Friday, January 31, 2020
The essay that compares and contrasts the two stories of Creation that
The that compares and contrasts the two stories of Creation that begin Genesis - Essay Example This shows God was in total command and is omnipotent as the creator. He just created living beings and everything else that would be required by man on earth. There were no restrictions imposed and left man to take care of the creation. In The Garden of Eden Story, ââ¬Å"No wild plants exist, because God had not caused rain to fall upon the landâ⬠shows that God could use discrimination. God has the power but would use it when He thought best, while in the first story he just gave. In Garden of Eden Story, God proceeds to rectify the absence of cultivated plants by fashioning a man from the ground, (2:7) which shows that his creation was not perfect, as it required rectification while in The Seven Days Story, creation was perfect. It further reveals that the first man was a peasant responsible for tilling the ground (Yee). In the first story, when Robert Alter says, ââ¬Å"When God began to create heaven and earth, and the earth then was welter and wasteâ⬠¦.â⬠, the word ââ¬Ëwelterââ¬â¢ has significance. It signifies a state of chaos or a body of turbulent water (Ackroyd, 2005). This again demonstrates the difference in Godââ¬â¢s characteristics in the two stories. In The Seven Days Story, His command can calm the turbulent water and make things perfect, while in The Garden of Eden Story, he rectifies His own creation. God prohibits the man under pain of death from eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the center of the garden (Gen 2:17; 3:3). In The Garden of Eden Story, this clearly states that God expected man to commit mistakes. Desires and wants in man would distract him to commit mistakes and God would be the judge. He becomes the savior too, when man commits mistakes. He imposed restriction and punishment in case of failure, while in The Story of Seven Days, God says, ââ¬Å"â⬠¦ and to every beast of
Thursday, January 23, 2020
Comparing Ridley Scotts Blade Runner and Philip K. Dicks Do Androids
Comparing Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner" and Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? How do we know that we are human and, if we are human, what does it mean to be human? These two philosophical inquiries are explored in great depth in Ridley Scott's film "Blade Runner", and of course the text of Philip K. Dick's wonderful novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? on which the film is based. Most would agree that these themes exist in the novel, but a handful of critics and academics have some doubt as to their presence in the film. If one examines both the film and the text, one will realize that they both serve to support the same motifs, but do so in different fashions. Many critics argue that the awesome visuals overwhelm the contents of the plot and theme, but I argue that the visuals depicting Los Angeles in the year 2019 help to advance the themes. Viewers often miss the human side of the story or lack there of, and may object to the strong visuals for this reason. It can be argued that the visuals serve to portray a dehumanized world where only subtle signs of humanity's existence are dispersed throughout, where existentialist notions such as what being human is and what being human means are not easily answered. To briefly summarize the plot, Harrison Ford stars as Rick Deckard, a cop from the future (blade runner) who tracks down and kills replicants, which are basically artificially created human beings. In other films, they are usually referred to as androids. Specifically, his assignment is to find and kill five replicants who have escaped from an off-world colony and come to earth. The most interesting parts of "Blade Runner" are Deckard's interactions with the various replicants, especially Ra... ... also feel sympathy for Deckard. The film illustrates that both are in a struggle to become more human, Deckard because he is slowly losing his humanity, and the androids because they have never had the experience of humanity, but desire it. This sympathy for both entities further reinforces the blur that Scott is creating between the android and the human. Because the film does this so effectively, we can easily ask the question, "what makes a human more deserving of life than an android?" Essentially, when all is said and done, "Blade Runner" is really a film about questions, questions that we should ask ourselves of humanity. What is a human? What does it mean to be human? Do humans have more of a right to life than replicants? Have humans and androids become the same thing? It is not so important that one answers these questions, but that he or she asks them.
