The Hazards of Cell Phone Use and Sound Science Essay Example for Free

The Hazards of Cell Phone Use and Sound Science Essay An ecosystem pertains to the living organisms in a particular area of the earth along with the physical aspects of their environment. Between these nonliving and living constituents, there exists a natural interchange of so-called goods and services that make up an ecosystem’s natural capital, and which ultimately defines the sustainability of that ecosystem. In other words, natural capital is like the nature’s stock of goods (like food) and services (like waste disposal) in order to sustain its living constituents (Costanza et al. 1997, p. 254). A more specific example of ecosystem services are the pollination services provided for by the bees, among other insect species, which are important to the flowers, and thus to all organisms whose food requirements have to do with flowering plants, and so on. A certain study found that bees preferred specific flowers—that is, tubular flowers, instead of open ones so that the pollination of these kinds of flowers are done primarily by the bees. In other words, bees play an important role in the sustainability of the particular plant species’ posterity, as no other pollinator insect species seemed to prefer the same kind of flowers (Public Library of Science, 2006). In the ecosystem, every movement, every input and output of whatever natural constituent is accounted for, and has its consequences. All the more if there is an extra or unwarranted input, such as what is going on in concordance with the advent of technology. We are literally swimming in a sea of electromagnetic radiation brought about by various electronic appliances, most notable of all the portable celphone. It has been speculated that bees are disappearing due to the electromagnetic radiation continuously emitted by these portable phones. But again, this is mere speculation. What is certain, however, is that bees are disappearing—studies in Britain and the Netherlands have shown that over the last 25 years approximately, the bee population has been declining, and with it, those of certain flowers (University of Leeds, 2006). But the same studies are inconclusive about the cause for this decline, proposing only possible causes such as changes in the agricultural chemicals being used; the way the land is taken cared of; and also climate changes. Further studies are still being undertaken to prove which is the real cause for this disappearance of bees, but scientists have not pinpointed celphone use as a probable reason. Therefore, the allegations against cellphones lack sound science, and still have to be scientifically tested if this seeming unlikelihood is worth investigating. Certainly, we are enjoying and maximizing the advantages of having celphones. However, it is possible that harmful effects of celphone radiation do exist. A study by Danish epidemiologist and medical scientist has revealed that celphone radiation caused DNA damage among other things (Korvach, 2007). This means that it is possible to breed dysfunctional offspring. Other effects have been found to be linked to brain tumor development, but findings of the study were not enough to lead to this conclusion. However, we are still talking about possibilities. Every scientific observation must be reproducible, or proven by a number of other scientific laboratories before it can be fully accepted and established as a scientific fact. It is possible that the bees are disappearing because of increasing electromagnetic radiation in the surroundings. It is possible that some people have died of brain cancer brought about by celphone use. As of the moment, I however, believe that these possibilities are insubstantial. I do not think that celphones have enough radiation to cause such negative effects. For me, what is likely is that their radiation may add to an individual’s susceptibility to such diseases. What can be done, then, as of the moment since there seems to be a lack of sound science to prove or disprove anything, as I have said earlier, is to be careful, to perhaps minimize the use of celphones and other electronics all at one time, and let the scientists do their work.

Pride and Vanity in Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice Essay -- Jane Au

