Its Just Hair or Youre Just Ignorant free essay sample

â€Å"It’s just hair.† That was my defense, my justification to the widened eyes and dropped jaws. When people asked how I could do it how I could go from my socially acceptable, shoulder-length hair to a mohawk my response was always the same: â€Å"It’s just hair.† In my innocent, unassuming mind, a change, although admittedly drastic, in hairstyle couldn’t have possibly resulted in a change concerning how I was perceived intellectually or socially. That notion was quickly proven wrong. If it was â€Å"just hair,† my mother wouldn’t have avoided looking me in the eyes for the next few months. If it was â€Å"just hair,† cashiers’ gazes wouldn’t have followed me as I entered their stores. If it was â€Å"just hair,† I wouldn’t have been treated any differently in the first place. However, all of those things did happen, and consequently, the mohawk came to mean something else entirely. We will write a custom essay sample on Its Just Hair or Youre Just Ignorant or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Every other aspect of myself had remained constant as those locks were shorn I didn’t develop a rebellious or disrespectful attitude, my grades didn’t drop, nor did I lose sight of my intellectual pursuits and academic goals. My mohawk did not excuse me from any of my self-imposed obligations to succeed as an accomplished student or an integral part of my community. It was quite the opposite: by expressing any harbored insubordinate desires through the harmless outlet of a simple haircut, I stifled those same desires in other areas of my life. I knew that my choice of hairstyle said nothing about my academic achievements, my manners, or what my mind was capable of. Although I, myself, was aware of this complete lack of internal change, others didn’t catch on as quickly. Suddenly, because the sides of my head had been shaved down to a thin layer of hair, I was viewed as a less competent student teachers became skeptical of the work I handed in, forcing me to work harder to accumulate the same grades I could have easily gotten before. My good behavior was no longer accepted at face value. I had grown up accustomed to automatically gaining an adult’s trust through my respectful and inoffensive demeanor. Once he or she saw my mohawk, though, my demeanor was seen as a ruse, a sneaky attempt to deceptively woo him or her, and the concept of trust deflated. As these people came to know me better, they rethought their first impressions. They saw me listen to authority figures, take direction without complaint, and respectfully voice my opinion. They also watched me analyze literature, prove hypotheses, and take pleasure in pursuing my education. They may have reformed the image they had constructed in their own heads, but that initial doubt has permanently altered the way I perceive myself. My hair does not define me, and to judge me based on something so inconsequential is a mistake. In the end, â€Å"it’s just hair,† anyway, and there are more parts to me than strands on my head.

