Tuesday, May 12, 2020

The Pseudoscience of the Modern World - 1624 Words

The creation and development of Alchemy has been teeming with countless stories of philosophical theories, alchemic brilliance, and public ridicule and disgrace due to failure to create a legendary substance known as the Philosophers stone. As a result, this stone has been one of the most pursued objects of Europe an history providing the driving force for Alchemy. This sacred art is what pioneered the very first tools, process, and theories of modern chemistry (Alchemy). Current generations of Americans were most likely introduced to the concept of Alchemy in American literature such as in works by Shakespeare (Alchemy in Art). Many of these books actually portrayed real characters such as Nicholas Flamel, a real alchemist in the 13th†¦show more content†¦His other theory states there are four Aristotelian Qualities: hot, dry, wet, and cold. Each classic element was thought to be a different combination of two of these qualities (Aristotle). Aristotle also gave a theory that was most likely responsible for the search for gold. The theory stated that perfection in the natural world is achieved over time. Not a bad idea, even in modern culture. Aristotle had much reason to believe in this. Natural transformations to perfection could easily be observed throughout nature. Examples include seeds turning into plants or caterpillars turning into butterflies. In both cases, a flower is the highest form of a seed. A butterfly is the highest form of a caterpillar. The greeks believed that gold was the highest form of metals. They also reasoned that metals grew in the earth. Similarly to a butterfly or seed, given enough time, all metals would eventually grow into gold. When the idea of the Philosophers Stone was heavily introduced in the 8th century, it was thought to speed up this growing (Alchemy and the Road). Greece’s enormous progression in all arts during the Hellenistic was due to the constant conquering of land by Alexander the Great. Among his first captured land was Egypt. Because he now had control of Egypt, he had access to Egypts treasures. This is where he discovered the Emerald Tablet and introduced it to the world. The tablet isShow MoreRelatedThe Differences Between Science And Science848 Words   |  4 Pagesinvestigation (2012, p. 123). Pseudoscience is any type of method or theories, such as astrology, that is considered to not have a scientific basis (2015). Pseudoscience doesn’t follow the scientific method like science does. It sticks with evidence that is found instead of figuring out if it is acclaimed in the natural world. Majority of this essay of course will come from Carey’s book, since it gives a better way to summarize the differences between these two subjects. Pseudoscience and science do haveRead MoreMedicine : A Long Unfortunate History Of Pseudoscience And Folklore1045 Words   |  5 Pages Medicine has a long unfortunate history of pseudoscience and folklore. In medieval times, the prescribed cure for a sick child would be to place a gourd in the crib of the infant. Pseudosciences such as astrology plagued the sick public with helpless cures. Many ills were thought to be soothed by bleeding the patient, which in reality did nothing, but harm the patient. It was said that early doctors would, â€Å"bleed, blister, and purge their patients to early graves.† Most of the naive philosophiesRead MoreShould We Let Astrology Affect Our Thinking Or Perception Towards Life? Essay1569 Words   |  7 Pagesthat astrology is a pseudoscience, but there is a small amount of scientific evidence on whether if it is truly a pseudoscience or not. Some of them discuss that the psychological belief in astrology of oneself is the consequence of his or her desperation in finding solutions to their personal problems such as marriage and career which can somehow affect their life because of its psychological effects (Bennett, 1998). Besides, astrology is considered as an â€Å"ancestor† of modern science which is supportedRead MorePhilosopher Karl Popper And Empirical Falsification929 Words   |  4 Pagesif a hypothesis cannot be refuted, then it is not a scientific claim. Untestable ideas and theories within science are dubbed â€Å"pseudo-science† by Popper, because they have no falsification. Things like Anthropology and Sociology are considered pseudoscience because they involve case studies and do not actually test any specific theories or hypothesis. Popper’s criteria for a scientific theory to be considered real science is illustrated in his â€Å"Science as a Falsification†. For example, scientistsRead MoreThe Between Good Science And Pseudoscience1491 Words   |  6 Pagesbasic study. 5. Psychoanalyst → Trained in therapeutic approach started by Freud. Pg. 33, Looking Back 1. How does â€Å"psychobabble† differ from serious psychology? To tell the difference between good science and pseudoscience, one must look at the basic characteristics of each. Pseudoscience, or â€Å"psychobabble†, hooks people on the basis of confirmation in popular beliefs. It utilizes the art of wording and creates a pretty veneer of scientific actuality, when in reality, the branches it entails likeRead MoreThe Dilemma Of Scientific Demarcation. Science Has A Textbook1818 Words   |  8 PagesThe Dilemma of Scientific Demarcation Science has a textbook definition, a vague definition. â€Å"Practical and intellectual interest, through logical study of structure and behavior of the physical and natural world, through observations and experimentation.† Pseudoscience entertains an ambiguous definition as well. â€Å"claims that are presented as scientific, but deemed erroneous by the scientific method.† For a consensus to be reached on a definitive criterion of demarcation is possible, but not plausibleRead MoreThe Invention Of Modern Medicine1216 Words   |  5 Pages A revolutionary invention in modern medicine has changed the world in the past fifty years. In the 20th century, diseases such as polio, diphtheria, and rubella were commonplace and claimed millions of lives. Now they are something of the past- these illnesses are considered ‘eradicated diseases’. This massive increase in population immunization is due to the invention of vaccines and artificially acquired immunity. Vaccinations are critically important in preventing and maintaining individual andRead MoreAssess the Strengths and Weaknesses of the Psychodynamic Approach to Understanding Personality1681 Words   |  7 Pagesarising of ego defence mechanisms which explain individual differences in behaviour. Freudian theory has been adapted by neo-Freudians, however while psychodynamic theories and treat ments from which are still often used and widely known across the world, other theories of personality offer completely different approaches to human individuality and explanations diverge and provide weaknesses for Psychodynamic theory. Firstly, a brief account of psychodynamic theory. Freud proposed that there areRead MoreDemarcation in Philosophy of Science2129 Words   |  9 Pages  methods, implications of  science, and with the use and merit of science. Demarcation The  demarcation problem  in the  philosophy of science  is about how to distinguish between  science  and nonscience, and more specifically, between science and  pseudoscience (a theory or method doubtfully or mistakenly held to be scientific). The debate continues after over a century of dialogue among  philosophers of science  and  scientists  in various  fields, and despite broad agreement on the basics of  scientific methodRead MorePsychological Elements of the Crowd Essays1552 Words   |  7 PagesConforming to Riots: Psychological Elements of the Crowd I. Introduction From a psychological standpoint, crowds have been an elusive, enigmatic and frightening phenomenon; the nuances of the human mind in itself are elements which evoke worlds of study on their own, let alone the implications of attempting to analyze a collective of such minds. However, the study of crowd psychology is obligatory to enhance knowledge in many a field of study, including criminology and political science. Society’s

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Power and Places Type Free Essays

We are going to talk about power and places type: - The power is necessarily an opposition between ruler and a ruled. There are many forms and places of power: Among the places of power, there are the White House, the Buckingham Palace, the Pentagon†¦ ? These places are powerful because they have political and military influence. Government is a governor who exercises his power through institutions such as the courts or prisons In this case, the governed are citizens who obey the laws of the government. We will write a custom essay sample on Power and Places Type or any similar topic only for you Order Now But sometimes there is abuse of power,and we see resistances to power, as when there was apartheid in South Africa. Indeed, there was a racial discrimination between blacks and whites. The great figure of the resistance in South Africa was Nelson Mandela: he fought all his life against discrimination against black, he was imprisoned for several years. ==========================================================================Among the forms of power, there is, for example, the power of the media. Indeed, the media play a very important role within today’s society. Media consists of books, television, movies, music, internet, radio, magazines, newspapers etc * Media have positive aspects: we can stay informed about political, social events very easily, you can have fun watching movies and listening to the music. (Through newspapers, TV, radio †¦) * But media have also bad/negative aspects. Indeed, today, it has become a great weapon to influence the opinions of individuals. For example, electronic media has the power to manipulate information, they can deny certain facts and expose another, they can broadcast in loop a topic to influence the vision of the mass of viewers (the presidential nominee can pay for more exposure on TV†¦) Media display the way of life for those who follows it. So media can influence the dressing manners of teenagers through theirs favorite film actors, etc. For example, children are specifically targeted in the advertisements. We teach them to eat Mc do’s burgers and drink coca cola. We can say that in this case, PEOPLE ARE BRAINWASHED BY MEDIA. In How to cite Power and Places Type, Papers

Saturday, May 2, 2020

Girl Interrupted Essay Example For Students

Girl Interrupted Essay Both the book and the movie titled â€Å"Girl, Interrupted† tell the story of a young girl who is declared mentally ill in the late nineteen-sixties. The young girl, Susanna Kaysen, is diagnosed as borderline personality and sent to a mental hospital shortly after her high school graduation. While all of the other girls from her graduating class went on to college, Susanna had no major plans for her future but hoped to be a writer. The book tells the true story of her ordeal and the movie is based on the book. The two are very similar but have some small inconsistencies. The first major difference that I noticed between the book and the movie was the description of the nurse Valerie. Valerie was one of the head nurses in the mental hospital, one of the few workers in the hospital trusted by the patients. In the book Valerie is described as tall and skinny with fine and fair hair. In the film Valerie’s character was played by Whoopi Goldberg. Whoopi is medium height, of healthy stature with dark skin. Both characters acted very professionally and had compassion and understanding towards the patients. While the two characters had similar personalities, their physical appearance differed immensely. The second major discrepancy between the book and the movie occurs with the ending. In the film Susanna makes a fairly rapid recovery. Upon returning to the hospital after seeing her friend Daisy hang herself Susanna gains a strong desire to recover. She starts seeing Dr. Wick, slowly begins to recover, and eventually she is released from McLean Mental Hospital. In the book Susanna’s release comes rather suddenly as the result of a marriage proposal. Apparently a marriage proposal meant she was cured and free to go back into the world. One must wonder bout the changing values and social norms between the sixties and today. The difference between the two endings shows how social norms have changed since the time of the book to when the movie was released. Back in the late sixties woman were not as independent as they are today. When a woman like Susanna attempted to be independent she was considered to be defective. They were not expected to become great writers or important people, but rather women were expected to become good wives and mothers. Susanna clashed with the social norms when she refused to work as a dental technician or typist. Since she refused to conform to the ideal women’s job, the only other way she could be let out was apparently through a marriage proposal. Today it is more acceptable for women to have a strong career choice. Also if they choose to remain single they are certainly not considered mentally ill. The ending of the movie was changed to fit today’s culture. Presently it would seem absurd for a woman to spend two years in a psychiatric hospital only to be let out because of a simple marriage proposal. The two different endings describe two different cultures and their perceptions of normal.