1. What would Michael Pollan (Remember? The Omnivore's Dilemma) say about the first paragraph in Chapter 5?
Cows are the replacement for corn. The hormones in the milk are used to make a myriad of different things, just as corn is used to make almost everything.
2. Do you see any similarities with World State views death as compared to the Hindus? How does Lenina's remembrance of hypopedia compare with Plato's Republic?
Both Hindus and the World State practice cremation and the concept of a use after death. Hindus believe that they are reborn, while the World state uses the cremated people to grow plants.
3. What do you think of Lenina's and Henry night out on the town?
The night on the town seemed very out of character for Huxley to mention seeing as it is something that occurs in modern life and slightly out of topic in the dystopian sense.
4. Why do you think Huxley uses the word "pneumatic" to refer to some female characters?
Some of the characters are referred to as pneumatic because they appear unattractive.
5. What is Solitary Service and what are Bernard's feelings towards it?
The Solitary Service is a group of men and women who try to become "one". The allusions to church as incredibly heavy even with the strawberry soma being the wine. Bernard hates the group and can't seem to join.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Abel Chp. 13
1.) History is being constantly rewritten because our interests keep changing. At one time, we could focus on kings, and the next time on the peasants.
2.) A historian is influenced by changing interests, changing conceptual apparatus, changing historical segments, a personal equation or a change in audience.
3.) The "Baconian fallacy" is the statement that all history is nothing but facts. Carr would disagree completely arguing that history is more a record of certain perceptions of the historian.
4.) A historian infers meaning from his data, while a geologist does the opposite.
5.) I'd agree with the statement because it was left up to us to decide what was and wasn't important.
6.) Future historians will decide what happened in an event based on how they perceived an event to occur, just as historians have done in modern times.
7.) "The grand sweep of events which we call the historical process is made up of an indefinitely large number of components which do not form a completely inter-related set. A historical pluralism denies that every event is related to every other event."
8.) Columbus's discovery in America is something that has been argued over, along with the Russian winter of 1812, being a mild one.
9.) Neither physics nor history can have anything that can be considered "true". The object of both is to try to remove as many problems of perception.
10.)
a) We may begin with Ecclesiastes
b) A second group of philosophies of history may be called functional because of the way in which they isolate and stress certain factors.
c.) The idea of progress as a philosophy of history is relatively new
d.) History is a great drama of sin and redemption, according to the Christian view.
e.) Organismic theories consider society to be a kind of living thing.
11.) On a small scale, historical inevitability is quite real, seeing as humans are prone to violence, but on a large scale, such as war, too many variables are left unchecked to blame historical inevitability only.
12.) It is impossible to prove if any historian is telling the truth.
13.) There is a distinct difference between literature and history, but at one point in the 18th century, the line was heavily blurred as novelists called their books "histories". Lepore would agree that even with the line blurred, there is a way to separate the two.
14.) The Shaper told stories that would change based on where he was. He would alter the story to best fit his location. The footnote also deals with the same topic, showing how stories can change based on location.
2.) A historian is influenced by changing interests, changing conceptual apparatus, changing historical segments, a personal equation or a change in audience.
3.) The "Baconian fallacy" is the statement that all history is nothing but facts. Carr would disagree completely arguing that history is more a record of certain perceptions of the historian.
4.) A historian infers meaning from his data, while a geologist does the opposite.
5.) I'd agree with the statement because it was left up to us to decide what was and wasn't important.
6.) Future historians will decide what happened in an event based on how they perceived an event to occur, just as historians have done in modern times.
7.) "The grand sweep of events which we call the historical process is made up of an indefinitely large number of components which do not form a completely inter-related set. A historical pluralism denies that every event is related to every other event."
8.) Columbus's discovery in America is something that has been argued over, along with the Russian winter of 1812, being a mild one.
9.) Neither physics nor history can have anything that can be considered "true". The object of both is to try to remove as many problems of perception.
10.)
a) We may begin with Ecclesiastes
b) A second group of philosophies of history may be called functional because of the way in which they isolate and stress certain factors.
c.) The idea of progress as a philosophy of history is relatively new
d.) History is a great drama of sin and redemption, according to the Christian view.
e.) Organismic theories consider society to be a kind of living thing.
11.) On a small scale, historical inevitability is quite real, seeing as humans are prone to violence, but on a large scale, such as war, too many variables are left unchecked to blame historical inevitability only.
12.) It is impossible to prove if any historian is telling the truth.
13.) There is a distinct difference between literature and history, but at one point in the 18th century, the line was heavily blurred as novelists called their books "histories". Lepore would agree that even with the line blurred, there is a way to separate the two.
