that act rationally? What goals would such systems be designed to achieve? Are human beings rational agents (in the...
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...argument, which argues that the universe is being directed towards an end purpose due to the a posteriori (subject to experience) evidence of an intelligent designer, who is God. This is because it is perhaps arguably the most famous version, and the theory which modern-day theories for the Design argument are built upon. The first version of the Design argument came from Plato, a Greek philosopher, who developed it to address the universe's apparent order. Plato proposed in his book Timaeus that a “demiurge”, a divine being of supreme wisdom and intelligence, was the creator of the cosmos. In Roman times, this was built upon by Cicero, a Roman jurist, who put forward an early version of what Paley would use for his design argument. In his book On the Nature of Gods, he put forward an analogy of a sundial being designed to tell the time, and that this could be attributed to nature, so therefore like something must of made the sundial, something must of made nature, and this something is an artificer, or God. These key ideas were later developed in the Dominican priest St.Thomas Aquinas' Five ways in his work the Summa Theologica. Each of his ways were in essence proving the existence of God, but the 5th way in particular, which states that common sense tells us the universe acts in such a way so therefore we conclude an intelligent designer (God) created the world, is often the key idea for the Design argument, and the theme which Paley developed his argument from. Paley...
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...The Argument for Design Background • Also known as teleological argument from Greek ‘telos’ meaning ‘goal or purpose’ • A posteriori – the DA claims there is evidence of design in the world and so relies on external empirical evidence for its proof. • Inductive argument. • Arguments for design go back at least as far as the Greek philosopher Plato [428-347 B.C.] • Some distinguish between ‘qua regularity’ and ‘qua purpose’, meaning that some DA’s argue on the basis of there being regularity in the Universe whilst others claim there is evidence of the Universe being designed for a purpose. • Three main types of argument are: From order [regularity] From beauty Anthropic [purpose] William Paley [1743-1805] in Natural Theology: Evidences of The Existence and Attributes of the Deity [1805] • Makes use of analogy and likens the complexity of a watch to the complexity of the Universe. Since a watch is clearly designed, so is the Universe [qua regularity]. Also, the human eye is too complex to have arisen by chance so must be designed for some purpose [qua purpose] • Hume [1711-1776] in Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion and An Inquiry Concerning Human Understanding put forward a number of criticisms of the DA before Paley published his work: • Design and order could be the result of chance [the Epicurean hypothesis] • Hume believed the analogy on which the DA is based is unsound...
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...Read Case 9: Capital State Arena in the text (pg. 473-475). In a three- to four-page paper, excluding the title and reference pages, provide a brief summary of the case and main points, and address the following prompts, using qualitative and quantitative data where necessary to provide support. • You are the purchasing agent for CSU. Your manager has asked you to design evaluation criteria for purchase of the new lighting system. Develop a supplier selection and evaluation model for this purchasing decision. Justify the reasoning for your response. • Part of your role in selecting the lighting system will be to satisfy the needs of the university purchasing team and the end users. Develop a university purchasing team/ end users’ needs matrix to help with this purchasing decision. Explain the needs for each user and how you determined the needs, in addition to providing examples Read Case 9: Capital State Arena in the text (pg. 473-475) and answer the following question in a 2-3 page paper, using calculations where necessary to provide support. Your paper should have at least two scholarly sources, in addition to the textbook, and be formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. • If you were the purchasing agent for CSU what actions would you recommend regarding the purchase of the theatrical lighting system? The Capital State Arena, located on the Capital State University (CSU) campus, is a new 20,000-seat arena that...
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...Jubin John Ms. Diomande Compare & Contrast Final Draft 10/22/14 Creation vs. Evolution Today many scientists would have to believe that evolution is the only reasonable explanation of the universe. Scientists, like Stephen Hawking, claim that they proved that evolution is the only correct answer to the origins of life and the universe, yet evolution is a theory proposed by scientists to explain the origin of all species. Evolution is not the only answer but in fact, the creation theory is based on the bible and that God created the universe. This is the idea of creationism which is supported by religion. Creationism offers a more credited answer to the development of the universe than the evolutionary theory because creation has the support of the bible. To make a decision on which theory is more appealing to them, people must choose either religion or science. The creation theory is solely based on the bible. The Bible, in fact, is actually one of the most proven books in history. Creationism is the theory that God created the universe and it's creatures in six days. For example, in Genesis 2:7 it states "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters". The Bible is not considered a science book, but many consider it to be scientifically correct. For instance, the Old Testament is quoted in several ancient...
