...Secular Humanism The Question of Origin- As a secular humanist, the origin of life is nothing spectacular. Human life is a product of thousands of years of evolution. Man evolved from matter that simply was; there is no god who created life, it just is. The Question of Identity- A secular humanist identifies equally with all life, “Mankind is simply a more sophisticated animal” (Weider & Gutierrez, 2013). Because man has evolved from animals, we are not above them and should treat all life with the same respect. The Question of Meaning/Purpose- A secular humanist believes man gives his own meaning to life (Weider & Gutierrez, 2013). It is merely man’s responsibility to leave the world a better place after he is gone. A humanist seeks and finds fulfillment from the amount of happiness in his life and satisfaction from his desires. Therefore, seek what makes you happy and brings you the most pleasure. Having a naturalist worldview allows the individual to decide a personal meaning and purpose for their own life. The Question of Morality- There is no absolute moral code in secular humanism; the belief is to base your decisions on the consequences of your actions. A secular humanist does not believe in an all-knowing god; you are simply free to be your own judge. If it feels good and does not hurt anyone; you should be able to do it. The Question of Destiny- A secular humanist believes existence is over at death. There is no afterlife; you cease to exist...
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...Mashanna Hartley Mr. Robert Hunter APOL 104 3 October 2015 Critical Thinking Paper What is Secular Humanism? Secular Humanism is a compressive, nonreligious, and life stance incorporating natural philosophy, a cosmic outlook rooted in science, and a consequentialist ethical system (What). Secular Humanism uses science, intellect, and personal opinion to answer life’s most difficult questions. Paul Kurtz said, “Humanism cannot in any fair sense of the word apply to one who still believes in God as the source and creator of the universe,” (Noebel, p.444). The question of Origin Secular Humanism View: Matter always existed and given enough time, the end result is what you see. The Human Manifesto II, secular humanism finds no evidence to belief in supernatural. God is not necessary for morals and God does not answer mankind’s existence, according to atheists, Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins (Weiner and Gutierrez, p.64). Man is a machine, according to naturalism. Man has little or no control over his/her existence. Since man is considered to be a machine, if the machine breaks, the man’s life is over (Weiner and Gutierrez, p.65). Christian View: Christians believes God created universe and all life (Genesis 1:1-25). Christians believe animals will change to adapt to their surroundings (Genesis 1;11-12, 21-25). God created us in His own image (Genesis 1:11-12). God made man out of dust of the ground (Genesis 2:7) and made woman from Adam’s rib (Genesis 2:22). She...
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...Secular Humanism and Christianity I. Part One: Secular Humanism 1. The Question of Origin A humanist rejects any existence and or thought of God and is believed that modern science can answer the question of how life began. “Atheists…propose the idea that God is not necessary for life or morals, and the answer to mankind’s existence is found only in nature itself” (Weider & Gutierrez. 2011, p56). They believe that the entire universe as well as life is simply by coincidence and that lucky for us, nonliving matter turned to living cells which eventually led to humankind; also known as Darwin’s theory. 2. The Question of Identity Humanists are always seeking primary truth through experiment and observation. They also believe that mankind is a highly evolved animal. Unborn children as well as newborn babies, are considered not to have any understanding of existence, and that only after living for a certain amount of time can they possess such knowledge, which leads to their beliefs and reasons for pro-abortion. “Peter Singer and others continue to contend that life is not sacred…these Naturalist believe that abortion, infanticide and euthanasia under certain circumstances should be de-criminalized where current law is in place” (Weider & Gutierrez. 2011, p57). 3. The Question of Meaning/Purpose All your thoughts, dreams, relationships, love and deepest concerns are suggested to be illusions because the existence of mankind has no meaning or significance...
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...society. Art and Culture through the Middle Ages and Beyond The subject of art throughout history is one that is widely debated and highly subject to interpretation. One thing that isn’t debatable is that cultural influences from centuries ago are as relevant as ever, from theming box office movies to manipulating the way we see the world around us. Of course, art forms are available in a wide variety, but I find music to be perhaps the most influential. To further elaborate, I will give an explanation of two separate periods of music through history in the following essay. The Middle Ages The Middle Ages, also referred to as the Medieval period, was a time when science and technology were being pursued perhaps more than ever, yet humanism wasn’t quite in the lead. “We are inclined today to romanticize the Middle Ages as a time when things were simpler, but in reality medieval society was highly complex” (Forgeng, 1999). Unlike today’s constitutional/document driven society, Middle Age civilizations were much more driven by personal relationships, especially concerning wealthy and powerful bloodlines. As a result of the somewhat more emotionally driven structure, social norms were often determined by the choices of the few and...
