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Teenagers would be very intrigued by reading The God Delusion because it incites critical thinking in an articulate manner and captures the beauty of his arguments and the universe in a humorous style. The God Delusion lays out a scientific case on why there is most likely no God and why the world we be better off without religion. Richard Dawkins is able to articulate his arguments in a way that just flows off the page. He takes high level vocabulary and concepts and makes them easily comprehendible to the average reader. A prime example of this is when he explains evolution compared to creationism he uses the analogy of a sheer cliff face and creationism being equivalent to a person jumping from the bottom to the top in a single leap. Compared
to evolution which he describes as equivalent to finding a gentle slope on the other side of the mountain that leads to the top. This analogy makes it far easier for someone who does not understand natural selection and evolution. Dawkins is also able to keep the book funny by throwing in jokes that lighten up a rather serious topic. Dawkins does this whenever the topic is by nature very serious and therefore to keep people interested and light hearted he will make simple joke that does a great job of lighting the subject. The masterful articulation and sprinkling of humor in The God Delusion make it a great book for teenagers to read.
It is well known that books read by adolescents are somewhat inappropriate in certain ways such as language and the types of actions done by the characters. Some books consist of drugs, sex, and violence which obviously isn’t very appropriate nor does it consist of positive values. It is easy to see why some books ar...
Howard Thurman in his book, “Jesus and the Disinherited” presented Jesus as a role model for the oppressed on how to find strength, freedom and peace within God and oneself. Thurman shares the story of how Jesus offered an alternative to accepting the Roman rules, like the Sadducees did in hope of being allowed to maintain their Jewish traditions; A solution to remaining silently obedient, like the Pharisees, as hatred and resentment destroyed them from within. Jesus provided an alternative solution to the Zealots of his day who resorted to physical force to advance their justified cause, often paying the ultimate cost, their life. Jesus taught love. Love of God, self, neighbor and especially your enemy. Thurman stresses that Jesus know that “it is man’s reaction to things that determines their ability to exercise power over them”.(Thurman, 18) Jesus taught and modeled the art of strength through humility. He
In his book, An Imperfect God, Henry Wiencek argues in favor of Washington being the first true president to set the precedent for the emancipation of African-American slaves. Wiencek delves into the evil paradox of how a nation conceived on the principles of liberty and dedicated to the statement that all men are created equal was in a state that still preserved slavery for over seven decades following the construction of the nation. Washington’s grandeur estate at Mount Vernon at its peak had the upkeep of over 300 slaves 126 of which were owned by Washington. First, it must be understood that Washington was raised on slavery receiving ownership of 10 slaves at the age of 11 years old and that Washington was a man of his time. However, it must also be understood that Washington’s business with slavery was in the context of a constrained social and political environment. Weincek maintains that this does not exonerate the fact that Washington maintained slavery however; it does help to quantify the moral shortcoming by which Washington carried until his last year of life.
In the book “The Mad Among Us-A History of the Care of American’s Mentally Ill,” the author Gerald Grob, tells a very detailed accounting of how our mental health system in the United States has struggled to understand and treat the mentally ill population. It covers the many different approaches that leaders in the field of mental health at the time used but reading it was like trying to read a food label. It is regurgitated in a manner that while all of the facts are there, it lacks any sense humanity. While this may be more of a comment on the author or the style of the author, it also is telling of the method in which much of the policy and practice has come to be. It is hard to put together without some sense of a story to support the action.
In the article,"An Atheist Manifesto," by Sam Harris he discusses how God does not exisit because if he did exist there would not be any evil in this world. As I was reading this article I found it very intresting how Harris is so negative and believes that everything that happens is God's fault. "....at this very moment that an all-powerful and all-loving God is watching over them and their family. Are they right to believe this? Is it good that they believe this?No,.." stated Harris. He should understand that God gave us a gift called "free will," and with that gift it comes with a price that we should live with the consequeces by the descisions we make as human beings. I liked this article because it showed me the other side of the coin
In current society, critical thinking can be sparse. It is unusual that people question the traditions they have grown up with. Although this ignorance can be safe and simple, its outcome is ultimately problematic. In the satire Cat's Cradle, Kurt Vonnegut proves that undiscerning belief in anything will inevitably end in tragedy. Vonnegut demonstrates this using sensitive topics such as Science and Religion.