Religious Studies Research Paper Topics and Ideas

Religious Studies Research Paper Topics and Ideas The sphere of religious studies is quite a complicated issue because the student has to be deeply involved in the topic and understand all interconnections in a separate set of views. In general, a religious studies research paper can be aimed at the investigation of a particular religion and controversial issues connected with it. In such papers, it is important to pay attention to the main postulates and concepts of the specific religion to be accurate in statements and ideas. Writing the research paper, try to avoid subjective opinions, be logical and rational in structuring the paper. The main aim of such work is to explain the topic completely and provide a clear explanation of the analyzed issue. Choosing the topic for the religious research paper can become quite a controversial process due to the variety of themes and to student’s sphere of interest. Topics Ideas for Religious Studies Research Paper 1. Impact of Greek Myths on the Formation of European Religion This topic should include an accurate analysis of several Greek myths that made the most significant impact on the formation of religion and culture in Greece. Among the myths to explore can be Heracles and the Heracleidae myth, the story about Argonauts, myths about the mountain Olympus, and myth about Prometheus. The second part of the research paper should be concentrated on the modern attitude of people in Europe to myths and its impact on the development of religion and culture in the region. 2. Interconnection Between Science and World Religions Interdependence between the scientific and religious world was also an issue of interest due to its controversy. If you choose this topic for the research paper, pay attention to the historical development of interrelation between these two spheres of human life. Analyze also the attitude of a church to science and all notorious periods of conflicts between representatives of both spheres. 3. The Phenomenon of the Theocratic States in the Modern World There are seven theocratic countries including Afghanistan, Iran, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Vatican City, and Yemen among all countries of the world. These countries have a special political and social order that is caused by the determining role of religion. The research paper can analyze the development of such states, the efficiency of their authorities, their place in the international community, and the religion that is followed by its citizens. 4. The Development of Christianity This topic is connected with the formation and establishment of Christianity as a world religion. The issue is important and interesting to explore due to the role of Christianity in the modern world. The research paper should include information about the establishment of the religion, analysis of its main concepts and images, history of the religion and periods of its strength and weakness. Besides, it is possible to compare Christianity with other world religions to find similarities and differences. 5. The Development of Islam Islam is one of the largest world religion that has numerous followers. This religion is interesting to explore due to its special ideas that differ from all other religions. Besides, in the modernity, Islam is considered quite controversial due to the establishment of communities with fundamental Islamic views. The research paper should include all these aspects starting from the history of its creation and the development of the religion in general. 6. The Development of Buddhism This topic is interesting because Buddhism is one of the world’s religions that has numerous followers. Buddhism is a unique worldview that is based on the nature of human and balance of the human spirit. In the course of the essay, it is important to pay attention to the history of the religious development, its establishment, main images of the religion, and core concepts of Buddhism. Besides, it is interesting to analyze the attitude of Buddhists to nature, human, sins, and the sense of people’s lives. 7. The Role of Women in Islam The topic related to women and Islam is studied by various experts because it is quite controversial and special. The problem can be explored from historical and ideological points of view. It is important to take into account the diversity of approaches to the positions of women in Islam. The student can also compare traditional and fundamentalist approaches to the treatment of women and how these ideas are interconnected. 8. Religion in People’s Daily Life Modern people differently accept religion in their daily life and live in accordance with a defined set of ideas and beliefs. This topic is interesting to explore because modern society is divided into communities that follow particular religions and communities that do not follow religious worldviews. Besides, acceptance of religions often depends on the location, where people live, and it is interesting to establish interconnections between the territory and the specifications of certain religions. 9. Modern Interdependence Between Religions and Laws The research on this topic should explain how religions influenced the formation of laws in different countries of the world. It is important to consider various religions including Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism. Additional attention should be paid to the influence of Islam on the creation of national legislation system in countries of the Middle East. Research on this topic will introduce various legislation systems and their interconnections with religions. 10. Systems of Animalism and Totemism Animalism and totemism originally come from ancient times. This topic is important and thought-provoking because it represents the attitude of people to nature and various objects. The religious research on the stated topic will represent animalism and totemism as religious systems. Main concepts and ideas people were taking into account following such world views should be appropriately considered. Additionally, the research can also include an explanation of how animalism and totemism influenced modern religions. 11. The Idea of Soul in Various Religions The soul is one of the central concepts in different religions. However, it is perceived differently by various worldviews including not only the biggest religions but also Judaism and Confucianism. The research paper should comprise an explanation of the concept by different religions and comparison of these ideas. Additionally, it is possible to consider how the concept of the soul defines human lifestyles in different countries of the world. 12. Influence of Hinduism on the Formation of Culture in India As separate concepts, religion and culture are closely interconnected. In fact, religion influences the formation of the country’s culture, and India is an example of such a state. In fact, the culture of this country is a system of unique traditions, customs, ideas, and beliefs. The culture of India is quite special because the country has one of the biggest populations in the world. The research about Hinduism should be connected with the history of Indian culture and of the religion with the definition of religion’s influence on the culture. 13. The Position of Atheism in the Modern World Among modern communities, atheism is a popular phenomenon due to a set of various factors. Specifically, atheism is connected with disbelieving in the existence of God or gods. This topic is interesting to explore because of the popularity of such belief. It is interesting to compare atheism with religion to understand how atheists perceive all natural concepts and processes. The research paper can include a definition of the issue, an explanation of all its concepts, and an exploration of the future development of the situation with atheism. 14. The Development of Confucianism There is a perception that Confucianism is a system of social and ethical norms rather than a complete religion. Confucianism is specific due to its understanding of nature and a human as a part of nature. Confucianism is followed by less amount of people, and it is interesting to compare it with other religions. 15. Religion and Evolution These two concepts are quite controversial because of historical conflicts between followers of different views of evolution. This research topic should include information about the interconnection between these two issues, main conflicts, and followers of various approaches to the process of evolution. 16. Religious Education The aspect of religious education is interesting to explore because of its controversial character in connection with religious freedom. The research paper should explain the idea of religious education and describe the situation with such education in different countries. 17. Religion at a Workplace This topic is connected mainly with aspects of discrimination at a workplace regarding the religion of the employee. The religious research should be based on cases of discrimination and an explanation of normal attitude to religion at a workplace. 18. Creationism Exploration of this topic should be based on literature such as â€Å"Creationism and Its Critics in Antiquity† by David Sedley. The research paper should include an explanation of the topic and attitude to the idea in the course of history. 19. Fear in Religions The majority of religions talk about the fear and attitude toward God or gods. Such aspects as an interpretation of fear by various religions and challenges connected with the understanding of fear by religion followers can become a part of the religion research paper. 20. African American Religions The topic is interesting to explore because it allows defining specific features of the religious life of African Americans. The research paper can include statistical data about African American religions and represent the roots of such organization of their lives. Conclusion Various religion research essay topics are connected with specific aspects of particular religions. Writing a religion research essay, it is important to pay attention to history, main concepts, believes, and followers of the religion. Feel free to either extend or narrow the topics in accordance with your interests or the task of a professor.

