Final Discussion: #3

I believe that one topic that can go even deeper in discussion is Wisdom and knowledge. I believe this topic has many pathways that a discussion can go. I do believe we did discuss this to a good point, but I also feel that it could still go even more in depth and share more views onto the differences and similarities with in both of them. Wisdom and knowledge is a very interesting topic to me that always seems to come down to personal ideas and views on each, and I feel like going into this more can help shape a better perspective on everyone's values. I, myself, believe that wisdom and knowledge are two very different things but they come hand in hand with each other. Both wisdom and knowledge affect who we are, how we act, and who we become in the future. Because of this, I believe that it is one of the most interesting topics we covered this semester.

FInal Discussion: #2

I believe my favorite thing about the class was the blogs. The blogs and the discussions with our classmates were very interesting to me. Although we are not seeing and discussing in person, I'm glad I am able to see everyone's thoughts on the readings. I believe this is a good way to get everyone to participate and share their ideas with everyone else. There was nothing in this class that I didn't really like at all. For the most part, I believe this class was very interesting and fun. Although I am not the biggest fan of group papers, I still enjoyed doing the ones for this class as they seemed like a good way to come to a better understanding and applying the concepts into the real world. I believe this class is a very good class, but I don't necessarily like the 12 hour gap between posts. I think that instead of three discussion questions, it would be good to require more comments on others and only 2 discussion questions.

Final Discussion: #1

Over the semester, I have learned a lot through this class. I have learned how to analyze and come to good logic and reasoning. I understand what affects and how our reasoning and logic can be influenced by emotion as well as our past experiences. Because of this class, I am able to understand and point out the different fallacies in arguments made by advertisements or other people. I believe with all of these qualities, I have become a more well rounded person who has a better understanding of the world.
I have also been able to learn about how science can be applied in our daily lives with everything we do, in that we need to find proof and solid evidence before coming to any conclusions. We can not simply judge things without any solid proof to support our conclusions.  I was also able to understand internet usage and how much the internet has grown. This internet usage is vital within today's generation and can both be detrimental or helpful.  This class was a very interesting class overall.

Chapter 12 #3

This chapter was entitled science, and that was enough to catch my attention. This chapter quickly became one of my favorites, as I felt like it related to me in various ways. As a biology major, the stuff in this chapter is pretty much what I plan to do with my life; Testing and proving hypothesis using data and observations. A constant topic I have had to learn throughout college was the Scientific method and its steps. Identifying the problem, forming a hypothesis, researching, testing the hypothesis, and evaluating the hypothesis based on these steps has become something I have grown accustomed to in the Sciences. This chapter opened my eyes even more to see how much this can apply to everything, and not only science classes. We can use the scientific method to now only prove how or why things are, but to also grow an understanding of others. The gist of the scientific method is to pretty much not only rely on observations, but also to try to gather solid proof to form a valid hypothesis.

Chapter 23 # 2

A time in which I drew a wrong conclusion based on observation alone was actually a couple weeks ago. Although I try my best not to, I do tend to judge people sometimes. Most people do, but for the most part everyone knows that they should not, it really is just one of those things that is within our nature. But I drew a wrong conclusion about a person, based on the way I saw him interact with others as well as on social networks. The way he seemed to act was always stuck up, "too cool," and full of himself. I drew this conclusion based on seeing him at a party, and one other time when he was hanging out with some of my friends. After seeing the way he acted, I grew sort of an impression, although I had not met him. Eventually, I did formally meet him and he is a very humble guy. Using scientific knowledge, we must try to prove or disprove our premises based on experience rather than observation.

Chapter 23: #1

"Your energy is probably high today, almost to the point where you feel you might be able to run a marathon! Seriously, Pisces, you're probably thinking in terms of getting out of town for a while. Exercising or participating in sports could also be appealing. You might direct some of this energy into creative projects. Take care not to overdo it. You could still get too tired."
-Horoscope.com

In my opinion, I believe this is not accurate. It is currently 2:15 PM and I am exhausted and I have a headache. I feel like my horoscope for today is definitely falsifiable. I am tired and honestly can not wait for school to end, because I really would like to get out of town for a while. As well as the fact that I love sports, those are the parts of my horoscope for today that are somewhat true. And with the creativity part, I don't think I am a creative or imaginative person, therefore that is also false. Honestly, sometimes I do go through my horoscopes, and some days they are true. This is why I am always torn on whether I believe it or not. Sometimes they can directly apply to me on a given day, while others it is not at all, just like today. 