14.) The Shaper told stories that would change based on where he was. He would alter the story to best fit his location. The footnote also deals with the same topic, showing how stories can change based on location.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
On the Nature of Life
As I sat in my sickly bedridden state yesterday, I had ample time to consider the very nature as to why we are all here. Are we here by the divine creation by a more intelligent being or are we nothing more than an arrangement of amino acids and atomic structures. After much thought, and in truth, quite a bit of cough syrup, I have come to the conclusion that it is neither. We are nothing more than the fleeting day-dreams of a giant magic super beetle. This pale blue dot and everyone one it, all day-dreams. Everyone you know, love, ever will know, and everyone that has ever lived, all were nothing more than the firings of a beetle's neurons.
I sat for most of the day wondering what to do with this incredible revelation. Should I alert just the media, or extend it as far as the heads of the world's governments? While looking up the number to reach the local chapter for the Department of State, I had a sudden change of thought. Maybe, just maybe, the knowledge was in itself the reward...or maybe I've had too much Nyquil.
I sat for most of the day wondering what to do with this incredible revelation. Should I alert just the media, or extend it as far as the heads of the world's governments? While looking up the number to reach the local chapter for the Department of State, I had a sudden change of thought. Maybe, just maybe, the knowledge was in itself the reward...or maybe I've had too much Nyquil.
Giant Magic Super Beetle (Artist Rendition)
Monday, November 9, 2009
Brave New World 4
Part 1
1. What puzzles Lenina about Bernard Marx's behavior?
1. What puzzles Lenina about Bernard Marx's behavior?
He seems to feel that what they're talking about should be talked about in private. This goes against the belief that everyone belongs to everyone and no one really has secrets in World State. He's acting almost as if he and Lenina are becoming a monogamous couple.
2. Please provide examples of Lenina using what she learned from hypnopaedia.
She says things like, "I'm glad I'm not a Gamma." and "What a hideous color Khaki is". These are basically word for word what she learned from hypnopaedia which proves that hypnopaedia works for moral learning.
3. Where are Lenina and Henry going?
Lenina and Henry fly off in a plane on a date to play Obstacle Golf.
Part 2:
1. What makes Bernard Marx distressed? Why?
Part 2:
1. What makes Bernard Marx distressed? Why?
Bernard is distressed because he sees the Epsilons and they remind him of his physical deformities and they make him feel bad about himself and make him think that he should be in a lower caste.
2. Where does Helmholtz Watson work? What is his job?
He works in the College of Emotional Engineering as a lecturer in the department of English.
3. What does Bernard have in common with Helmholtz Watson?
They both don't fit in exactly where they should. Watson is far more intellectual than most people and Bernard has the physical deformities that separate him from the rest of the Alphas.
4. What is troubling Helmholtz?
He's beginning to question if there is more to life than what they are taught in the World State. He feels like there's something inside of him that needs to be exposed.
Brave New World 3
Please read Chapter 3 of Brave New World and answer the following question. Answers must be posted by November 1 to receive full credit.
In Chapter 3, we begin to learn about how the World State. Please explain how the following areas are different in the World State as compared to our world in 2009.
A) Sex, Monogamy & Romance - Everyone belongs to everyone else. There is rarely any monogamy. In fact, if you stay with a person too long you're not doing the right thing.
B) Sports - Sports must be complicated and require a lot of equipment that must be purchased to support the materialistic ideas of World State.
C) Entertainment - For entertainment, they go to the "Feely's" and watch and feel movies.
D) Parenthood - Parenthood is utterly disgusting to them. Babies are raised by the state. The idea of having a monogamous couple raising you is unsatisfying to them.
E) Materialism - They believe in buying new things rather than fixing old ones in order to support their economy.
F) Religion - They don't really practice religion. They idolize Henry T. Ford because he created the assembly line.
G) Intoxicants - They've created a drug that has all the good effects of drugs and alcohol without the after effects. It's called Somma and everyone is on it.
Finally, to the best of your ability, provide a brief history (a paragraph) of how the World State came to be.
In Chapter 3, we begin to learn about how the World State. Please explain how the following areas are different in the World State as compared to our world in 2009.
A) Sex, Monogamy & Romance - Everyone belongs to everyone else. There is rarely any monogamy. In fact, if you stay with a person too long you're not doing the right thing.
B) Sports - Sports must be complicated and require a lot of equipment that must be purchased to support the materialistic ideas of World State.
C) Entertainment - For entertainment, they go to the "Feely's" and watch and feel movies.
D) Parenthood - Parenthood is utterly disgusting to them. Babies are raised by the state. The idea of having a monogamous couple raising you is unsatisfying to them.
E) Materialism - They believe in buying new things rather than fixing old ones in order to support their economy.
