Scene: In an artificial bubble on the surface of Ganymede (one of Jupiter's moons), an alien explorer describes the planet "Earth" to his species.
Can you give us a general picture of Earth and its inhabitants?
The planet is rather pretty, with lots of natural resources. "Fertile" isn't too strong a word, especially when compared with most places in the local system. There are lots of energy sources, easily accessed, and lots of chemical resources as well. And we think this fertility is why the Earth's inhabitants the "humans" have such distorted ideas about reality.
You mean like the silica worms on Venus, who, because they can't see through their atmosphere, have the idea that their planet is the entire universe?
No, the humans are much worse. They can see and study the entire universe, but they still think they are the center of everything, that their planet is the reason the universe exists.
(collective gasp from audience)
But only the young humans, the larvae, have these distorted ideas, right?
No, that would be true here, but on Earth even old humans have a larval view of reality. Some never mature beyond expecting a deity, or a government, or nature herself, to satisfy their craving for transformation.
What is this transformation? Don't they understand what they are?
Not in the slightest. They believe they are super-beings, or are mystically connected to a super-being, so everything is simultaneously temporary and unsatisfactory, to be someday replaced by fame, justice, immortality, or something called "true love."
Do any of them have our concept of nature as a connected whole, of which all are a part? How do their beliefs differ?
The earthlings have it exactly backward. They think nature exists for them, designed to meet their needs, not that they are part of nature, as we understand it
(another gasp)
But it is much worse than that. They can't understand why nature won't meet their most trivial needs, and they are possessed by dissatisfaction. If they look at their planet's moon, it is unsatisfactory because they can't build a house on it. Everything is too hot or too cold, too big or too small. Reality is viewed solely in terms of a human's immediate needs.
How did they stay so backward for so long?
Mostly by looking in the wrong places. You may not believe this, but many of them...
... middle of paper ...
...vilized state in which they are now living. They don't understand that science is the moral property of all thinking creatures.
Well, at least they realize they are in transition between the world of animals and intelligent beings?
No, actually they think they are intelligent beings, with no supporting evidence at all. Humans study the geological record of species that have been transformed to meet new requirements, but they don't realize they are themselves in the midst of such a transformation.
Can we help them? Can we share any part of our knowledge base with them, ease them toward intelligent behavior?
No, I cannot recommend that. They would only use our tools to kill each other, and our ideas would either confuse or frighten them. I recommend that we stay out of their view, as the other advanced species have decided to do, and let them wake up by themselves, in their own good time.
Thank you for your report. Make it so. It is requested that none of our craft approach Earth, or become visible from there. Send out this request: Stay away from Earth, they must show evidence of civilized behavior before we can allow them to join our community in the stars.
(applause)
they also wonder how they can make the place they live in a better place for everybody to live
In recent years, many have debated whether or not a college education is a necessary requirement to succeed in the field of a persons’ choice and become an outstanding person in society. On one hand, some say college is very important because one must contribute to society. The essay Three Reasons College Still Matters by Andrew Delbanco shows three main reasons that students should receive their bachelor’s degree. On the other hand, many question the point of wasting millions of dollars on four years or maybe more to fight for highly competitive jobs that one might not get. Louis Menand wrote an article based on education titled Re-Imagining Liberal Education. This article challenges the main thought many americans have after receiving a secondary education. Louis Menand better illustrates the reasons why a student should rethink receiving a post secondary education better than Andrew Delbanco’s three reasons to continue a person’s education.
For example, to make people aware that breast cancer can affect even young women, thefaceofbreastcancer.com printed a poster portraying the faces of fifty different women all under the age of 41 who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. The words “Your sister,” “You,” “Your friend,” are highlighted sporadically throughout the poster. The phrase “Have a lump or pain? Regardless of age, CHECK IT OUT NOW!” is also highlighted in the midst of all the women’s ...
only feel but live the demands that society and their family have placed on them.
Janz, K. N., Majahid, S. M., Hawley, T. S., Griggs, J. J., Hamilton, S. A., Katz, J. S. (2008). Racial/ethnic differences in adequacy of information and support for women with breast cancer. American Cancer Society, 113, 1058-67.
