The Universe in Essays

No scientific theory has been more thoroughly tested, examined, expanded, applied, and verified than evolutionary theory, the claim that all organic life arose from a common origin millions of years ago. The driving force behind that process is natural selection: over thousands of generations, organisms better suited to the environment eventually replace less-fit organisms. While the theory applies to biological life, physicist Lee Smolin has argued that the universe is subject to a cosmological natural selection (“Did the universe evolve?”). According to Smolin, his quasi-evolutionary theory has the power to explain why the laws of physics permit the existence of life. However, when one carefully explains and analyzes the theory, several difficulties arise.

“Consciousness” writes J. P. Moreland, “is among the most mystifying features of the cosmos” (“The Argument from Consciousness” 119). Consciousness mystifies us because it is at once incomprehensible and deeply familiar. I identify with it and live within it, but if you ask me to define it, I cannot. The apparent identity of myself and consciousness gives questions of the mind a level of significance that is hard to beat. If I am nothing other than my brain, then when my body dies, so do I. If I am something more, then perhaps I continue even when my body ends. My focus is on an argument from philosopher Alvin Plantinga for the soul’s existence. His claim is that material things cannot think, and because I clearly can think, I am not a material thing. After examining the argument on its own terms and then in the light of recent neuroscientific evidence, I conclude two things: (i) that Plantinga does not succeed in giving sufficient evidence for the soul, but also (ii) that m...

There are two general positions one can take about the relationship between science and religion: (1) the conflict thesis and (2) the concord thesis. I do not know which one is correct, but I do have a few things to say about one argument sometimes marshaled on behalf of (1): the Catholic Church’s opposition to Galileo and his model of the universe.

About two years ago, researchers announced that one can potentially save a child from blood problems, cystic fibrosis, and certain forms of cancer by changing their genes in embryo (Gallager). Sounds great! No one ought to object, right? The issue is that these changes involve altering the germline, that part of the genetic code that we pass on to the next generation. It’s that element of permanece that many people think puts humanity in a role that belongs to God alone. What, then, is the ethical status of germline therapy?

In the aftermath of the crucifixion, Joseph of Arimathea buried Jesus in a tomb, the disciples went home, and the world went on — for three days, that is. I will try to find out whether evidence can establish that following Jesus’ death, women found his tomb empty. Notice that an empty tomb by itself does not entail Jesus’ resurrection; a number of naturalistic explanations are available (e.g., the women went to the wrong tomb, Jesus did not really die, tomb raiders stole his body, etc.). However, an occupied tomb does entail that Jesus did not bodily rise from the dead. So the task at hand is fairly significant.

Topic: The role of animal behavior in developing a theme of amorality in Emile Zola’s  Thérèse  Raquin . We wage war against what is evil and go to the gallows for the conviction that our cause is good. But ultimately, does morality exist? Emile Zola addresses this question in his novel, Thérèse Raquin , within which he traces the fate of two murderers as they seek peace from the ghost of their victim, Camille. Zola uses Thérèse, Laurent, Camille, the absence of guilt, and the lack of free will in the text to suggest that humans are nothing more than animals, and therefore morality does not apply to them.

On the third of October, the Catholic Church relieved Vatican priest Krzysztof Charamsa of his post. The decision came after a news conference during which the former priest informed the public of his relationship with another man. The Church explicitly bars any man with deep-seated homosexual attractions from being a priest and requires all priests to live a celibate life, making Charamsa a dual violation of Church teaching. After being notified of the Church’s decision, the former priest wrote a passionate letter to Pope Francis within which he condemned the Catholic Church and its treatment of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. Specifically, the Church is “frequently violently homophobic” and that it causes “immeasurable suffering” to homosexual Catholics. The Pope has yet to issue a response.

Prompt: Evaluate the successes and failures of peacekeeping after the First World War.   Cynically speaking – and perhaps realistically speaking as well – peace is an impossible dream, defying all attempts to achieve it. In the case of world affairs following World War I (WWI), peacekeeping was not a successful undertaking. In particular, the Treaty of Versailles, the League of Nations, and Wilson’s Fourteen Points all failed to achieve peace between nations.

Overview: A reflective statement on Ismail Kadare's novel, Broken April . In reflective statements, we are to explain how our understanding of the culture and context within which a certain text was written has deepened as a result of Interactive Oral presentations on the text. Written: October 27th, 2015. From Interactive Oral presentations on Ismail Kadare’s novel Broken April , I have come to a deeper understanding of early twentieth century Albania. Specifically, I now see the connection between Kadare’s view of freedom on the one hand, and the text and its consummation on the other.

A United States drug company – Turing Pharmaceuticals – recently raised the price of AIDS medication by over five thousand percent, having bought the rights to the drug in August. Following public outcry, Turing promised to reduce the price, though not specifying the exact reduction. The ostensible justification for their previous move from $13.50 a pill to $750 was to use that increased profit for medical research. Martin Shkreli, the head of the company, says that his critics do not understand the pharmaceutical industry, implying that his company’s actions were not immoral or selfish, but balanced and prudent.

