On Science & Uncertainty

The article says that 'science is founded on uncertainty', this was an easy concept to understand as scientists always make hypotheses about various things, whether they are right or wrong, they still have to make assumptions until they are proven wrong. The thing that helped extend my knowledge was when it said that there is no single field in medicine or in biology that is 100% certain. It also said that the more we learn about different creatures, the stranger life becomes. This made me think and I realised that  it is somewhat true as when more and more things come up it becomes difficult to comprehend everything as we have to question everything that we already know. " Soon there will be earnest proposals that science should be slowed down by law to regulate the enterprise more tightly," This particular statement in the article fascinated as well as confused me as it led me to think why would you possibly slow down science? It also said that there are things that human beings are better off not knowing, but to me, that is no reason to stop researching and discovering new things.  

Indigenous Beliefs

Maasai Jumping: 

When we think about Maasai people, we usually think about how they jump so high. 
The jumping dance is known as 'adamu', this is done by forming a circle and one or two warriors will go into the centre to begin jumping, they maintain a narrow posture and never let their heels touch the ground when jumping. The rest of the people sing and raise the pitch of their voice according to the height of the jump. 
This is actually a courting ritual, the man who jumps the highest is usually the one who gets to marry the girl. It is also a symbol of strength and manhood. It also shows their strength and stamina as tribal warriors. 

Is History a Science?

History is the study of past events, particularly in human affairs. Similarly to natural sciences and human sciences history tries to understand the causes of things and asks plenty of questions. Human sciences are trying to discover patterns in human society and human actions, this is quite similar to history as it is a search for patterns as well, some say that the point of learning history is so that we don't repeat past mistakes and instead learn from them. However, a major difference between the two is that 'science begins when objectification begins' this is not true for history as this objectification cannot be achieved. In my opinion, I feel that  there are quite a few similarities between history and human sciences, however, human sciences deals with facts and investigations  while history relies on unanswered questions and missing information. Therefore, I feel that history is not a science as human sciences are mainly concerned with discovering something whereas history is concerned with uncovering something. 

Moral Dilemma

A lot of cosmetic companies are known for testing their products on animals, we can ask ourselves is this ethical? Animal testing includes poisoning, burning and other forms of torture inflicted upon these animals in order to test products as simple as blush or mascara.  Popular brands such as MAC cosmetics and L'Oreal have been known for animal testing. 

Others argue that it is necessary to test on animals as it is a precaution to ensure that humans will not be affected negatively by such items. In the 1930s more than a dozen women went blind because of 'Lash Lure', a mascara that was made with a chemical that could burn skin . therefore people feel it is essential to test the products on animals first to ensure that these situations do not occur again. 

My stance on this matter is that animal testing is wrong and should be illegal, animals do have rights and I feel it is not ethical to test such products on them. I feel that there are alternative methods, cosmetic companies can test their products on artificial skin instead of animals.

 The ethical theory that I have followed here is the ethics of justice, I believe as humans we have a sense of duty to protect the environment and the creatures that live in it. 

Greg Craven's Logic

In Gerg Craven's argument, he looks at whether Global Climate Change is true or false and whether we should take action or not take action. He shows us the consequences of each option in form of a grid and examines each of these consequences. He argues that we should focus on whether we should take action or not rather than whether it is true or false as that is not in our hands. He concludes that when faced with uncertainties about our future, the only responsible choice is to take action even if it is false as it eliminates the risk of not acting. After hearing his argument, we can ask ourselves is his argument valid and assuming it is, is the conclusion true? I believe that the major premise of his argument is infact true as he has examined different possibilities and not just focused on one, he has taken a number of steps in order to reach his conclusion and his reasoning seems to be valid. Therefore, I feel that his conclusion is a valid one as he has examined different outcomes and from that deduced the most responsible choice that eliminates the risks associated with it. 

Is Seeing Believing?

Some of our knowledge is gained through sense perception, when we ask the question 'is seeing believing,' we have to look at the question of how reliable are our perceptions? People believe that what they have seen is what is true, however, this is not always true. As human beings, we tend to 'fill in the gaps', therefore we might think we have seen something but other factors may have influenced it which does not make it necessarily 'real', it might be true to you but in reality it is not. Sometimes when we are so desperate to see something, we will convince ourselves that that is in fact true. Our perceptions are not always 100% reliable as what we perceive is affected by our environment and who we are. 

Language

Reflection on Language

Language has many roles in our lives, we use it to express ourselves, interact, give information and much more. People have different connotations of words, one word might not mean the same thing to another person as it does to you. The type of language used can depend on your choice of words, these convey what you are trying to say and shows the emotions that are being expressed. Language doesn't always have to be verbal, it can be symbolic as well. Symbols refer to certain ideas and we associate them with certain things, some are very clear like when we see a picture of a man or a woman on a bathroom door we know where to go, but others can be more complex. Some people say that we are born without the capacity for language and instead learn it later through imitation and response whereas others think we already possess the ability. Overall, language is a tool for communicating and knowing.