Pride and Vanity in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice      Ã‚   Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us. In her novel, Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen makes the point that an excess of pride or vanity is indeed a failing. Pride, observed Mary, . . . is a very common failing, I believe. By all that I have ever read, I am convinced that it is very common indeed, that human nature is particularly prone to it, and that there are very few of us who do not cherish a feeling of self-complacency on the score of some quality or another, real or imaginary. Pride and/or vanity is exhibited in different forms by each character. Those characters who can recognize their flaw emerge as the true heroes of the story.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In many minor characters of the novel, pride is a common characteristic. Mrs. Bennet, for instance, is extremely proud when it comes to her daughters marriages of mercenary advantage. She is so concerned that her neighbors have a high opinion of her that her own vanity will not even allow her to think of her daughters love and happiness. This is best shown with the case of Elizabeth Bennet's proposed marriage to the esteemed Mr. Collins, a man she did not love. Mrs. Bennet was so upset when her daughter refused Mr. Collins offer that she would not speak to her for passing up such an opportunity.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   We can see an example of pride for imaginary qualities in Mary Bennet who was herself the speaker of this passage. To the embarrassment of her family, Mary would take every chance she could to put on a show whenever in a public sit... ...s a flaw in their respective characters. Darcy realizes that he must check his pride in order to be seen in a good light by others. Elizabeth, the object of his affections, is so turned off by his prideful ways that a touch of vanity enables him to change himself for her. Elizabeth, while observing the transformations of Darcy, realizes that she, too, has been guilty of too much pride. She sees that she was indeed prejudiced and that she must come to terms with the failings of her family. Darcy and Elizabeth are able to overcome their pride which enables them to live happily ever after. Works Cited Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. 1813. Ed. Donald Gray. New York: Norton and Co., 1993. Johnson, Claudia L. "Pride and Prejudice and the Pursuit of Happiness." Pride and Prejudice. By Jane Austen. Ed. Donald Gray. New York: Norton and Co., 1993. pp. 367-376.

