Do You Believe That Evolution Is True? If so, then provide an answer to the following questions. "Evolution" in this context is the idea that natural, undirected processes are sufficient to account for the existence of all natural things. 1. Something from nothing? The "Big Bang", the most widely accepted theory of the beginning of the universe, states that everything developed from a small dense cloud of subatomic particles and radiation which exploded, forming hydrogen (and some...

This paper describes the kinds of statements necessary to give rise to Moore’s paradox I Introduction Moore’s paradox was developed by philosopher G.E. Moore, who was struck by the idea that there are semantic constructs that can be consistent and inconsistent at the same time. This paper discusses Question #2 of the topic, “What sort of statement gives rise to Moore’s paradox?” II Discussion The typical example given as the basis for Moore’s...

THE BUDDHA, TWO LESSONS Almost everybody I have ever met can recognize a Buddha statue, but few folks who I have ever associated with understand the meaning of the Buddha. Myself included was one of those folks blessed with such ignorance. When the term Buddha was brought up, all I thought about was the pudgy bellies of myself and fellow offensive lineman on my high school football team. Nirvana! Hey isn't that one of the great rock bands of the early nineties? Right? In this paper, I...

BLACK HOLES The 20th century saw a great many new discoveries regarding celestial phenomena in the universe. One of these entities, which has only recently been encountered, is the Black Hole. These are formed when a star which has consumed all its fuel collapses in on itself, eventually turning into a black hole with infinite density and zero volume and an immensely powerful magnetic field. We are unable to see black holes even with the most powerful telescope, because their gravitational...

Natural versus Social Sciences: "An Eye to Designing the Future?" or Concentration on Present Forms? Although the term ‘body of knowledge’ is widely used to describe the cumulative body of all knowledge known by all mankind, this phrase demonstrates a hasty generalization. In fact, this statement is misleading, if not completely erroneous. There are, in essence, two distinct types of knowing with two opposite focuses. The first way of knowing, experimental science, concerns itself...

Why A Skeptic Can Have Religious Faith Ockham’s Razor, the God of the Gaps, and Yearning and Learning, as used by Raymo, show us that a Skeptic can be a person of religious faith. What exactly is religious faith? Must a person be a True Believer to have religious faith? Ask ten different people these questions and you will receive ten different answers. Some answers may be similar, yet at the same time, some can be the complete opposite of the others. Having faith in something is...

Radical Islamic Revivalism And Nuclear Terrorism On September 11th, 2001, the world was shocked and appalled to learn of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. A terrorist attack of such precision and magnitude was unheard of. In the wake of those attacks, individuals and nations alike have been forced to re-evaluate their perception of terrorism, especially the fanatical and seemingly amoral terrorism originating from the Middle East. Commonly referred to as...

A Comparison of Plato and Aristotle Plato versus Aristotle Plato and Aristotle, two philosophers in the 4th century, hold polar views on politics and philosophy in general. This fact is very cleverly illustrated by Raphael's "School of Athens" (1510-11; Stanza della Segnatura, Vatican), where Plato is portrayed looking up to the higher forms; and Aristotle is pointing down because he supports the natural sciences. In a discussion of politics, the stand point of each philosopher becomes an...

The Servant in the Book of Isaiah The series of four songs found in Isaiah that are referred to as the servant songs present an interesting question. Who is the servant that these songs are talking about? The suffering servant could be Jesus the Messiah, the collective righteous persons of Israel, the individual righteous person of Israel, or Jeremiah, who is one of the prophets. Who the suffering servant is not of the utmost importance when discussing these songs, what is important is that...

Topic: Is the existence of evil incompatible with the existence of God? If not, is it a reason to suppose that God does not exist? In a strong argument for atheism, J.L. Mackie presents the argument from evil. His logical argument for evil is comprised of showing theists’ beliefs to be inconsistent. He states that God being omnipotent and omni-benevolent is contradictory with the existence of evil. Though his argument seems to be a good one, Mackie does provide four responses, or...