Why God Cannot Exist Using Descartes Arguements Essays -

Why God Cannot Exist Using Descartes' Arguements Philosophy 300 Sam Black God Cannot Exist Using Descartes' Argument Steve Cara JIBC/SFU Cohort #1 May 25th, 2000 Descartes sets about proving the existence of God through his meditations on knowledge in an effort to prove the skeptics of his time wrong. He first determines that human knowledge is based entirely too much on unproved presuppositions. He argues that this makes it difficult to distinguish between truth and error, since we cannot recognize true knowledge. Descartes proposes that the quest for knowledge must be based upon universal doubt. Specifically, he proposes the following in relation to his universal methodic doubt: 1. In order to seek truth, it is necessary once in the course of our life, to doubt, as far as possible, of all things. 2. We ought also to consider as false all that is doubtful. 3. We ought not meanwhile to make use of doubt in the conduct of life? 4. Why we may doubt of sensible things. 5. Why we may also doubt of mathematical demonstrations. 6. We cannot doubt of our existence while we doubt, and this is the first knowledge we acquire when we philosophize in order. Descartes proceeded to strip away his knowledge base in order to determine the one indubitable fact, Cogito, ergo sum. From this absolute knowledge of his own existence, he set about deducing the existence of God through ontological argument. ? In our minds, the idea of God is one of an infinitely perfect Being ? An infinitely perfect being must have existence, otherwise it would not be infinitely perfect. ? Therefore, God exists. In proving the existence of God, Descartes set the groundwork for determining that God created man. He further postulated that God, being infinitely perfect and not a deceiver, could not have provided man with the deceptive powers of knowledge. Therefore, man's mental faculties are determined to be trustworthy provided we separate what there is of clear and distinct in the knowledge from what is obscure and confused. Using this reasoning, man must discard all previous knowledge which is doubt-ridden, all sensory-based knowledge (as perceptions can be misleading), and all intellection. As a result, skepticism is removed and valid knowledge possible. Descartes primary purpose was the defense of human knowledge against the attacks of the skeptics. He was justified in excluding preconceived notions, presuppositions, and traditions in determining the limits of knowledge. Descartes discarded the ability of the mind to know truth and the human abilities of contradiction and sufficient reason. In doing so, he made a solution to the problem impossible. As it relates to his theory of the existence of God, Descartes universal doubt refutes his own conclusion as to God's existence. Descartes formed an idea of God as an infinitely good being. He would have had to discover this idea within his own mind. According to his principle of universal doubt, he cannot simply know whether his conception of God is correct or incorrect. He would have, as a matter of his own principle, considered it as false until proven otherwise. Therefore, since the idea of God is in doubt, the trustworthiness of man's reasoning must also be doubtful and Descartes cannot escape his own real doubt. Descartes uses a process of reasoning, a mathematical formulae, in attempting to demonstrate God's existence. If his reasoning is of demonstrably doubtful validity, how can Descartes demonstrate God's existence? The validity of Descartes reasoning is supposed to flow as a consequence of the infinite perfection of God; and God's infinite perfect is made certain through Descartes' reasoning powers before he has even proven that these reasoning powers are valid and trustworthy. Descartes assumes the very thing beforehand which he intends to prove afterwards. (Begging the question). Descartes accepts the trustworthiness of his faculties in demonstrating the existence and infinite perfection of God, and that is illegitimate. A doubtfully valid faculty will produce a doubtfully valid argument which will, in turn, produce a doubtfully valid conclusion. The entire argument for God's existence is therefore nullified by a suspect reasoning process. Since he proves the reliability of his reason and process by means of God's veracity, the proof of his reliability cannot be established beyond doubt. Thus, Descartes attempt to vindicate the validity of human knowledge failed, because, by rejecting the reliability of his own powers