Compare between Plato and Karl marx on the topic of human nature Essay

Compare between Plato and Karl marx on the topic of human nature - Essay Example Similarly, it will be somewhat more difficult with respect to Karl Marx, not due to the fact that Marx had no opinion on the issue (quite the opposite in fact), but rather due to the fact that Marx himself never specifically sought to engage on the topic. Rather, Marx would periodically discuss tangential manifestations of human nature with respect to â€Å"essence† and â€Å"biological definitions of man† within his works. To this end, I will seek to synthesize these tangential manifestations as a way of understanding what this author believes to be Karl Marx’s approach to the issue of human nature within his writings. Firstly, when one considers Plato, they necessarily consider his inspiration and teacher – Socrates. Socrates himself was highly interested in the notion of human nature as he so often came at odds with prevailing notions of his time while attempting to break through such staunchly, albeit blindly, held beliefs that the men of his time clun g to with such fervor. Accordingly, due to the fact that Socrates had such a profound impact on Plato, it is not beyond logic to assume that many of Plato’s own views of human nature were themselves borrowed or at the very least inspired from Socrates. One such view of humanity is of course distinctly related through Plato’s allegory of the cave (Plato 44). Although a host of Plato’s writings deal with the topic of human nature, for purposes of this brief analysis, the author will only consider the allegory of the cave due to the length limitations that a more full and complete analysis might entail. It seems to me that such an approach is useful due to the fact that Plato can provide a well reasoned and differentiated view of reality and its relation to the constructs of human nature. Within this work, Plato introduces the reader to a situation in which allegorical prisoners are chained to a cave wall for their entire lives – never seeing anyone or the l ight of day. Rather, all the prisoners are able to discern is the flicker and the shadows of figures that the moving individuals and torches behind them portend. The allegory goes on to explain that if one of these creatures was taken out into the light of day to see the sun, to view the skies, and to feel the warmth of the air, they would likely run frantically back into the bowels of the cave to escape from such perceptions that they might deem as unsavory and wildly foreign. In this way, Plato exhibits an example to the reader in which the reality/nature of the individual is uniquely born out of the perceptions/environment in which they have grown accustomed (Fromm 24). As such, Plato illustrates that encouraging such an individual to action outside of their comfort zone or to think outside of the means by which they have grown accustomed very rarely yields a positive result. In this way, Plato exhibits a very traditional view of human nature as something that is ingrained from t he early experiences and years of an individual’s life and seeks to define and corral the ambitions, thoughts, dreams, and goals, of the individual for the remainder of the life. As this can be understood as a traditional approach to human nature, it must also be understood as

