Myth Or Science Essay Example For Students

Myth Or Science? Essay Throughout history there have been many attempts to explain the origin and workings of our universe. Most every culture has their own cosmogony. Nearly every individual has his or her own idea of what our universe is. During our modern era of advanced scientific knowledge, we feel that we have a good grasp on how the universe works. We have our Chemistry and Physics, along with Mathematics, to examine the universe with. Any person educated in these fields will tell you that they know our universe. The point is science in the modern era is thought to be the correct summation of the universe. We think we are right. Does this make everyone else wrong? Those that believe in myth over science, are they wrong? These are some of the questions that I will be discussing in this essay. I will examine the evolution of cosmological thought in Ancient Greece (Pre-Socratics through Aristotle). In doing this, I will show a movement from myth to more science based cosmologies. I will then examine th e Buddhist Cosmology, which is somewhat separated from Ancient Greek thought. After all of this, I will examine the question of which is more correct, Science or Myth. Before continuing a clear definition of ?myth? needs to be established. The term myth has multiple meanings. Websters II Dictionary, defines it the three different ways. ?1. A traditional story that deals with supernatural beings, ancestors, or heroes that serve as primordial types in a primitive view of the world. 2. A real or fictional story that appeals to the consciousness of a people by embodying its cultural ideals or by giving expression to deep commonly felt emotions. 3. A fictitious or imaginary person, idea, or thing.? For the sake of this essay, I would like the second definition to apply to my use of the word myth. The term myth should not be thought of as fictitious or primitive. The possibility for the myth to be real should always be considered. Some of the earliest known philosophies on the creation of the Earth come from the works of Hesiod. In his Theogony he attempts to explain the creation of the Earth, and all that surrounds him, using myth. In the myth Hesiod an thropomorphizes the cosmos. He tells of ?Chaos? being the first to come into being, then he goes on to describe how each of the gods of the cosmos comes in to being. The gods of the cosmos are all related to some characteristic of our universe. They can be physical parts or concepts (similar to Platos idea of the forms). For example the line, ?Earth first bore starry Heaven, equal to herself, to cover her on every side, and to be an ever-sure abiding-place for the blessed gods.?(Theogony, 126) describes both the act of birth, which is a human characteristic, and physical parts of the universe being gods (Heaven meaning the stars, and the Earth). He also has gods, such as Eros, which represents the concept of Love. Two main issues the come up during discussions of cosmology are how the universe was created and out of what was the universe created. In the Theogony, Hesiod has the world created out of gods that are human by nature and to create this universe the gods reproduced. Hesiods theories of the universe can clearly be classified as myth, since there is no scientific background for it. The philosophers to follow Hesiod moved slightly away from this. The Pre-Socratics begin to de-anthropomorphize the universe. Even later, in the works of Socrates and Plato, the universe is completely de-anthropomorphized. The Pre-Socratics focus more on what the universe was made of than how it was created. They typically chose a single element that everything consisted of and tried to explain the world according to that element. Sometimes these elements were one of the basic four elements; earth, fire, air, and water. Sometimes they were more abstract such as Anaximanders theory. ?The principle element of existing things was the aperion it is neither water nor any other of the so-call elements, but some other aperion nature, from which come into being all the heavens and the worlds in them.?(Hetherington, pg. 58) The Pre-Socratics based their theories on insight and observations. For this reason their theories are both mythical and scientific. Because some of their choices of what the key element is are based on instinctive feelings, they can be considered myth. On the other hand, they support their ideas through observations and experience making the ideas scientific. Science is defined one way in Websters II Dictionary to be ?Knowledge that is acquired through experience.? The Pre-Socratics were not completely scientific because not everything they theorized was based on experience, but they were not as mythical as Hesiod either. Diabetes EssayMultiple lives, reincarnation, is another important aspect of the Buddhist thought. The idea of karma plays a major role in the lives of Buddhists. ?In Buddhism, an individual experiences rebirth into this world and begins the volitional production of both good and bad karma, or lay, which will determine his or her future rebirth and chances for enlightenment.? (French, pg. 63) To reach enlightenment is the highest standard for the Buddhists, which might be why nirv?na is placed on the outer most edge of their world. To reach enlightenment one must have developed a high level of good karma. Those that do not reach enlightenment in their lifetime are reborn into the world, and the life given to them is based on the level of karma they were at when they died. This makes karma not only important because it is the way to reach enlightenment, but also because it will provide a better life. After discussing the cosmogonies of different cultures, we have come across to different methods of thought. These being, myth and science. We have seen the Greek thought move from myth to science, and we have seen the Buddhist thought focus in on myth. The question arises, which method of thought is better or more accurate? Ask an astronomer or a physicist, and they will probably tell you that science is more accurate. Ask a Buddhist monk or a Zen master and they might tell you that myth is better (if the definition of myth is presented to them properly). The physicist will argue that science has evolved so far that we can accurately predict the motion of the planets, we can explain the process of recreation, etc. This is a very strong argument for using science to explain the universe. The Buddhist monk will reply that we only believe that we know those things and that it is just a part of the illusion of the first reality. This wont convince the physicist, but it does open another door. A person who opens their minds to all the possibilities will not be able to rule out the idea that everything we perceive could simply be an illusion presented to us. Science itself could be the illusion. If the entity that set up the illusion (if there is one) wanted the illusion to be believable, they most likely would place a set of laws on the illusion to keep it consistent. These laws could be the laws that we are now discovering and calling science. This is just one of many possible arguments for myth being the method of explanation of the universe. A scientist might not agree and say that this argument is implausible, but their only evidence against it would be the science that has been declared illusionary. By no means am I stating that myth is the proper method of explaining the universe. I am merely stating that it, and science, are possible explanations. Which one to believe in is complete up to the individual. Bibliography:Hetherington, Norriss S. Cosmology : Historical, Literary, Philosophical, Religious, and Scientific Perspectives. New York ; London: Garland Publishing, Inc, 1993. French, Rebecca Redwood. The Golden Yolk : The Legal Cosmology of Buddhist Tibet. Ithaca ; London, Cornell University Press, 1995. Kloetzli, Randy. Buddhist Cosmology. Delhi, Motilal Banarsidass, 1983.

