...RICHARD DAWKINS-The Selfish Gene. Ebook v1.0. 'Who should read this book? Everyone interested in the universe and their place in it.' Jeffrey R. Baylis, Animal Behaviour Our genes made us. We animals exist for their preservation and are nothing more than their throwaway survival machines. The world of the selfish gene is one of savage competition, ruthless exploitation, and deceit. But what of the acts of apparent altruism found in nature-the bees who commit suicide when they sting to protect the hive, or the birds who risk their lives to warn the flock of an approaching hawk? Do they contravene the fundamental law of gene selfishness? By no means: Dawkins shows that the selfish gene is also the subtle gene. And he holds out the hope that our species-alone on earth-has the power to rebel against the designs of the selfish gene. This book is a call to arms. It is both manual and manifesto, and it grips like a thriller. The Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins's brilliant first book and still his most famous, is an international bestseller in thirteen languages. For this new edition there are two major new chapters. 'learned, witty, and very well written...exhilaratingly good.' Sir Peter Medawar, Spectator Richard Dawkins is a Lecturer in Zoology at Oxford University and a Fellow of Mew College, and the author of The Blind Watchmaker. Preface to 1976 edition This book should be read almost as though it were science fiction. It is designed to appeal to the imagination. But it is not science...
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...allow the individual animal to thrive in their natural habitat; however small the modification, this trait variation in the species would enable the animal to better adapt to its surroundings and increase the chances of survival of the species. Those without the variation would be at a disadvantage and would, eventually, die out. Opposite natural selection is man-made selection in which humans select which traits get passed on to the next generation for their own good and/or purposes. The lottery in "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson is an example of man-made selection by which a select few control the society of the village. Man-made selections are limited and biased. "Man can act only on external and visible characters" (192) when selecting for his own good (193). Man-made selections are limited and biased because we lack the knowledge and capability to because we are selfish, creatures of habit. They are easily influenced by outside factors.The decisions and selections that man makes are man-made limited and biased because. It was more convenient for the people (in charge of running the lottery) to follow tradition than to break free from what had always been and create something new or get rid of it all together. The lottery had been going on for so long that it became part of the identity of the village. It was a tangible piece of the village's history and proof of their evolution as a people (i.e., the transition from the original wood chips used in...
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...Knowledge and confidence are two different things, knowledge is what you know from experience and confidence is something you’re not sure about, but still do it anyway. However, in these three stories I’ve read, it shows how dangerous knowledge and confidence can be in any situation. So, what was the big issue in these stories, was it their decisions of how to do stuff without being sure of it. First, let's look at Into the Wild and how knowledge and confidence take place in this story. Chris Mccandless knowledge in the story was that Chris pursuit of individual happiness while not listening what others have to say and he had the ability to be comfortable in solitude and independence. Throughout the whole story, he left his old life and wanted...
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...Bradley Podorsky, Essay 1, Page 207 question 1, 2 and 3 In this essay I will discuss What Hobbes means by saying that when humans live in a state of war everybody against everybody, there is neither justice or injustice. I will also compare Glaucon’s and Hobbes ideas of justice. I will also discuss whether selfishness is in itself a bad thing. Hobbes imagines that humans started off living in a state of nature in which each person is free to decide for himself what he needs, what he's owed, what's respectful, right, moral, sensible, and also free to decide all of these questions for the behavior of everyone else as well. In this situation where there is no common authority to find resolution these many and serious disputes, Hobbes imagined that the state of nature could easily turn into a “state of war”. Hobbes said in describing this state "No arts; no letters; no society; and which is worst of all, continual fear, and danger of violent death: and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short” (Rosenstand 206). Hobbes argues that the state of nature is a wretched state of war in which none of our important human ends are dependably achievable. Human nature also affords resources to escape this wretched condition. Hobbes says that once the conflict reaches a life threatening point people will do anything to preserve their own lives, “where every man is enemy to every man” (Rosenstand 206). Hobbes argues that each of us, as a rational being, can see that a war...
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...encountered. But she is very thankful to have her family who became her inspiration and gave her strength to reach her goal. Her family gave their love to her unconditionally so she said that she don’t need money but a happy family. For her she cannot achieve her goal without the presence of others because she believes in the saying that “No Man is an Island”. Giving my opinion, success is not about winning in a competition, having a trophy and money but getting a lesson based on their experiences. The real success is you have to learn something that you can apply in your life. We need our inspiration while we are searching for our victory. We need other people in our life no one in this world can live without others. We don’t need to be selfish because it may result of loneliness. Just share your love to others so...