Chapter 11: #3

I found the most interesting part of the chapter to be on internet usage. Through the reading, it spoke of both the positive things as well as why the internet can be detrimental. This was so interesting, because it is the most relevant topic to me. Students in our generation are constantly using the internet, whether on a phone, laptop, desktop, even on TVs now. The internet has grown up with us and has easily become one of the things we depend on and use everyday. The internet is a cornerstone and the sign of our generation. The internet helps us by allowing us to keep in touch with people, access news articles, read and educate ourselves on many topics, and gives us easy access to everything. We can watch videos, movies, tv shows, all while reading up what is the most current news in our friends lives as well as news across the world. It helps us communicate with others.
On the other hand, it is detrimental. All the social networking and browsing can make us lost in though and forget what we need to do, leading to procrastination. Not only does it ruin productivity, it can also ruin our privacy. Everything can be found on the web, EVERYTHING. So we must be careful what we put up, or it can negatively affect our lives.
I believe the internet is important and for the most part it is a good thing, but only to an extent. It is up the the person to be responsible and browse and post responsibly.

Chapter 11: #2

After reading both Sadler and Hunt's arguments, it is clear to me that I agree with Sadler. Sadler is much more strict when it comes to plagiarism and pretty much states that it is not acceptable. Sadler backs up the argument with 10 good reasons as to why it is bad. Sadler also states that there should be harsh punishment for those who commit plagiarism, not just failing. Honestly, I agree with this because plagiarism is a serious issue that is when someone takes credit for someone else and doesn't do the work. When someone gets the work from somewhere else, I don't see how that would benefit a student at all. Plagiarism is something that shouldn't be done. I don't agree with Hunt because I don't see at all how plagiarism is a good thing. Hunt's argument does not seem to make sense to me. Through Hunt's argument, he states that it is beneficial for the student and the teacher because the teacher must find a better way to teach. In the end, Hunt's argument stating that plagiarism is a good and that the  universities encourage plagiarism, just doesn't make sense to me at all.

Chapter 11: #1

I believe that through my media experiences I am able to get a broader and more diverse view on topics. The media is a way in which thoughts and ideas can be shared, whether they agree with your beliefs, or challenge them. For example, with the most recent election last week, I was able to see an abundance of posts about the propositions and the president on Facebook and twitter. Not me personally, but I would see a lot of people debating on each other's status, I'm sure many probably unfriended people. I believe this is a prime example of how media experiences can either challenge or reinforce my worldviews. Through looking through media, I am able to see everyone's thoughts on certain things, and learn even more things I had not known before.
Not only do social networks count as media, but also things such as a television can be considered media. Through the media, I am able to view and educate myself on certain things that will enhance my knowledge and either reinforce or challenge my current world views.

Chapter 10: #1

Throughout the past week, I have seen many different forms of advertising. For example, I have seen ads on TV for a couple of shows that I watch. I found these to be very effective because it built suspense by including bits of the new episode, and it also reminded me of exactly when it will air. By adding suspense, it makes me excited and I can't wait to be able to watch the new episode. An example of this is the new How I Met Your Mother episode. They haven't aired a new episode in two weeks and I completely forgot about the show, but seeing the advertisement I was drawn in yet again. An advertisement I did not find effective has been the most recent Apple Advertisements. With every new release, they always just show a simple picture of the new product (maybe rotate around it), and simply put "the NEW iPad" or the "iPhone 5." I, although I own an iPhone, am getting tired of this strategy. It is simple, yet boring. They believe that by simply putting the word new or a bigger number, they will sell more.

Chapter 4: #3

One topic I found very interesting throughout this chapter is the fallacies and unreliability of evidence. In particular, hearsay and anecdotal evidence. I always believed that testimonies are one of the strongest forms of evidence in a case, but apparently it is not. Hearsay evidence is evidence that is heard and then passed on amongst multiple other people. Anecdotal evidence is one's testimony through experience in the form of a story. Anecdotal evidence is not to be trusted because people tend to have poor or inaccurate memories as well as can exaggerate, distort, or completely lie and change the story. I can understand why these may be seen as unreliable, but sometimes they are the only evidence we have.
Testimonies and anecdotes can never really be determined to be true, yet it is based on belief and has no hard evidence. As I read this chapter, I did find that it is better to research and find more physical or proven proof to determine if something is real or not, but sometimes we may be forced to believe in stories from people due to a lack of real evidence.