Question: Why did a general European war break out in 1914? Historical investigation is important because it reveals to us our past mistakes and how we might avoid them in the future. Determining the cause of World War I is necessary for this very reason: we ought to know how it came about so as not to repeat it. Imperialism – the policy of acquiring and holding colonies to extend the authority of an empire – explains why a general European war broke out in 1914. Other causes of war (e.g., nationalism and militarism) did exist, but were not decisive nor effectual on their own.

Philosophical naturalism is the thesis that the physical world is all there is – no God, no angels, and no soul. Literary naturalism is the effort to portray human action in animalistic terms. The latter is likely an outgrowth of the former. From Interactive Oral presentations on Emile Zola’s novel, Thérèse Raquin , I have come to see how literary naturalism developed in nineteenth century France, and how this development shaped Zola’s work in two ways: his characterization of women and his psychology of human beings.

Revolutions are not about corrupt governments or wicked kings; revolutions are about ideas. In 1966, Mao Zedong launched the Cultural Revolution to ingrain Communist ideals in Chinese life and culture. Ji-Li Jiang, in Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution , recounts her experience of that social upheaval in order to bear witness to the suffering she  endured under Mao’s regime. If Jiang had scrapped a memoir in favor of a persuasive essay, the book’s power would have been lost, and Jiang’s witness weakened as a result.

Question - "On the issue of the Bible being divinely inspired, how do we know it wasn't meant to be a story to teach children to be good, and not truly god's word?" - Louis. Answer - I am going to use your question, Louis, as an opportunity to develop my thoughts on the gospels alone. Trying to tackle the whole Bible is too big a task for one article. Indeed, whole libraries have been written on the subject! So let us narrow our focus to the four biblical gospels.

Abstract: Did the spread of Christianity lead to the downfall of Rome, and the corresponding "Dark Ages" that lasted for the next thousand years? Bruce and I exchange a few thoughts on this frequently heard claim. Throughout the dialogue, I flesh out two reasons to conclude that the Christian religion, whatever else it might have given to Rome, did not lead to its destruction: (1) the Byzantine empire was predominately Christian, and yet endured for a thousand years, and (2) Christianity is a missionary religion.  My friend Louis and I engage in a few final remarks. Written: July 2015.

Jack  - My claim was not that the majority of philosophers were atheistic moral realists. I said atheism and moral realism were both majority positions, and that many of the main contemporary defenders of moral realism are atheists. There are clearly a great many philosophers who are both atheists and moral realists, if the two were incompatible I would really expect the experts to have noticed.

Abstract: If there were no God, would morality still bind our lives? Would moral duties still guide our actions, and moral values provide goals to strive for? It is my contention that they would not. If God does not exist, an objective moral standard do not exist. By  " objective", one means something like, "valid and binding independently of human opinion." To say that rape is objectively wrong, for instance, is to say that it is wrong to rape another person, whether or not anyone actually thinks that it is. My claim is that if atheism is true, morality cannot exist so-defined. If I am on the right track here, then if God does not exist, genuine moral progress among the world's cultures cannot occur either. But if we think that moral progress does take place, we will conclude that God exists. Below is a conversation I had with an atheist thinker about these reflections on God and morality. Written: June 2015.

Written: June 2015. Question -  I like your genuine pursuit, however there is a fundamental flaw with the process in which you have taken to address my issues, unfortunately; the so called 'infallible word of god' has books that are stolen essentially. Some passages in proverbs, some phrases Jesus has said 'love everyone like yourself' as well as the book of genesis were all clear rip offs of historical books.

Abstract: I love discussing philosophy and religion on online forums. Not only is it an opportunity to develop my communication skills, but it helps me to see how far I've come in my studies. I recently discussed the moral argument for the existence of God with someone who had (what they took to be) some serious objections. Below is my interlocutor's post, and my response. Written: June 2015. Objections -  Hey guys, where I'm at right now I don't endorse the moral argument. Because of this debate between William Lane Craig and Stephen Law (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7FhphWDokA) I believe that Craig's best-outreaching argument based on moral absolutes is isn't sound. Law brought up good points, and because of his objections, (not to mention Craig saying other places that we can say that God's goodness is also established in the moral argument that then flatly denying it here) have led me to believe that the moral argument isn't sound. I reall...

Prompt: To what extent did Peter the Great change Russian society? Written: May 2015 Peter the Great (1672-1735), towering over his peers at nearly seven feet, was one of the most influential Tsars of all time. Prior to his reign, Russia was steeped in economic downturn, rampant poverty, and widespread famine. [1] Under Peter’s direction, Russia was pulled out of its medieval stupor, westernized in every conceivable way, and transformed into a power to be reckoned with. Specifically, Peter the Great revolutionized Russian society through domestic, military, and government reforms.