Pan American World Airways, Inc Essays - Pan American World Airways

Pan American World Airways, Inc Pan American World Airways, Inc ("Pan Am") is a New York corporation organized in 1927 which is engaged in commercial air transportation which it pioneered between the United States and most areas of the world. Pan Am Corporation ("the Corporation"), a Delaware corporation, is and since September 14, 1984 has been the parent of Pan Am, it's principal subsidiary. For the past few years Pan Am's financial condition has been very poor. The company reported a consolidated net loss for 1986 of $469.3 million. The 1988 net loss included a gain of $89.1 million resulting from the sale of Pan Am's Airbus A320 aircraft and delivery positions. This gain was partially offsetted by a reserve of $25.7 million related to the loss on sale of Pan Am's subsidiary, which is responsible for the marketing of excess inventory, and 18 million of year-end adjustments. Pan Am's passenger traffic was strong in 1988. An increase of 12.2 percent on capacity of 11.2 percent. This was due to the result of strengthening of various European currencies against the U.S. dollar, fare increases in the market, enhanced management systems and procedures, as well as programs to reduce the dependence on wholesale ticket distributions throughout the Atlantic, Latin America, Domestic, and systemwide. Eventhough revenue was strong in 1988, labor and other costs increased at a higher rate as a consequence of efforts to improve service and effectiveness of the operation. Labor costs were higher in 1988 due to the result of an increase in the number of employees during the year. Also the addition of increased fuel prices, commissions, purchased services, aircraft rentals, and a $24.0 million foreign exchange loss had a negative impact on the corporation. 1987 expenses were effected by increases in expenses for fuel, commissions, maintenance materials and other operating costs which exceeded expectations. Labor cost reductions were not achieved in 1987. Other losses which occurred was the settlement of an $18 million provision for the proposed settlement of an age discrimination suit, and as well as $42.0 million for increased allowances for inventory obsolescence, uncollected receivables and costs associated with the WorldPass frequent flyer program. COMPANY BACKGROUND Pan Am lead by it's founder Juan Trippe, virtually single- handedly opened up the world to commercial flight. Teeming with adventure, international intrigue, and financial manipulations, this sky-struck young man with immense ambition and vision took a seaplane carrying mail 90 miles from Key West to Havana and expanded the operation into the vast world-wide airline that at one time considered itself the "chosen instrument" of the State Department abroad. The airline was considered so official by Washington that Trippe had power to make deals with foreign governments abroad . In 1934 people thought it was virtually impossible to cross the Pacific by air, but Trippe saw a way to do it. Through the use of the famous Clipper Flying Boats, Trippe achieved the impossible, and started the worlds first trans-atlantic flights to europe, asia, and south america. Pan Am achieved great heights with the help of pilots like Charles Lindbergh, who opened many early routes, and hero pilot Eddie Musick, who pioneered routes across the Pacific, and not to mention Andre Priester, the engineering marvel behind the early flying boats. Currently Pam Am provides non-stop service from the states to 36 locations in europe, asia, and south america. The company strives to provide the best service to all it's destinations than all the other carriers in general. Presently the airline is trying to achieve a "Corporate Image" to attract more business people thus increasing passenger revenues. ASSESSMENT OF COMPANY'S PERFORMANCE AND FINANCIAL CONDITION Overall, the short term liquidity of Pan Am seems to have a stable trend but is very poor compared to the average industry's ratios. Through the past two years very little changes can be seen in the short-term liquidity ratios. The firm acid test ratio puts it in the lower quartile. As for capital structure and long-term solvency we can only say that the firm is experiencing heavy losses and is relying on long term loans and secured notes in order to finance themselves. A stockholder deficit and net losses gave all index ratios negative values. So again we can see that the capital structure and long-term solvency of the firm is quite poor. Return on investments where quite poor since no change occurred on the return of investment and return on equity due to the stockholder deficit. As for operating performance ratios, these figures where quite poor also due to heavy losses in operating