Chapter 4: #2

Condon, Hynek, and Paynter each have their own views and evidence on Unidentified flying Objects, or UFOs. Condon believes that through all of the research, there is still no conclusive evidence therefore it is unproductive. Condon believes that they are not real and are a waste of time to research. On the other hand, Hynek believes that we should research and not ignore the topic. Hynek understands that it is a global topic, and therefore it is important that we get to the bottom of it. Many people have witnessed UFOs, and Hynek believes that those accounts are key factors in research.
Finally, Paynter has the most plausible ideas about UFOs. Paynter does not have any firm standpoint or belief in UFOs, but he does believe that there is no physical evidence, therefore at this point, they are not real. I believe Paynter does the best job of stating what is known, and that is that there is no physical evidence, but there is no problem with believing in them.

Chapter 4: Question #1

I believe that wisdom and knowledge are both important aspects of life, and they are both made available to us in college. Knowledge is information or data that tells us what or why something is what it is. In contrast, I believe that wisdom is lessons we learn from experiences that affect the way we live. Wisdom is being able to use the knowledge to work, in which we use the information to make decisions and judgements. Although they are different, they are dependent on each other in shaping who we are. Through the experience of college, I believe we acquire both wisdom and knowledge. We learn new things every day, and this information teaches us how to live our lives. The information age that we are in now makes it easier for us to gain knowledge, which I believe leads to us growing wiser and gaining wisdom. The information age allows us easy access to knowledge, and in turn that allows us to discover more about the world. With this knowledge, we can judge and begin to see a better view of the world as a whole.

Chapter 3: #3

A topic or discussion I found interesting in the reading was lying. People lie all the time, and this can cause people to lost trust in others. Because lies happen so commonly, it can be very difficult to tell when someone is lying. Through this chapter I was able to discover many "give aways" when people are lying. For example, in some cases a liar will tell a story in chronological order as a way to give them time to make up the story as they tell it. Also, another way to tell if someone is lying is if they look left, move a lot less, and blink less. Honestly, I believe that lying is a horrible habit but I am in no position to criticize those who do. I don't think anyone has the right to criticize liars. Everyone lies at some point in their lives, possibly even everyday. Because everyone does lie, I believe that the problem isn't in the lie but rather in how often and how big of a lie it really is. Lying doesn't always save you from trouble nor does it always get you in trouble. A word of advice: Try your best not to lie and cover things up Often especially if it is a big lie.

Chapter 3: #2

Throughout this weeks reading, I was able to gain a better understanding of what rhetorical devices are. After learning about them, I realize that I use rhetorical devices daily, especially in the form of Sarcasm or Hyperbole. I believe that I use sarcasm the most as a way to jokingly taunt others by saying things that are the opposite of what I mean. For example, my friend asked to borrow my phone to call his phone because he misplaced it, and I instantly go "No!" Although I said no, I was handing him my phone at the same time. Another form of rhetoric that I use often is hyperbole. I realize I don't only use this in speech, but also through text messages on chatting online. Simple common terms today such as LMAO and LOL can be huge exaggerations seen through text, cause I know sometimes I say it, I am not really "laughing my ass off" or "laughing out loud," instead I am chuckling in my head. Through this chapter, I was able to realize how often I speak using rhetorical devices.

Chapter 3: #1

I believe that Ride qualifies as a great critical thinker. She observes many of the qualities needed in a critical thinker. Ride is able to fully analyze problems and form a conclusion. Following this, she researches to get a deeper understanding of the problem. Through this research, she is also very open to other ideas leading her to become a great speaker and develop strong communication skills. Ride fully understands what it means to think critically and through her years of living, she has been able to hone these skills. Her strong communication skills help her in her work at NASA whether it be communicating with people in a shuttle, or giving a speech to the United Nations. I believe that communication skills are the most important skills to have in today's world. Without strong communication skills, we can not communicate our ideas as well as be open minded to others. We communicate on a daily basis and it helps us understand others and the world better. I consider Ride to be an inspiration to many because she was able to do everything she ever wanted to do, and all it took was good critical thinking and great communication skills.

Chapter 2: #3

Chapter two covered many topics, and most of them related to the idea of emotion. In particular, I took to heart the section on empathy. Empathy is the ability to understand and share feelings with others. In my group of friends, I always want everyone to be happy. Because of this, whenever I see that someone is acting a little different or off, I tend to try to pull them aside and talk to them about it. I believe that the best way to help others with problems is to really understand where they are coming from and put yourself in their shoes. Yes, some situations are completely unrelateable to me, but I do try my best to see things not only as myself but I try to see things as others. The one thing/one goal I truly want in my life is to make my loved ones happy.