F) Religion - They don't really practice religion. They idolize Henry T. Ford because he created the assembly line.
G) Intoxicants - They've created a drug that has all the good effects of drugs and alcohol without the after effects. It's called Somma and everyone is on it.
Finally, to the best of your ability, provide a brief history (a paragraph) of how the World State came to be.
Brave New World 2
1. How do babies sent to the Neo-Pavlovian Conditioning Rooms develop an "instinctive hatred of books and flowers?" Why were Deltas exposed to such treatment?
Babies in the Neo-Pavlovian Conditioning Rooms develop their hatred of books and flowers by being allowed to look at them and play with them and then having a nurse press a button which then blows up said books and flowers and also shocks the babies. This makes them associate flowers and books with explosions and pain from a young age. Deltas are exposed to such treatment so that they won't want to spend time in nature but they'll spend their time playing games that require the large setups that contribute to the idea of materialism in the World State.
2. What is a State Conditioning Center? Does it remind you of anything from Plato's Republic?
A State Conditioning Center is a place where children are raised from infancy to adulthood by nurses and doctors rather than parents. This resembles the cave of Plato's Republic.
3. What is hypnopaedia? Why wasn't it used for Science? What was it used for? Does it remind you of anything from Plato's Republic?
Hypnopaedia is the idea of sleep teaching. It couldn't be used for science because science must be understood and what was happening was that people would learn a scientific fact but they couldn't answer questions about it because they didn't really understand the material. It works for teach moral lessons though. The children in the State Conditioning Centers would listen to a recording over and over again about their caste and the other castes and why it was good to be part of their caste.
3. How does the Caste system work in the World State? What are the similarities and differences between this and the Hindu Caste system?
The Caste system in the World State consists of five levels of Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and Epsilon with Alpha being the highest. Each caste has their own characteristics and duties. It's similar to the Hindu caste system in the way its set up and the way the higher castes regard the lower castes.
4. What does the Director mean when he says, "Not so much like drops of water....rather, drops of liquid sealing wax."?
He means that eventually all the facts that are being taught to the children will collect together and cover their minds fulfilling the World State's goal of conditioning and brainwashing the people.
Babies in the Neo-Pavlovian Conditioning Rooms develop their hatred of books and flowers by being allowed to look at them and play with them and then having a nurse press a button which then blows up said books and flowers and also shocks the babies. This makes them associate flowers and books with explosions and pain from a young age. Deltas are exposed to such treatment so that they won't want to spend time in nature but they'll spend their time playing games that require the large setups that contribute to the idea of materialism in the World State.
2. What is a State Conditioning Center? Does it remind you of anything from Plato's Republic?
A State Conditioning Center is a place where children are raised from infancy to adulthood by nurses and doctors rather than parents. This resembles the cave of Plato's Republic.
3. What is hypnopaedia? Why wasn't it used for Science? What was it used for? Does it remind you of anything from Plato's Republic?
Hypnopaedia is the idea of sleep teaching. It couldn't be used for science because science must be understood and what was happening was that people would learn a scientific fact but they couldn't answer questions about it because they didn't really understand the material. It works for teach moral lessons though. The children in the State Conditioning Centers would listen to a recording over and over again about their caste and the other castes and why it was good to be part of their caste.
3. How does the Caste system work in the World State? What are the similarities and differences between this and the Hindu Caste system?
The Caste system in the World State consists of five levels of Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and Epsilon with Alpha being the highest. Each caste has their own characteristics and duties. It's similar to the Hindu caste system in the way its set up and the way the higher castes regard the lower castes.
4. What does the Director mean when he says, "Not so much like drops of water....rather, drops of liquid sealing wax."?
He means that eventually all the facts that are being taught to the children will collect together and cover their minds fulfilling the World State's goal of conditioning and brainwashing the people.
Brave New World 1
1. What is the World State's Motto?
The motto of the World State is "Community, Identity, Stability"
2. Please describe Bokanovsky's Process. Why does The Director call it the "major instrument of social stability?"
Bokanovsky's Process is the process by which one egg is split into many, many other identical eggs which in turn make many identical embryos which turn into many identical adults. The Director calls it the "major instrument of social stability" because it allows factories and other institutions to be staffed by identical employees who have the ability to work the exact same producing the exact same products.
3. Why did the doctor wish to keep the Epsilon "embryo below par?"
The doctor wishes to keep the Epsilon embryo below par because they are the lowest group in the social hierarchy of the World State so by keeping the embryo below par, it assures that the adult will be dumb and deformed which is exactly how the World State wants its epsilons.
4. What does Mr. Foster mean when he says: "We condition them to thrive in heat...that is the secret of happiness of virtue - liking what you've got to do. All conditioning aims at that: making people like their unescapable social destiny."? How does this connect to what is happening in Rack 10?