Battle of the Philippine Sea in World War II

Battle of the Philippine Sea in World War II The Battle of the Philippine Sea was fought on June 19-20, 1944, as part of the Pacific Theater of World War II (1939-1945). Having island-hopped across the Pacific Ocean, Allied forces advanced on the Mariana Islands in mid-1944. Seeking to block this thrust, the Imperial Japanese Navy dispatched a large force to the area. In the resulting battle, Allied forces sank three Japanese aircraft carriers and inflicted crippling losses on the Japanese fleet air arm. The aerial battle proved so one-sided that Allied pilots referred to it as the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot. The victory allowed Allied forces to isolate and eliminate Japanese forces on Saipan, Guam, and Tinian. Background Having recovered from their earlier carrier losses at the Coral Sea, Midway, and the Solomons Campaign, the Japanese decided to return to the offensive in mid-1944. Initiating Operation A-Go, Admiral Soemu Toyoda, Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet, committed the bulk of his surface forces to striking at the Allies. Concentrated in Vice Admiral Jisaburo Ozawas First Mobile Fleet, this force was centered on nine carriers (5 fleet, 4 light) and five battleships. In mid-June with American forces attacking Saipan in the Marianas, Toyoda ordered Ozawa to strike. Vice Admiral Jisaburo Ozawa, IJN.   Public Domain Steaming into the Philippine Sea, Ozawa counted on support from Vice Admiral Kakuji Kakutas land-based planes in the Marianas which he hoped would destroy a third of the American carriers before his fleet arrived. Unknown to Ozawa, Kakutas strength had been greatly reduced by Allied air attacks on June 11-12. Alerted to Ozawas sailing by U.S. submarines, Admiral Raymond Spruance, commander of the U.S. 5th Fleet, had Vice Admiral Marc Mitschers Task Force 58 formed near Saipan to meet the Japanese advance. Consisting of fifteen carriers in four groups and seven fast battleships, TF-58 was intended to deal with Ozawa, while also covering the landings on Saipan. Around midnight on June 18, Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, alerted Spruance that Ozawas main body had been located approximately 350 miles west-southwest of TF-58. Realizing that continuing to steam west could lead to a night encounter with the Japanese, Mitscher asked permission to move just far enough west to be able to launch an air strike at dawn. Battle of the Philippine Sea Conflict: World War II (1939-1945)Dates: July 19-20, 1944Fleets and Commanders:AlliesAdmiral Raymond SpruanceVice Admiral Marc Mitscher7 fleet carriers, 8 light carriers, 7 battleships, 79 other warships, 28 submarinesJapaneseVice Admiral Jisaburo OzawaVice Admiral Kakuji Kakuta5 fleet carriers, 4 light carriers, 5 battleships, 43 other warshipsCasualties:Allies: 123 aircraftJapan: 3 carriers, 2 oilers, and approximately 600 aircraft (around 400 carrier, 200 land-based) Fighting Begins Concerned about being lured away from Saipan and opening the door for the Japanese slip around his flank, Spruance denied Mitschers request stunning his subordinate and his aviators. Knowing that battle was imminent, TF-58 deployed with its battleships to the west to provide an anti-aircraft shield. Around 5:50 a.m. on June 19, an A6M Zero from Guam spotted TF-58 and radioed a report to Ozawa before being shot down. Operating on this information, Japanese aircraft began taking off from Guam. To meet this threat, a group of F6F Hellcat fighters was launched. Vice Admiral Marc Mitscher.   