What Is Mental Health Essays

What Is Mental Health Essays What Is Mental Health Paper What Is Mental Health Paper Mental health is a state of well-being in which a person understands his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully and is able to make a contribution to his or her community. Both physical and mental health are the result of a complex interplay between many individual and environmental factors, including: * family history of illness and disease/genetics * lifestyle and health behaviours (e. g. , smoking, exercise, substance use) * levels of personal and workplace stress * exposure to toxins  * exposure to trauma * personal life circumstances and history * access to supports (e. g. , timely healthcare, social supports) * coping skills When the demands placed on someone exceed their resources and coping abilities, their mental health will be negatively affected. Two examples of common demands are: i) working long hours under difficult circumstances, and ii) caring for a chronically ill relative. Economic hardship, unemployment, underemployment and poverty also have the potential to harm mental health. What is mental illness? Mental illness is a recognized, medically diagnosable illness that results in the significant impairment of an individuals cognitive, affective or relational abilities. Mental disorders result from biological, developmental and/or psychosocial factors and can be managed using approaches comparable to those applied to physical disease (i. e. , prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation). What is psychological safety and health? The Canadian Oxford Dictionary defines psychological as of, relating to, affecting, or arising in the mind. The concept of psychological safety involves preventing injury to the mental well-being of workers. A psychologically safe and healthy workplace is one that promotes workers mental well-being and does not harm employee mental health through negligent, reckless or intentional ways. For example, a psychologically safe workplace would be free of excessive fear or chronic anxiety. What is the difference between a mentally healthy workplace and a psychologically healthy workplace? Nothing psychologically healthy workplaces and mentally healthy workplaces both describe the same high-functioning, respectful and productive workplace. The term psychologically healthy workplace is often used when talking about preventing psychological injuries (e. g. stress-related emotional conditions resulting from real or imagined threats or injuries). The term mentally healthy workplace is often used within the context of mental health promotion and is viewed as a strategy used to reduce risk factors for developing mental illness. How do psychosocial risk factors in the workplace affect employee health? Workplaces have traditionally looked at workplace health from a strictly occupational health and safety perspective. To have a complete or comprehensive approach, workplaces should also consider measures that may impact the mental health of worker. There is strong evidence that certain features of the workplace can affect employees mental and physical health. These factors include demoralization, depressed mood, anxiety, burnout, etc. These factors increase the likelihood that an individual will experience increased stress, which in turn increases the likelihood of developing or worsening a mental disorder. Psychological health problems can range widely, from mild psychological difficulties such as low mood, sleep difficulties, or excessive worry to severe psychological disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or severe depression. Because milder psychological health problems are far more common in the workplace, they account for a larger percentage of the negative impacts on employees and employers. Mental distress that has not reached the level of a diagnosable mental disorder can still be a source of considerable suffering. It is possible that workplace factors may increase the likelihood of the occurrence of a mental disorder, make an existing disorder worse, and impede effective treatment and rehabilitation. On the other hand, a supportive work environment can reduce the onset, severity, impact and duration of a mental health disorder. See the OSH Answers Mental Health Psychosocial Risk Factors in the Workplace for more information.

Classroom Door Decorations - Ideas for All Seasons

Classroom Door Decorations - Ideas for All Seasons Your classroom door is the first thing people see when they walk past your classroom. To make sure your door stands out, take the time to create a unique display that represents your students or your teaching style. Create your classroom door decoration display by yourself, or enlist your students to help. By adding a little color and imagination to your classroom, you will have your students beaming with excitement. Fall Sweet Back to School Display A fun and tasty way to welcome your students back to school is to create a door display titled Off to a SWEET Start. Create giant cupcakes and write each students name on each one using sprinkles and glue. For the background, buy pink wrapping paper or use a colorful plastic table cloth. Mount a few colorful, edible lollipops for the students to eat later, and you have yourself a sweet back to school door display. Winter Happy Holidays To create a fantastic winter door display, have each student trace and cut out a medium sized green star. Then have each student place a photograph of themselves on the center of the star. Next, have students decorate stars with craft supplies such as sequins, glitter, markers, pom-poms, rhinestones, ribbon, etc. Once stars are completed, display them in the shape of a Christmas tree with your star in the center. Use red wrapping paper for the background, and brown paper for the stem of the tree. For an added touch, place Christmas lights around and/or throughout the tree. Spring Look at our Garden Grow After a long winter, spring into the season with a cute door decoration that will have the students and faculty beaming when they walk by. Have each student create a flower out of colored construction paper. On each pedal have them write something they have learned so far throughout the school year. Then place their photo in the middle of the flower and on the stem write their name in glitter. To create the backdrop use blue paper to represent the sky, yellow paper to represent the sun and green paper to use as the grass. Mount the flowers all around the grass in various sizes and title it Look at our Garden Grow. Summer End-of-the-Year Display A fun and unique way to end the school year and lead into summer vacation is to enlist the help of your students to create a picnic display. To begin have each student decorate a paper plate with a photo of their self and a favorite memory they have from the school year. Mount the paper plates on a checkered table cloth background and title it _____ Grade Was †¦ A Picnic! For a fun (and gross) touch have students create little ants to place around the classroom door. Additional Ideas Here are a few other ideas I have seen in the classroom, around the internet or made up on my own: Cruising into a New School Year - Create a sea blue backdrop and mount boating and sea items.We are a Class to Tweet About - Mount birds or write Twitter phrases about your students.You Make our School Pop - Create a HUGE popcorn bag and write students names on the kernel.Welcome to the Best Place to Bee - Create a bee hive and place students names on each bee.Mrs._____ Class is Souring to New Heights - Create a HUGE hot air balloon and place students names on each balloon.Hopping into ______ Grade. - Create paper frogs and place each students name on one. Looking for more ideas? Here a few creative bulletin board ideas to try in your classroom.