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...Define software agents.Describe how software agents cam help people find specific information quickly Software agents represent an evolutionary step beyond conventional computer programs. Software agents can activate and run themselves, not requiring input from or interaction with a human user. Software agents can also initiate, oversee, and terminate other programs or agents including applications and online intelligent agents. Define portal.Distinguish corporate portals from information portals. Corporate portals provide single-point access to specific enterprise information and applications available on the Internet, intranets, and extranets to employees, business partners, and customers. They are also known as enterprise portals or enterprise information portals. Define communication.Identity and describe five internet application categories. Electronic Mail Web-Based Call Centers Electronic Chat Rooms Voice Communication Weblogging (Blogging) Define collaboration.Identify and describe collaboration tools.It is said that collaboration tools can change organization structure Explain how. Collaboration refers to the mutual efforts of two or more individuals or groups to perform activities in order to accomplish certain tasks. These tasks range from designing products and documents, to teaching, to executing complementary subtasks, to working with customers, suppliers, and other business partners. In an effort to improve productivity and competitiveness collaboration...
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...on What is the Relation between Science and Religion William Lane Craig Examines several ways in which science and theology relate to each other. Back in 1896 the president of Cornell University Andrew Dickson White published a book entitled A History of the Warfare of Science with Theology in Christendom. Under White’s influence, the metaphor of “warfare” to describe the relations between science and the Christian faith became very widespread during the first half of the 20th century. The culturally dominant view in the West—even among Christians—came to be that science and Christianity are not allies in the search for truth, but adversaries. To illustrate, several years ago I had a debate with a philosopher of science at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver , Canada, on the question “Are Science and Religion Mutually Irrelevant?” When I walked onto the campus, I saw that the Christian students sponsoring the debate had advertised it with large banners and posters proclaiming “Science vs. Christianity.” The students were perpetuating the same sort of warfare mentality that Andrew Dickson White proclaimed over a hundred years ago. What has happened, however, in the second half of this century is that historians and philosophers of science have come to realize that this supposed history of warfare is a myth. As Thaxton and Pearcey point out in their recent book The Soul of Science, for over 300 years between the rise of modern science in the 1500’s and the late 1800s the relationship...
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...Along with the culture, scientism of the time made immense influences on C.S. Lewis with the production of his book. After Charles Darwin and the rise of evolutionism, many theories of creation come up, which C.S. Lewis defends. As stated, when Lewis was younger and within his adolescent years he was a claimed atheist. Before his conversion to Christianity, C.S. Lewis considered many theories and ideas (Biography.com Editors). But after his conversion he realized that God was creator of all, and all the theories, like evolutionism, was something he wanted to defend, not support. Lewis states: “We must sharply distinguish between Evolution as a biological theorem and popular Evolutionism or Developmentalism which is certainly a Myth. [...] To the biologist Evolution […] covers more of the facts than any other hypothesis at present on the market and is therefore to be accepted unless, or until, some new supposal can be shown to cover still more facts with even fewer assumptions. […] It makes no cosmic statements, no metaphysical statements, no eschatological statements.” (Applegate). It is clear that C.S. lewis wants defend the scientism at the time. The danger does not come from evolution as a theory itself, but evolutionism, the world view itself. Lewis wants to defend and prove his beliefs to people. He is able to accomplish this by using his Christian beliefs, on creation, and inserting these ideas behind characters, stories and events in his series, The Chronicles of Narnia...
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...David Alvarado Philosophy 6 Dorcas K. Chung April 3, 2015 Paper Assignment #2 Could a sovereign, immutable God have crafted complexities in this world or perhaps the imperfections on species have evolved thru the times? As the naturalist Richard Dawkins reveals, the laryngeal nerve is an example of imperfect “design,” as it starts from the brain, takes a long detour down through the body, and then goes back up again to the larynx. Accordingly, it would not make sense to say that an intelligent designer created the nerve this way, because an intelligent designer would not create such a flaw. On the other hand, it does make sense that the nerve is this way because it had evolved through various species. Individuals argue that an intelligent...
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...Darwin's Theory Of Evolution - A Theory in Crisis You are here: Science >> Darwin's Theory Of Evolution Darwin's Theory of Evolution - The Premise Darwin's Theory of Evolution is the widely held notion that all life is related and has descended from a common ancestor: the birds and the bananas, the fishes and the flowers -- all related. Darwin's general theory presumes the development of life from non-life and stresses a purely naturalistic (undirected) "descent with modification". That is, complex creatures evolve from more simplistic ancestors naturally over time. In a nutshell, as random genetic mutations occur within an organism's genetic code, the beneficial mutations are preserved because they aid survival -- a process known as "natural selection." These beneficial mutations are passed on to the next generation. Over time, beneficial mutations accumulate and the result is an entirely different organism (not just a variation of the original, but an entirely different creature). Darwin's Theory of Evolution - Natural Selection While Darwin's Theory of Evolution is a relatively young archetype, the evolutionary worldview itself is as old as antiquity. Ancient Greek philosophers such as Anaximander postulated the development of life from non-life and the evolutionary descent of man from animal. Charles Darwin simply brought something new to the old philosophy -- a plausible mechanism called "natural selection." Natural selection acts to preserve...
