Submitted to ChurchWith.Us on 10/30/2011:
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Looking back through time, we can see that there have been many good and many bad governing bodies over its people. Some rulers have treated people with respect giving them freedom, choices, and a voice in the marketplace among other things. Other rulers have governed with an iron fist and neglected and oppressed the people seemingly unjustly. Many other variations of what one may deem as "good" or "bad" can be drawn from past governing bodies.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
ChurchWith.Us - Post | What I Love About My Church
Many months ago, I joined an online blogging community focused on Christian writting called ChurchWith.us created by Adam Lehman. I had become deadweight over a few months, as I had yet to contribute to it. I believe there is a set amount of contributors which at some point was near 100 if I'm not mistaken. I decided to start off my first blog entry with thoughts on what I loved about my church. I have reproduced the original blog post below (from 10/3/2011):
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Goodreads: The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature by Steven Pinker (checkpoint 6)
Audiobook: 11hrs 19mins\ 22hrs 42mins.
This post will cover four different 'listening sessions': 2/28, 3/1, 3/8, and 3/12 (today).
2/28...
This wrapped up the rest of the neuroscience material previously being discussed. This concluded audio part 1 of 3 (through chapter 5).
3/1...
Audio part 2/3 started off explaining that the majority of the rest of the material will cover and deal with the implications (political, moral, etc.) of the content presented so far.
This post will cover four different 'listening sessions': 2/28, 3/1, 3/8, and 3/12 (today).
2/28...
This wrapped up the rest of the neuroscience material previously being discussed. This concluded audio part 1 of 3 (through chapter 5).
3/1...
Audio part 2/3 started off explaining that the majority of the rest of the material will cover and deal with the implications (political, moral, etc.) of the content presented so far.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Goodreads: The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature by Steven Pinker (checkpoint 5)
Audiobook: 5hrs 7mins/ 22hrs 42mins
Chapter 4 discussed how culture is not completely independent of our biology. It is not a separate entity existing "out there". He asserts that we aren't so much shapped by culture as we actually shape our culture ourselves, from our biology.
Chapter 5 has been discussing how neurons, genes, and environmental factors such as experience all affect our decisions, behaviors, and the like. He recognizes an interplay between Nature and Nuture for our behaviors, but it is mostly vastly different from the publically acquired understanding of it.
There are many points of discussion that make sense to me, while others, from my vantage point, seem to be taken too far.
Chapter 4 discussed how culture is not completely independent of our biology. It is not a separate entity existing "out there". He asserts that we aren't so much shapped by culture as we actually shape our culture ourselves, from our biology.
Chapter 5 has been discussing how neurons, genes, and environmental factors such as experience all affect our decisions, behaviors, and the like. He recognizes an interplay between Nature and Nuture for our behaviors, but it is mostly vastly different from the publically acquired understanding of it.
There are many points of discussion that make sense to me, while others, from my vantage point, seem to be taken too far.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Goodreads: The Koran translated by J.M. Rodwell (checkpoint 1)
On page 210/500
I read SURA XVI. - The Bee, which is the 73rd chapter in this version of the Koran. It is a chronological version. I began reading this several months ago, on and off.
God's gifts to man and the infidels who reject them
This Sura declares all that God has given man, from livestock, to vegetation, to the mountains and rivers, created for man's guidance and purposes. It decalres his gracious mercy, knowledge, and power.
I read SURA XVI. - The Bee, which is the 73rd chapter in this version of the Koran. It is a chronological version. I began reading this several months ago, on and off.
God's gifts to man and the infidels who reject them
This Sura declares all that God has given man, from livestock, to vegetation, to the mountains and rivers, created for man's guidance and purposes. It decalres his gracious mercy, knowledge, and power.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Goodreads: The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature by Steven Pinker (checkpoint 4)
Audiobook: 3hrs 12mins \ 22hrs 42mins
This concluded chapter 3 from last night and tonight.
Here we continued the discussion of the four major points and areas of science that are helping to converge the body with the mind (e.g., genetics and psychology). That is, to be able to describe the mind and the body as one in the same, not two distinct parts, one controlled by physical and chemical processes (body) while the other is not (mind).
This concluded chapter 3 from last night and tonight.
Here we continued the discussion of the four major points and areas of science that are helping to converge the body with the mind (e.g., genetics and psychology). That is, to be able to describe the mind and the body as one in the same, not two distinct parts, one controlled by physical and chemical processes (body) while the other is not (mind).
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Goodreads: The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature by Steven Pinker (checkpoint 3)
Audiobook: 2hrs 30mins \ 22hrs 42mins
This covered part of chapter 3. He began discussing things that have been historically (and currently) thought to be independent of each other. The main one that stuck out to me was the mind and body (previously referred to as the ghost in the machine, dualism). More and more, scientists are discovering that our behaviors can be explained by physical processes occurring in the brain. This goes in the face of many previously and currently held concepts of the mind being separate from the physical body; that the mind makes decisions freely on its own and isn't something that can be known or discovered through natural processes.
This covered part of chapter 3. He began discussing things that have been historically (and currently) thought to be independent of each other. The main one that stuck out to me was the mind and body (previously referred to as the ghost in the machine, dualism). More and more, scientists are discovering that our behaviors can be explained by physical processes occurring in the brain. This goes in the face of many previously and currently held concepts of the mind being separate from the physical body; that the mind makes decisions freely on its own and isn't something that can be known or discovered through natural processes.
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