Contrasting the View of the Ultimate Reality in Relation to Science Essay Example for Free

Contrasting the View of the Ultimate Reality in Relation to Science Essay What compels mankind to seek unity between, science and religion, two compartmentalized and distinct aspects of our world? John Polkinghorne states, in â€Å"Does God Act in the Physical World†, â€Å"The demand for an integrated account of both theological and scientific insight impels us to the task† (Polkinghorne 59). Yet Polkinghorne is not alone is his quest; in â€Å"Emptiness and Form† Fritjof Capra connects the ultimate reality with the physical world. While Polkinghorne and Capra agree on certain ideals, such as the man’s inability to fully grasp the ultimate and the incorporation of quantum mechanics in each one’s respective argument, they also contrast in terms of the religions they use to defend their argument. This leads to differences in their views on the ultimate and His interaction with the physical world. While this leads to two distinct and diverse arguments, I believe that both arguments are equally presented in a reputable and successful manner. At one point in each of their respective arguments, Polkinghorne and Capra clearly state that the understanding of the ultimate reality cannot be fully understood by humankind. Polkinghorne writes, â€Å"We are a long way from a full understanding of our own powers of agency, let alone how it is that God works in the world† (Polkinghorne 74). Due to our limited minds and capabilities, mankind will never be able to fully grasp the ultimate reality in its full essence. It is quite mindboggling, if not impossible, to fully understand the ultimate reality, when it is as an infinite and omnipresent being. â€Å"The reality underlying all phenomena is beyond all forms and defies all description and specification† (Capra 211). The professor who taught my freshman Colloquium on Science and Religion once stated that God cannot be put in a test tube. While he did say this statement as a means to refute the existence of an ultimate reality, his assertion is valid; there is only so much we can know about the divine. It is crucial that both Polkinghorne and Capra affirm this position in order to clarify that while it is possible to unify the ultimate reality with the physical world, we will never fully understand the relationship. In evolution terms, there seems to be a â€Å"missing link† that allows us to connect both aspects. Also, both Polkinghorne and Capra use the ideas and concepts of quantum mechanics as premises when connecting the ultimate reality with the physical world. Capra’s discussion of electrons and photons becomes the premise for one of his deductions. Capra writes, â€Å"The full interaction between the electrons will involve a series of photon exchanges†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (216). This leads to the assertion that there are no true forces in the subatomic world but that these interactions are due to the exchange of particles, that according to the quantum field theory are created and destroyed (Capra 217). These two premises lead Capra to state, â€Å"The electromagnetic forces are due to the presence of virtual photons ‘within’ charged particles†¦[and]†¦the forces between particles appear as intrinsic properties of the particles. † After deducing this premise Capra goes on to say, â€Å"Such a view of forces is also characteristic of Eastern mysticism which regards motion and change as essential and intrinsic properties of all things† (221). In order to clarify this statement he utilizes aspects of Chinese religion and explains how this assumption of quantum mechanics is connected to the ultimate reality. Like Capra, Polkinghorne makes use of the theories and ideas of quantum mechanics as premise to relate the ultimate with the physical. One of the ideas he uses is the chaos theory. The theory says that events in a chaotic system are random but Polkinghorne employs this theory in his argument in order to show how deterministic chaos is not a valid argument, which will eventually lead to his idea of an open system. He says, â€Å"A chaotic system is not totally ‘chaotic’ in the popular sense, corresponding to absolutely random behavior. † There are certain possibilities known as a â€Å"strange attractor† and its limited to a certain extent, but this â€Å"detailed future behaviour of a chaotic system is unknowable† (Polkinhorne 52). Later on in his argument, Polkinghorne discusses the idea of deterministic chaos and consider it from a different viewpoint. He writes: Instead of adopting the conventional strategy of saying this shows that simple determinism underlies even apparently complex random behavior, I prefer the realist strategy of seeking the closest alignment of ontology and epistemology†¦[which] has the additional advantage of accommodating the notion of top-down causality in a natural way (Polkinghorne 64). The premise of top-down causality leads to his connection of the ultimate reality with the physical world and that God interacts with the world in a