Heraclites V. Parmenides Essay Example for Free

Heraclites V. Parmenides Essay Philosophy serves one purpose, bringing order to reason. This, on so many levels can organize ones way of thinking into a structured manner; therefore rendering it much easier for one to conclude solid conclusions, thereby avoiding error. There have been many independent streams of philosophy from several different parts of the world, such as China, and India. But the most popular school of thought that has created the most impact on the United States, without a doubt would have to be the ancient Greeks (who by the way started philosophy in a fashion of independent religion). Skipping straight ahead to two of philosophies great philosophers: Heraclitus (540-480 B. C), and one of the most miss-understood, Parmenides (515-440 B. C. ). These two philosophers took philosophy to a new level; from trying to understand our changing world, to trying to understand change itself. If the search for a fundamental substance was to ever progress, it would have to face the inevitable problem of change. In other words, what remains the same when everything else changes of a particular thing? Change appears to be a fundamental character in nature/life. Our experiences tell us that things are definitely in motion (moving) and changing (becoming different) every moment of every day. But however, the question still arrives, what remains the same throughout this process? The two key solutions (in my opinion one) comes from these two well thought philosophers. Like I said, only one has a solid conclusion in which I agree. Parmenides spoke deeply when he said, being is; and non-being, is not. Parmenides base philosophy was that change was simply an illusion. It was perfectly clear to him that the world appeared to be in a constant state of flux; more so though he believed that our senses deceived us. The fundamental substance is being. And in order to reconcile the perpetual change he perceived with his senses; he reasoned that nothing comes from nothing, and that all existing comes from something pre-existing. Parmenides took for granted that the world had always existed, therefore, being must have always existed, and ultimately will always exist. Being is an eternal state he said. Now comes Heraclitus with the philosophy that everything changes, and nothing stays the same. Diametrically opposed to that of which Parmenides stands for. Heraclitus firmly believed in his assumption that everything changed. He believed becoming was the root to all things. And one of his famous phrases was, one never steps into the same river twice. What he meant by this was, when a person interrupts the current of the river in any way form or fashion, he/she has changed the river from what it was to what it is. Even without interrupting the river and plainly observing the flow on can witness the change. And this can be applied to every day life on all levels. He states that if the consequences of a perpetually changing foundation into existence are profound, and the fundamental elements are inconsistent and unstable, how can there be any laws to govern them? This preference for consistent change led Heraclitus to his theory of fire being the basic element of all things, due to its consistent change in nature and its dynamics. When interpreting Heraclitus I see him as saying, since we know from our own experiences that change happens, this is no illusion by far, because one can physically experience the change. Heraclitus also points to his theory of fire, due to the fact that in so many words theres such an abundance supply of it in nature its the basic element for all things. I disagree with him. His views are flawless by far and one can still argue his points today. Parmenides on the other hand grasps my attention and holds so much stronger with solid conclusions, so much so that one can only think. Parmenides says, One can only think of what already exists, and can come into existence from the pre-existing. He argues that no one, and I quote, no one can speak on or even think about what does not exist or even come into existence from nothing. This is because nothing is simply that, nothing, and how can one truly make something out of nothing. For this reason is why I side with Parmenides on this topic.

Pueblo Indian Religion in the Early 20th Century Essay -- Essay Papers

Pueblo Indian Religion in the Early 20th Century The Pueblo Indians religious history is different than the average Christian religion history. Their religious beliefs are based on the creation of life. The persons seen as the creators of life are the centrality and the basis of their religion. In the early 1900’s these Indians were looked upon in different lights. White man compared the Pueblo rituals and religious routines with his own. Pueblo religious beliefs, practices and social forms were criticized, scrutinized and misunderstood by white Christian American settlers. The major religious practice and worship of the Pueblo Indians involved ritual dances. White men attempted to stop these Puebloan ritualistic dances because they did not meet his own religious standards and this happened before the Indians had a chance to explain or define what their dances really stood for. Women played a significant role in Puebloan ritual dances and religious A brief description of the Pueblo Indian culture and religion are needed to get a full understanding of why their dances were misinterpreted by white settlers and why the Indians were judged and treated in such an unjust way. Pueblo Indians lived in Arizona and New Mexico and had a very different culture religiously than the white man. White religious history shows us that women were not seen, in European and new American culture, as not being significant to religious practices. In the Pueblo religion, however the woman was regarded in a different light. They rarely practiced in religious rituals but were the center of their people’s religion. Pueblos had rituals that were performed exclusively by men, and there, these men imitated women’s reproductive pow... ... for their religious beliefs and cultural values. People’s religious beliefs and practices all need to be protected from harm and negative influence like a child needs care from his mother. The Pueblo Indians should be looked at as an example of how people should not be treated. This way, hopefully we won’t make the same mistake twice. We all have an obligation to know all the facts and the whole truth about something before we start to reject it. If the white people in the early 20th century had taken the time to understand the meaning of these dances they may not have been so quick to judge and may have stood back and reflected on their own ways of living. Work Cited Young Jane. "Women in Western Puebloan Society". Journal of American Folklore. 100.398(1987): 436-445. Jacobs D. Margaret. "Making Savages of us all". Frontiers. 17.3(1983): 178-209.