U.S. Navy History and Heritage Command Arriving over Guam, they became engaged in a large aerial battle which saw 35 Japanese aircraft shot down. Fighting for over an hour, the American planes were recalled when radar reports showed inbound Japanese aircraft. These were the first wave of aircraft from Ozawas carriers which had launched around 8:30 a.m. While the Japanese had been able to make good their losses in carriers and aircraft, their pilots were green and lacked the skill and experience of their American counterparts. Consisting of 69 aircraft, the first Japanese wave was met by 220 Hellcats approximately 55 miles from the carriers. A Turkey Shoot Committing basic mistakes, the Japanese were knocked from the sky in large numbers with 41 of the 69 aircraft being shot down in less than 35 minutes. Their only success was a hit on the battleship USS South Dakota (BB-57). At 11:07 a.m., a second wave of Japanese aircraft appeared. Having launched shortly after the first, this group was larger and numbered 109 fighters, bombers, and torpedo bombers. Engaged 60 miles out, the Japanese lost around 70 aircraft before reaching TF-58. While they managed some near misses, they failed to score any hits. By the time the attacked ended, 97 Japanese aircraft had been downed. Fighter plane contrails mark the sky over Task Force 58, during the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot phase of the Battle of the Philippine Sea, June 29, 1944.   U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command A third Japanese attack of 47 aircraft was met at 1:00 PM with seven aircraft being downed. The remainder either lost their bearings or failed to press their attacks. Ozawas final attack launched around 11:30 a.m. and consisted of 82 aircraft. Arriving in the area, 49 failed to spot TF-58 and continued on to Guam. The rest attacked as planned, but sustained heavy losses and failed to inflict any damage on the American ships. Arriving over Guam, the first group was attacked by Hellcats as they attempted to land at Orote. During this engagement, 30 of the 42 were shot down. American Strikes As Ozawas aircraft were launching, his carriers were being stalked by American submarines. The first to strike was USS Albacore which fired a spread of torpedoes at the carrier Taiho. Ozawas flagship, Taiho was hit by one which ruptured two aviation fuel tanks. A second attack came later in the day when USS Cavella struck the carrier Shokaku with four torpedoes. As Shokaku was dead in the water and sinking, a damage control error aboard Taiho led to a series of explosions which sank the ship. Recovering his aircraft, Spruance again held off turning west in an effort to protect Saipan. Making the turn at nightfall, his search aircraft spent most of June 20 trying to locate Ozawas ships. Finally around 4:00 p.m., a scout from USS Enterprise (CV-6) located the enemy. Making a daring decision, Mitscher launched an attack at extreme range and with only hours remaining before sunset. Reaching the Japanese fleet, the 550 American aircraft sank two oilers and the carrier Hiyo in exchange for twenty aircraft. In addition, hits were scored on the carriers Zuikaku, Junyo, and Chiyoda, as well as the battleship Haruna. Japanese Carrier Division Three under attack by United States Navy aircraft from Task Force 58 in the battle of the Philippine Sea, late afternoon of June 20, 1944. U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command   Flying home in the darkness, the attackers began to run low on fuel and many were forced to ditch. To ease their return, Mitscher daringly ordered all of the lights in the fleet turned on despite the risk of alerting enemy submarines to their position. Landing over a two-hour span, the aircraft set down wherever was easiest with many landing on the wrong ship. Despite these efforts, around 80 aircraft were lost through ditching or crashes. His air arm effectively destroyed, Ozawa was ordered to withdraw that night by Toyoda. Aftermath The Battle of the Philippine Sea cost Allied forces 123 aircraft while the Japanese lost three carriers, two oilers, and approximately 600 aircraft (around 400 carrier, 200 land-based). The devastation wrought by American pilots on June 19 led one to comment Why, hell it was just like an old-time turkey shoot down home!† This led to the aerial fight earning the name The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot. With the Japanese air arm crippled, their carriers only became useful as decoys and were deployed as such at the Battle of Leyte Gulf. While many criticized Spruance for not being aggressive enough, he was commended by his superiors for his performance.