top-down fashion. If the ultimate reality does truly interact with the world, then this will lead to the discussion of an open system in which Polkinghorne also uses the basis of quantum mechanics in order to make a postulation. Another major theories Polkinghorne frequently refers to in his argument is the Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle, which states that we cannot simultaneously know the position and momentum of any particle (53). This idea of uncertainty in the physical world is the premise that leads to Polkinghorne’s assumption of the universe as an open system. He writes, â€Å"The ‘gaps’ of quantum uncertainty operate only in particular circumstances†¦to produce an openness at the lever of classical physics† (Polkinghorne 60). While Polkinghorne advocates the idea of an open system, it is evident that his counter partner, Capra, sees the universe as a closed system. One of the major differences between Capra and Polkinghorne is the concept of a closed system versus an open system. Capra respectively agrees and accepts with the view of the universe as a closed system. Capra explains this concept by first explaining the idea of matter and empty space or the full and the void. He discusses how these are interconnected. â€Å"The two cannot be distinguished† (Capra 208). In Eastern religions, this Void â€Å"has an infinite creative potential†¦[which]†¦like the quantum field, it gives birth to an infinite variety of forms which it sustains and eventually reabsorbs† (Capra 212). The notion of it sustaining itself and reabsorbing leads to the idea of a system that is set up and is able to maintain itself without the help of an ultimate being. Buddhism expressed this idea of form and emptiness in a single whole entity. Capra quotes, â€Å"‘Form is emptiness, and emptiness is indeed form. Emptiness is not different from form, form is not different from emptiness. What is form that is emptiness, what is emptiness that is form’† (215). Also, Capra states that this form and emptiness is elevated into a vacuum diagram that â€Å"contains an unlimited number of particles which come into being and vanish without end. † This â€Å"physical vacuum†¦contains the potentiality for all forms of the particle world† (Capra 222). This system implies that the relationship between the ultimate reality and the physical world is one where the divine has set up system and does not intervene in our world. This premise eventually leads to the idea that there is no free will and that the universe is determined. This view of the universe completely changes the way we perceive the world. Without free will morals and ethics lose validity and are worthless to society. It is quite evident that Polkinghorne disagrees with this concept and presents his views of an open system. Polkinghorne would classify the idea of a universe as an closed system under â€Å"a minimalist response [which] is to decline to speak of particular divine actions and to confine theological talk to the single great act of holding the universe in being. † Polkinghorne believes that most scientists do not even consider this notion of a minimalist to be valid. He states that while God did establish the laws and set up the universe, this does not impede his interaction in the universe (Polkinghorne 54). He sees the connection between the ultimate reality and the physical world as â€Å"relating divine agency to human agency. † Polkinghorne explains, â€Å"When we act, we seem to do so as total beings† (57). Therefore God acts in the same as humans do, but it is seen as a God in relation to his creation. This premise leads to the top-down notion of the parts depending on the whole. With this top-down premise, Polkinghorne strengthens his argument of an open system by exhibiting that we are dependent on God, whether through the establishment of the laws or divine intervention in the universe. Polkinghorne also classifies the closed system as a â€Å"block universe†. He writes, â€Å"It is sometimes claimed that science endorses the alternative view that the universe ‘is’ rather than ‘becomes’† (Polkinghorne 68). This implies that the universe has a certain determinacy and that God does not act in the universe. Since the universe â€Å"is†, then it is conclusive that God must know the future because it is already determined. The view of the open system appears to be more logical and realistic, but at the expense of God’s infinite and omnipresent capabilities. He says, â€Å"†¦it is the universe of becoming that is the correct picture, then surely God must know it in its temporality, as it actually is. God must not just know that events are successive; they must be known in their succession† (Polkinghorne 69). While I agree that the universe is an open system, it cannot be at the expenditure of God. Say a person is on a roof looking down at an intersection; he can see all and everything laid out before him. He observes two cars coming at the intersection at the same time and foresees an accident. This is analogous to God and the universe, where God is in a position to see all