Reading Response Six

I really like that passage from “Life on the Rocks” that reads:

“The animals are tame. They have not been persecuted, and show no fear of man. Y0u pass among them as though you were wind, spindrift, sunlight, leaves” (p111)

I like this quote because it illustrates that animals and people can live together in peace and we can be equal with them. There is an interesting relationship between animal and man, and it’s cool to think about animals not being threatened by us and us not being threatened by them.

A question I would have related to this reading is: Should evolution be taught in school?

This question is debated a lot because there is so much controversy about evolution and Creation. I think that it should be taught but only from an informational standing. Students could form their own opinions about which one is true or if both theories are true after hearing the information.

 

Writing Response Four

My enthymeme for Essay 2.1 will probably be:

We should all develop a genuine sense of appreciation toward the natural world because it would eliminate environmental problems.

I would be claiming that people should appreciate nature more. The stated reason would be because this would stop the environmental problems, and the unstated assumption would be that environmental problems exist and they should be eliminated.

I would use passages such as this one to show that if we truly valued nature we would end the climate crisis:

“To treat the Earth in the sacred manner of gardening as a vehicle to know God is our global imperative if we want to coexist as truly equitable and peaceful human societies. To garden the earth is to love Nature” (The Window of Our Cultural Soul, Chris Maser)

I would also describe the benefits of spending time in nature and the good things that can come from a healthy environment. I would persuade people to value the resources we have and spend more time outside.

 

Reading Response Five

“The Concept of the Paradise Garden” John Brookes

This essay was mostly centered on the Quran, the Holy Book of Islam. It talked about the relationship between nature and religion, and it used to Quran as an example because in Islam they believe that Paradise is literally a garden and it is described in detail. The essay raises questions of ethic, because the garden could either be a good thing or a bad thing.

“How Should Chemists Think?” Roald Hoffmann

The subject of this essay was that we can either use nature or man made things for inspiration and there are good and bad things about each. It also points out that chemistry can be an art in itself and that sometimes the two things mix together.

“Mutant Bacteria and the Failure of Antibiotics” Merete Reitveld

This essay was a persuasive piece centered on the fact that as more and more antibiotics are used there is a larger possibility that bacteria can mutate and avoid the antibiotic. This is dangerous because new diseases will start creating themselves and we will not have the ability to protect ourselves from them.

My Discussion Question:

Are people hypochondriacs?

I would want to ask this question because after reading the Reitveld essay I realized that this might not happen if people were not constantly on so many medications. This is a somewhat new problem because long ago, the germs found in soil protected people from sickness. Now, with the excessive use of hand sanitizer and disinfectant, we might be losing those natural antibiotics that we needed. Maybe if people just healed naturally instead of rushing to the doctor, the problem of the over use of antibiotics wouldn’t exist.

 

Writing Response Three

Some of the Questions at Issue that we talked about in class were:

Is the modern perception of God literal or figurative? Does man use religion to explain natural phenomenon? Will a greater understanding of world bring science and religion closer together?

For my essay I want to write about something related to either spirituality or the environment of the connection between them. A possible enthymeme for my essay could be: We should develop a genuine sense of appreciation toward the natural world because it would eliminate environmental problems.

Claim: People should appreciate nature more.

Stated Reason: Because that would stop environmental problems.

Unstated Assumption: Environmental problems exist and they should be eliminated.

“To treat the Earth in the sacred manner of gardening as a vehicle to know God is our global imperative if we want to coexist as truly equitable and peaceful human societies. To garden the earth is to love Nature.” (p369)

-Maser, “The Window of Our Cultural Soul”

 

Reading Response Four

“The Window of Our Cultural Soul” by Chris Maser

This essay was written to persuade people and to open their minds to the idea that the earth is very important and we should always put effort into using its resources wisely. It encourages people to appreciate the land around us and to consider it a piece of art. Humans have a special relationship with the earth, and that is displayed especially in gardening because we are both caring for the earth itself and making it beautiful. The essay also illustrates the different reasons people use the earth, and that it represents the existence of the transcendent “other”.