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...wife has no education background and has no job how would she support 3 kids one of them are in college. One of his children is autistic and requires more care which the wife may not be able to provide for the child. The reason why I did not pick the girl even though she is young and has whole life ahead of her. The prognosis of her survival after the transplant is poor. Due to her life long illness the chance of her reaching 20 is slim. I would say if she had a promising prognosis then I would take- that into consideration. The reason why I did not pick Ozzy, He 38 years old and has a lot more life to live but he spent his life doing drugs. His heart condition is due to over use on crack cocaine and overdosing on it. What I read about him he is doing good mentoring trouble teens and tutoring. He did sign a contracted saying he would still mentor and tutor for at least a year. Also `it says if he successfully stays off drugs he would live at least ten more years. Who is to say he will stop using drugs? That is why I decided against this person. Finally, I think the doctors’ heart is in the right place and he loves his daughter and wants the best for her but his intentions are wrong. Bribing a hospital with 2 million dollars in exchange for her daughters transplant I think it is ethically wrong. If he would think about his daughters illnesses and read the prognosis of the transplant, and how she...
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...The Miracle Worker, Cabeza De Vaca- How did he survive? Drenched in sweat, cold as an ice cube, so thirsty that you were willing to drink your own sweat, or so hungry that you would eat a disgusting bug. This is how Cabeza De Vaca felt on his trip to Mexico City, that probably felt like a million miles away. He set sail for gold at first, then got blown by a huge gust of wind on his unprotected boat, as big as 2,000 elephants. Already not off to a magical, miracle start, how does he survive all of these horrible complications? Itś all because of three things-his remarkable wilderness skills, he could heal anyone like he was a superhero, and his mesmerizing gift to the Native Americans. Now to one of his awesome miracles, his wonderful wilderness...
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...different mood and atmosphere, and in each book there is a community with a very distinct attitude surrounding the central characters. Each community has a different view on the sanctity of life, and in some ways their opinions greatly conflict with the main character’s perspective. It can be proposed that the easiest identifier for valuing life is seeing how someone treats death. I would argue that in each of these stories the larger community thinks about death in terms of what is best for the community, versus the main character who sees death as a personal and emotional experience that is not to be belittled....
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...and never will be broken. One of the very first things that Moss does is associate himself with the tree by saying that it was his “lost brother,” which happens to also be the title of the poem. With these two words, the poet speaks multitudes. He brings the close familiarity of a brother to the relationship between him and the tree, a few lines later stating that “[they] had the same mother.” Immediately he draws us into an understanding that we are as closely connected to the earth as the tree is and that, in fact, we come from the same beginnings. The fact that his brother is “lost” refers to two different interpretations of the phrase: the literal interpretation, which tells of how the tree was cut down, and the figurative notion that the tree, standing as a metaphor for all nature, was lost long ago to human forgetfulness and destruction. This is supported by his next line “at four...
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...humans take when the world comes to an end? Would someone be able to make the right decision for human survival? Would they be able to look away from morality and fulfill the duties needed to recreate a new world? Trying to figure out what steps an individual would take when placed in an apocalyptic situation is hard because of something that is very subjective, morality. Though morals do vary from person to person and society to society there are many universal moral beliefs that are based strictly on human emotions. Morality is what helps individuals make sense of their gut feelings. “After the plague” a short story written by T. Coraghessan Boyle has placed Jed the main character, in an apocalyptic situation that challenges his morals in more ways than one. The author Boyle, sets up a scenario that causes Jed to question his morality, that being said I will look at how Jed overcomes and adapts to the coming challenges after an apocalypse and how morality plays a part in his transformation from the old world to the new. To many the word morality means the definition of right and wrong, to others it is explained as the social norm set by a society. Jed is put into a situation dealing with the end of the world, as he isolates himself he realizes that things will have to change. There will no longer be phone calls to friends or families and he will be alone to figure out how to deal with the issue at hand. The first test of morality for Jed was when he went out to the fish fry...
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...brutal outcome of slavery to people’s mentally and perspective of life. They both discussed the inhuman actions made by slave owners and how societies discerned them, thus provided the readers some aspects of animalism acting on people. In the poem “On Liberty and Slavery” written by George M. Horton, clearly implied that slavery had decreased his own value of life and ultimately complained his existence in humanity. Since Solomon himself was a freeman once, he understood the ideology of being a human. He was treated with equal respect and people greeted him as if greeting a white man. Inhumanity thus struck Solomon when he was kidnapped into slavery, and this situation had led us, as readers, to argue and and discuss what exactly is being a human and inhuman....