Thearatical model of integration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Thearatical model of integration - Essay Example Early behavioral approaches did not directly investigate the role of cognition and person centered processes in the development or maintenance of emotional disorders. Person centered therapy is based on the clinical application of the more recent, but now also extensive research into the prominent role of cognitions in the development of emotional disorders. The term ‘Person Centered Therapy’ (PCT) is variously used to refer to therapy based on the pragmatic combination of principles of person centered theories. New PCT interventions are keeping pace with developments in the academic discipline of psychology in areas such as attention, perception, reasoning, decision making etc. Person centered and/or client centered psychotherapists work with individuals, families and groups. The approaches can be used to help anyone irrespective of ability, culture, race, gender or sexual preference. Person centered and/or behavioral psychotherapies can be used on their own or in conjunction with medication, depending on the severity or nature of each client’s problem. The father of this school of thought was the infamous Sigmund Freud, who about a century ago changed the entire perspective on how humanity used to view the structure of personality. Though largely controversial, yet ironically the words his critics use to highlights defects in him, are also given to the scientific world by Freud himself. By far, his greatest of contributions to the science of psychology is the concept of ‘unconscious’, and his attempt to interpret dreams. Before him, for centuries, understanding behavior was considered to be the job of physiologists and philosophers. It was after him, that truly the birth of an individual science of psychology came into existent, which had concepts, theories and hypotheses, which were specific to the specialization of this science alone. â€Å"Traditional psychoanalysis is quite complex and time consuming,† (Brown, 2000, p. 121). The

A World Affected by Pollution and Global Warming Essay Example for Free

A World Affected by Pollution and Global Warming Essay Roy M. Harrison.(2001) Pollution:Cause, Effects and Control. Royal society of chemistry. This author concentrates mainly chemical and radioactive pollution. The book speaks of the sources of pollutants and their effects on both living and non livings especially human. It also shows how chemical pollution can also cause of water, air and land pollution. Agarwal S.K. Water pollution. APH publishing(Jan.1 2005) The author bases the book on recent views, ideas and contribution of various leading ecologist information of water pollution. It show how to use waste water and its treatments. Irina Gray (2008). Pollution effects on humans, animals, plants and the environment. The writer shows the various types and causes of pollution and its effects on the environment. It shows the effect on human ranging mild discomfort to serious diseases. It also how the effect destroy animal life and the atmosphere. Credit: www.Tropical-Rainforest-Animals.com Margaret A. Wheatley(1996). Social and cultural impact of mercury pollution on Aboriginal people in Canada. Neurotox 17(1), 251-256 The writer explores the link between mercury pollution and social cultural disruption in Canadian aboriginal communities. It shows the difficulties in communication that contribute to the social and cultural impacts and their health effects.Credit: V. Ramanathan and G. Carmichael(2008). Global and regional climate changes due to black carbon.Nature Geoscience 221-221. The writers express how black carbon becomes air pollution and how it affects both the climate and the environment. This book said that the pollution affect different regions and the black carbon in soot is the dominant absorber of visible solar radiation in the atmosphere. Credit: www.nature.com/ngeo/journal/v1/n4/full/ngeo/56.html S.Fred Singer.(1968) Global Effects of environmental pollution. Science 13 vol. 162 no 3859. The author talks the pollution effects on humans, animals, plants and the environment. It expresses the cause of pollution and how it causes the extinction of animals and plants species which is a grave loss for mankind. It shows how the advancement in technology aids the improvement of a well being of mankind but also its consequences. Credit: books.google.com/books Clive Glifford (2006). Planet under pressure:pollution. Rain-tree ISBN-13: 9781844439 744. The book examines how pollution has become a global issue and looks at the debate over possible solution. It shows how pollution whether air, water, radioactive or terrestrial affect the lives of a lot of people causing disease and contributing to the global warming. Credit: www.booksdirect.com.au/books/?isbn=9781844439744 Green StudentU. Pollution. This is a encyclopedia entry which speaks of how toxic chemicals from factories pollute the land, air and water. It explains what pollution is and why there are different types . Of the types, It takes of their sources and how to prevent them. It gives link to environment protection agency website if to be involved in prevention of pollution. It also gives the statistics of the people affected by pollution and other. Credit: www.greenstudentu.com/encyclopedia/pollution

Hamlet: Emotions of Despair, Sadness, Anger, and Inner Peace :: Shakespeare Hamlet Essays