and foretell all. Obviously, this is not a perfect analogy since the person is constricted by time and therefore could be incorrect in his assumptions. Therefore, if we accept the premise that God is infinite and outside the constricts of time, then we can conclude that God or the ultimate reality knows the future in an open system. The most crucial difference between the arguments of Polkinghorne and Capra is their definition of the ultimate reality. In each of their respective claims, the view of the ultimate reality has a drastic effect on the outcome of each argument. The belief in certain characteristics of an ultimate reality is important when there is an attempt to connect it to the physical world. Through further analysis of both arguments, it is evident that the difference between Polkinghorne and Capra is basically a Western Religion versus Eastern Religion discussion. It is evident that Capra takes the side of Eastern Religion; his book is titled The Tao of Physics: An Exploration of the Parallels Between Modern Physics and Eastern Mysticism. Throughout his argument he constantly refers to the ideas and beliefs of religions such as Buddhism, Taoism, and Chinese religion. He quotes from their texts in an attempt to connect their ultimate reality with the physical world. On the other hand, Polkinghorne utilizes Western religion as a means of connecting the ultimate reality with the physical world. Specifically he uses the values and teachings of Christian traditions. He says that the discussion of the unity of the ultimate reality and the physical world is â€Å"a perennial issue on the Christian agenda† (Polkinghorne 48). One aspect of the arguments that I found to be perplexing was the use of the same laws of the physical world as at he basis of each author’s respective argument. Obviously, Polkinghorne and Capra have their own agenda and argument. Therefore, what does this say about the laws of the physical world; can they simply manipulate to agree with any form of the ultimate? This cannot be valid or then the laws of the physical world can be disfigured in order to fit any belief system or value; either Polkinghorne must be right and Capra wrong, or vice versa. We cannot accept this dualistic view of the world that the universe can be open in some instances and closed in others. Yet, this view arises when we fail to realize that there is one ultimate reality or truth. If there was one truth, then there would only be one way to connect this ultimate to the physical world. At the same time, we cannot say that Polkinghorne is correct and Capra is wrong, or vice versa. If the premises that they base their arguments off are valid then we cannot deduce which argument is better, but only say that it is a conflict of realities. The success of the arguments lies in the belief of the premises of the religious and physical world. Faith is the true deciding factor that will allow us to declare a winner in this pursuit of the unity of the ultimate reality and the physical world. If we assume that the premises of the physical world and quantum mechanics in each argument to be the same, then the only significant difference between each argument is the view of the ultimate reality. Since I have Christian traditions and beliefs I would strongly side with Polkinghorne’s argument. Yet, if there is a person who has no solid beliefs, then these two arguments would seem valid and justifiable in their eyes, due to their lack of knowledge of the ultimate reality.

the first days of school Essay -- essays research papers

In this first unit of The First Days of School, Harry Wong presents three characteristics of an effective teacher. The three characteristics are: has good classroom management skills, teaches for mastery, and has positive expectations for student success. The effective teacher exhibits positive expectations for all students. Having positive expectations simply means that the teacher believes in the student and that the student can learn. Students will live up to the expectations you set, and to be effective- your expectations should be positive for all students. The effective teacher establishes good classroom management techniques. Classroom Management is practices and procedures that a teacher uses to maintain an environment in which instruction and learning can occur. Effective teachers manage, ineffective teachers discipline; this book guides you in practicing procedures with your students. The effective teacher designs lessons for student mastery. Mastery simply means a student's demonstration that a concept or skill can be performed at a level of proficiency determined by the teacher. Student success in the subject matter of the class will be the result of how well the teacher designs lessons and checks for mastery. You must kno w how to get students to do their assignments, pass their tests, and work cooperatively.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Wong states that what you do on the first few days of school can determine your success for the rest of the year. Some of the ...