Starbucks Corporation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Starbucks Corporation - Essay Example Schultz’s II Giomale bought Starbucks and transformed it to what it is today, â€Å"the premier roaster, marketer and retailer of specialty coffee in the world, operating in more than 50countries† (Starbucks Corporation 2). In 1998, Starbucks acquired Tazo, a tea company based in Portland, Ore. and in 2003, it acquired Seattle Coffee Company, which includes Seattle’s Best Coffee and Torrefazione Italia coffee brands (Starbucks Coffee Company 2). Starbucks Corporation is based in Seattle, Washington, USA. In the US, Starbucks operates 4,084 licensed stores and 6,705 company-operated stores; and in Canada, the U.K., China, Germany, Thailand and in other countries 3,890 licensed stores and 2,326 company-operated (Finance.yahoo.com 1). Starbucks’ mission is â€Å"to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time† (Starbucks Corporation 1). Organizational Structure On top of the organizational chart of St arbucks is its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Howard Schultz. The units directly under the CEO are Marketing, Finance and Administration, Legal and Compliance, Supply Chain Operations, Partner Resources (HR), Public Affairs, Americas, Global Development, Channel Development, Seattle, China and Asia Pacific, EMEA (Europe/Middle East/Africa), Competitive Intelligence and Strategy (The Official Board.com 1). Under the Americas are the licensed stores and the regions of Northeast/Atlantic and Western/Pacific. Global Development includes Development and Greater China, International Development and Support and US Development (The Official Board.com 1). Starbucks has three reportable operating segments which includes the US, International and Global Consumer Products Group (CPG). Another operating segment is the Seattle’s Best Coffee. Products Offered The products offered by Starbucks include more than 30 blends and single-origin premium Arabica coffees, handcrafted beverages compos ed of freshly-brewed coffee, hot and iced espresso beverages, Frappuccino coffee and noncoffee blended beverages, smoothies and Tazo teas (Starbucks Corporation 2). Aside from beverages, Starbucks also offers fresh food which includes baked pastries, sandwiches, salads, oatmeal, yogurt parfaits and fruit cups. Their stores sells merchandise such as coffee and tea brewing equipment, mugs and accessories, packaged goods, music, books and other gift items (Starbucks Corporation 2). Other countries such as Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Norway, UK and U.S. offer consumer products such as coffee and tea, both whole bean and ground (Starbucks and Seattle’s Best Coffee brands), Starbucks VIA ® ReadyBrew, Starbucks ® K?Cups ® portion packs, Tazo ® tea filterbags and tea latte concentrates (Starbucks Corporation 2). Ready-to-Drink (RTD) Starbucks ® bottled Frappuccino ® coffee drinks, Starbucks Discoveries ® chilled cup coffees, Starbucks Doubleshot ® espresso drinks, Starbucks Doubleshot ® Energy+Coffee drinks and Seattle’s BestCoffee ® Iced Lattes, Tazo ® bottled iced and juiced teas are sold at Starbucks’ stores (Starbucks Corporation 2). Some outlets also sell Starbucks ® Ice Cream: Super?premium coffee and coffee?free flavors. The product mix of a Starbucks store varies depending on the location and the size of the store