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... The D.A is the oldest argument for ther existence of God and there are different versions of the D.A. There are four main contributors to the D.A who all aim to prove the exsitence of God, these are Aquinas, Paley, Tennant and Swinburne. The D.A makes it clear that there is an intelligent designer which is the God of classical theism. A classical contrbutor to the D.A is Aquinas. Aquinas was a saint and Catholic priest he was best know for his book summa theologica. Aquinas believed that there is order in the universe and that we work towards a purpose. Aquinas pointed out that non-rational beings eg, animals work towards an end or purpose and for this to happen there must be something intellident to guide them to the end which is beneficial for them. This intelligence must be God. Another classical contributer to the design argument for the existence of God is Paley (1747-1805) Like Aquinas he believed that there is order in the universe and we work towards something which would have the biggest benefit for us. He also believed taht like a watch the world has many indivudual parts which all have their own purpose. As there is many parts and they work together so well, there must be an intelligent designer, for Paley this is God. A modern day scholar of the D.A is Tennant. He believes 'nature is meaningless and valueless without God behind it and man infront'. Tennant is saying that without God there would be be no value for nature and there must be a designer. He also believes...
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...Chapter Eleven: Order Fulfillment Along the Supply Chain and Other EC Support Services 11-1 Online File W11.1 What Services Do Customers Need? Insights on online customer services: ◗ Customer preferences. Customers tend not to do much self-service in terms of getting information from companies (e.g., only 19% use FAQs), so they require attention. As more companies offer online self-service, though, this situation is changing. When contacting companies for information, customers use e-mail more than the telephone (71% versus 51%). ◗ Types of service. Four types of service exist, based on where the customer is in the purchase experience: during shopping (search products, compare, find product attributes); during buying (questions on warranties, billing, receipt, payment); after placing the order (checking status in processing and in shipping); and after receiving the item (checking return procedures, how to use the item). ◗ Problem resolution. Customers expect quick resolutions to problems, and expect problems to be resolved to their satisfaction. Therefore, easy returns and order tracking are desirable. ◗ Shipping options. Several shipping options are usually needed to make customers happy. ◗ Fraud protection. Customers need to make sure that sellers or others are not going to cheat them (Chapters 9 and 14). ◗ Order status and updates. Customers want to have some way to check on the status of their order, which involves tracking either by phone or online. These services...
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...Xiaodi YANG Why Evolution Is True Reading books is one of the most significant things that people should do during the life time. Reading books could make people rethink. Even read same book in different time, the feeling would not be same. The book that I have read is “Why Evolution Is True.” It is written by Jerry Coyne, a professor of Chicago University. This book has been discussed frequently, and the most commands are positive. In this book, the author use the simplest way to describe his opinion and perspective views. The discuses view which always be mentioned in the book is creation and intelligence design. The author believe that 作者主要用通俗大眾化的手筆寫此書，最常出現的論點也是針對創造論（Creation）或化名為智慧設計（Intelligence design）而寫。他認為演化學學者有責任提出更多的證據，讓大眾更相信演化，演化不只是「學說」而已，已是證據十足的科學事實。 此書除了序及前言外共九章。先來介紹每章寫些什麼，第一章〈什麼是演化〉，他提出六點演化的基本觀念，首先演化是一「事實」，第二必須瞭解演化是「漸進的」，第三點是「分種（Splitting）」或更正確「專門化（Speciation）」，這跟第四點的共祖（Commom ancestory）其實是一體兩面的事質，有共同祖先以後分開各自專門成新種，第五及第六是大自然的選擇及非選擇性的方式所引起的演化。 這書的特點是舉出不少實例來說明像上述六點的演化特性，不能詳述。這種實例較能說服人。同樣以下各章也舉出很多實例，第二章談化石的證據，可以看出動植物的演化，顯示魚上陸演化變成兩棲類、爬蟲類、鳥及哺乳類。化石也說明哺乳類的鯨又如何從陸上到海洋，化石找到不少這些演化過程的證據。最讓人信服應該是過渡期的動物化石，如似哺乳類的爬蟲、似鳥類的恐龍等等，有的還找到相當完整的化石。 第三章談演化過程遺留的遺跡（Re-mnants），動植物包括人，具有一些從前遠古共同祖先痕跡的器官，這些器官雖目前無功能，在遠祖時仍有其功能。有時突然間很稀罕地出現了遠祖器官（Atavism），如人類的尾巴。細胞的DNA中可能還存在一些基因，但被抑制而沒有表現其功能而已。 看脊椎動物在不同時期的胚胎最能看出演化的證據，動物胚胎的發育過程中，不同動物不同期的胚胎有的相當類似。看早期一些胚胎不太能知道到底是屬於何種動物，甚至分不出是爬蟲、鳥或哺乳類。由於演化的原因，人的許多器官構造並不是好的設計，作者舉出最好的一例，左邊的回歸咽喉神經（recurrent...
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