Relationship between Science and Religion Essay Example for Free

Relationship between Science and Religion Essay The article â€Å"Relationship between Science and Religion† outlined the different relationships that the said two domains have had over the years. Historically, religion and science were viewed as strictly separate fields that could not be unified. This view is more popularly known as the conflict thesis . On the other hand, Stephen Jay Gould (1999, quoted in Wikipedia 2007) stated that the two fields could â€Å"co-exist peacefully† if they do not intervene with each other’s business. The article also enumerated different kinds of interactions between the two as presented by Polkinghorne (1998, quoted in Wikipedia 2007). Aside from the constant opposing views regarding the natural world or reality, Polkinghorne illustrated that religion and science may reach a common ground or may even be united with regard to a particular occurrence. After this, the article then went on discussing the early efforts of some religious groups to complement their doctrines with scientific facts. But of course, there were groups, particularly Islam that resisted the proliferation of science in what they believe as sectarian-dominated world. Inevitably, with the advancement of science and fast modernization of societies, there were new groups formed embodying beliefs apart from the fundamentalist view of religion. These groups range from the liberal Enlightenment advocates to non-fundamentalist sects such as Protestant Christian. There were even organizations formed that are not religiously affiliated but perform functions congruent to what religion usually does. Though there were new groups organized, some religion, which date back to ancient times claim that their dogma is capable in adjusting with scientific advancement and this has been actually used by them to explain their own theories toward the strengthening of their own beliefs. The last parts of the article list the varied point of views of scientists toward religion. Some view that religion and science are distinct from each other while others believe that the two could be unified. Others simply believe that the two fields share the same objectives in trying to provide explanation of the happenings in the environment they live in. And also, since religious beliefs are part of cosmos, they can be scientifically tested. Lastly, the article presented studies and findings on relevant issues being tackled. Since the article is not argumentative in nature, it is difficult to determine fallacious statements. The article did not clearly propose or suggest anything nor did it draw any conclusion. It was presented in a seemingly objective manner. I used the words â€Å"seemingly objective† because if one read the paper, it would be observed that the relationship between religion and science were clearly outlined without favoring any of the items. However, as one analyzed the pattern on how the article was written, the biases would be realized. The article enumerated four kinds of interaction between religion and science. However, as the article progresses, only the CONFLICT and INDEPENDENCE kinds of interaction were substantiated. The paper presented early efforts and manifestations of well-established, if not ancient, religious denominations to reconcile the two fields but it failed to elaborate on this matter. The article could have cited instances, findings or any on-going research wherein the two subject matters were integrated. Instead, the article highlighted some points in history when scientific advancements were sanctioned by religious authorities. Moreover, as if strengthening the idea that religion and science are irreconcilable, the article pointed out the formation of non-religious organizations. Though the article presented the â€Å"non-fundamentalist relationship views†, it fell short in showing that the sectarian side is attempting to make a world where they are both accommodated. For example, aside from mentioning the non-sectarian groups, it could have also stated some religious institutions that support scientific and technological development. The second bias that allude to the favoring of the separation of the two domains are the surveys showing that a higher percentage of scientists do not believe in any religious systems. How about presenting data on spiritual leaders who also uphold basic principles of science? Lastly, towards the end of the article, it showed findings on the â€Å"correlation between religiosity and intelligence†. Though this study didn’t categorically stated that those who observe holy practices and those who are strict believers of religious doctrines have low serotonin levels, it seems to create the stigma. If this line of thinking were continuously propagated, many would be discouraged to associate themselves with any religious beliefs. All the biases lean towards the implication that efforts to settle the differences between religion and science should be abandoned. This is what makes the article problematic. At first, the writing tried to present the relationship between the two in an objective way. But it failed because biases were evident. If the author had really wanted his output to be presented objectively, he should have shown the two sides of the coin. For example, he asserted the aggressive progression of science but mentioned only historic accounts on the side of religion. Also, he cited a list of studies disputing the validity of religious co-existence with science, but he again failed to mention the side of religion. Is religion also trying to draw a clear line against science or is it accepting the recent wonders of the latter? Since the author failed to be impartial in writing the article, he should have instead taken a clear-cut position on the issue so readers would be guided in the direction he’s driving at. Bibliography Greene, Perry (1997) Logical Fallacies [Internet], Available from: http://www. engl. niu. edu/wac/fallacies. html [Accessed 24 March 2007]. Johnson, George (1998) Science and Religion: Bridging the Great Divide. The New York Times Archives, [Internet], June 30, 1998 Available from: http://www. nytimes. com/library/national/science/063098sci-essay. html [Accessed 24 March 2007]. Raymo, Chet (1998) Skeptics and True Believers: The Exhilarating Connection Between Science and Religion. New York, Walker and Company. Relationship Between Religion and Science (2007) [Internet]. Available from: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Relationship_between_religion_and_science#_note-3 [Accessed 24 March 2007]. Shelp, Earl Edward ed. (1985) Theology Bioethics Exploring the Foundations Frontiers II Series. Holland, D. Reidel Publishing Company.