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...Creationism vs. Evolutionism The quandary continues of whether or not creationism should be taught as an alternative viewpoint to the theory of evolution within the American public school systems. If scientific creationists believe that God's message is the defining element for the content, aims, and conditions of educational practice, then the argument can be made that creationism belongs in the classroom. On the contrary are those who assert creationism is not science and further suggests that "creation science" is a misnomer and oppose religion into public educational programs. They maintain the position that public educational programs should be made separate from concerns of the church. Fundamentalist Christians differ from liberal Christians with respect to the basic theories to how life began. Liberal Christians mold their lives around the theory of evolution; forging their spiritual doctrine around their lifestyle, where as fundamentalist Christians remain faith based; life created by God and their lifestyle strictly follows biblical doctrine. Those who side with the theory of Darwin and claim that creationism is really anti-science are in direct conflict with adamant creationists; and somewhere among these groups are a third group, scientific creationists, who use scientific terminology to prove that only life can come from other life. During the 1960’s the United States began an initiative to catch up with newer science teaching standards which...
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...world and planted the seeds of what would grow into a world superpower. The Native Americans, whose ancestors had been the first men to live there, became nothing but second class citizens. They were forced into slavery whilst dying by the thousands from disease brought by the white man. The pilgrims’ quest for religious freedom had brought ruin to an entire culture. Though it was the greatest, this genocide was not the last injustice done by religious organization in the new world. The framers of the United States constitution granted the right to freedom of religion among others. But all rights are limited; they cannot be exercised if they infringe upon another’s rights. Furthermore, despite claims of separation of church and state Christianity continues to take precedent over the rights and liberties of many citizens. Today one of the chief injustices regarding religion in America is tax exemptions for religious organizations. Proponents of tax exemption for religious organizations claim that there is no breach of separation of church and state. This claim is made on the grounds that by not taxing religious organizations they are not affiliating with them; therefore separation of church and state is attained. This logic is flawed to an unbelievable extent. The government electing not to tax religious organizations is not separation, but clear cut favoritism. Regular nonprofit organizations receiving tax exemptions are subject to IRS scrutiny and must file a detailed 990 statement...
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...Running head: Biblical & Secular Views Biblical & Secular Views on Counseling John Smith Liberty University Abstract Whether a counselor comes from a strong Christian background, or a secular one, the goals of the professional should remain in the best interests of the client. Still, it remains important where the views of that counselor originated from and where the source of their motivation and ethical standards are derived. This paper attempts to compare and contrast the viewpoints of secular and biblical worldviews, as it relates to the counseling profession. Biblical & Secular Views on Counseling No matter what philosophical background counselors come from, the theme of their work should remain the same: It is all about the client. Whether a counselor uses the Code of Ethics adopted by the American Counseling Association, (2005) or the code adopted by the American Association of Christian Counselors, (2004) the goal of the professional still need to keep the client’s best interests at heart. Still, with this thought in mind, Christian and secular groups differ in the ways in which they go about not only helping clients, but how they define their perspective roles in the exchanges between the therapist and the client. In order to accurately evaluate the ways in which Christians view the role of the counselor, it is first important to go to the source of their opinions of the matter;...
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...Russell Ellis Simerly III AP European History Chapter 17—The Age of Enlightenment: Eighteenth Century Thought Chapter Overview: The Enlightenment is a movement of people and ideas that fostered the expansion of literate sectors of European society and that economic improvement and political reform were both possible and desirable. Contemporary western political and economic thought is a product of Enlightenment thinking; therefore, some historians believe the process of Enlightenment continues today. Inspired by the scientific revolution and prepared to challenge traditional intellectual and theological authority, Enlightenment writers believed that human beings can comprehend the operation of physical nature and mold it to achieve material and moral improvement, economic growth, and administrative reform. Enlightenment intellectuals advocated agricultural improvement, commercial society, expanding consumption, and the application of innovative rational methods to traditional social and economic practices. The spirit of innovation and improvement came to characterize modern Europe and Western society. Politically, the Enlightenment had a direct impact on some rulers--in eastern and central Europe—whose policies came to be known as enlightened absolutism. Section One: Formative Influences of the Enlightenment Section Overview Chief factors that fostered the ideas of the Enlightenment The Newtonian worldview the political stability and...