Chapter 2: #2

The argument between Aquinas and Dawkins about the incompatibility of God and evolution is VERY interesting to me.  Being a science major, I strongly believe in evolution, but at the same time, I am a devout Catholic who believes in God. I disagree with Dawkins because I have never had a problem believing both science and religion. Dawkins does make some valid points and Aquinas' views are somewhat dated, but I disagree with his thoughts. Yes, we do not know whether God is real or not, but at the same time, we do not know what exactly started "everything." Did things just tend to happen over time as matter and particles drifted in space? Or did some being or something make it so that something would start and everything would evolve? I believe that if Aquinas were alive today, Dawkins and him would disagree and argue over this. Aquinas would challenge Dawkins and vice versa, but I don't think this debate will ever come to and end.

Chapter 2: #1

I believe that picking a career is one of the biggest decisions one can make in their life, therefore it is important that we understand what our strengths and weaknesses are. I am a biology major and I plan to get into biotechnology. With that in mind, I believe that my strength is problem solving.  I am able to quickly understand and fix any problems that I may bump into. I never expect things to go as planned, so when something does go wrong I am good at dissecting every step taken and finding the one problem.  I believe this can help me because in a lab, there is a lot of trial and error needed. Labs require a lot of patients and trying to figure out what went wrong in order to get the results desired. With my problem solving abilities, I hope to be able to succeed as a biotechnologist.

Chapter 7: #3

One concept that I would like to discuss is cause and effect. I believe that this is the most important concept that we covered this chapter because cause and effect is everywhere throughout our daily lives. Every day we make decisions and they always lead to something else happening.

Cause and Effect is a causal argument because it explains that something is the cause of another event. Cause and effect is a type of inductive argument that is commonly seen throughout the day. If we are to constantly make decision in our lives we need to be able to see the possible effects or consequences of our actions. If we did not and just made decisions blindly everything would remain out of control and all based on chance, in essence, by thinking with cause and effect we are able to have some control over our lives and our future. 

Chapter 7: #2

I believe that Dr. Novello is a great example of cause and effect. Cause and effect is when something results directly from something else. The problem in 1988 was teenagers were smoking more, and this was a direct result from the companies directing their ads at children. In finding a solution, Dr. Novello thought that by pushing to educate the children, the result would be children and teenagers stopping smoking. This is a strong example of cause and effect reasoning and this can not only be seen here but in our daily lives. Everything happens as a result from something else, so we must be mindful of everything we do. Dr. Novello shows us two solid examples of this because we see both points of view, her point of view on how to ban and stop smoking, as well as the point of view from the companies such as Camel that directed their ads at children and teenagers.

Chapter 7: #1

Throughout the week I have used inductive reasoning. Inductive reasoning is when someone can make an assumption about something based on premises. It may not be the most reliable reasoning but it can be valid. An example of one from this week is when I had to set up my office hours for my job on campus this week.

Premise: I must work only up to 9.5 hours a week on campus.
Premise: I also go to classes all throughout the week but do not start on Mondays and Wednesdays until 3:00PM.
So as a conclusion: I plan to have most of my office hours on Monday and Wednesday mornings.

I believe this is a inductive argument because I had to use the information I already had to make a statement regarding my possible hours. Figuring out my hours was not really that tough for me because of my easy schedule on Mondays and wednesdays, and because I already had my class schedule set, I was able to plan out an available time slot for me to work in the office. Although it best suits me to have this kind of schedule, it does not mean it is 100% true because I can still change my availability.

Chapter 8: #3

One concept I found very interesting was the Hypothetical Syllogisms, especially the Chain Argument. I found this to me most interesting because I feel that I use this kind of argument to back up my points. Chain arguments are made up of three propositions that are all linked. The third proposition is the conclusion while the other two are each premises. A chain argument is similar to a chain of events meaning B is true because of A, and because B is true C is true, therefore C is true because of A. Chain arguments can be even longer than three events in the chain and can go up to very long chains. An example can be:

A. If the internet goes down, I can not do my homework.
B. If I can not do my homework, I will not get credit.
C. If the internet goes down, I will not get credit.

I believe that the Chain Argument is a very good way of having valid reasoning but still does have its flaws. Chain arguments can lead to some assumptions, and those are not always valid. This is why, not only this section, but the whole chapter was very interesting to me. It was good to see new ways of reasoning and arguments.

Chapter 8: #2.