You hardly ever seen anyone get close to the Radley gate and the children stayed as far away as they could, but after accidentally rolling a tire into the Radley gate, when trying to get Jem to retrieve it Scout exclaimed, “Go on inside, it’s not that far.” Jem was panic-stricken and seem to be walking on cold feet by thinking that Boo’d come out and get him or something. No one had ever went that close to the Radley’s house because it seemed to be a near death experience. The night Miss Maudie’s house caught on fire, Jem and Scout were standing in front of the Radley gate in the cold, and later discovered there was a blanket placed on Scout. “Boo Radley,” said Atticus. The thought of almost being able to see Boo for the first time intrigued her. Scout seems be in a daze since she came that close to Boo, but also seems to wonder how he did it. He was the type of person to blow one’s mind.
I realized after analyzing this essay that even in the darkest depths of my mind I too am trapped in my own Black Lagoon. A Creature that haunts me from my childhood lingers in and out of my subconscious thought. As a child you never succumb to the thoughts of your biggest fear because it could change at any given moment. Your biggest fear as an adult stays with you and drains you mentally, physically, and emotionally. The Creature you adopt as an adult plays against your weak imagination and weighs you down into the depths of your ceaseless Black
we look at the universe. The point however is to not hold these people in
The purpose of this assignment was to interview someone who is more than 30 years of age and who is of a different race than oneself. Research on the person being interviewed ethnic background had to be conduct, in addition to, materials covered in class and previous experiences were compiled into 7-10 open ended questions that were discussed during the interview. Below you would see the seven interview questions that were discussed, the answers given, and a biographical piece that bring everything together.
In this example, two primates were placed behind either a transparent or an opaque screen. Between these screens was a banana and I learned how a primate reacted when approached with the option if he should go for the banana when put against a dominant primate. I was impressed that they didn’t engage in a brawl over the banana, but instead used thought in regard to hierarchy. This to me, without doubt, proves once more that primates are able to produce complex behaviors that relate to humans. Thinking like this insinuates that primates as well as creatures other than humans have the ability of using
Human, by nature doesn´t like the unknown, and he has this innate will and motivation to reduce in order to feel more comfortable
When Pepperberg began her dialogue with Alex, who died last September at the age of 31, many scientists believed animals were incapable of any thought. They were simply machines, robots programmed to react to stimuli but lacking the ability to think or feel. Any pet owner would disagree. We
Among the many plots within the story, many of them surround Boo Radley or attempting to have Boo Radley come out of his house. In these stories show Jem, Scout, and Dill are terrified of the Radley house and what be inside. However, they are mistaken, for Boo Radley wants to do the exact opposite of scaring the children. For example, Boo tries to show friendship to Scout and Jem by leaving them gifts in the tree outside of his house. These gifts include dolls, gum, a knife, a watch, etc. Boo also is thought to have wrapped Scout in a blanket during the chapter in which Miss Maudie’s house had burned down. Boo Radley is thought to have done it because Atticus says “Boo Radley. You were so busy looking at the fire you didn’t know it when he put the blanket around you.” (Lee 96) supporting the fact that Boo Radley was looking out for Scout. Lastly, Boo Radley saved Scout and Jem when they were attacked by Bob Ewell. This heroic effort was not only full of care, but also, full of
Breast cancer is a malignant tumor that starts in the cells of the breast. A malignant tumor is a group of cancer cells that can grow into (invade) surrounding tissues or spread (metastasize) to distant areas of the body. The disease occurs almost entirely in women, but men can get it, too (What is Breast Cancer, 2015). The purpose of this evaluation is to introduce the audience to breast cancer; discuss risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis; address the mind- body connection of breast cancer and suggestions for prevention and treatment; and provide an overview of breast cancer in social cognitive theory framework. Lastly, one alternative intervention for breast cancer will be highlighted in accordance with the social cognitive
Animals can be perceived in many different ways. While some humans consider animals to be mindless machines programmed with instinct, others view them as spiritual creatures capable of coherent thought and emotions. I feel that animals are somewhere in the middle. Although they rely heavily on instinct, the ability to feel emotions shows that their mental capacity is not far from that of a human.