Legalization of Euthanasia

People have the right to medical care, but pain and suffering for a person has to be one of the toughest things in life to deal with. In the health care world, few topics create a debate as heated as euthanasia. Euthanasia comes from the Greek word meaning good death. Euthanasia is the practice of ending the life of a person either by lethal injection or the suspension of medical treatment. In this essay, I will discuss the benefits and negatives in legalizing euthanasia.Although legalizing euthanasia would help alleviate suffering in terminally ill patients, the act of intentionally killing an individual devalues human life causing a distrust in physicians and may even become a means of health care cost containment, empowering law abusers. Firstly, i'll discuss the benefit in legalizing euthanasia, for it is a good way of ultimately relieving extreme pain when a persons quality of life is low. The biggest argument in favor of euthanasia is that the person involved is in great pain.L egalizing euthanasia would help alleviate suffering of terminally ill patients. It would be inhuman and unfair to make them endure the unbearable pain. In case of individuals suffering from incurable diseases or in conditions where effective treatment wouldn’t affect their quality of life; they should be given the liberty to choose induced death. Also, the motive of euthanasia is to â€Å"aid-in-dying† painlessly and thus should be considered and accepted by law. Although killing in an attempt to defend oneself is far different from mercy killing, law does find it worth approving.In an attempt to provide medical and emotional care to the patient, a doctor does and should prescribe medicines that will relieve his suffering even if the medications cause gross side effects. This means that dealing with agony and distress should be the priority even if it affects the life expectancy. Euthanasia follows the same theory of dealing with torment in a way to help one die peacef ully out of the compromising situation. Euthanasia should be a natural extension of patients’ rights allowing him to decide the value of life and death for him.Maintaining life support systems against patients’ wish is considered unethical by law as well as medical philosophy. If the patient has the right to discontinue treatment why would he not have the right to shorten his lifetime to escape the intolerable anguish? Isn’t the pain of waiting for death frightening and traumatic? Faye Girsh, at the Final Exit Network says, â€Å"At the Hemlock Society we get calls daily from desperate people who are looking for someone like Jack Kevorkian to end their lives which have lost all quality†¦Americans should enjoy a right guaranteed in the European Declaration of Human Rights — the right not to be forced to suffer. It should be considered as much of a crime to make someone live who with justification does not wish to continue as it is to take life withou t consent. † That point being made, the act of intentionally taking the life of an individual also devalues human life which may cause a distrust in physicians and ultimately makes this form of pain alleviation a bad idea. Euthanasia is a rejection of the importance and value of human life.People who support euthanasia often say that it is already considered permissable to take human life under some circumstances such as self defense – but they miss the point that when one kills for self defense they are saving innocent life – either their own or someone else's. With euthanasia no one's life is being saved, rather life is only taken. History has taught us the dangers of euthanasia and that is why there are only two countries in the world today where it is legal. That is why almost all societies, even non-religious ones, for thousands of years have made euthanasia a crime.There are also two topics to discuss here: the definition of â€Å"terminal† and the c hanges that have already taken place to extend euthanasia to those who aren't â€Å"terminally ill. † There are many definitions for the word â€Å"terminal. † For example, when he spoke to the National Press Club in 1992, Jack Kevorkian said that a terminal illness was â€Å"any disease that curtails life even for a day. † The co-founder of the Hemlock Society often refers to â€Å"terminal old age. † Some laws define â€Å"terminal† condition as one from which death will occur in a â€Å"relatively short time. Others state that â€Å"terminal† means that death is expected within six months or less. Even where a specific life expectancy is referred to, medical experts acknowledge that it is virtually impossible to predict the life expectancy of a particular patient.Some people diagnosed as terminally ill don't die for years, if at all, from the diagnosed condition. Increasingly, however, euthanasia activists have dropped references to term inal illness, replacing them with such phrases as â€Å"hopelessly ill,† â€Å"desperately ill,† â€Å"incurably ill,† â€Å"hopeless condition,† and â€Å"meaningless life. Even doctors cannot firmly predict about the period of death and whether there is