Reference no: EM133427263
In Eastern philosophy, Taoists use an analogy between ice and water to explain the relationship between wisdom (reason) and the passions (emotion). Wisdom and passions, like ice and water, are not two different things, but neither are they identical. The ice cube is not the same as-but is also not different from-the water we put in the ice cube tray. Similarly, while thinking operates according to the rules of logic, emotion is governed by a different type of logic known as the logic of the heart. Compare and contrast this analogy and the charioteer analogy used by Plato (see section on Traditional Views of Reason towards beginning of Chapter 2).
Looking back at your own experience in high school and college, or perhaps even the workplace, were the males and females and/or people of different racial and ethnic groups treated differently? What assumptions underlie the differences in treatment? Were any of the assumptions justified? Explain why or why not.
According to African philosopher W. J. Ndaba, the Western belief that Africans are governed by their emotions, combined with the belief that reason and emotion are mutually exclusive and reason is superior to emotion, has been the source of much of the prejudice against people of African descent.
Discuss the influence of this belief on race relations today.
Can you think of any other groups that have been marginalized or disregarded because they are assumed to be governed by their emotions? Explain your thoughts.
Anwar al-Awlaki, allegedly the spiritual advisor to the terrorists of September 11, 2001, said to journalists that "telling people to give their [lives] for their faith is not an unusual idea. That's the same thing as telling Marines in this country [the United States] semper fidelis (always faithful)." Analyze Anwar al-Awlaki's statement.
Discuss the argument that faith in God is the same as scientists' belief in the material world. The existence of God, or the Divine, cannot be "proven." Likewise, science seeks to prove that the world outside of our own minds/bodies exists even though we cannot definitively prove that the material world exists and isn't just an idea in our mind...yet it is reasonable for us to have faith in science and that the world does, indeed, exist! If the similarity between faith in God and scientific faith in the existence of the material world is valid, why are some people so reluctant to accept the basic assumption of religion but not the basic assumption of science? Support your answer.
(If you have issues with the link, please let me know as soon as possible!)
Once you have read that article, discuss how the writer is using language or discourse to achieve their objective...look especially at word choice, tone, etc.
Read the "Say What?" article in the Chapter 3 Critical Thinking in Action box. Then, identify five other words that have been added to the English language (not discussed in the "Say What?" article!) since 2010. Discuss what these words tell us about our society and changes since 2010.
Theologian Mary Daly writes: "The Biblical and popular image of God as a great patriarch in heaven...has dominated the imagination of millions over thousands of years. They symbol of the Father God, spawned in the human imagination and plausible by patriarchy, has in turn rendered service to this type of society by making its mechanisms for the oppression of women appear right and fitting."
Discuss Daly's claim that the identification of God as male is oppressive to women. Discuss whether we should change the language used in religious texts and services to gender-neutral language in light of the role language plays in shaping our worldviews. NOTE: We are not talking about changing the language simply because women are offended by it (because we have no idea if that's even true); we are talking about changing the language due to how important language is in shaping our worldview...would changing the language to something more gender-neutral benefit how women view themselves, how they view the world, and how the world views them?
How do the labels you use for yourself, as well as the labels others give you, influence your self-esteem and your goals?
Discuss how the use of emotive language in each of the following passages is used to promote a particular point of view:
"The promise of embryonic-stem cell research occurs precisely because the embryo destroyed in the process was once both alive and human. As such, the harvesting of embryonic stem cells represents a form of medical cannibalism. If we cannot protect human life at its most vulnerable stages, basic constitutional protections will wither away and die."
What point of view do you think is being conveyed in this passage? Discuss how emotive language was used in the passage to promote that particular point of view:
"Oliver Stone's [movie] 'Alexander' will conscript you for a long, forced march. Better have an exit strategy."
What point of view do you think is being conveyed in this passage? Discuss how emotive language was used in the passage to promote that particular point of view:
"In a cramped upstairs den in South St. Paul, Minn., a SC blares with fury. 'Hang the traitors of our race,' the singer screams. 'White supremacy! White supremacy!' Byron Calvert, 33, leans back in his chair, smiling and snacking on veggies. Calvert is a mountainous man with a swastika tattoo, a prison record, and a racist dream."
What point of view do you think is being conveyed in this passage? Discuss how emotive language was used in the passage to promote that particular point of view:
"According to the National Sleep Foundation, about 60 percent of U.S. adults have insomnia every few days. I've been thinking more and more about those seductive commercials for Ambien, the pill that promises a full night of blissful sleep with few side effects."
What point of view do you think is being conveyed in this passage? Discuss how emotive language was used in the passage to promote that particular point of view: