College Admissions Essay - The Search for Truth
Whoever said that we were supposed to take everything on faith? Not God, that's for certain. He's always told us to try it for ourselves, and see if it makes our lives better. I'll never forget the day my high school chemistry teacher had a nervous breakdown because he tried to understand a universe where there was no God, whatsoever. (That is true, to my knowledge, by the way.)
I've always been surprised how much faith people put in science, though. Many of the greatest scientists believed in God, and my speculation as to why, is that those scientists knew just how amazing it was that they could discover an equation to measure gravity, or one that made energy and matter that same. People, of course, had no idea what they had on their hands and worship it today as if it were God. Those scientists knew very well, after all their work, that any theory they produced was only awaiting its demise. The values that when put to the test, would prove it wrong. And then they'd find their mistake and fix it.
People have made something of a religion out of science these days. People treat it as a burden, rather than the enlightenment it is, but they also treat those far advanced in it, as infallible and beyond mortal ken. Not so bad as the inquisition days, believe you me! But the Inquisition really only went underground, to explode again as science, this time trying to kill faith instead of logic. Luckily, the new inquisition only condemns people to a life of fear and hate, instead of religious bigotry, or even real religion, like being nice.
Between 1450 and 1750, political, economic, and artistic changes affected Western Europe. Politically, in the 1400's parts of Europe had a feudalistic government and feudal monarchies but overtime Europe adapted to absolute monarchies, parliamentary monarchies, and nation-states. Economically, with feudalism declining, capitalism and mercantilism grew with the commercial revolution. In the arts, there was a change from the mostly religious art of the middle Ages to the Renaissance focus on realism, and humanistic ideas during the enlightenment revolution, also new scientific ideas during the scientific revolution.
The period 1550 to 1660 was a period of extreme dislocation and major change, within which saw periods boom and bust in various regions across Europe. This was followed by a much quieter period in the later 17th century that most economic historians would call recessionary. Along with the religious consequences of the Reformation and Counter Reformation came deep and lasting political changes. Northern Europe’s new religious and political freedoms came at a great cost, with decades of rebellions, wars and bloody
In the summer of 1788, France was on the brink of revolution. Thousands were starving and peasant revolts were popping up all over the country. At this time, French government and society was in a period called the “Old Regime,” where mobility between classes was nearly unheard of. A person born into aristocracy was lucky, while one born into poverty would most likely struggle for their entire life. Women’s roles were “strictly defined,” no matter what class they were a part of (Streissguth 6). Before the revolution, most women did not question where their place was: in the home. It was very rare for a woman to work outside the domestic sphere, because they did not have as much freedom as men, even men in the lower class. In May of 1789, France had fallen into deep economic turmoil and public unrest was high, forcing the king to call the Estates General. The Estates General, according to Thomas Streis...
Many women were drawn into the revolution as consumers. Since men were not home they were the main people to maintain the colonial economy. They had furthered rebellions by eagerly participating in boycotts of the 1760s and the 1770s (Oakes, James). Women identified with the goals of the revolution and often led riots against merchants being unfair with what they are selling. Women also decided it was time to point out political ideals. Some pointed out that the right to be taxed should be applied to one’s own representation too (Oakes, James). In the book Of the People, Abagail said, “If ladies are not cared for and paid attention then rebellions will start on their behalf” (Oakes, James). The revolution challenged the idea the woman lacked independent minds since there weren’t allowed to think for themselves. Reformers, many of them women argued that if women appeared incapable or not seeming intelligent, it...
...hnson, Levy. Women in Revolutionary Paris, 1789–1795. “Police Reports on Disturbances over Food Supplies (February 1793)”. University of Illinois Press, 1979.
The French Revolution was a period of time in which France underwent many changes, many which could be considered revolutionary. France’s whole system and way of being was completely changed. New ideas were proposed everyday. An idea is revolutionary when it is a new idea, when it is something that has never been thought of before. The Declaration of the Rights of Women written by Olympe de Gouges on September 1791, was one of the ideas proposed to the National Assembly (Hunt, Web 1). The document proposed that since the French Revolution was all about finding equality for all people, women should be equal to men and therefore, should have the same rights as men did. Women at the time live in terrible conditions. They had little access to education, and therefore could not enter professional occupations that required advanced education, were legally deprived of the right to vote, and were not considered citizens (Class Discussion Notes). If equal rights were not given to women, the French Revolution had not reached its full potential, according to Gouges. She expressed this idea in her document, saying, “This revolution will only take effect when all women become fully aware of their deplorable condition, and of the rights they have lost in society” (Gouges, Web). Anyone that questioned the Revolution was immediately put to death (Class Discussion Notes). If Gouges’ document and ideas were important enough to catch the attention of the National Assembly and for her to be put to death, her ideas could be considered important and revolutionary (Britannica, Web 1) But, the document was not revolutionary. The Declaration of the Rights of Women was not a revolutionary document because its ideas were taken from other people and were no...
There are some theories that science cannot prove. Science explains all of the logical and natural things in life through observation and experimentation. Religion explains all of the spiritual and mystical things in life. Religion is the belief and worshipping of a supernatural force like God. Jane Goodall is an outlier in the science industry. She believes in God and is also a scientist. Most scientists are only agnostic or atheists. Scientists only have one viewpoint. They only think logically and try to prove the existence of things. Religious people believe in a higher power that created everything and control everything. Jane Goodall has the perfect philosophy. When science is the only “window” someone bases their life on, there are drawbacks because there are a lot of things science cannot explain, logically. When religion is the only “window” someone bases their life on, there are drawbacks because there are a lot of things religion cannot explain, spiritually. When a person bases their life on both science and religion, more mysteries are answered. When both science and religion is part of a person’s philosophy, there are no drawbacks because they either support each other’s claims, do not explain each other, or supports one but not the
St. Augustine said in the beginning of this chapter, “My desire was not to be more certain of you but to be more stable in you (pg. 133).” One remaining thing that was preventing him from converting is becoming a member of the Church. St. Augustine now possessed a good understanding of God and the perception of evil and considered himself on the path of Christianity, but was still unable to get past becoming a full member of the church. When talking to Simplicianus one thing resonated within St. Augustine that he had said, “I shall not believe that or count you among the Christians unless I see you in the Church of Christ (pg. 136).” St. Augustine was ready to believe in Christ, but was looking for a reason, something that would push him over the edge to devoutly follow Christ and leave his last doubts in the past. He still struggled with the desires of his flesh and the desires of the spirit and has continued to try and find rest in this struggle. Not long after his conversation with Simplicianus he meets with another friend Ponticianus. He tells St. Augustine a story about two men, friends of his, who went on a trip to a monastery and during their trip their eyes were opened and both came to Christ and began to serve him from that moment on.
Nelson, Walter E. Small Wonder: The Amazing Story of the Volkswagen. (Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1970). 213-220.
Fulbrook, Mary. A Concise History of Germany. 2nd ed. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press, 2004. Print.
All of my life I have been a city girl, but I moved to Santa Rosa when I was about 13. Up until I was about 16, I lived there permanently. I used to switch back and forth from parent to parent all of the time. When I first started high school, I went to Piner High and, in my junior year, I went to Montgomery and, from there, to a continuation school. I am currently now back at Piner. I had to basically kick and scream to get back into my regular high school--as you can see there is some drama behind the scene.
The Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century is one of the most complex movements in European history since the fall of the Roman Empire. The Reformation truly ends the Middle Ages and begins a new era in the history of Western Civilization. The Reformation ended the religious unity of Europe and ushered in 150 years of religious warfare. By the time the conflicts had ended, the political and social geography in the west had fundamentally changed. The Reformation would have been revolutionary enough of itself, but it coincided in time with the opening of the Western Hemisphere to the Europeans and the development of firearms as effective field weapons. It coincided, too, with the spread of Renaissance ideals from Italy and the first stirrings of the Scientific Revolution. Taken together, these developments transformed Europe.
The experience of the APEC Youth Science festival was incredible. It has had an enormous impact on me in many ways, changing the way I look at the world and connecting me with people and events far beyond my formerly limited experience. I am extremely glad to have had this opportunity. It was a wonderful experience on multiple levels. It challenged me and expanded me intellectually and socially. I feel that this experience has had an immense impact on me.
I have always had a passion to learn. My interest is in political theory and economics, hoping someday to become a lawyer and stateswoman. I realize that in order to reach any of these goals, a college degree is vital. When I in turn reach my goals, I will use them to encourage and uplift my community by investing my time, money, energy, and influence to become a stepping stone for others.
The contributions of the civilizations of Mesopotamia in the Fertile Crescent, classical China, ancient Greece, and the Roman Empire laid the foundations for living in the modern world. Breakthroughs in a multitude of fields, including art, architecture, math, science, philosophy, law, government and others are crucial to the way people live all over the world. Although these ancient civilizations may seem primitive today, they shaped the progress of the world for many centuries.