a possibility of remission with advanced treatment. Bernard Baumrin, PhD, MD, Professor of Philosophy at the City University of New York, wrote in his chapter, â€Å"Physician, Stay Thy Hand! † that appeared in the 1998 book Physician Assisted Suicide: Expanding the Debate, â€Å"Doctors must not engage in assisting suicide. They are inheritors of a valuable tradition that inspires public trust. None should be even partly responsible for the erosion of that trust.Nothing that is remotely beneficial to some particular patient in extremis is worth the damage that will be created by the perception that physicians sometimes aid and even abet people in taking their own lives. † So, implementing euthanasia would mean many unlawful deaths that could have well survived later. Along with empowering law abusers and increasing distrust of patients towards doctors, legalizing euthanasia may also lead to using as a means for health care cost containment.Perhaps one of the most important developments in recent years is the increasing emphasis placed on health care providers to contain costs. In such a climate, euthanasia certainly could become a means of cost containment. In the United States, thousands of people have no medical insurance; studies have shown that the poor and minorities generally are not given access to available pain control, and managed-care facilities are offering physicians cash bonuses if they don't provide care for patients.With greater and greater emphasis being placed on managed care, many doctors are at financial risk when they provide treatment for their patients. Legalized euthanasia raises the potential for a profoundly dangerous situation in which doc tors could find themselves far better off financially if a seriously ill or disabled person â€Å"chooses† to die rather than receive long-term care. Savings to the government may also become a consideration. This could take place if governments cut back on paying for treatment and care and replace them with the â€Å"treatment† of death.For example, immediately after the passage of Measure 16, Oregon's law permitting assisted suicide, Jean Thorne, the state's Medicaid Director, announced that physician-assisted suicide would be paid for as â€Å"comfort care† under the Oregon Health Plan which provides medical coverage for about 345,000 poor Oregonians. Within eighteen months of Measure 16's passage, the State of Oregon announced plans to cut back on health care coverage for poor state residents. In Canada, hospital stays are being shortened while, at the same time, funds have not been made available for home care for the sick and elderly.Registered nurses are being replaced with less expensive practical nurses. Patients are forced to endure long waits for many types of needed surgery. Nearly all pain can be eliminated and, in those rare cases where it can't be eliminated, it can still be reduced significantly if proper treatment is provided. It is a national and international scandal that so many people do not get adequate pain control and although voluntary euthanasia may help aleviate the pain that may come from seeing a loved one or being the one in pain, killing is not the answer to that scandal.This form of assisted suicide will not only diminish the honour and value of human life, but cause a distrust in doctors, create a rise in law abusers and a reason to allow individuals to pass in order to cut down on health care costs. The solution is to mandate better education of health care professionals on these crucial issues, to expand access to health care, and to inform patients about their rights as consumers.Everyone, whether it be a person with a life-threatening illness or a chronic condition, has the right to pain relief. With modern advances in pain control, no patient should ever be in excruciating pain. However, most doctors have never had a course in pain management so they're unaware of what to do. If a patient who is under a doctor's care is in excruciating pain, there's definitely a need to find a different doctor. But that doctor should be one who will control the pain, not one who will kill the patient. Legalization of Euthanasia ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY – EUTHANASIA By Troy Jacques Euthanasia is known as the practice of deliberately ending a life which releases an individual from an incurable disease or intolerable suffering. This mercy killing is often referred as an easy and painless death. This can be done from the request of a dying patient or that person’s legal representative. When this is done it is known as Voluntary Euthanasia. Not doing something to prevent someone’s death is known as passive or negative Euthanasia. Active or positive Euthanasia is when someone takes deliberate action to cause a death.Currently Euthanasia is not allowed by law to be practiced on people. My opinion on Euthanasia is that it should be legalised because the patients get to die in less pain and suffering as possible, the majority of the public believe that Euthanasia should be allowed morally and in a free society an individual should be able