Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Year of Living Biblically Part I

1. The author embarks on this journey to discover his spirituality and see if by doing exactly what the Bible says, he can connect with religion. I think he expects some kind of epiphany at the end, but he also keeps himself very distant from the process, seeing himself as an observer instead of being involved in the religion. The questions he is trying to answer evolve as he learns more about the Bible and each rule poses new questions for him to try to answer. For example, when he gets his clothes inspected, he asks why there are rules that do not make any sense, yet people still follow them.
2. In the introduction he says that he assembles a team of spiritual guides of rabbis, ministers, and priests. The two that he first talks to are Reverend Richards, and Rabbi Andy Bachman because he was not sure that his plan would work, and they helped to assure him that he could do this. He meets with a few other people, like the Amish man who runs the inn that he stays at, and the man who checks his clothes for mixed fibers. He enlists their help because he needs advice about what is important from people who have been following the Bible for most of their lives.

Friday, October 9, 2009

Language Assignment

1. Summarize the foundations of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis about language.
-The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis states that language determines the way we think and the distinctions of one language are not found in any other language. He argues that language is the only way for humans to organize concepts in their heads, so language determines the way we think. For example, if a language only has one word for things that fly, they can only think about objects that fly using that word compared to another language that uses ten words to describe objects that fly. This is also an example of linguistic relativity, or that the distinctions found in one language do not exist in any other language. For example, Eskimo has many different words for snow, while another language may only have one. The distinctions between different types in snow that are found in Eskimo would not be found in any other language.
2. Summarize 4 to 5 major ideas about Chomsky's "Universal Generative Grammar."
- The main argument of the "Universal Generative Grammar" theory is that there is a universal grammar that all humans are born with and that any language can fit into this template.
- Chomsky argues that this system of grammar is innate because there is no way that children can learn languages very easily. This also proves that the grammar system works for any language because an American child can learn chinese if he or she is raised around people who speak chinese.
- Chomsky also argues that a generative grammar is innate because there is no way that children could learn all the complexities of grammar in a language without learning them. He argues that most people cannot even understand the grammatical rules for these complexities, but children pick them up without anyone having to teach them.
-He also argues that although there are millions of different combinations of sentences, we do not need to run through a bunch of sentences to figure out the solution to an issue with grammar, we just know.
3. Describe what Einstein states about the necessity of language. Do you agree or disagree? Explain.
Einstein claims that images are required for thought and not words. He says that the physical elements of thought are images and signs, not words. I agree that humans generally think in terms of images and symbols, but to have complex thoughts they need words to elaborate on the images in their heads.
4. Summarize what Piaget states about the role of language. How similar or different is it from Einstein's view?
Piaget says that humans use symbols for thought before language develops and that the brain uses a symbolic system that can analyze symbols or images and words. He also says that language is required to exchange thought with other people, but it is not necessary for thought. His views are very similar to Einstein's, the only difference is that Einstein says that words play no role in thought, while Piaget views them as symbols as well that develop in the brain as a person grows older.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

TOK Essay Outline

Introduction:
Thesis- Sense perception plays the largest role in knowledge of various topics than other ways of knowing.
-Go over all the different ways of knowing and areas of knowing.

Point 1:
For all of the other ways of knowing to exist, sense perception must exist.
-examples of emotion, reason, and language and how the correspond with sense perception.

Point 2:
Although a few areas of knowing rely on sense perception less than others, it is still the way of knowing they use the most.
mathematics, & spirituality

Point 3:
The only knowledge that can be independent of sense perception is metaphysical and synthetic knowledge.
metaphysical usually imvolves emotion although it can use sense perception.
Synthetic does not always require sense perception.

Conclusion:
-restate thesis
-go over & summarize points
-importance of sense perception in knowledge.