Hamlet: Emotions of Despair, Sadness, Anger, and Inner Peace The character of Prince Hamlet, in Shakespeare's "Hamlet," displays many strong yet justified emotions. For instance, in Hamlet's "To be Or Not To Be" soliloquy, perhaps one of the most well known quotes in the English language, Hamlet actually debates suicide. His despair, sorrow, anger and inner peace are all justifiable emotions for this troubled character. Hamlet's feeling of despair towards his life and to the world develops as the play moves on. In Hamlet's first soliloquy he reveals that his despair has driven him to thoughts of suicide; "How weary (horrible) †¦ His law 'gainst self slaughter." Likewise, when Hamlet talks to his friends, Rosenerantz and Guildenstern in Act 2 scene 2, Hamlet wishes they tell the King and Queen that he has "lost all mirth," in this world so "foul and pestilent." In his "To be or not to be" soliloquy, he expresses his despair through thoughts of suicide, suggesting that suicide is an easy way to end life's conflicts. But luckily he concludes that the fear of an unknown afterlife is what keeps us living. All of Hamlet's thoughts of despair can be understood when one looks at the horrible conflicts Hamlet goes through. Sorrow, perhaps the most evident emotion, is very well developed throughout the play. Initially, the only cause of Hamlet's sorrow is his father's death. However, after reading Act 1, scene 2, we see in Hamlet's asides that another source of his melancholy is his mother's hasty marriage to Claudius, the new king of Denmark. Further, when Queen Gertrude asks her son why his father's death "seems" so important, he replies, "Seems, madam? Nay it is. I know not 'seems'." In addition, Shakespeare reveals another source of sadness; now Hamlet is alone, with the most loved character in his life, Ophelia, rejecting him. This cause is well brought out in Hamlet's soliloquy in which he states; "Now I am alone. O, what a rouge and peasant slave am I!" Finally, when Hamlet discovers that Ophelia has died, new reasons for Hamlet's extreme feelings of sorrow are added. In fact, his sorrow is so great that "Forty thousand brothers/Could not (with all their quantity of love) Make up my sum." Thus, Hamlet's well developed sadness, is reasonable throughout the play. Unfortunately, Hamlet's thoughts of mourning are replaced by those of anger. Most readers of Hamlet agree, to some extent or another, that Hamlet is well justified in expressing anger. Perhaps the first incident of Hamlet's true expression of anger is during his scene with the ghost in Act