to choose their time of death. Patients with such diseases as cancer should be allowed to choose their time of death. This is because cancer is the most common cause of death in Australia, accounting for more than a quarter of all deaths.There is major pain that is associated with cancer suffers and it is a severe and intractable form of chronic pain. Patients with advanced cancers often experience multiple symptoms like fatigue, weakness, mental haziness, anxiety and nausea. Many of these symptoms can not be eliminated and any may widely affect the function of sense and well being. This can cause a major source of distress to the terminally ill and it can cause extremely unpleasant symptoms, which are undignified in the terminal stage.This is where Euthanasia would be able to step in and with the request from the patient or their legal representative put a stop to their pain and suffering. I also agree that special guidelines must be put into stop abuse from families that may profit form the death of a person. In Australia the public opinion also supports Euthanasia being legalised. It is around three quarters of the population in Australia that are in favour of doctors giving or practicing Euthanasia if requested by a terminally ill patient who is experiencing unrelievable suffering.This is based on the responses to the Morgan Poll question: â€Å" If a hopelessly ill patient, experiencing unrelievable suffering with absolutely no chance of recovery, asks for a lethal dose, so as not to wake again, should the doctor be able to give the lethal dose. In 1962 only 47% said â€Å"yes†. In 1993 78% and in 1994 and 1995 74% answered with â€Å"yes†. Now only 18% say â€Å"no† and another 8% are undecided. From this poll the people have stated that in some circumstances Voluntary Euthanasia should be allowed to be practiced.In a free society a person should be able to choose the time of their death if they are terminally ill. If we are to be truly living in a free society a person should be able to reque st their doctor to perform Voluntary Euthanasia if they are terminally ill. In not being able to request this means that we are not allowed too freely decide our own fate. I believe that Euthanasia should be legalised because if policed properly it can put a person out of intolerable suffering in which they will die in more pain anyway.At the present moment under some circumstances the public also agree that a patient should be able to request Voluntary Euthanasia to be practiced on them. It is also that a person should also be able to choose his or her own time of death if we are to be living in a fee society. If a person is allowed to legally refuse treatment that will in a consequence end their life, well why can’t a person just be put out of intolerable suffering and achieve the same fate? Word Count 650

Simmary of the books of the Old Testament - 808 Words

Summary of the books of the Old Testament Genesis (EXAMPLE) The book of Genesis is largely narrative material. Some key themes and events include God as the creator and sustainer of his creation demonstrated through the accounts of the creation week, the fall of man, the flood, and Patriarchal History, including Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. After Adam and Eve sinned and ushered the era of sin and death into the world, men continued to become increasingly sinful. Eventually, God became so angry he completely destroyed mankind with a world-wide flood. However, He spared a remnant: Noah and his family. God chose Abraham and entered into a new covenant naming Israel as his chosen people. Again, with this act we see†¦show more content†¦This book has 3 speeches that Moses gives the Israelites before they are to enter Canaan. The major theme in this book is that God loves it when his people are faithful and He is not pleased when they sin and go against His will. The major characters in this book are Moses, who gives the spee ches and Joshua, who will succeed Moses. Moses first speech directly talks about how this generation should not be like their previous one and be loyal and faithful to God. The second speech deals primarily with laws. It is in this book that the 10 Commandments appear to the Israelites. The final speech is when Moses preached about what God will bless the people with for the obedience yet what He will also do if they are not obedient. The final chapters include Joshua taking charge after the death of Moses. 1 Kings 1 kings is another narrative, one of many in the Old Testament. The main focus in this book is King Solomon after he takes over for King David. There is a very obvious theme that we can take from this book and that is to be mindful of the people we associate with. The book begins with the end of King David’s reign and his death and the beginning of King Solomon’s throne. We learn in this book that King Solomon wrote many proverbs and songs, which we can see more of in the actual book of proverbs. We also see that Solomon had a temple built in the Lord’s name. The book takes a bad turn in that at the end of the book, it talks about the