“Religion and Science” by Albert Einstein

This essay by Albert Einstein was showing the connection and relationship between religion and science in our society. Einstein defined religion as being a method of avoiding death and suffering and suggested that fear is the main reason that people are religious. He goes on to say that science is only useful if scientists consider other ideas than just the practical results. Einstein points out that religion and science do not exist without each other and that the most important function of science itself is to discover more spiritually.

“The Obligation to Endure” by Rachel Carson

The essay by Rachel Carson is helping people to become aware of the dangers of chemical insecticides. She says that these insecticides are destroying plant and animal life and thinks that people have a right to be more educated about this subject. She stresses the need to do more research about the harmful effects of these insecticides and states that “the obligation to endure” gives each person the responsibility to be more aware of these scientific activities.

My Discussion Question:

Is Albert Einstein valid in saying that fear is the only reasoning behind religion?

I thought of this question because after reading the essay I could not decide whether I agree with this statement. It is possible for me to understand why someone would think this, because the idea of where someone will end up after death is an important part of almost every religion. You could see this as a way for people to feel more comfortable about death when they are scared. I would want to think of other reasons for people having a certain religion, to prove that this might not be valid.

 

Writing Response 2 (Outline for 1.2)

I. The Japanese would not have surrendered because their culture values dignity above life.

A. The Japanese culture enforces a strong sense of self-sacrifice and community dedication

II. The American culture highly values human life, and dropped the bomb in order to save both Japanese and American lives.

A. America forced Japan to surrender with the bombs and saved    the lives of over 100,000 American lives and as many as 1,000,000 Japanese people who would have died if we invaded Japan.

III. Anthropological studies about the American and Japanese cultures would show that a bombing was inevitable and unavoidable.

 

My Word Processor

I use the Pages program to prepare my writing papers. I use it because it has a pre-made MLA format available. It automatically gives each page a header with my last name and page number, the margins are set to one inch on each side, and the default line spacing is double spaced with no extra space in between paragraphs.

 

Reading Response Two

1. An enthymeme is an idea or a combination of a few ideas supported by a reason.

2. The difference between an enthymeme and a thesis is that a thesis is just an idea. It is the point you are trying to prove stated as an assertion.

3. An enthymeme for my essay will be: Atomic bombs are unethical because they are not selective in who they affect.

 

Reading Response Three

After reading the essay by Margaret Mead, “Warfare: An Invention-Not a Biological Necessity” , I thought of a few questions. Is it possible to end war? If it is, why haven’t we ended it? And if it’s not, what’s the point of writing about it being a bad idea? I thought of these questions because although I like the idea of no war, I’m not sure its a reasonable hope. This essay says that man has created war and that we don’t need it, but if we don’t need it why does it continue? I think that her essay is interesting, but it might have been more beneficial to explain how we can end war instead of naming off societies that don’t have it.

 

Writing Response One

New Thesis: The war could have been avoided if the United States and the Japanese would have studied each other’s culture.

Question of definition – Answering what the study of anthropology entails when used during a war.

Question of value – Answering if the war should have happened.

Question of consequence – How would the outcome have been different if we would have learned more about each other.

New Thesis: The environmental consequences of the atomic bombing made it unethical.

Question of definition – Answering how atomic bombs effect the environment.

Question of consequence – Answering what would happen to the environment if the number of atomic bombs dropped increased.

Question of policy – Answering what should have been done instead of dropping the bombs.

New Thesis: Even though dropping the bombs in Japan didn’t directly effect that generation, it could effect us in the future and it could happen again.

Question of definition – Answering how this could happen again and if its possible.

Question of value – Answering if it was worth the risk.

Question of consequence – Giving details about the possibility that this could happen to us.