The Universe in Essays

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.