A Doll’s House - Nora Essay example -- English Literature

Nora is the central character in the book A Doll’s House and it is through her that Ibsen develops many of his themes To what extent is loyalty shown by the lead female characters characters? What are the consequences of this? Within these two books loyalty is a minor theme and one that is easily missed, indeed it is narrow. However, it is still one which weaves a thread through both of the books encompassing major and minor characters, the material and the abstract. In commencing this discussion one must first refer to the definition of the word â€Å"loyalty†; the quality of being loyal. As defined in the Cambridge dictionary, loyal: firm and not changing in your friendship with or support for a person or an organization, or in your belief in your principles. And in the Collins dictionary, loyalty: faithful; a feeling of friendship or duty towards someone or something. Nora is the central character in the book â€Å"A Doll’s House† and it is through her that Ibsen develops many of his themes, one of these being the difficulty of maintaining an individual personality within the confines of a social role/stereotype. Initially Nora seems devoted to her marriage and her husband, â€Å"I would never dream of doing anything you didn’t want me to†. We see the sacrifices she’s made to keep what she has intact and her beloved alive. To all intents and purposes she is the model of loyalty. She appears to be utterly in love with Torvald, she â€Å"looks incredulously† at Mrs.Linde, â€Å"But, Kristine, is that possible?†, when faced with the prospect that someone could be or ever have been in a loveless marriage. She’s proud of her husband, â€Å"My husband has just been made Bank Manager!†, and queen to please him, â€Å"Oh, thank you, than... ...for some miracle. In this she loses her greatest financial asset and her home. These two characters both show signs of strong loyalty but both in different ways and to different things. Subsequently, the consequences for both are extremely different. Nora, in â€Å"A Doll’s House†, through her questioning of her marital relationship and the resulting recognition of false values, manages to achieve the prospect of self awareness and development; this is a direct consequence of her eventual loyalty to herself. Ranyevskaya’s loyalties, on the other hand, lead to her downfall. The combination of her personal loyalties, her enslavement to emotions of which extravagance is the consequence, and her loyalty to the past which results in the denial of the present, can be seen as the two greatest personal factors that are responsible for her loss of the Cherry Orchard.