As a Catholic, I believe in the death penalty. Yes, the catholic and christian church do not believe in it but that is why I love Catholicism. As a catholic, we are told that we have been given the freedom to pick and choose what we want to believe. Just because we are Catholics does not mean that we must believe everything the church says. Catholicism is a denomination of the Christian faith, yes the death penalty is seen as a way to take away one's dignity and right to life but we must remember that times truly have changed as well as there are many cons not having the death penalty. When it comes down to it, I believe we must measure out the pros and the cons of legalizing the death penalty. With everything going on in the world and an increasing number of convicts, we really are running out of space in prisons. Also I have read that the amount of money spent on keeping someone in prison for life sometimes does outweigh the cost of the death penalty. I am torn on this topic as well, but I am leaning towards legalizing it.

Chapter 8: #1

I believe that in the story "Silve Blaze," Sherlock Holmes tries to portray that when people are reasoning with each other, each side of the conflict can be blinded by their emotions and opinions causing them to not see both sides of the argument. Because they cannot detach these emotions or opinions, we choose to rely on them rather than looking up and understanding the facts. I believe that this is very true, but I feel like it should not. Because of this, we fail to see both sides of a story and this makes our reasoning invalid.

A couple months ago,  a friend and I were not seeing eye to eye because rumors were spread regarding a friend and me. I had heard that my friend went around, telling people lies behind my back, in response to this I would talk to people about it and it made it seem like I was talking about him behind my back. Eventually, we confronted each other and talked about it, apparently he never did talk about me and it was only another rumor going around. Because of those rumors, I falsely assumed and blamed him even when I should not have. My reasoning became invalid and stupid because I assumed without looking at the facts.

Chapter 6: #3

One topic I found very interesting in the reading was Boss' idea of asking the right questions. Asking questions is a very good way to not only get to know people but also learn information. He emphasizes that the way we speak plays a major role in how far we can get in a conversation. When we conversate with others and ask questions we must stay aware of our tone of voice. I know that there are two methods of communication: passive and aggressive. Normally passive communication will get people to sway to your side and answer questions because it gives the impression that you are friendly. In contrast, when we speak with an aggressive tone, we come off as being demanding and angry and this can easily escalate the volume in a conversation and lead to arguments. Through Boss' reading I thought about this, and I do strongly believe that our tone of voice plays a major role in our communication with others. In the sense of asking questions to get somewhere, I believe it is not only asking the right questions but also asking them in the proper manner.

Chapter 6: #2

High school was a time for pretty much everyone that is filled with a lot of pressure and wanting to be "cool" and popular. For the most part, I tried my best to stay on everyone's good side and avoid making any enemies. But this was put to the test when I found out that one of my friends was cheating on my other friend. I had no idea what to do, and if I should have told him or not. I knew that cheating was wrong and that I should tell him, but in the other hand I did not want to lose the other one as my friend. I talked to her about it, and she told me that if I did she wouldn't be my friend anymore and that she wouldn't talk to me. I decided to tell my friend that his girlfriend was cheating on him and they ended up breaking up. Yes, he was upset but today he is happy and he remains to be one of my good friends. Because of this, I began to realize that my true friends are the ones that will stick with me, forgive me, and know they can count on me to make the right decisions.

Chapter 6: Question 1

I believe that President Obama really does believe in equality and wants to give everyone that equality, yet he is torn on what to do because he wants to make everyone happy. President Obama does support civil unions and same-sex couples, yet does not believe they should get married? This logic is very inconsistent and doesn't make much sense. I understand where he is coming from, and he does just want to make everyone happy. He is acting as a mediator and is trying to find the right compromise to make both sides happy, but in this type of situation, I don't really think there is a way to make both sides happy. No matter what the decision is, one side or the other will dislike Obama's decision. In response to Nava and Dawidoff's thoughts, I believe that Obama would agree with it but at the same time argue against it. His ideas on the topic of same sex marriage are very muddled making it unclear what he truly believes in. Because of this unclarity, it poses the questions to the American public: Can we really stand behind someone who does not have a firm viewpoint on controversial topics?

Me

Hello everyone. I am a third year student at San Jose State University. I am a Biology major with a concentration in Systems Physiology. This is my first online class, and I look forward to it.
I currently live at an off-campus apartment and I work two part time jobs: One as a PA for Science 2 and another doing retail at Old Navy in Great Mall in Milpitas. Last year I took Comm20 (Public Speaking) and I enjoyed it very much. I have never been a strong public speaker, but through that class I became more comfortable speaking in front of crowds of people. Although I am not 100% perfect at giving them, I am much more confident in giving speeches now. This class, on the other hand, is much different. It it a different medium through which we are communicating and I feel confident that I can strive in this class as well. In this class, my goal is to become more fluent and proper with my communication on the internet as well as discover ways to help me make critical decisions. I know and understand the importance of web etiquette in this day and age so I hope to be able to improve upon myself and my internet use.