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...Universal Scientific Literacy Since religion was humankind’s first attempt at trying to understand the chaotic world around them, it was therefore the worst attempt. The fact that organized religion still persists in the modern technologically advanced society is so preposterous that it’s almost beyond comprehension how it has managed to, not only survive, but thrive. Organized religion, in all of its various guises, is an antiquated device of manipulation and control; it’s the root cause of nearly all wars, poverty, bigotry, racism, terrorism, and human suffering. It is also the most fundamental hindrance of scientific progress that mankind faces and should therefore be methodically phased out and replaced by atheism, secular humanism, and most of all, an education focused primarily on scientific literacy. What is the Essence of Religion?: It was once an inconceivable act for a human being to question the existence of some sort of a creator god, or gods. People had all the evidence they needed right in front of them: they were conscious and alive, the world was beautiful, coincidences happened which seemed much like prayer being answered, and the earth was encased inside of a celestial sphere while the heavens appeared to revolve directly around the earth, making man the very center of this profound design; it was almost as if the world was created specifically for humans. Thus, organized religion was born. Religion is the belief...
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...The Renaissance and Reformation- 1350-1600 UMSUniversal o Georgio Vasari- Rinascita=rebirth (like Renaissance) painter/architect Male Suffrage o Individualism: People sought to receive personal credit for achievements, unlike medieval ideal of “all glory goes to god” Names Ideas o Renaissance: Began in Italian city-states, a cause de invention of the printing press, laid way for Protestant Reformation Events Books/Texts Italy: City states, under HRE (Holy Roman Empire) o For alliances: old nobility vs. wealthy merchants FIGHT P-Prussia Popolo: third class, “the people”, wanted own share of wealth/power R-Russia A-Austria Ciompi Revolts: 1378 Florence, Popolo were revolting [eew], brief period of control over government B-Britain Milan taken over by signor (which is a tyrant) • o Under control of the Condottiero (mercenary) Sforza- Significant because after this, a few wealthy families dominated Venice (e.g. Medici) Humanism: Francesco Petrarch (Sonnets), came up with term “Dark Ages”, began to study classical world of rhetoric and literature Cicero: Important Roman, provided account of collapse of Roman Republic [like Edward Gibbon], invented Ciceronian style: Latin style of writing which humanists followed • [Even though they weren’t in Rome, Humanists did as the Romans do] Despite being accused of following Pagan culture, Petrarch talked a lot about universality Civic Humanists: Politicians/ diplomats...
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...Министерство образования и науки Республики Казахстан Кокшетауский государственный университет им. Ш. Уалиханова An Outline of British Literature (from tradition to post modernism) Кокшетау 2011 УДК 802.0 – 5:20 ББК 81:432.1-923 № 39 Рекомендовано к печати кафедрой английского языка и МП КГУ им. Ш. Уалиханова, Ученым Советом филологического факультета КГУ им. Ш. Уалиханова, УМС КГУ им. Ш. Уалиханова. Рецензенты: Баяндина С.Ж. доктор филологических наук, профессор, декан филологического факультета КГУ им. Ш. Уалиханова Батаева Ф.А. кандидат филологических наук, доцент кафедры «Переводческое дело» Кокшетауского университета им. А. Мырзахметова Кожанова К.Т. преподаватель английского языка кафедры гуманитарного цикла ИПК и ПРО Акмолинской области An Outline of British Literature from tradition to post modernism (on specialties 050119 – “Foreign Language: Two Foreign Languages”, 050205 – “Foreign Philology” and 050207 – “Translation”): Учебное пособие / Сост. Немченко Н.Ф. – Кокшетау: Типография КГУ им. Ш. Уалиханова, 2010 – 170 с. ISBN 9965-19-350-9 Пособие представляет собой краткие очерки, характеризующие английскую литературу Великобритании, ее основные направления и тенденции. Все известные направления в литературе иллюстрированы примерами жизни и творчества авторов, вошедших в мировую литературу благодаря...
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...GRADUATE DIPLOMA IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND DIPLOMACY STUDENT GUIDELINE NOTES GLOBAL POLITICAL ECONOMY MODULE Paste the notes here… Political economy originally was the term for studying production, buying and selling, and their relations with law, custom, and government. Political economy originated in moral philosophy (e.g. Adam Smith was Professor of Moral Philosophy at the University of Glasgow), it developed in the 18th century as the study of the economies of states — polities, hence political economy. In late nineteenth century, the term "political economy" was generally replaced by the term economics, used by those seeking to place the study of economy upon mathematical and axiomatic bases, rather than the structural relationships of production and consumption (cf. marginalism, Alfred Marshall). History of the term Originally, political economy meant the study of the conditions under which production was organized in the nation-states. The phrase économie politique (translated in English as political economy) first appeared in France in 1615 with the well known book by Antoyne de Montchrétien: Traicté de l’oeconomie politique. French physiocrats, Adam Smith, David Ricardo and Karl Marx were some of the exponents of political economy. In 1805, Thomas Malthus became England's first professor of political economy, at the East India Company College, Haileybury, Hertfordshire. The world's first professorship in political economy was established...