Na Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Na - Essay Example The main characters are described in the House behind a Weeping Cheery as people who come to America for freedom only to realise that it was a living hell in the cells. They find themselves slaves, predators and blood suckers. However, in the book, A Good Fall: their personal life is explained as being uneconomical. It argued that it is their own way of doing things in the prisons. The two books differ on personality of individuals as some choose freedom while others find themselves entangled in the freedom arena. The characteristics of the third eye in the book, the crossfire are evident. One of them is that the third eye is observant. He is able to observe that people still stick to their old ways of life. He quotes, â€Å"still thinking of your boyfriend or girlfriend ten years after breakup†. This statement shows a lot of observation and keenness is part of the third eye. He is also courageous as he shuns away the immoral things in the society. He is able to counteract a bullying boss at work and warning about procrastination of activities. This is simply to tell how the third eye is determined to bring things in order. The third eye is also a freedom fighter. He broadly fights the immoral things that take place in the society. The oppression from the governments, bosses and general administrators. The third eye is in frontline to explain the things that take place in the prisons where prisoners are

Issues Analysis- Indigenous People Essay Example for Free

Issues Analysis- Indigenous People Essay As the British arrived on the land of the aboriginal people they hoped to absorb the aboriginal people into their culture to work in the new colony. The aboriginal people tried to avoid the settlers but as the land became more occupied contact became unavoidable. Governor Phillip wanted to avoid any unnecessary conflict so he treated the aboriginal people with kindness and ordered his soldiers not to shoot any of them. He captured many aboriginals and one of them was Bennelong. He wanted them to learn English and act as translators between the Indigenous groups and the British. There were clashes over the land and culture of Aboriginals and the British. Phillip ignorantly ordered his soldiers to fire at the Aboriginal people as he has already tried to civilise them and assimilate them into the British culture and society was not working as he had hoped. The Aboriginal peoples saw that the British settlers were putting up fences clearing the land, restricting access and introducing different animals; so they started to think that the British were invading, this lead to retaliation from the Aboriginals. By 1797, attitudes and policy toward the Indigenous peoples had changed. No longer did the government decide to assimilate the Indigenous peoples, but rather have a new policy and that was to ‘keep them out’. In 1800 Governor King had reported to the British government the number of Aboriginal people killed in fighting was far greater than the number of British people killed. The common response from the government to the Aboriginal resistance was to send expeditions of solders to punish any groups that threatened settlers and farms. These soldiers hunted and killed groups of Indigenous people that were thought to have been stealing stock, food and generally harassing the settlers. Government instructions after 1800 were to fire at all indigenous peoples until they were far away from British settlements. As the British settlement gotten bigger, the Indigenous peoples lost more and more of their land and many of their family members. They became more reliant on the British settlers to provide them food, shelter and water. As their traditional life was slowly eroding, many Aboriginal people started living on the outskirts of towns or started working as servants or slaves for the British settlements. The inability for the Aboriginal people to succeed in this era it caused a change in the European view of the time, that Indigenous peoples were inferior, and were unable to look after themselves or the land. However not all contact was violent with the British settlers and the Aboriginal people. At times there was friendly contact and peace. Some Aboriginal peoples voluntarily became part of the British society. There is also plenty of evidence that groups of Indigenous peoples helped Europeans when they were in trouble and this was quite often, as life for British settlers was extremely hard in the early years of the colony. British colonisation of Australian started in Sydney in 1788. The rapidly occurring consequences within weeks of the first colonists arrival was a wave of European epidemic diseases such as smallpox, chickenpox, influenza and measles. These diseases affected the largest population densities where these diseases could spread easier. The next consequence of British settlement was water resources and the management of land. The settlers viewed Indigenous Australians as Nomads with no civilised concept of land ownership, who could be charged from the land wanted for farming. The aboriginals would easily migrate elsewhere. The impact on the aboriginals was fatal as there was loss of traditional lands, water resources and food sources, as the communities were affected by European diseases. The spiritual and cultural cohesion and well-being was affected because of the communities being forced away from the traditional areas. The settlers brought sexually transmitted diseases, and indigenous Australians had no tolerance and therefore greatly reduced fertility and birth-rates. Settlers were responsible for introducing the alcohol, opium and tobacco, and substance abuse has remained a huge problem for Indigenous communities. The result of disease, loss of land and violence reduced the Aboriginal population by an estimated 90% between 1788 and1900. Smallpox alone killed more than 50% of the Aboriginal population. Up to 3000 white people were killed by Indigenous Australians in the frontier violence. Most Indigenous people became a significant source of labour. Most of the work was unpaid, instead they survived on the rations that the workers received such as forms of food, clothing ad other basic necessities. In many areas of Australia Christian missions donated food and clothing for the indigenous people and opened schools and orphanages for Indigenous children. In some places of Australia colonial governments provided some resources. In 1914 around 1200 Aboriginal people answered the call to arms as the war was desperate for new recruits. Many Indigenous people claimed they were Indian or cook islanders to avoid the laws of no indigenous people being in the defence force. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/History_of_Indigenous_Australians#The_impact_of_British_settlement There are many health promoting strategies today such as ‘Two Ways Together: NSW Aboriginal Affairs Plan 2003-2012’, ‘COAG Agreement, they set six gaps for closing the disadvantage gap between the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people’, CEO performance agreements. Resetting the relationship with Indigenous Australians is important and this partnership must be respectful. It takes both parties to make a difference. Recent research by Reconciliation Australia indicates that Australians have a strong desire to better understand the Indigenous peoples. Acknowledging Indigenous disadvantage is a national responsibility that will require the engagement of the Australian Community. The government has committed to working in partnership with Indigenous Australians, businesses, state and territory governments and community organisations. http://www. skwirk. com. au/p-c_s-56_u-415_t-1040_c-4006/british-aboriginal-relations-1788-1820/qld/sose-history/first-australians-and-the-european-arrivals/settlement-1788-1850.