Wednesday, January 15, 2020
Planetary Comparison Essay
Man first came to live by finding ways to sustain his life. He could think, decide, create an opinion and work with his bare hands. After many years of survival, he became more curious at the things around him. He saw the moon, the sun and the stars. It was when the man was curious that human life was considered intelligent life. Without manââ¬â¢s curiosity, he wouldnââ¬â¢t care about the planet that he is hosting his life. Without his brain, he wouldnââ¬â¢t know that other planets and other heavenly bodies exist aside from the planet Earth. The properties of planet Earth include its shape, density, reflection of light and age. The shape of the Earth resembles that of a sphere. It is a spherical planet because of gravity. What makes the Earth spherical is the bulging characteristic it has on the equator. The bulges exist on this part of the planet because of rotation. Properties of the Earth Density ââ¬â As of the Earthââ¬â¢s density, it refers to the ââ¬Å"mass per unit volumeâ⬠of the planet. The density of the Earth can be better imagined if compared to the density of iron, rock or water. The density of is 8 grams per cubic centimeter, 2. 5 grams per cubic centimeter for a rock. With water, it is just a gram per cubic centimeter. Deep down the planet is surely a dense section of the Earth (Newman, 2000, p. 267). â⬠Reflection of Light ââ¬â Another property is reflection of light. The Earth has 37% albedo, which means that it has 37% of light that it is capable of reflecting. Again, to get the clearer picture, the reflection of light of the Earth can be compared to that of dirt, clouds and ice. Dirt can only reflect around 10%, while water and clouds have just enough albedo. When albedo is moderate, it means that the reflection of light ranges from 40 to 60 percent. Meanwhile, ice has a high albedo because its reflection of light is almost a solid one hundred percent (Hamilton, 2001). Age of the Earth ââ¬â The age of the Earth is also another property of the planet. Planet Earth is as old as billions of years. With the help of radioactive dating of stones, scientists and geologists discovered that the Earth existed 3. to 4. 5 billion years ago (Hamilton, 2001). The Earthââ¬â¢s Interior The Earthââ¬â¢s interior is characterized by explosions, earthquakes and seismic waves. There are waves that travel in both solid and liquid parts of the Earth. There are also waves that run only on solid ground (Hamilton, 2001). Inside the Earthââ¬â¢s interior, one can find nickel, iron and solid in the inner core. In the Earthââ¬â¢s outer core are nickel, iron and liquid. It s mantle are oxygen and silicon, which, when combined, form silicate rocks. The temperature inside the Earthââ¬â¢s core is hotter than the surface of the sun because of radioactivity and collisions. During the early years of history, the Earth is molded by numerous collisions and the heat from this activity contributed to the 6500K temperature of the planetââ¬â¢s core (Hamilton, 2001). Surface Changes It is a fact that the surface of the Earth changes constantly. One activity that contributes in the surface change of the planet is continental drift. Continental drift, as its name implies, refers to the drifting apart of the Earthââ¬â¢s continents. The continents move over time, and such movements were better understood and explained as the Plate Tectonics Theory came out, describing the lithosphere of the planet (Hamilton, 2001). If the lithosphere breaks, tectonic plates are built. In this planet, there are plenty of minor tectonic plates. With major tectonic plates, there are only seven. There is movement among these plates at different kinds of boundaries which include transform boundaries, spreading or divergent boundaries and collision or convergent boundaries. These boundaries pave way to the formation of oceanic trenches, mountains, volcanic activities and even earthquakes. Imagine two pieces of large lands collide (Hamilton, 2001). The tension caused by the collision alters the shape of the pieces of land. This is what happens to planet Earth. Whatever type of activity there is, the surface of the Earth will always be affected (Hamilton, 2001). Even erosion affects the surface of the Earth. Erosion happens when particles like rock, soil and sediments are displaced or moved to other places. What cause the displacement are agents like water, living organisms and wind. Ice is also another cause of displacement because of the downward slope (Hamilton, 2001). The Earth and the Other Nine It cannot be denied that the Earth is special because compared to other planets in the solar system; it is only the Earth that is capable of sustaining life. It has an atmosphere. It has displacement of lands. It has plate tectonics. It has water. It has humans. The one thing that separates the Earth from the other planets is the human being and human life. There may be signs of the existence of life in Mars, and that there are other forms of life in the moon of Saturn, but only Earth is capable of supporting and maintaining life (Moskowitz, 2008). Intelligent Life ââ¬â Even if it may be proven in the future that there are indeed organisms living in Mars, it is still safe to say that the Earth is home to intelligent life. Other planets may be able to host life, but only the planet Earth is capable of hosting the intelligent kind (Moskowitz, 2008). Life on other planets would not even be possible without the planet Earth, according to Gregory Laughlin. Laughlin is a planet hunter and an astrophysicist at the prestigious University of California, Santa Cruz. Gregory was able to