Benthams version of Utilitarianism Essay

Utilitarianism is the ethical theory that shows the reasons for a person choosing to carry out an action – it justifies an action being for the greater good. Utilitarianism is a teleological theory which means it looks at the consequences or result of an action – to decide whether it is subsequently right or wrong this also makes it a consequentialist theory. The theory of Utilitarianism began with Jeremy Bentham. Bentham’s theory of Utilitarianism is where actions are judged based upon the pleasure gained in the result. Jeremy Bentham was the man who originally thought of and came up with the idea of Utilitarianism, he believed in ‘the greatest good for the greatest number’. There are two types of Utilitarianism; Bentham’s theory is Act Utilitarianism. Act Utilitarianism is about creating the greatest amount of pleasure in a particular situation through a particular action. Bentham believed and used research to conclude that people would naturally seek pleasure and avoid pain. ‘Nature had placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure. It is for them alone to point out what we ought to do as well as to determine what we shall do.’ (Bentham) Bentham truly believed that pleasure was the purest form of good and pain the sole evil; he saw this as moral fact. This is why Bentham is also known as a hedonist. The hedonists were a group of Greek people who sought to find true pleasure; ‘hedone’ means pleasure in Greek, this group included people such as Plato and Aristotle – who agreed that good was found in the greatest happiness. The principle of utility was a way to find out how good or bad an action was, based on its utility (usefulness). An action that creates the most pleasure and the least pain is a useful one and therefore it is good – pain v pleasure. For Bentham good, is the maximum amount of pleasure with the minimum amount of pain afflicted and bad, is pain with little pleasure received. Bentham believed that in any situation a person should think of a solution that will lead to the maximum happiness for the maximum of people. For example, if a man with the cure for cancer and a young child were in a car crash, you would assume to save the life of the child as they are considered to be innocent, however with Bentham’s theory you should do the maximum amount of good for the maximum amount of people, which means you should save the man. By saving the one man you then save thousands, the action of letting the child die is out weighed by the amount of people you have saved if using Bentham’s theory. However Bentham knew that it would be hard to predict the outcome of every situation and know which route to take and so in order to help, he came up with the ‘hedonic calculus’ which you can use to work out which option will produce the greatest amount of pleasure. There are seven factors which you must take into account when choosing what to do in a certain situation; the intensity of the pleasure, the duration of the pleasure, how certain pleasure will be the result, how near the pleasure is to you, how continuous is the pleasure, is there likely to be pain mixed with the pleasure and how widespread will the pleasure be. When faced in a dilemma, Bentham believed that you could chose the ‘good’ option – the option which would do the most amount of good and the least amount of pain. For example, if you are in a plane crash and you could only save one person; your wife, your child or a doctor who has the ability to save many. Bentham believes in this situation you must use ‘the hedonic calculus’ to form a solution to your problem. The doctor could make thousands of lives better and create much more pleasure than if you save the wife or child, however this tough decision would leave you without pleasure. Following Bentham’s utilitarianism you must save the doctor. When a decision has to be made over a moral situation, the hedonic calculus is used. In using the hedonic calculus the individuals involved should be considered by applying the seven factors to them in relation to the options for the choice of action you have. ‘Utilitarianism has no serious weakness’ Discuss It is true that Utilitarianism does have many strengths however it does have weaknesses too. Bentham, Mill, Hare and Singer’s theories each have their own faults. Utilitarianism is very straight forward and easy to understand. It is very natural for a person to consider the outcome and how much pleasure they will gain before going through with an action. It is a principle that aims to bring people happiness this is very appealing for many in societies. Many of the ideas and theories can be related to specific actions and situations and therefore can be helped out in the process of considering what to do in certain places, for example; giving to charity gives happiness to the poor and is good whereas acting cruelly towards someone is bad. The use of Utilitarianism can be carried out universally. Utilitarianism is not dependant on any religion, culture, race or society as it is about a person or groups happiness. This use of utilitarianism is great because it makes people picture and understand other people’s point of view for example; if you were to hit someone then instead of carrying out the action, you would think about the outcome – picture yourself in the other person’s shoes – understand that pain which you would cause and subsequently stop yourself from hurting them. You have to think of other people’s pleasure and pain rather than just your own. This is mainly used in preference utilitarianism as Hare put it ‘standing in someone else’s shoes’. The fact that Utilitarianism is a consequentialist theory is both good and bad. It is natural for us to weigh up the consequences of an action before carrying it out however it is never going to be easy to always predict the outcome of an action completely right for example; if you go out to steal to help your family survive but then get caught and arrested then you can no longer carry out the ‘good’ action of helping your family. Utilitarianism may also be argued against because it ignores or seems to ignore the importance of following duties – the act itself may be right or wrong for a reason other than the amount of happiness it produces, for example an old friend is on his death bed and asks you to swear that you will give à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½30,000 (all of his money when he dies) to his favourite park he used to visit but on the way to handing over the money you see an advert that says it needs à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½30,000 to save 10,000 people. Out of duty you must give the money to the park however if you are following Utilitarianism your belief is that the money must going into creating the most good/ happiness which would be saving those 10,000 people. W.D Ross believed it was important for you to follow and carry out your duty. Bentham’s Act utilitarianism although was flexible and relied on the consequences it had no defence for minorities for example; one slave being treated badly but creating happiness for a whole family would be thought of as right. Also it is very impractical having to calculate using the ‘hedonic calculus’ every decision we make. There is also a difficulty defining what pleasure is for example; a paedophile’s pleasure is very different to another person’s. Mill’s Rule utilitarianism is very practical and sets about certain rules for society that must be maintained which can help societies to operate. However there are weaknesses to rule utilitarianism too again there is no defence for minorities or any help at what defines happiness but also this time if you are following rules you could end up obeying them even when more happiness can be created by disobeying them.