As readers we feel confused by the events of the first chapter

From the outset, Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ creates an air of mystery in both the characters and setting that contributes to the confusion felt by the reader. Many of the ideas and symbols used in the first chapter of the book epitomise the technique utilised by Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ throughout the novel. â€Å"Wuthering Heights† has been described as a ‘Chaotic novel'1and many believe that it is intended to confuse and bewilder the reader. After reading the first chapter, the reader is confused about the situation and questions are left unanswered. We are unsure about many of the facts. We know the date is 1801 and that Lockwood is a tenant of Heathcliff's at Thrushcross Grange, but we are unaware of any of the characters' significance in the novel. We are introduced to the servant, Joseph, and briefly encounter Zillah, although we are not told her name. The reader is not informed of the relationships between any of the characters. Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ purposefully keeps the facts ambiguous, which emphasises the feelings of confusion. Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½'s tone and style is mysterious and foreboding from the beginning. In particular, the use of descriptions such as ‘gaunt', ‘defended', ‘jutting', ‘crumbling' and ‘grotesque' add to the grim feel of the novel from the start and the seemingly impenetrable facade of the characters. As readers, we are intended to feel an affinity with Lockwood, who is portrayed as completely alien to the situation. Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ uses many symbols which continue throughout the novel to suggest this. When Lockwood first arrives at the Heights, the atmosphere is unwelcoming, ‘a perfect misanthropists Heaven.' His entrance to Wuthering Heights is made difficult and uncomfortable, ‘he did pull out his hand to unchain it, and then sullenly proceeded me up the causeway' and the greeting is morose from Joseph, ‘looking meantime in my face so sourly that I charitably conjectured he must have need of divine aid to digest his dinner'. Heathcliff's abrupt attitude towards Lockwood, ‘appeared to demand (his) speedy entrance or complete departure'. The doorway into â€Å"the house† is then guarded by ‘grotesque carvings' that reiterates that Lockwood is unwelcome. The famous essay, ‘The Window Image in Wuthering Heights' by Dorothy Van Ghent puts across the point that doors and windows are used symbolically in â€Å"Wuthering Heights†. Characters are unable, or find it difficult, to enter or leave Wuthering Heights. In the first chapter, we see a glimpse of this reality in Lockwoods uncomfortable entrance into Wuthering Heights. Phrases such as, ‘gaunt thorns all stretching their limbs one way, as if craving alms of the sun' give the impression of people being trapped, an idea expressed by Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ in the novel as a whole. Wuthering heights at first appears to be a place trapped in time, almost, ‘completely removed from the stir of society.' The building, dated â€Å"1500† is 300 years old, which suggests a history to the building. Later in the novel, the perception that Wuthering Heights and its characters are trapped is extended. The idea is epitomised by the ghost of Catherine that appears to Lockwood. The repeated use of doubles throughout the book also adds to this effect. â€Å"Hareton Earnshaw† is inscribed on the entrance to Wuthering Heights and is also a character currently living at the Heights when Lockwood visits. The two Cathy's in the novel notably add to the confusion and mystery created in the book. This heightens the effect of Wuthering Heights as a place which seems to defy time. There are many more examples of this in the novel. Frank Kermode has pointed out that the names on the windowsill when read left to rights show the elder Catherine's life, but left to right, the younger's. This gives an example of how the characters lives are confusingly entwined during the course of the novel and adds to bewilderment in the reader. In the first chapter, we are introduced by Lockwood to the vast importance of weather in â€Å"Wuthering Heights†: ‘†Wuthering† being a significant provincial adjective, descriptive of the atmospheric tumult to which its station is exposed in stormy weather' Here, Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ prefaces one of the most major symbols used in â€Å"Wuthering Heights†. Depiction of the novel, from modern films to old paintings inevitably includes the imagery of the moors and ‘tumultuous sky and wild landscape.'2Even in the opening paragraphs, the connotations suggested by words such as ‘wilderness' and ‘jutting' suggest a feeling of defencelessness to the reader. The landscape and weather is portrayed as all-present, frequently reoccurring in metaphors and in the characters themselves, such as the ‘stormy'3Catherine. The reader feels overpowered and confused by the depth of thought in the novel as a whole and the vagueness of the first chapter. ‘Tumult', ‘gaunt', ‘crumbling' and ‘craving' when used to describe the surroundings at Wuthering Heights, also, simultaneously describes the feeling of confusion and helplessness that the reader experiences at the beginning of the novel. The confusion and feeling of being trapped in the novel is likely to be directly linked to Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½'s own confusion and withdrawal from the world. Many of the Gondal poems Emily wrote as an escape included situations in which characters were trapped, often in prisons from which they could only escape through the imagination. Scholars such as Mary Visack have noted a progression in Emily's work from the poems to the novel in this way. This poem by Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ shows uses of nature and weather, as well as very powerful language, ‘descending', ‘drear', ‘darkening', to describe the same feeling of loneliness and isolation depicted in Wuthering Heights. ‘The night is darkening round me, The wild winds coldly blow; But a tyrant spell has bound me And I cannot, cannot go. The giant trees are bending Their bare boughs weighed with snow, And the storm is fast descending And yet I cannot go. Clouds beyond clouds above me, Wastes beyond wastes below; But nothing drear can move me; I will not, cannot go.' The reader feels not only an affinity with Lockwood and his own confusion and isolation, but also with Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½'s own feelings at that time. Also, these feelings are symbolic of Cathy's loss of power and helplessness later in the book. The reader feels isolated at first from the events of the text and unaware of what it means. Lockwood does not inspire confidence as a narrator during the first chapter. He frequently misjudges things, leading the reader to mistrust his initial opinions and views, adding to the confoundment felt at the start of the novel. The ‘homely, northern farmer' that Lockwood would expect is deeply contrasted by the ‘rather morose' reality of Heathcliff. The contrasts themselves within Heathcliff are another cause for confusion. Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ frequently utilises Lockwood's judgements in this way to further cloud the readers mind. ‘He is a dark-skinned gypsy in aspect, in dress and manners a gentleman.' Heathcliff's description constantly contradicts itself. Lockwood then goes on to judge Heathcliff very quickly, ‘by instinct'. However, the overconfident manner in which he announces his opinions then dismisses them, ‘No, I'm running on to fast', puts the reader on guard. In his description of Wuthering Heights, Lockwoods view of what should be is opposed by the reality: ‘I observed no signs of roasting boiling or baking, about the huge fire-place.' Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ uses dark imagery in phrases such as ‘heavy black ones lurking in the shade', ‘swarm of squealing puppies' and ‘other dogs haunted other recesses' to re-emphasise the foreboding and unwelcoming feel to Wuthering Heights once again. The signs in Wuthering Heights appear to be unreadable. What Lockwood thought were ‘cats' were in fact dead rabbits. The dogs are ‘four-footed fiends'. The contrasting descriptions of Heathcliff are also perplexing and later Lockwood, and the reader, are unable to decipher relationships between the characters. We are unsure if Hareton is a servant or a master and we cannot understand Catherine's relationships with other characters. This is mirrored, later, when the reader is confused about the names on the windowsill. We are unsure whether the Catherines are the same person or not. Later still, the reader is confused again when the civilised Lockwood horrifically rubs the young girl's wrist against the broken glass 'till the blood ran down and soaked the bedclothes'. The eclectic mix of styles and qualities of the book in general add somewhat to it's confusion. There is a frequent use of ghosts and spirits, yet as Patsy Stoneman denotes, it has qualities of a ‘very down-to-earth book'4. In the first chapter we see a reflection of this mix in the grim descriptions, which contrast with both Lockwood and the ‘lusty dame'. The violence hinted at with the dogs contrasts again with these styles and is a direct precursor to events later in the book. â€Å"Wuthering Heights† is an extremely well-structured novel, in which Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ is able to control the readers thoughts and emotions to add to the powerful effect of the novel as a whole. In the first chapter, she is able to create an air of mystery, confusion and intrigue which is enhanced and expanded as the story unfolds. Still many critics find â€Å"Wuthering Heights† ‘a preposterous text'5 that is ‘back to front'and refuses to make sense by ‘normal' standards. There are certainly many levels the book can be read and enjoyed on. However, I think the most profound message in the book's confusion is the affinity it creates between Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ and the reader. This message is also mirrored later in the similarities between Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½'s own character and Heathcliff's and the parallels drawn between Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½'s own religious crisis and the character of Joseph. Essentially, â€Å"Wuthering Heights† is the only insight into the mysterious and reserved Emily Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½.