The Ship of Theseus

ABSTRACT: Endurantism and perdurantism are theories that describe how objects can persist through time. These theories will be used in an effort to solve a puzzle that has been dated all the way back to the first century: the Ship of Theseus. It will be determined that the two theories fail in solving the Ship of Theseus puzzle. According to Brian Garrett of Australian National University, metaphysics is concerned with the nature and identity of objects. 1 In order to increase understanding of the identity of objects, puzzles of constitution and identity are used by philosophers.There is a puzzle common in metaphysics: the Ship of Theseus, which was believed to be recorded by Plutarch in the late first century2. It is complex puzzle that consists of three different scenarios. The first scenario depicts a ship being dismantled and then rebuilt. The second scenario portrays the ship being completely remodeled. The third scenario is a mixture of the previous ones that have the ship bein g completely remodeled, but the removed planks are used to construct another ship. In order to solve this puzzle, one must be able to identify which ship is the Ship of Theseus.Philosophical theories can be used to solve philosophical puzzles such as this one and there are two theories that exist that help one understand how objects persist through time: endurantism and perdurantism. According to endurantism, ordinary objects are wholly present at each moment of time at which they exist3. In perdurantism, objects are four dimensional entities that consist of temporal and spatial parts and these objects persist by having different temporal parts at different times4. Once one has knowledge of endurantism and perdurantism, the theories can be used to solve puzzles such as the Ship of Theseus.However, in this paper, it will be shown that the puzzle of the Ship of Theseus cannot be solved using endurantism and perdurantism. This is because attempts made by endurantists and perdurantists result in unintuitive consequences. This will be done first by explaining and assessing endurantism and perdurantism. Then it will be shown that the two theories fail in solving the Ship of Theseus because of problems that are encountered. After that, the Extensionality Principle will be discussed, which is used by perdurantists as a criterion for identity.It will be determined that this principle is also flawed and is also unable to give an account for the identity of objects. Firstly, endurantism is the view that physical objects are three-dimensional and move through time. They are wholly present at each moment of time at which they exist. For example, if a man was born in 1975, attended kindergarten class in 1980, and graduated from high school in 1993, endurantists would claim that this man was wholly present at each of those different times. He will continue to wholly exist in the future as well.Primary motivation for this theory is that it is a more conventional view and is m ore in conjunction with believed upon ideas about the world. For example, when a woman is talking to someone, she believes that she is talking to that person as a complete object, wholly present; as opposed to just a temporal part of an object. The theory of endurantism has been explained. It must be noted, however, that this theory holds that two numerically distinct, but wholly present objects can co-exist for some of the time or at all times.Brian Garrett says that this hinders the authenticity of endurantism because the statement is strange5. Perdurantism does not have this problem. The theory of perdurantism is the view that ordinary objects are four-dimensional and are composed of temporal parts. An object is not wholly present at every possible time at which it exists because only its temporal parts exist. In the previous example, when the man is born, or attends kindergarten, or graduates from high school, the man is not wholly present according to perdurantism.Instead, it i s the man’s temporal parts that existed during those events; the man itself exists as a four-dimensionally extended whole. Primary motivation for perdurantism is that this theory is able to account for change within a physical object because the objects are four-dimensional. On the contrary, endurantism does not have this luxury. Perdurantism is also primarily motivated by how it better accommodates Albert Einstein’s theory of special relativity. There are problems that arise if both endurantism and special relativity are true. According to Steven D. Hales and Timothy A.Johnson of Bloomsburg University, â€Å"it would be misguided to argue† for endurantism because special relativistic effects â€Å"are negligible at human speeds†. 6 The theory of special relativity does not allow for endurantism because of how it requires objects such as humans to move through time at a slower speed than the speed of light. Given that special relativity is a widely accept ed theory, perdurantists have strong motivation to prove their view7. Secondly, even though endurantism and perdurantism help explain the persistence of objects over time, neither view is able to solve the puzzle of the Ship of Theseus.In the Ship of Theseus, there are three different scenarios. In the first scenario, the Ship of Theseus is dismantled and then rebuilt with each plank being returned to its original location— we’ll call this ship Y1. In the second scenario, the ship is completely remodeled with an entirely new set of planks— we’ll call this ship X1. In the third scenario, two ships are involved. The ship from the second scenario (now called ship X) is present, but an entirely different ship that is being constructed out of the planks that had been removed (called ship Y) is also present.In order to solve this puzzle, the Ship of Theseus must be identified. However, flaws in endurantism are shown by how the endurantist must deny that Y1 is e qual to Y. This is done in order to respect the necessity of identity and non-identity which states that if x = y, then necessarily x = y8. However, what this entails is that one could claim that if the removed planks had not been replaced in the third scenario, then ship Y would not have existed and instead ship Y1 would have existed. This means that the existence of ship Y or Y1 entirely depends on whether or not the removed planks were replaced.Brian Garrett refers to this consequence as â€Å"strange† because â€Å"we don’t think that the existence of a particular ship (or of anything else in space and time) depends on what happens in a region of the universe which exerts no causal influence on it†9. This is a flaw for the endurantism theory because it denotes that an object’s existence is dependent on an event that has no direct influence on it. Furthermore, perdurantism also fails in correctly solving the Ship of Theseus. According to perdurantism, the third scenario involves the presence of two ships prior to the repair of the Ship of Theseus.They are overlapping one another. This represents that the ships have a common temporal segment where they are basically one and the same ship. After the repair, the two ships separate with one being ship X and the other being ship Y. The problem, however, is that one cannot think that there are three possible outcomes anymore. One cannot think that the future of the Ship of Theseus will be the same as that of the ship in the first scenario, the ship in the second scenario, or the ships in the third scenario because each of the ships are distinct from one another.This is a problem, according to Garrett, because people â€Å"could sensibly wonder† if the future for the Ship of Theseus will be like any of the three scenarios when it is being constructed10. He means that ordinary people should be able to think about the Ship of Theseus and think about what future it might behold. How ever, the theory of perdurantism must deny that three possible futures are available for the ship. As a result, we are left with either believing that people are not able to wonder about the ship’s future (which cannot be true) or perdurantism is unable to solve the puzzle of the Ship of Theseus.Moreover, perdurantism fails in solving the puzzle because of the name: ‘Ship of Theseus’. It has been discussed that the Ship of Theseus has a temporal part where there are two overlapping ships. However, which of the two overlapping ships is the actual Ship of Theseus when the name is being called? This is a problem because both ships cannot be called the Ship of Theseus. Perdurantism cannot account for this confusion. This shows that perdurantism is unable to solve the puzzle of the Ship of Theseus.Overall, the theories of endurantism and perdurantism have been explained and it has been shown that both theories are unable to solve the puzzle of the Ship of Theseus. How ever, there are criterions for identity that exist that could provide a criterion of identification for objects through time. One criterion for identity that will be talked about is the Extensionality Principle; it is used by perdurantists because it is a criterion of identity for four-dimensional objects11. The Extensionality Principle, according to Garrett, states: if x and y are objects with the same proper parts, then x=y.This means that if two different objects have the same properties, then the two objects are the same12. However, there are flaws in the Extensionality Principle that causes it to fail in providing a criterion of identification. According to Lecture notes, in order for objects to be identical, it is not enough for the object to have all the same parts. This is because the parts of identical objects must be related to each other or arranged in a certain order13. Therefore, a problem arises regarding temporal parts of an object. How do the temporal parts have the proper order?As a result of this problem, the Extensionality Principle must be revised. But if it is revised, according to lecture notes, the principle will no longer be an extensional principle14. Furthermore, there is no explanation as to why time would provide the correct order for temporal parts of an object. These problems show that the Extensionality Principle fails in providing a criterion of identification; and this harkens back to how the puzzle of the Ship of Theseus cannot be solved. It has been shown that the puzzle of the Ship of Theseus cannot be solved.This was first determined by explaining the theories of endurantism and perdurantism and revealing the primary motivation for each of them. These theories depict how objects persist through time; yet, the theories cannot be used to correctly solve the Ship of Theseus puzzle. Lastly, the Extensionality Principle was described and it was shown that the principle was unable to solve the Ship of Theseus puzzle. As one can s ee, the Ship of Theseus is a difficult puzzle to solve and it has been around since the late first century. Will there ever be a theory that correctly identifies the Ship of Theseus once and for all?