Kubla Khan by Samuel Taylor Coleridge Essay -- Kubla Khan Samuel Taylo

â€Å"Kubla Khan† by Samuel Taylor Coleridge â€Å"Kubla Khan† by Samuel Taylor Coleridge is a poem about the creative powers of the poetic mind. Through the use of vivid imagery Coleridge reproduces a paradise-like vision of the landscape and kingdom created by Kubla Khan. The poem changes to the 1st person narrative and the speaker then attempts to recreate a vision he saw. Through the description of the visions of Kubla Khan’s palace and the speaker’s visions the poem tells of the creation of an enchanting beautiful world as the result of power of human imagination. The second part of the poem reveals that although the mind has the ability to create this paradise-like world it is tragically unable to sustain this world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is believed that â€Å"Kubla Khan† was created by Coleridge when he was in a deep sleep that was induced by the use of opiates which were prescribed for dysentery. He fell asleep while reading Purcha’s Pilgrimage about building of Kubla Khan’s palace and garden. When he woke up from experiencing the dream in which he created the poem he began writing it down. He was part way through writing the poem and was interrupted by a person from the nearby town of Porlock. After this interruption he was unable to complete the poem because his access to the dream was lost. The unfinished work was not published for three decades. Much mystery has enshrouded â€Å"Kubla Khan† and it’s meaning due to the circumstances of it’s creation. The poem itself is as mystical and interesting as the story behind its creation. The poem begins with a mythical tone, â€Å"In Xanadu did Kubla Khan/ A stately pleasure dome decree.† The poem does not give specifics to nature of the construction of the palace. It just states that Khan decreed the palace be built and then begins describing the palace. The poem’s method of creating a vision of the â€Å"pleasure dome† is similar to the biblical tale of the creation of the garden of Eden. As Eden was created by the word of God, the â€Å"pleasure dome† created was by the power of Kubla Khan’s â€Å"decree†. The use of the word â€Å"decree† implies that it was Khan’s will that created the pleasure dome. The wonderful kingdom of the ancient Kubla Khan and the setting that surrounds it is described with heavenly, dreamlike vividness. The kingdom that Kubla Khan creates is described as â€Å"stately pleasure dome.† The word â€Å"dome† is symbolic of completion... ...lost and is a mythical heaven. This woman is described as Abyssinian. Abyssinian literally refers to the inhabitants of a place in Northern Africa, but use of word â€Å"Abyssinian† also implies the word â€Å"abyss†. The speaker must revive the heavenly song, sung by the maid, inside himself to â€Å"build that dome in the air.† Just as the sacred river from the abyss makes possible of the creation of Kubla, the heavenly song of the Abyssinian makes possible the creation of the speaker’s â€Å"pleasure dome†. The speaker then speculates on reaction of people over his creation. He states that â€Å"all should cry, Beware, Beware!/ His flashing eyes his floating hair/Weave a Circle round him thrice/ And close your eyes with holy dread,†. The reaction of awe and terror that people have to the speaker’s heavenly vision demonstrates the power that the speaker feels is contained in that vision. â€Å"Kubla Khan† by Samuel Taylor Coleridge reveals the awesome power of the imaginative poetic mind. This poetic mind has the ability to create kingdoms, paradise, immortality, and the sacred. This poem reveals the terrifying magnificence of the visions of imagination and the impact of these visions amongst humanity.