AIDS/HIV

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is the progression of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).   AIDS is the final stage of the development of HIV.   Without receiving treatment, an HIV infected person usually develops AIDS within ten years (Advert.org, 2007).   In order to understand AIDS, you must understand where it comes from: HIV.HIV is a virus, transmitted from one person who is infected to another person who is not infected.   HIV attacks the immune system and kills a specific system cell called a CD4 lymphocyte (Advert.org, 2007).   HIV is a rapid mutating virus, which helps it form being destroyed by the immune system’s natural defenses.According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the first human case of HIV appeared in a male from the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1959.   It is unknown exactly how he became infected (CDC.gov, 2007).   The CDC stated (2007):â€Å"For many years scientists theorized as to the origins of H IV and how it appeared in the human population, most believing that HIV originated in other primates.Then in 1999, an international team of researchers reported that they had discovered the origins of HIV-1, the predominant strain of HIV in the developed world.   A subspecies of chimpanzees native to west equatorial Africa had been identified as the original source of the virus.The researchers believe that HIV-1 was introduced into the human population when hunters became exposed to infected blood† (CDC.gov, 2007).In America, the first cases of AIDS occurred in the beginning of the 1980s.   There had been a few cases of homosexual men who developed opportunistic cancers or infections that did not respond to treatment attempts.   AIDS was not yet named.   AIDS was later identified in 1982.There are four main stages that compose HIV infection: â€Å"primary infection, clinically asymptomatic stage, symptomatic HIV infection, and progression from HIV to AIDS† (Adve rt.org). ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Primary infection is similar to the flu, with symptoms that are characteristic of the flu virus.   This stage only lasts a few weeks.   During this stage, diagnosis is often missed (Advert.org, 2007) ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The clinically asymptomatic stage can have an average duration of ten years.   There are usually no symptoms during this time.   Antibody tests, however, can be positive for HIV.The viral load test plays an important role in treatment.   It measures the amount of HIV that enters the lymph nodes, where the virus tends to gravitate to (Advert.org, 2007). ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The symptomatic HIV infection stage shows more symptoms.   This is because the immune system has been damaged quite a bit more.   The symptoms can start out weak and become stronger as the immune system deteriorates further.   During this time, many opportunistic infections and cancers appear (Advert.org, 20 07). ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The final stage is the progression from HIV to AIDS.   A person with HIV will be diagnosed with AIDS when they develop a low count of T helper cells.   They may also be diagnosed with AIDS if they have several opportunistic infections or cancers (Advert.org).The symptoms of AIDS can vary.   Most symptoms are caused by infections.   Many are similar to the flu virus, such as fever, chills, and weakness.   Major pulmonary illnesses that can occur are pneumocystis pneumonia and tuberculosis.Major gastrointestinal illnesses that can occur are esophagitis and chronic diarrhea.   Major neurological illnesses that can occur are toxoplasmosis, which infects the brain, eyes, or lungs, progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), which causes nerve impulse impairment, AIDS dementia complex (ADC), and cryptoccal meningitis, which can be fatal if not treated (Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia, 2007).Major opportunistic cancers occur in peopl e with HIV, and almost always signal progression to AIDS.   The following malignant cancers can lead to an AIDS diagnosis: ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Kaposi’s sarcoma – the most common type of tumor found in HIV+ people; affects the skin, mouth, lungs, and gastrointestinal tract ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   B-cell lymphomas – the presence of these cancers almost guarantees a person has progressed to AIDS ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Cervical cancer – In women with HIV, this cancer is caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV)With a weakened immune system, HIV+ people can also develop a large amount of infections that can be bacterial, fungal, parasitic, or viral in nature.   The following are descriptions of some of the possibilities, provided by MayoClinic.org (2006):

The Game Of Baseball, That Most Americans Seem To Love,

The game of baseball, that most Americans seem to love, officially started on September 23, 1845 by the New York Knickerbockers. Before that time, there were some games that resembled it and that used the same concept that baseball does, such as cricket. Through the 271 years, there are some similarities in the game from then to now, however, the differences greatly outweigh the similarities. The 19th century was a different time for baseball. The equipment was home-made and did not have any regulations to them. We don t know much about what baseballs were like in the very early days, but we generally know that no two baseballs were the same (Ryder). Later baseballs were made by a hard core, that could be any solid substance like yarn or†¦show more content†¦In 1860, the first glove was spotted and it was catchers who were wearing them (which makes sense). The catchers handled hundreds of balls per game, catching pitches and foul tips. As the evolution of the glove kept going, the leagues made a rule which the catcher and the first baseman are allowed to wear a glove or mitt of any size, shape, or weight. All other players that played were restricted to certain dimensions. Today’s equipment is much more organized and not so jumbled up. The ball must be a certain size and weight. You can’t add any substance to them to make them increase your chances of succeeding, and if you choose to flout this rule, you will be suspended and fined greatly. The bat must be a certain length and weight also. It has to be a drop three which means the length and weight cant have a difference greater than three between them. It must be a certain type and be made of the same material. The gloves aren t all the same though. Everybody has a different size glove. The first baseman and the catcher have their own glove while the other players in the field have the same concept of glove. Although baseball from then to now has many more differences, there are still many similarities. How many changes do you think the ball has undergone since 1845 that changed the making of the ball? Not a lot(Evolution). It is more likelyShow MoreRelatedBaseball And Its Impact On Baseball1736 Words   |  7 PagesBaseball was introduced to America in the 1800s. As the game of baseball started to become popular, many people became interested in the game. Baseball fanatics fell in love with the sport, but not everyone could play. Racial discrimination found its way to baseball when the game was first discovered and created many controversies that prevented many colored players from playing the game because of their skin color. 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