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Cognition chapter 5
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What sets the human race apart from other species on Earth? The answer can be summed up in three words; cognition, language, and creativity. We have the ability to think and create. The human race communicates in a unique way.
Imagination is a powerful thing. We can form mental images, and through perseverance and combining cognitive forces with others, we can make those images reality. No species can create on the scale that we can. Sure, a beaver can build a dam, and a spider its web; but on a global scale? Imagine what a world like that would be like.
Conceptualizing is what we do. We have an understanding of what a spider is, and what a beaver is. We categorize them into groups by creating rules, called conceptual rules. With these rules, we are able to interact with the environment. One example of conceptualizing is the beaver. If not for the nature of the beaver we would have been able to come with the idea for a dam.
Language allows ideas to grow and flourish. While other species have methods of communication, we have the ability to communicate concepts, thoughts, and memories, in an elaborate fashion that transcends all other species on the planet. Language is what truly separates us from the beasts of the world. The ability to store language on various medium, allowing us to speak to future generations, is truly awe inspiring. However, if the current dominant languages falls out of fashion, then the current problem with uncovering the secrets of the past will persist; translation.
Collaboration is an important term used in problem solving. When the human race comes across things that need to be addressed, we create a task force to deal with it. We brainstorm, and think collectively to find solutions that did not exis...
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...eases. Likewise, the environment can affect things as well, not just family. What I mean is the actual environment, such as living near a nuclear reactor, or having a contaminated drinking water source.
Lastly we go beyond psychometric intelligence and into the fields of other forms of intelligence. Here is where multiple intelligences come into play, in what Dr. Gardener of Harvard calls “Frames of Mind”. He hypothesizes that we have eight types of intelligence, or, frames of mind. We also touch base with HAL, everyone's favorite A.I.; aka artificial intelligence.
In conclusion, the subjects of intelligence, cognition, creativity, and language provide us with the tool we need to be the masters of the world. We derive all that we are from these four aspects, and with each generation we progress, further discovering and pushing the limits and potential of humankind.
Where are humans positioned on the tree of life? Are we a lowly twig or something more? As intellectually and cognitively developed as humans are it would be a mistake to categorize them as some sort of pinnacle of evolution. A mistake rooted in an ideology of human superiority that because humans are the only species known to have established cultures, built complex societies, and be fully aware of their own existence, that they are a sort of unique golden branch bearing perfect apples along the
Every species on earth has it's variants. For example, the differences between Wood Ducks and Mallards have evolved for specific reasons - namely, those which best ensure the survival of the Duck species in different environments. The same applies to humans. The Negro race has evolved under a certain set of conditions and those conditions differed vastly from those under which the Nordic Aryan race evolved. Whereas the Nordic Aryan needed warmth and shelter in the cold climates of Europe and consequently
spark came from an outside help, which soon set the whole world ablaze. From this heated inferno, came the most proficient species ever to grace the planet. And now man has to be prepared for what comes next. Arthur C. Clarke skillfully proves the point that 'truth is stranger than fiction' in his remarkable book - 2001: A Space Odyssey. He also carefully examines the point that in spite of their intelligence and curious mind, humans lack the capacity to be a complete species on their own
What kind of nature is it that allows the thought that human beings are owed some special kind of privileges and kind of treatment? In his essay “ Human dignity” Francis Fukuyama examines what sets humans apart from other species. What Fukuyama believes makes humans special is often referred to as “Factor X”; something that no other species has. Some qualities of Factor X are individual characteristics such as skin color, looks, or social class. Other components of Factor X relate to the mental capacities
Mark Twain's The Damned Human Race Within his essay of The Damned Human Race, author Mark Twain powerfully declares that the human race is both flawed and corrupt, and that people actually should be classified as 'lower animals' rather than the formerly known 'higher animals.' Twain does not hold claim to a Darwinian or creation standpoint, but rather draws conclusions from his own observations in performed experiments. He states that 'man is the cruel animal,' and that we can attribute this
The Theme of Social Progress in The Time Machine by H.G. Wells The time machine was written by H.G.Wells in 1895 and is set on new years eve, 1899 at the end of the century; the time set is significant because it is at the set of a century, and the beginning of a new time period. Other writers at the time included George Stevenson and Stoker, who wrote 'Jekyll and Hyde' and 'Dracula' respectively. Stories about science and time travelling were very popular at the time. Herbert George
What is race? What is ethnicity? What is identity? As society continues to evolve into being more liberal and open, people are learning to open to new behaviors and to discard past traditions. Subsequently, the terms of race, ethnicity, and identity are placed into a cloud of confusion where there is difficulty to tell one apart from one another. The thought in society is that we can fully choose who we want to be. However, although we have the ability to choose, we cannot choose our race because
throughout the body, but there is apart of nature that is often times overlooked or just right out ignored. Human beings while may be disconnected from nature are not separate from it, but in actuality are a part of nature. When studying nature, a person must consider the integral role the human race plays, because humanity is just as much a part of nature as bats in the night and birds in the day. There are stark differences between what humans perceive to be nature and what nature actually is,
District 9 and the other shows the oppressor during apartheid. The visuals are relatable through very similar events and issues both from the movie and from real life apartheid. P.W. Botha oppressed the black majority in South Africa during his reign through fear and control, much like how the aliens or ‘prawns’ were in District 9. The scenery is also very similar in these visuals. In the visual on the left, the aliens look angry, hungry and desperate due to the lack of support from humans. It is the same
Fledgling, the protagonist, Shori Matthews, is viewed as different. Shori is the product of an experiment that mixes Ina (vampire) and human DNA in order to let the Ina be awake during the day. This alienates Shori from other Ina, some Ina accept this alteration but others do not. Those Ina that do not accept Shori show prejudice towards her; this is not unlike what happens in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. In Frankenstein the prejudice is amplified in that everyone but the blind father of the De Lacey
Paleoanthropology is the study of human evolution and the belief that humans have evolved from primates. Humans are believed to have evolved from primates because Human beings and Primates share similarities in physical features and in genetics. However, the beliefs of the evolution of human depend on one’s commitment to a moral tradition, such as the belief that only one god created the world and everything in it. Science and religion are substantially two different aspects, yet it depends on the
argument by analogy with various civil rights movements, on the part of human beings. How does this argument go exactly, and what is Singer's precise conclusion? Is his argument successful? Why or why not? If you think it is successful, raise a residual potentially damaging objection, and respond on Singer's behalf (i.e., as a proponent of the position). And if not, how far does the argument go and/or how might it be improved? What has Singer taught us here, if anything?" Singer makes a three-part argument
Humans have been evolving ever since they first appeared on this earth. Evolution occurs over a very long period of time and it is hard for humans to believe that evolution is still taking place. It is difficult to imagine a future world where humans look and behave differently than we do today. We believe that the human race is constant. Although it is true that change in the human race occurred before our years on this earth, we believe that humankind has reached its plateau and has finished its
What is Science? Why this class is called “The Way of Science” is becoming clearer to me. I am learning that there is a particular process to finding scientific results called the scientific method. That Science is the accumulation of data that has been tested and re-tested through observation and experiments, and that Science can explain the phenomenon of the physical and natural world. I would like to start with the actual definition of science as obtained from http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/science
Latin for “wise man” or “knowing man”. But most people instead identify themselves as humans or people. What makes someone a person? For some a human is a being who looks, talks, breathes, eats and drinks like they do; a mirror image of themselves. For others a human is a being with emotions; capable of feeling hurt, regret, love, happiness etcetera. The scientific definition of a human is the only living species in the Homo genus, with a highly developed brain that is capable of abstract problem