say this because the Earth delicately transferred some of its materials to the other planets. These tiny materials can be found in the planetââ¬â¢s crust (Moskowitz, 2008). Water ââ¬â Another feature of the Earth which cannot be found in other planets is water. The planet is indeed a place conducive for evolution because it has water in it, in that amount. The amount of water on Earth is almost magical. The amount of water present in this planet is just enough to keep a desert alive. There is not too much water to drown the Earthââ¬â¢s mountains (Moskowitz, 2008). Water on Earth is different from the water in the other planets because the water in the other planets either fry or freeze. This can be explained through the distance between the planet earth and the sun (Moskowitz, 2008). Distance ââ¬â Distance, of course, is a unique feature of the planet. The Earth indeed has the best location in the solar system because if we depend on too much sun, then the distance between the planet and then sun is just right enough to match the Earthââ¬â¢s geological timescales (Moskowitz, 2008). It is the temperature we get from the sun that regulates the Earthââ¬â¢s atmosphere. It is the distance between the Earth and the sun that keeps the temperature of the Earthââ¬â¢s surface around the temperature of the waters (Moskowitz, 2008). Size ââ¬â The size of the Earth is also another unique feature of the planet. A smaller Earth will not leave space for the planet to hold on to the atmosphere. A bigger Earth may be a hotter Earth for humans. Hotter in this sense means the kind of warmness which humans will not be able to tolerate (Moskowitz, 2008). Getting More Detailed Mercury is the nearest planet to the Sun. Among all the other planets, it is the eighth largest. It has two moons namely Titan and Ganymede. While these moons are smaller than Mercury, they are more massive than the planet. Mercury, compared to the Earth, is closer to the sun (Arnett, 2008). Venus, on the other hand, is the sixth largest planet in the solar system. It is also nearer to the sun compared to the Earth. It is an inferior planet with phases easily seen through a telescope from the Earth (Arnett, 2008). Aside from the Earth, Mars stands out to be a popular planet since the early times. Today, there are observatories that are ground-based just to study Mars. The size of Mars is a barrier in studying it, but the planet still shows features that can host life (Arnett, 2008). The biggest planet in the solar system is Jupiter. When it comes to mass, this planet is doubly massive compared to the Earth and to the other planets as well. In fact, when compared to the Earthââ¬â¢s mass, Jupiter has 318 times more (Arnett, 2008). Saturn is a popular planet since the prehistoric years because there was Galileo in 1610, holding a telescope, observing this planet with rings. Galileo knew that Saturn looked different and he thought that the Earth passes through the rings after some years on a regular basis (Arnett, 2008). If the Earth is spherical, then the planet Uranus is ecliptic. Unlike the Earth, Uranusââ¬â¢ poles are hotter than its equator. The poles of this planet are more receptive to the sunââ¬â¢s energy than the equator (Arnett, 2008). Neptune is far from the sun, but its core measures the same as that of the mass of the Earth. Its core is made of rocks. It does not have a unique internal layering like that of Saturn and Jupiter, but the composition is nonetheless distinct. Whatever heat it receives from the sun is nothing compared to the heat it can generate itself through its core (Arnett, 2008). Pluto is the smallest planet in the solar system. It has an eccentric orbit, which makes it closer to the sun at times than Neptune. Unlike the Earth and all the other planets, this heavenly body rotates in the opposite direction (Arnett, 2008). Above all these, it is still the Earth that stands out. All these pieces of information would not be known without the human mind, made possible with life, sustained by the Earth.
Tuesday, January 7, 2020
Analysis Of Gorman Beauchamp s Article, Technology
In Gorman Beauchamp s article, Technology in the Dystopian Novel, he writes: collectivism and technology, that is, are mutually exclusive (56). Collectivism is defined as: the practice or principle of giving a group priority over each individual in it. This idea is incredibly relevant in today s society. Our world, because of modern technology, has become incredibly individualistic. Cell phones, personal computers, tablets, and other personal technological devices have all been created with the intent to improve communication and connecting individuals in a much easier fashion. Devices are customized to the individual making it more in sync with the individual. While these devices have contributed overall in creating a more globalized world, individual cultures, especially in the United States, no longer have the group priority Beauchamp was referring to. This becomes extremely apparent in the youth of todayââ¬â¢s societies. Distractions from cell phones continually disrupt the co hesion in the classroom, playground, and in the homes. Because of the frequency of use on these personal devices, interpersonal communication is greatly hindered. Interpersonal skills are important for a culture to thrive and to be successful. It is unknown what kind of effects technology will have in the long run towards face-to-face communications and interpersonal relationships. The science fiction book series, Divergent, has an interesting solution for what happens when societies let technology
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