Mr. Foster means that the World State wishes to make sure that all their people are happy in the level of the caste they are in. If one is not happy with their social destiny, they might question it and try to break out. Another reason might be that if one isn't happy doing what they are supposed to do, they wouldn't do their job properly throwing off the the Stability of the World State. It connects to Rack 10 because in Rack 10 the embryos are being conditioned to work in the conditions of their future jobs being exposed to chemicals to become used to them.
The motto of the World State is "Community, Identity, Stability"
2. Please describe Bokanovsky's Process. Why does The Director call it the "major instrument of social stability?"
Bokanovsky's Process is the process by which one egg is split into many, many other identical eggs which in turn make many identical embryos which turn into many identical adults. The Director calls it the "major instrument of social stability" because it allows factories and other institutions to be staffed by identical employees who have the ability to work the exact same producing the exact same products.
3. Why did the doctor wish to keep the Epsilon "embryo below par?"
The doctor wishes to keep the Epsilon embryo below par because they are the lowest group in the social hierarchy of the World State so by keeping the embryo below par, it assures that the adult will be dumb and deformed which is exactly how the World State wants its epsilons.
4. What does Mr. Foster mean when he says: "We condition them to thrive in heat...that is the secret of happiness of virtue - liking what you've got to do. All conditioning aims at that: making people like their unescapable social destiny."? How does this connect to what is happening in Rack 10?
Mr. Foster means that the World State wishes to make sure that all their people are happy in the level of the caste they are in. If one is not happy with their social destiny, they might question it and try to break out. Another reason might be that if one isn't happy doing what they are supposed to do, they wouldn't do their job properly throwing off the the Stability of the World State. It connects to Rack 10 because in Rack 10 the embryos are being conditioned to work in the conditions of their future jobs being exposed to chemicals to become used to them.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
On the Nature of History
The checks lab is comparable to how history is formed based on the educated judgments of the historians and the facts they choose to ignore. Not every piece of information is relevant and we assume a stance of knowledge by authority to allow the historian to judge what is important and what is not. As a group we decided that the animals on the checks were irrelevant and had no impact on the story. We used our own personal biases to deem something as not important, which can lead to conflict.
Monday, November 2, 2009
In Class outline
“We see and understand things not as they are but as we are.” Discuss this claim in relation to at least two ways of knowing.
▼ ❑ Perception
▼ ❑ Problems of Perception
▼ ❑ Biological limits
• ❑ senses only extend so far
▼ ❑ Bauby
▼ ❑ biological limits were either altered or removed outright
• ❑ Bauby was forced to change his perception of the world
▼ ❑ Memory
▼ ❑ Degradation
▼ ❑ Roswell Memory Failure
• ❑ severe memory degradation after only one month
▼ ❑ Harding Effect
▼ ❑ Looks vs. Qualifications
▼ ❑ Nixon vs. Kennedy debates
• ❑ People who saw the debate thought Kennedy did better; people who heard it thought Nixon did better
▼ ❑ Warren G. Harding election
• ❑ Harding was tall and handsome, but unqualified.
▼ ❑ Reason
▼ ❑ Fallacies
▼ ❑ act as the rules as to how we interpret the outside signals
▼ ❑ False Dilema
• ❑ only two options exist: Enron; either a good employee or a bad one
▼ ❑ Circular reasoning
• ❑ self supporting argument; Jesus is the son of god, the bible said so; bible never wrong because jesus is the son of god.
• ❑ must be valid, but not necessarily true
▼ ❑ Perception
▼ ❑ Problems of Perception
▼ ❑ Biological limits
• ❑ senses only extend so far
▼ ❑ Bauby
▼ ❑ biological limits were either altered or removed outright
• ❑ Bauby was forced to change his perception of the world
▼ ❑ Memory
▼ ❑ Degradation
▼ ❑ Roswell Memory Failure
• ❑ severe memory degradation after only one month
▼ ❑ Harding Effect
▼ ❑ Looks vs. Qualifications
▼ ❑ Nixon vs. Kennedy debates
• ❑ People who saw the debate thought Kennedy did better; people who heard it thought Nixon did better
▼ ❑ Warren G. Harding election
• ❑ Harding was tall and handsome, but unqualified.
▼ ❑ Reason
▼ ❑ Fallacies
▼ ❑ act as the rules as to how we interpret the outside signals
▼ ❑ False Dilema
• ❑ only two options exist: Enron; either a good employee or a bad one
▼ ❑ Circular reasoning
• ❑ self supporting argument; Jesus is the son of god, the bible said so; bible never wrong because jesus is the son of god.
• ❑ must be valid, but not necessarily true
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