A Childs Promise.

A Childs Promise. This Friday night seemed just like any other with Mom and I lounging on the sofa watching the Grand Ole Opry. I could feel the joy that the Opry brought to my mom just by the look in her eyes as she watched, listened, and sometimes sang. Well she hummed more than she sang but that was my mom's way of singing. As we watched her eyes would glow. Sometimes I would see a sparkle. As I watched her I knew what I had to do. I hugged my mom and said "Mother, when I'm all grown up I'm going to take you there". Mom hugged me in return and said, "I'm sure that you will".As I started dinner, I turned the radio on and to my surprise the station was doing a special on The Grand Ole Opry. This brought my childhood memories roaring back. The Grand Ole Opry played on the radio in the kitchen every evening as Mom cooked dinner.English: Grand Ole Opry House, in Nashville, TN. T...She would hum and I would ask her to dance (as I had seen my father do). She would accept, especially if it were a slow song . Mom said that when it came to fast dancing she was afraid that she would break something and that with nine children she needed every thing she had to keep up with us. We would dance and at the end I would bow and say "thank you madam", she would courtesy and off I would go. Then I remembered the promise that I had made to her so many years before. I had a plan.The following morning at work I put in for a week of vacation. Next came the wait for the approval. One day turned into the next, the next into the following. I...

