tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-198803932011-11-14T11:33:28.572-05:00"He who breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." --Gandalf, "Lord of the Rings"Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872915594038555540noreply@blogger.comBlogger341100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19880393.post-1161731129168752672006-10-24T18:56:00.000-04:002006-10-24T19:05:29.180-04:00

I haven't made a post in a while, and so let me write about what's been on my mind lately: a one-line lyric from Bruuuuuce's "Lost in the Flood".In the original version of LitF, as recorded on "Greetings from Asbury Park", Springsteen sings:"Hey man, did you see that, those poor cats are sure messed up"But then, listening to versions of the song recorded in both 1999/2000 as well as 2005, the

Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872915594038555540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19880393.post-1158193377312752062006-09-13T19:10:00.000-04:002006-09-13T20:22:57.363-04:00

"What I'm imagining here is not that each of us has a budget of memories implanted in special therapeutic sessions by state-appointed psychiatrists, but rather that small numbers of people will have so much control over news stories, history books, and deeply affecting images as to work major changes in collective attitudes." (p. 414)"In every country, we should be teaching our children the

Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872915594038555540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19880393.post-1156962682725678282006-08-30T13:27:00.000-04:002006-08-30T15:49:09.253-04:00

When we are asked to swear in American courts of law -- that we will tell "the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth" -- we are being asked the impossible. It is simply beyond our powers. Our memories are fallible; even scientific truth is merely an approximation; and we are ignorant about nearly all of the Universe. (p. 295) And there you have it once again: our perception and

Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872915594038555540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19880393.post-1156214815939676062006-08-21T22:23:00.000-04:002006-08-21T22:46:55.976-04:00

If you have a PS2, I beg of you: buy Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty now! Buy it not just for the gameplay (and it is an awesome game) but buy it for the ToK factor: the plot. I was amazed to find out that a game could have such a deep, philosophical plot, dealing with the very nature of our existence. Here's an example of dialogue demonstrating my point:Snake: There's no such thing in the

Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872915594038555540noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19880393.post-1156020241172287512006-08-19T16:23:00.000-04:002006-08-19T16:44:01.186-04:00

With the recent arrest of John Karr as the suspected killer of JonBenet Ramsey, a story has resurfaced regarding the sketch which a psychic drew of the visions she had of JonBenet's killer for the Ramsey family. What has caused this to resurface is that the sketch which she drew bears remarkable resemblence to Karr. In addition to this, the woman who drew it also gave correct pshychic information

Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872915594038555540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19880393.post-1155685001333750192006-08-15T19:16:00.000-04:002006-08-15T19:36:41.366-04:00

As I mentioned in my post below about The Demon-Haunted World, Dr. Sagan brings up a very interesting point regarding History: "Is what we know as History the truth behind the events?" As he points out, there is no way to recounstruct the events, especially those of ancient times, and in many cases History is biased in order to justify a country's own actions. As I was doing some of my other

Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872915594038555540noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19880393.post-1155340085715050102006-08-11T19:42:00.000-04:002006-08-15T19:37:36.946-04:00

"When governments and societies lose the capacity for critical thinking, the results can be catastrophic--however sympathetic we may be to those who have bought the baloney." (p. 209)There is one thing every man, woman and child in this country needs: a "Baloney Detection Kit". The "Baloney Detection Kit" may sound familiar to some of you because it was given to all of us (Dr. Crane's ToK

Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872915594038555540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19880393.post-1154479763346798922006-08-01T20:11:00.000-04:002006-08-01T20:50:32.750-04:00

I'm a Lord of the Rings nerd and proud of it. I'm currently delving deeper into the story behind Lord of the Rings by reading The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien for my Extended Essay. This book is a compilation of letters written by Tolkien (the author of LotR) to his family, friends, fans and literary critics. Quite a few letters have stuck with me and I've dog-eared everyone of them for future

Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872915594038555540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19880393.post-1154204726602545042006-07-29T15:35:00.000-04:002006-07-31T01:43:48.993-04:00

"Why should we suppose that, of the vast treasure of memories stored in our heads, none of it could have been implanted after the event--by how a question is phrased when we're in a suggestible frame of mind, by the pleasure of telling or hearing a good story, by confusion with something we once read or overheard?"(The Demon-Haunted World, P. 168)"Unfortunately--and, for some people, unbelievably

Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872915594038555540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19880393.post-1153241711252911802006-07-18T12:52:00.001-04:002006-07-18T13:13:30.876-04:00

One of my all-time favorite TV characters is Archie Bunker All in the Family. He's a very interesting man to say the very least. As I was watching an episode yesterday, Archie said the following and I thought to myself: "Should I even begin to count the logical fallacies?" "I didn't swear! God Dammit. The first word is God. How can that be a swear word? It's the most popular word in the Bible.

Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872915594038555540noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19880393.post-1152741192298454632006-07-12T17:37:00.000-04:002006-07-15T21:35:22.793-04:00

"Science is more than a body of knowledge; it is a way of thinking."(Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World P. 25)"Science is far from a perfect instrument of knowledge. It's just the best we have." (P. 27)These quotes are perhaps the best summary of the beliefs of Dr. Carl Sagan in the first five chapters of The Demon-Haunted World. The case is very well made that our society is not a skeptical one

Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872915594038555540noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19880393.post-1150844583801283942006-06-20T18:40:00.000-04:002006-06-20T19:04:21.490-04:00

I started Carl Sagan's The Demon-Haunted World a few minutes ago by reading the Preface. I really liked this one quote and I thought I should post it on my blog:In high school, extracting square roots was offered reverentially, as if it were a method once handed down from Mt. Sinai. It was our job merely to remember what we had been commmanded. Get the right answer, and never mind that you don't

Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872915594038555540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19880393.post-1150322331717126432006-06-14T17:24:00.000-04:002006-06-14T17:58:51.776-04:00

All I have to say is WOW! I was really amazed by the movie Memento and it surely will have a spot in my DVD collection. While searching for Memento in Google, I came across the official website of Christopher Nolan, the director. On his website, there is a really interesting article about Sammy Jenkis. It reads:Remember Sammy Jenkis. One of the most prominent and maybe the mostimportant of

Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872915594038555540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19880393.post-1150323068703072712006-06-14T17:00:00.000-04:002006-06-14T18:11:08.703-04:00

As I was listening to a new Bruce Springsteen song (or actually an old Pete Seeger song sung by Bruce), I felt the need to link to it on this blog, especially since it deals with History, an Area of Knowledge. It's entitled "Bring 'Em Home", an anti-war song, originally written by Pete Seeger as protest to the Vietnam War. I just found it interesting that same lyrics (with a few changes) sung

Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872915594038555540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19880393.post-1150076069586196702006-06-11T21:30:00.000-04:002006-06-11T21:34:29.596-04:00

Here's a great example of perception at work: an optical illusion. Look at the following picture from your computer chair. Then, get up and, while still looking at the picture, slowly walk back. What happens in VERY cool:

Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872915594038555540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19880393.post-1150072975665788832006-06-11T20:17:00.000-04:002006-06-11T20:42:55.676-04:00

Since I will be reading Carl Sagan's The Demon-Haunted World for my ToK summer reading, I thought a good way to prepare would be to look into skepticism, a main topic of the book. There is a great article on SkepticReport.com about psychics and how the media validates the "abilities" of psychics through bringing them in to solve murders (sounds like an appeal to authority logical fallacy to me).

Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872915594038555540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19880393.post-1148436215007210842006-05-23T21:20:00.000-04:002006-05-23T22:05:30.083-04:00

As I was searching the web, I came across a document which I haven't read in a while: Pope Benedict XVI's beautifully written Encyclical, Deus Cartias Est (God is Love). From the English translation, let me ask you: what is love? Pope Benedict writes:God's love for us is fundamental for our lives, and it raises important questions about who God is and who we are. In considering this, we

Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872915594038555540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19880393.post-1148044178088346492006-05-19T08:59:00.000-04:002006-05-19T09:09:38.103-04:00

Langauge seems to be quite a common discussion in ToK and I seems like langauge has taken the forefront in politics lately. With the immigration debate, there have been countless discussions regarding both the English and Spanish language and their place in the United States. In particular, there was a debate in the Senate yesterday about the English lanaguge and whether it should be the "

Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872915594038555540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19880393.post-1145924237839973792006-04-24T20:08:00.000-04:002006-04-24T20:18:32.756-04:00

I know this dosen't have much to do with ToK, but I just want to recommend the CD "The Seeger Sessions" by my favorite musician, the Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen. I've been streaming it online for the past 2 weeks and it is AWESOME. It's a great mixture of Folk, Blues and Gospel music; there really is something for everyone. I have to say that it is a truly remarkable album.

Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872915594038555540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19880393.post-1145409701721525382006-04-18T21:16:00.000-04:002006-04-18T21:24:03.306-04:00

As I was looking for a senior quote for myself, I couldn't help but relate a quote from Pope John Paul II to ToK class:"Science can purify religion from error and superstition. Religion canpurify science from idolatry and false absolutes.”That is a very interesting perspective on the relationship between science and religion.

Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872915594038555540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19880393.post-1144260350136927972006-04-05T13:59:00.000-04:002006-04-05T23:33:16.640-04:00

After our discussion today, I remembered an article I read yesterday regarding a scientist attempting to answer the question: "How did Jesus walk on water?" The scientist's explanation: He walked on ice. Read it here.

Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872915594038555540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19880393.post-1144191536484816842006-04-04T18:47:00.000-04:002006-04-04T18:59:53.776-04:00

Here is a really interesting article regarding a very common "Problem of Knowledge": If you take medication to relieve pain, and the pain subsides, do you truly know if the pill works?

Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872915594038555540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19880393.post-1143677282319260652006-03-29T18:54:00.000-05:002006-03-29T19:35:37.870-05:00

After our discussion in class today, I couldn't help but look into why exactly the Sacrament of Confirmation is received at the age it is now. I came across this essay as to why Confirmation is received at that age and I totally agree with it. The "age of discretion" (about the age of 7) is the absolute perfect time to receive Confirmation. Below are a few excerpts which highlight the reasons (my

Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872915594038555540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19880393.post-1143675752671599582006-03-29T18:16:00.000-05:002006-03-29T18:48:32.020-05:00

Here is a great example of culture when it's perceived in a different way than intended to. As you may or may not know, there was a recent controversy in which Justice Antonin Scalia made a so-called "obscene" gesture to reporters after attending mass at the Holy Cross Cathedral. The media (in particular the Boston Herald) claimed that Justice Scalia gave them the middle finger whereas Justice

Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872915594038555540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19880393.post-1141868904165017412006-03-08T20:45:00.000-05:002006-03-08T20:48:24.180-05:00

I was doing some browsing this evening and came across this awesome website with tons of optical illusions. It's pretty neat to see the illusions and the explanations provided as to why we see what we see for most of them. It's definitely work checking out when you get the time.

Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872915594038555540noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19880393.post-1141867961741000542006-03-08T19:53:00.000-05:002006-03-08T20:33:01.126-05:00

Boy do I need new eyes: I was not aware of the easel nor the line delineating the canvas from the actual ocean upon my first look at the painting. I think that is a good place to start an analysis of the painting: what we see at first may not be what is truly there. This was the case when I began to think about the painting, as I was sort of lost as to what the painting could mean. Then, I

Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872915594038555540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19880393.post-1139962866946004082006-02-14T19:19:00.000-05:002006-03-08T19:46:49.480-05:00

Here is a fascinating study on how babies may know basic mathematical concepts.

Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872915594038555540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19880393.post-1139629426194570062006-02-10T22:40:00.000-05:002006-02-10T22:43:46.210-05:00

This article is a great example of one of the Ways of Knowing: Language. It's pretty neat to read how the "in-words" change over time and what words meant 40 years ago, such as cool, may have diffferent meanings now.

Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872915594038555540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19880393.post-1138766960461152812006-01-31T22:49:00.000-05:002006-01-31T23:09:20.476-05:00

As I was skimming through the masterpiece which is The Lord of the Rings tonight, I came upon this quote, which directly relates to the thirst that we, as humans have for knowledge:"But I should like to know---" Pippin began."Mercy!" cried Gandalf. "If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want

Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872915594038555540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19880393.post-1137723045977372732006-01-19T20:49:00.000-05:002006-01-19T22:48:53.810-05:00

The Four Ways of Knowing: Emotion, Reason, Perception and Language. These Ways of Knowing play a major part in each and every one of our daily lives. One such example of this is seen in this article from the New York Times, which examines the thoughts regarding disease in America.In America, we are generally more concerned with the bigger diseases, however uncommon they may be. When is the last

Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872915594038555540noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19880393.post-1136757785598002602006-01-08T17:03:00.000-05:002006-01-08T22:24:15.136-05:00

I love it when my favorite things can relate to class! While looking for some music to listen to this afternoon, I found this great song by the "Man in Black" himself, Johnny Cash. It poses a whole more questions than answers (as does ToK class)Let's see how new technology works now-a-days:"What Is Truth" - Johnny CashAfter listening to the song, I can't help but ask myself: "What is truth?" What

Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872915594038555540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19880393.post-1136426256372834922006-01-04T20:37:00.000-05:002006-01-05T23:15:32.130-05:00

I know there had been much discussion about the "War on Christmas" during the Christmas season (and in our ToK class) but I think there is another even more sinister war going on: the War on Christianity itself. This is seen most recently in this case being brought up in the Italian court system.I have to say right off the bat that the plantiff in this case is an absolute lunatic. There IS

Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872915594038555540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19880393.post-1135462805792410962005-12-24T17:00:00.000-05:002005-12-24T17:22:34.516-05:00

Howdy-ho! Merry Christmas to everyone!You'll notice on the sidebar some links. Some are blogs I regularly check, others are sources for news and yet others are sites that I find interesting; a majority of these links directly link (get it...link? hehe) to Theory of Knowledge class. Hope you get the chance to check these very cool links out!Wisdom quote for this post:"Miracles are not contrary to

Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872915594038555540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19880393.post-1134612708875181612005-12-14T21:10:00.000-05:002005-12-19T20:21:22.800-05:00

Welcome to Justin's ToK blog.Lord of the Rings Wisdom:"Do not be too eager to deal out death and judgment. Even the very wise cannot see all ends.”

Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02872915594038555540noreply@blogger.com0