The Chemistry Exam And Test Anxiety - 914 Words

Katya is a new freshman student who studies really hard to maintain a 3.0 grade point average. Because Katya needs to maintain a 3.0 grade point average or above for her scholarship, she experiences severe anxiety before each exam and she worries that the amount of time she studied before test is not enough to get an A. In order to maintain her scholarship for next semester, Katya must do well on her chemistry exam this semester. Because of this, she had a panic attack while trying to study for the chemistry exam and the test anxiety level increase tremendously. Test anxiety is a type of â€Å"Performance anxiety—a feeling someone might have in a situation where performance really counts or when the pressure’s on to do well† (Kidshealth.org). The reason why Katya experiences test anxiety is because she puts too much pressure on herself and keeps thinking that she has to get the scholarship for next semester and must do well on the exam. I understand how stressful Katya feels when studies for the chemistry exam. During fall semester, I took a Marine Biology class in campus. The lecture part of the class started at 7am to 8:30am and after the lecture, we also have a lab section, which started at 8:30am to 11:00am every Monday and Wednesday. This class started really early in the morning and sometimes it is really hard to get up during the cold weather, so I missed a lot of the lecture sections. In order to maintain a 4.0 grade point average of the semester, IShow MoreRelatedThe Physics Field And The Chemistry Field769 Words   |  4 PagesAs a teacher, my objectives are: (a) to act as a bridge between the chemistry field and the students; (b) to engage students in the learning process of the core principles of chemistry, so that they can acquire critical thinking, problem solving, and innovation skills, as well as the unique skills of accurate scientific prediction, experimentation/observation, and analysis. 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