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...Will Human Life on Earth Come to an End? In 1993 science‐fiction writer Kim Stanley Robinson published Red Mars, the first of his Mars trilogy. Red Mars is set in the year 2026. At the beginning of the novel, the spacecraft Ares departs. Aboard the Ares, the space colonists are bound for Mars. The voyage to Mars is portentous. On Earth, corporations are coming to dominate global governance. Nation states still fly their flags, but they owe their allegiance to the transnational corporations. The “trans‐nats,” as the transnational corporations are called, are the real agents of the global economy. They have the power and ability to extract natural resources from the earth. The increasing competition among trans‐nats and growing human population means more and more resources are being removed. This situation threatens the feasibility of life on the planet. Robinson played out this idea over the course of three books. By the end of Red Mars, a world war has erupted on Earth. The second book in the trilogy, Green Mars, documents the terraforming of the red planet. (Terraforming is a science‐fiction term for adapting another planet or moon into a planet that can sustain life in the same way Earth can. This process involves creating an appropriate biosphere, atmosphere, and surface topography on the new celestial body.) The third book in the trilogy, Blue ...
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...In real life situations people have to be strong to get through hard times and struggle. Remaining strong and brave throughout life situations help individuals get through or learn how to deal with the hardships. Having heard the saying “Give rather than receive.” Being selfless or putting people before yourself can get you far in the long run. Another hardship that many people faced was surviving the holocaust and the horrible things done to many Jews by Hitler. Throughout Night being brave, strong, caring, and selfless were all things Elie used to get him and his father through the life of concentration camps. In the beginning when Elie and his father arrived at the concentration camp they met a man that asked them both “how old are you?” They replied with “15 and 40”. While going through the check in lines they were also asked “where do you work?” The two men replied with the lies that the prisoner told them while going through the check in lines. The man said “no 18 and 30.” It’s pretty obvious that the man had gone through the process and was helping the men before they got through the camps. Luckily the men were not caught lying about their age because they could have been severely punished, and possibly killed because of the lies they told. While reading the story night, Elie used bravery plenty of times during the hard life of the camps. When his dad was in his room and Elie walked into witness his father being beaten up by the roommates because his father was too...
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...human ancestors competed with other species for survival tools such as food and shelter. Today, conflict has developed into numerous forms – from merely debating what to have for lunch to global issues such as climate change. Without conflict, our experiences in life would undoubtedly be less dynamic and vibrant. Conflict is an essential factor to shaping our identity. Our relationship with conflict defines who we are because we learn to formulate our own opinions and values. Conflict is a natural element in the world and although we may not notice each and every single time it presents itself, conflict is a part of our everyday lives. conflict occurs because we have have different believes, morals, values, culture, religion, unmatched expectations, fear and exposure to unknown or unfamiliar. And everyone encounters a range of conflict during their life. It is inevitable. There are different kind of conflict experience from each and everyone of us-either from involvement to conflict or how they respond or settle conflict. The conflict that i encountered was that of News and Personal experience The conflict that i encountered was a kind of news and personal experience conflict which i think is rare to other people of the world. It started some years back (precisely 2009). And as a result serves as an "selfish interest" at play. It all started in the year 2009 and was as a result of man's quest and passion for power, selfish interest and wealth. There has been power tussle...
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...Men have the right to use force only in self-defense and only against those who establish its use. Equality holds on to his own mind in a collectivist society that calls blind compliance to the group. Because of this Equality is an independant person. Despite all the pressure from the state to obey, he will not expose the values that are important to him. Scientific research is what makes him very happy, and he will not stop making discoveries though he knows how hard he will be punished if he is caught. Similarly, he dares to love the Golden One and that is prohibited. In the book it states, “I read many books for many days. Then I called the Golden One, and I told her what I had read and what I had learned. She looked at me and the first words she spoke were: ‘I love you’” (98). Because of reading these books he now uses “I” to refer to himself instead of what he previously used, “we”. Equality also refuses to hand over the electric light to the authorities because he knows that they will get rid of it and all that newly learned technology will be demolished. He accepts that he will be excluded from certain things in this society and that he will be banned from learning more than the scholars. However...
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