Week 9: Discussion Question #2

UFO’s is a very debatable subject because there is no actual answer to whether they are real or not. Condon believed there was no such thing as UFO’s due to the lack of evidence. He believes we should focus more of our time on scientific advancements and to only pursue UFO research, if there is evidence to prove their existence. Hynek believes that UFO’s exist in our world. He wants people who have witnessed a UFO to come forward and describe their experience. Hynek feels we need to gather data on this subject matter because he truly believes there is extraterrestrial life out there other than humans. Lastly, Paynter does not believe in the existence of UFO’s. He feels there is not enough physical evidence to prove they exist in our world. Until the day he sees a UFO or there is enough evidence of it, he will continue on believing they do not exist. I believe Paynter has the best argument because without proof, we can all say whatever we want about the situation, but with proof, there is an absolute answer.

Week 9: Discussion Question #3

This week, I found the concept of hearsay to be interestingly enough to discuss. Hearsay is a term used for a type of evidence. According to Boss, this evidence “is heard by one person and then repeated to another person and so on until you hear it.” By the time you receive or hear this information, the information would most likely be different or altered from the original information. It is not that people do this on purpose, but it is because we sometimes forget little details or when we try to repeat the information, our words choices have a completely different meaning. Therefore, this type of evidence is considered to be unreliable. An example of this concept would be a game of Telephone. I remember I used to play this game when I was a young child. You would stand next to your friends and one-person from the end of the line would whisper a message to the person next to them. Then that person would repeat it to the next person and so on. Eventually, the message will make it to the last person and they would say it aloud to see if it matches up with the original message from the first person. Most of the time it doesn’t because messages get changed as people pass it on. Through this game, the concept of hearsay is reinforced.

Week 9: Discussion Question #1

From the textbook by Boss, knowledge is “information or experience that we believe to be true and for which we have justification or evidence.” According to the dictionary, wisdom is “accumulated philosophic or scientific learning: knowledge.” When someone has wisdom, they have the ability to put into perspective the situation, apply judgment, and take action. We are acquiring knowledge daily from college. As years go on, our knowledge from education and experiences will turn into wisdom, in which we can share with the younger generations.

The information age has made it easier for people to access information quickly. If you need a question answered or research information for a paper, then you just look it up online. Having this type of information access has made us more knowledgeable. It does not give us wisdom in an instant because wisdom is when one can provide insight and judgment with knowledge. We all will eventually have wisdom to share of our own. We’ll continue to soak in knowledge from our daily life because there is so much to learn from life, no matter how cliché that sounds.

Week 7: Discussion Question #3

One concept that caught my attention this week was expressive language, which “communicates feelings and attitudes and is used to bring about an emotional impact on the listener” (Boss, pg 63). This type of language is popularly noted in religion and poetry. I am taking a creative writing class this semester, and we are currently studying poetry. The strength of poetry is when the listeners reminisces about memories or feel the emotions of the poem. One time, a poem was read to us by the poet, and by the end of the reading, I was thinking about the happiness I felt playing as a young child with my friends and how we let our imagination take us to a whole new world. It kind of shocked me how deeply it affected me because I never knew words could bring about such feelings. This type of expressive language is very unique and powerful, and is good for all of us. Reliving my happy memories always reminds me that I should live within the moment and make the best out of every situation.

Week 7: Discussion Question #2

Rhetorical devices can be heard in our daily conversations. If you ask my friends, you will know very well that I use sarcasm all the time.  Our laundry room in the house was getting messy, and one of my housemates pointed it out. My response was, “Oh really? I haven’t noticed even though I trip over clothes and slip on plastic bags every time I walk through the laundry room. It’s not like I’m scared for my life every time I walk through there in the dark nowadays.” She got my point; the laundry room needs to get cleaned up by the ones who made the mess.

Another rhetorical device is a hyperbole, and it’s used as an exaggeration. In my Asian American Studies class, the professors always give long lectures. After the class is over, I would turn to my friend and say, “That lecture bored me to death.” Obviously, it was an exaggeration because I did not literally die from that hour and fifteen minute lecture, even though it was super boring and my brain probably didn’t process 2/3 of the information spoken to us.

Week 7: Discussion Question #1

Sally Ride is a person who is very admirable. She exemplifies the qualities of successful communication skills and how it helped her succeed in life. Communication skills are very important in her career because one has to be able to listen, speak, and write effectively with their co-workers in order for projects to be completed correctly. Sally used research and inquiry skills to determine what career would best suit her. With her extraordinary communication skills, NASA was a perfect work place for her. She was in charge of the capcom for the first and second shuttle flights. Sally was also the first female astronaut in space, and that helped break the barrier for other females to do the same.  Her persistence in a field dominated by males shows us that we are all capable of reaching our goals, no matter the obstacles. As long as we use our skills, we can be successful. Sally achieved a lot in her life because she used what she was best at to help her, and that was her communication skills.

Week 6: Discussion Question #3

According to the textbook, rationalists “maintain that religious beliefs should be consistent with reason and evidence.” I find this to be interesting because people normally believe in the religion or they do not. This type of Rationalism is quite popular within the American population. They believe there is a correlation between God, the creator, and proof that he exists. Rationalists rely on evidence to back up a certain belief in the religion. If there is no proof, they become skeptical of the idea and may reject it entirely. Sometimes the blame may fall on the failure of science to prove their beliefs, and not towards their religion. Proof is extremely important to them because it is answers to their questions. Yet, there are people out there in the world that try to disprove the rationalism ideas because they believe it is not God that brought us here, but rather the idea of evolution.

Week 6: Discussion Question #2

When it comes to religion, people can get offended easily and it is not a topic I discuss regularly. I believe every person has their own belief and we do not have the right to tell them whether they are incorrect or not. Evolution and a belief in God are incompatible to the claims of Dawkins and beliefs of Aquinas. Dawkins keeps pointing out the fact that Aquinas believes God creates everything. Yet, he cannot provide proof that there is something else or another force at work for everything that is on Earth right now. If he could prove that God does not exist, then his argument for evolution would be valid and more believable. If Aquinas were alive today, he would probably tell Dawkins to provide proof that God did not create everything and our existence. 

Week 6: Discussion Question #1

Every so often, we are asked what our strengths are, and our answers evolve a little each time. That is because we are constantly growing as people, and we are learning a lot more about ourselves. One of my strengths is seeing the bigger picture within a problem and solution. I feel you have to fully look at both the pros and cons on each side and figure out what the best move to make is. The best solution one can come up with will make both parties happy, but it does not happen all the time. Sometimes the solution you come up with will not satisfy everyone, even though it is the best plan. This type of thinking is critical for my career choice because when you work with the environment and its resources, you have to figure out how your actions will affect the environment, ecosystem, and the human population.