Zora Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God is, among other things, a creation story. For creation stories are not simply myths about the historical origins of the universe and humankind but metaphors for individual maturation. Individual perception is, to a large extent, what constitutes the world. Hence, the individual is the source and embodiment of the world; Janie is, the narrator tells us, “the world and the heavens boiled down to a drop” (72). And Janie’s awakening, or maturation, represents not only a personal transformation, but the creation of a universe. As a child seeking meaning, Janie does not look forward to merely “growing up” but waits “for the world to be made” (11). Obviously the narrator does not mean the material world, but that particular world which comes into being with the mature individual. And as a creation story, Their Eyes, like the creation stories which precede it, deals with “the reconciliation of mind to the conditions of life”—to the inherent violence of living.
“Science proves religious people are stupid and atheists are smart.” This is a somewhat provocative title pulled from an article on a small blog called “The Moral Minefield,” run by a group of Graduate Theological Union students and graduates (Green). This statement is exactly the kind of thing, however, that one would expect Richard Dawkins to wholeheartedly agree with. In fact, he seems to imply this sentiment throughout the entirety of his speech titled, “Militant Atheism.”
...t reality. Some say that if the reader will avoid abiding by Rowling’s philosophy, the book is a great read (Aguilar). Maybe the book was not designed for the minds of younger children, but for the mind of mature adults. A critic says that children who are “wrong” readers are definitely not recommended to read the Harry Potter series. The series may be a “matter of debate” rather than a “matter of faith” (Aguilar).
Despite how nice The Circle seems, it’s a major conspiracy theory waiting to be picked apart. In the book The Circle by Dave Eggers, we learn of a technology company that has monopolized the industry. Long gone are the days of paypal, face book, Instagram, snapchat etc. Everything has been condensed into one spot and managed by one company—The Circle. We learn about a young woman named Mae, who’s been struggling to find her place in the working world just like anyone else her age. Mae joins The Circle through her college friend Annie and is thrown into a world where nothing is personal or a secret.
There are different viewpoints on the question “what is the universe made of?” I think that both science and religion offer their own explanation to this topic and they sometimes overlap, which creates contradictions. Therefore, I do not agree with Stephen Jay Gould’s non-overlapping magisterial, which claims that there is a fine line separating science from religion. That being said, I think the conflict between science and religion is only in the study of evolution. It is possible for a scientist to be religious if he is not studying evolution, because science is very broad and it has various studies. In this essay, I will talk about the conflict between religion and science by comparing the arguments from Stephen Jay Gould and Richard Dawkins. I argue that science and religion do overlap but only in some area concerning evolution and the cosmic design. Furthermore, when these overlaps are present it means that there are conflicts and one must choose between science and religion.
Learning can be a struggle for those who have a difficult time understanding right away. Some students just give up if they can’t figure it out. In his essay, “A Hunger for Books,” noted Richard Wright explains what it felt like when he first discovered the power of writing. Wright mentions he was denied the education, but when he learned he found a new hunger (4). As Wright points out, learning gave him a new hunger. When I was younger, I felt that if I didn’t understand something, then just to give up on it all together. But, after awhile I learned if I continued to keep trying then I will finally got it. It made learning increasingly more interesting.
“What are your strong points? What are the problem areas that are denying you to achieve your goals?” These are the first two of the two hundred question ‘free personality test’ you were offered on Hollywood Blvd. The test can take up to three hours without disruptions from your friendly Scientologist monitoring you. At the end of your test, you will be told you are miserable and should definitely take one of Scientology’s self-help courses for a ‘small fee.’ Soon you will start thinking you’re actually miserable and you’ll begin to take more and more courses until you’re broke and you’ve signed the Billion Year Contract with the church.
One of the most important aspects of teaching literature to adolescents is helping them understand how individual stories can relate to their lives specifically. More and more, the stigma that literature is a lofty abstract that has no connection to the day-to-day lives creeps into schools. This stigma creates an environment where apathy flourishes and care disappears. As teachers, the number one goal today, seems to be first getting students to care about reading. No matter how dynamic or revolutionary a teacher's methods or philosophies are, if a student does not care, that student will not learn. So, when looking for possible novels that one would use in the classroom, one main question must always be asked; how will this novel be taught differently, to ensure a number of students will actually care?
The book, The World is Flat, by Thomas Friedman draws attention to some very good points concerning globalization and the world economy today. Friedman emphasizes the status of America today in relation to the other countries of the world. As I looked at the things in which he warned about or highlighted, I realized the importance of this issue. He talks about a few aspects in which need to be kept competitive in order for America to retain their current standing in the world market.