What it Means to be a Thinking Reed :: Essays Papers

What it Means to be a Thinking Reed The quotation above, taken from Pascal’s Pensà ©es, seems disparaging of reason. Reason, the cornerstone of the Enlightenment and that which has traditionally been held as the central attribute that differentiates humans from beasts, is here said to be limited and restricted in its powers. Instead of being able to grasp the truth about the universe in its entirety, instead of having that Cartesian hope where one â€Å"firm and immovable† (Descartes, p.63) point is established and a systematic understanding of everything takes shape, reason is lowered and its powers are diminished. In many ways â€Å"the heart,† an ambiguous and mysterious concept that possesses knowledge that reason can never hope to possess, takes the place of reason. From this quotation one might be tempted to conclude that â€Å"the heart† is infinitely more important than reason. Such a conclusion is far from the mark. Pascal ultimately believes that when faced with the challenge of t rying to live in the best possible way, people desperately need both reason and â€Å"the heart.† Exploring how two quotations taken together define â€Å"the mind† and â€Å"the heart† and the relationship they have with one another shows that â€Å"the mind† and â€Å"the heart† must work together to guide human beings on their quest for how to live best. The two quotations that will commence the investigation are as follows: Principles are felt, propositions proved, and both with certainty though by different means. (p.28) The heart has its order, the mind has its own, which uses principles and demonstrations†¦. (p.94) Before seeing the relationship between â€Å"the heart† and â€Å"the mind† that is implicit in these two quotations, one must first understand what Pascal means by the order of â€Å"the mind.† According to the two quotations the mind’s order includes using â€Å"Principles and demonstrations† to prove propositions with certainty. The word â€Å"demonstration† denotes a rigorous, methodical procedure that procures certitude. Logical proofs are excellent examples of demonstrations since they utilize sound, truth-preserving laws to deductively move from premises to certain conclusions that follow from those premises. Demonstration, though, is only half of what Pascal believes comprises the order of the mind: â€Å"the mind has its own [order], which uses principles and demonstrations† (p.94). The mind needs both principles and demonstrations in order to function, and logical proofs show this to be true. The first requirement for a logical proof is an assumption; before the truth-preserving laws of logic can be executed, an assumption must first be stated.

Cooks Brook Research

On September 8th of last week five teens went out to cooks brook for a day of swimming and adventure. Only four teens returned home that night. â€Å"We told him the rocks were two close† Comments Mark McGuire, one of the teens who went out to Cooks Brook that day. They were going out for a day of adventure but that day changed into a time of sadness for the small town of Boulder, Colorado. Tyler Nash 17, died around 4:30 on the eight of September. The five teens headed out to Cooks Brook around 10:00 that morning to have a day of hiking and cliff jumping as many teens in Boulder do on their Saturdays.They started with the lower rocks and soon they moved onto the cliffs, Tyler unlike the rest wanted to jump off the highest cliff he could. His peers advised him of the shelf of rock below. Tyler was already mid- air. â€Å"He never seemed to be afraid of anything, He was always up for adventure. He was the one who was always taking risks†. States Emily Haven a friend of T yler. Police do not believe this was a suicide attempt either as all of the teens participating. Police do believe that alcohol use could have been a factor in the teen’s death.They police and rescue team have still not found the body of Tyler and are now increasing the surface area of their search. The Nash Family has not yet made a statement on their son’s actions but has asked the press to withhold questions, as they need time to deal with their son’s death. The high school Tyler attended is holding a remembrance assembly, at 12:30 in the main gym. All are welcome. ———————– Teen dies cliff jumping at Cooks Brook. Body is not found. Cooks Brook Research On September 8th of last week five teens went out to cooks brook for a day of swimming and adventure. Only four teens returned home that night. â€Å"We told him the rocks were two close† Comments Mark McGuire, one of the teens who went out to Cooks Brook that day. They were going out for a day of adventure but that day changed into a time of sadness for the small town of Boulder, Colorado. Tyler Nash 17, died around 4:30 on the eight of September. The five teens headed out to Cooks Brook around 10:00 that morning to have a day of hiking and cliff jumping as many teens in Boulder do on their Saturdays.They started with the lower rocks and soon they moved onto the cliffs, Tyler unlike the rest wanted to jump off the highest cliff he could. His peers advised him of the shelf of rock below. Tyler was already mid- air. â€Å"He never seemed to be afraid of anything, He was always up for adventure. He was the one who was always taking risks†. States Emily Haven a friend of T yler. Police do not believe this was a suicide attempt either as all of the teens participating. Police do believe that alcohol use could have been a factor in the teen’s death.They police and rescue team have still not found the body of Tyler and are now increasing the surface area of their search. The Nash Family has not yet made a statement on their son’s actions but has asked the press to withhold questions, as they need time to deal with their son’s death. The high school Tyler attended is holding a remembrance assembly, at 12:30 in the main gym. All are welcome. ———————– Teen dies cliff jumping at Cooks Brook. Body is not found.

Codes Of Gender And Gender - 1073 Words

Codes of Gender SUT JHALLY â€Å"It is only when we start to look at [advertisements] carefully that we begin to see how strange and weird they actually are and begin the process of thinking independently, for ourselves, about what the culture holds up as normal.† 50 points total 1. What are the various types of gender expressions in advertising that reflect gender identity? (5 points) The various types of gender expressions in advertising that reflect gender identity are commercialization. The way the female is displaying herself such as clothing, standing (pose), behavior, hair, and movement. 2. What does Sut Jhally mean when he says that there is nothing natural about gender identity? (5 points) What Sut Jhally means when he says†¦show more content†¦We learn that each one of us is set with different physical characteristics and traits. Individuals learn to inhabit the gender category that we’ve been assigned from culture. 4. What are the differences in which women and men are portrayed in advertisements? (15 points) Men are seen as more masculine with their appearance for example a suit and tie. Women are seen as revealing and feminine. Women are shown defenseless as they lay lying around in advertisements. Women who are seen hugging the man are seen as dependent, weak, and passive. a. Females i. What is the â€Å"feminine touch† The â€Å"feminine touch† is the way hands are presented in advertising male female. Female hands have a different relationship to reality than males. Female hands are shown as not controlling and assertive. Female hands are seen as delicate and are shown as cradling or outlining the object than taking control of it than carrying it. They are seen as presented as handling the object lightly with their fingertips and not using the whole hand versus the man. The masculine touch is very controlling, powerful assertive and manipulative to the environment. Males who apply their touch is seen as commanding and firm. ii. Ritualization of subordination through body posture (what do the various poses nonverbally communicate?) People are conditioned to believe that men who utilize these feminine postures are not real men. The body is a means of representation and body