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...Proceeding for the School of Visual Arts Eighteenth Annual National Conference on Liberal Arts and the Education of Artists: Art and Story CONTENTS SECTION ONE: Marcel’s Studio Visit with Elstir……………………………………………………….. David Carrier SECTION TWO: Film and Video Narrative Brief Narrative on Film-The Case of John Updike……………………………………. Thomas P. Adler With a Pen of Light …………………………………………………………………… Michael Fink Media and the Message: Does Media Shape or Serve the Story: Visual Storytelling and New Media ……………………………………………………. June Bisantz Evans Visual Literacy: The Language of Cultural Signifiers…………………………………. Tammy Knipp SECTION THREE: Narrative and Fine Art Beyond Illustration: Visual Narrative Strategies in Picasso’s Celestina Prints………… Susan J. Baker and William Novak Narrative, Allegory, and Commentary in Emil Nolde’s Legend: St. Mary of Egypt…… William B. Sieger A Narrative of Belonging: The Art of Beauford Delaney and Glenn Ligon…………… Catherine St. John Art and Narrative Under the Third Reich ……………………………………………… Ashley Labrie 28 15 1 22 25 27 36 43 51 Hopper Stories in an Imaginary Museum……………………………………………. Joseph Stanton SECTION FOUR: Photography and Narrative Black & White: Two Worlds/Two Distinct Stories……………………………………….. Elaine A. King Relinquishing His Own Story: Abandonment and Appropriation in the Edward Weston Narrative………………………………………………………………………….. David Peeler Narrative Stretegies in the Worlds of Jean Le Gac and Sophe Calle…………………….. Stefanie Rentsch...
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...Employment News 31 May - 6 June 2014 www.employmentnews.gov.in 21 UNION PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION EXAMINATION NOTICE NO. 09/2014-CSP (LAST DATE FOR RECEIPT OF APPLICATIONS : 30/06/2014) DATE :31.05.2014 CIVIL SERVICES EXAMINATION, 2014 (Commission’s website-http://upsc.gov.in) F. No. 1/5/2013-E.I(B) : Preliminary Examination of the Civil Services Examination for recruitment to the Services and Posts mentioned below will be held by the Union Public Service Commission on 24th Aug., 2014 in accordance with the Rules published by the Department of Personnel & Training in the Gazette of India Extraordinary dated 31st May, 2014. (i) Indian Administrative Service. (ii) Indian Foreign Service. (iii) Indian Police Service. (iv) Indian P & T Accounts & Finance Service, Group ‘A’. (v) Indian Audit and Accounts Service, Group ‘A’. (vi) Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Central Excise), Group ‘A’. (vii) Indian Defence Accounts Service, Group ‘A’. (viii) Indian Revenue Service (I.T.), Group ‘A’. (ix) Indian Ordnance Factories Service, Group ‘A’ (Assistant Works Manager, Administration). (x) Indian Postal Service, Group ‘A’. (xi) Indian Civil Accounts Service, Group ‘A’. (xii) Indian Railway Traffic Service, Group ‘A’. (xiii) Indian Railway Accounts Service, Group 'A'. (xiv) Indian Railway Personnel Service, Group ‘A’. (xv) Post of Assistant Security Commissioner in Railway Protection Force, Group ‘A’ (xvi) Indian Defence Estates Service, Group...
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...Social Change and Modernity Edited By Hans Haferkamp and Neil J. Smelser UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS Berkeley Los Angeles Oxford © 1992 The Regents of the University of California INTRODUCTION Hans Haferkamp and Neil J. Smelser Haferkamp is grateful to Angelika Schade for her fruitful comments and her helpful assistance in editing this volume and to Geoff Hunter for translating the first German version of parts of the Introduction; Smelser has profited from the research assistance and critical analyses given by Joppke. 1. Social Change and Modernity Those who organized the conference on which this volume is based—including the editors— decided to use the terms "social change" and "modernity" as the organizing concepts for this project. Because these terms enjoy wide usage in contemporary sociology and are general and inclusive, they seem preferable to more specific terms such as "evolution" "progress," "differentiation," or even "development," many of which evoke more specific mechanisms, processes, and directions of change. Likewise, we have excluded historically specific terms such as "late capitalism" and "industrial society" even though these concepts figure prominently in many of the contributions to this volume. The conference strategy called for a general statement of a metaframework for the study of social change within which a variety of more specific theories could be identified. 2. Theories of Social Change Change is such an evident feature of...
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