Why Students Should Test Ideas Via Active Experimentation

As a firm believer in progressivism, I believe that education should be focused on the whole child, rather than on the content or the teacher. I believe students should test ideas via active experimentation. Students should question and explore, not simply receive facts and information from their teacher. â€Å"Learning is rooted in the questions of learners that arise through experiencing the world† (oregonstate.edu). I grew up in a worksheet type of classroom, and as a visual learner that suited me just fine. I would play teacher and every imaginary student started their day with a worksheet bell ringer, because that’s all I knew. Next, we would listen to the teacher lecture or read from the textbook. I learned just fine, so I imagined my†¦show more content†¦He also did not receive free or reduced lunch because his parents never submitted the paperwork, and he had no money for lunch. Luckily his teacher had packed for themselves, one giving him her sandwich, one giving him her grapes and he could take chips from the office. It broke my heart knowing these students experience such awful things so young in life. It was then that I learned the importance of catering to the whole child. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs states that primarily a person needs to be physiologically taken care of, and this boy was a prime example. He must be fed before we can switch his brain to focus on academics. He needs to know his teachers care about him, his peers accept him and his presence is important before he can bring his attention solely on learning. In my own classroom, I hope to adhere to this philosophy by creating ongoing projects that allow students to choose how they will demonstrate their learning. This project stimulates the workshop environment and meets many standards. I would also be sure to integrate technology, as it’s important for educators to stay current with educational advancements and technology is such a big part of you ng students lives. Along with ongoing projects, I would reduce homework as best I could. I believe homework is a teacher centered idea, along with grades and test scores, because each are at the control of the teacher, and not the student’sShow MoreRelatedLearning Styles Essay4126 Words   |  17 Pagesaffect learning for a student. Incorporated in this I will discuss theories of ‘learning styles’, comparing and contrasting them and try to identify aspects which can impact upon my practice. I will analyse my own teaching style and that of others to see how the theories can be applied and also assess my own success in meeting the needs of the students. 1.1 Why? The information provided in this assignment will allow me a better understanding of the variety of ways a student can learn. This willRead MoreThe Antibacterial Effect of Papaya Leaves Extract on Staphylococcus Episdermidis7962 Words   |  32 PagesBIBLIOGRAPHY†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.35 APPENDIX A†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦37 APPENDIX B†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦41 APPENDIX C†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.44 APPENDIX D†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦....45 CURRICULUM VITAE†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦46 vi TABLES Table1. 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