Online Shopping Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Online Shopping - Term Paper Example With the increased exchange of products via the internet, the economy has been able to gain tremendously. Secondly, online shopping requires the services of middle-businessmen who will transport the products to the buyers. The middlemen serve an important purpose of ensuring the products and services are availed at the most appropriate time. This creates job opportunities to the many people that are unemployed (Miller 121). With such a development, the new economy develops since there are some people that have a disposable amount of income which is spent in the economy. Therefore, it is evident that online shopping has developed the proceeds of the economy by creating job opportunities and enhancing the economy through constant exchange of products from the sellers to the buyers. Similarly, it has enabled constant flow of money in the economy since the quality of products is improved. The buyers and sellers are the first hand benefiters from online shopping. Online shopping connects buyers to sellers in a more elaborate and easy manner. First, buyers get to know the location of sellers and how they can be contacted. This eases the process of acquiring products and services. As such, the buyers will have an easy time in locating the sellers. Secondly, the buyers will not waste time looking for an appropriate supplier of the products that need (Rich 167). This is convenient to people that have a busy schedule. As such, they will spend limited time in contacting an appropriate seller of the products they need. Thirdly, buyers do not have to physically access the sellers’ shop for the products. They can make communications via the internet and provide all the information that is needed. This eases the... Online shopping has had an effect on traditional shopping in a number of aspects. First, online shopping has reduced the number of people that rely on traditional shopping. For instance, this has reduced the number of people that physically access shopping centers and the market to buy products and services. Secondly, online shopping has increased the number of people that use electronic cash transfers in buying products. This has affected traditional shopping since very few people carry hard cash. This has had negative effects on traditional shopping since impulse buying has been reduced. As such, people that do not use online selling tactics are disadvantaged. Thirdly, online shopping has changed the world in that people expect to be supplied with the products they have bought. Many people expect the products to be delivered at their homesteads and door steps after making a purchase. This affects traditional shopping negatively since it does not have such services.Though online sho pping has its favored advantages, it has a number of drawbacks. First, there are some products that are not sold online. This makes it hard for a seller to attract some customers online.

Topic to be decided summative assessment for master of midwifery Essay

Topic to be decided summative assessment for master of midwifery research methods - Essay Example However, it is worthy to note from the onset that there exist a good number of differences between the two study approaches. The existence of similarities is also another feature that this paper will attempt to bring out. It should be noted however that this paper gives precedence to the medical field specifically on midwifery and nursing. This paper attempts to look at what differentiates the two and at the same time what distances the two approaches. In this paper, the attempt is made to draw the distinctions between the two approaches. The paper will also present arguments as to why the two can be used on a complimentary scale as opposed to ignorance amongst them. In this paper the blending need will also be explored. A good medical research recognizes the interdependent nature between qualitative and quantitative research methods of inquiry. Unfortunately, having made the realization that the two methodological paradigms are quite complimentary, there exist a few stumbling blocks that make their application impossible due to some difference. To begin with, qualitative and quantitative approaches to research often use different sets of assumptions. These differences run across the fact that the two methods’ assumptions and world views are antagonistically orchestrated. To add more to this, their ways of learning differ significantly. A closer look into these assumptions delivers a view that portrays them as inevitably irreconcilable. This may explain why researchers are more often asked to focus on one of the methods while engaging in any kind of research. This is taught to allow them the freedom and the comfort to handle their daily learning and study activities. This may be the reason why the different exponents of the approaches appear to lean to their choice of approaches with little or complete disregard to the other. In that respect, the two approaches are rarely

Measles Outbreak in America Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Measles Outbreak in America - Research Paper Example Reasons for Vaccination It is difficult to comprehend why any person would want to halt or slow such progress, but maybe it is due to the misinformation of such individuals that forces people to ignore the effects of non-compliance. For starters, there is no definite treatment for measles. The only things that can be treated are the symptoms that are brought on by measles. During the post-eradication phase of measles, the highest number recorded for measles cases was as low as 37. This is according to the CDC, which was responsible for vaccinating the American public against the spread of the disease. Even the cases that were present had originated from outside the country. Since then, America is now recording its highest number of cases, which was estimated at over 600 cases at the end of the year 2014. In January 2015, over 100 cases were reported. In terms of vaccination, one dose of the MMR vaccine can last an individual a lifetime. It is meant to protect against measles, mumps, and rubella. The use of this vaccine has increased the reduction rate of measles cases by 99%. For a highly contagious disease, this is an incredible number, meaning the eradication of this disease is possible. The aim of vaccination is to elicit certain responses in the immune system, which are often similar to when one is infected with the measles pathogen. In response, the immune system produces antibodies that fight against the disease, which means the individual vaccinated does not build up any severe symptoms.