Michael Dawson's Tri-Level Hypothesis and Cognitive Science

• November 30, 2003
• James Skemp

Michael Dawson, in his book Understanding Cognitive Science attempts to provide a basic understanding of cognitive science, specifically by dealing with and using the "tri-level" hypothesis. For this paper, I will be discussing the tri-level hypothesis and what it tells us about cognitive science. One of the major problems in any science is the problem of discussing the findings within a set field with people outside of the field. Because of this problem, time is instead spent on some lesser subjects, such as sports and the weather.

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On the Saying 'Change is Good'

• November 24, 2003
• James Skemp

I recently, while daydreaming yet again in a class, happened upon the phrase residing on the side of a McDonald's cup stating that "Change is Good". I, of course, am quite familiar with this saying, however, I was a tad confused. Because of this confusion, I decided that it would be best for me to go ahead and examine the saying "Change is Good" in order to see just what was meant by this saying.

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Written on a piece of paper: November 17 2003

• November 17, 2003
• James Skemp

January 2, 2009: The following was written on a piece of paper I recently found (again), dated Nov 17th 2003. Might as well type them up and trash the paper ... 'U.S.' versus 'Them' While most people believe that the popular saying "us versus them" means, or says, that it's you with anyone else versus those contrary to you in some regard - the 'thems.' However, it is not so much that is you and your group versus 'them' as it is the United States versus 'them' - namely those that are not the allies of the United States, but sometimes even the allies of the United States.

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Beyond the Biological Imperative

• October 30, 2003
• James Skemp

Quite a few years ago I took a lower level Introduction to Biology course in college. While I did pretty bad in the course, I did learn quite a few things. One of the things that I learned was about the 'Biological Imperative'. The 'Biological Imperative', as I now understand it - whether or not it was taught like this - is that all biological beings are born/created (not in the 'Creation' sense, but rather as a way to express plants, which are not born, per se, and some animals, which are hatched, and are not, per se, born) with certain desires/strivings. These strivings are applicable to any, and all, biological entities. For this article, I'd like to discuss the Biological Imperative in various ways. First, I'd like to describe what I believe the Biological Imperative is, at it's fundamental root - at a level basic, and truly applicable, to any and all biological entities. Then, I'd like to mention how culture appears to fit into all of this, bringing in Philosophy when possible and applicable.

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Schopenhauer's Relationship with Aesthetic Contemplation and Asceticism

• October 22, 2003
• James Skemp

Starting from the truth that "the world is my representation" [3], Arthur Schopenhauer's The World as Will and Representation lays down what Schopenhauer believes the world is. After determining that the world is not only representation, but also will, he goes on to discuss how this all works together, and how other philosophers work into this system. For this paper, I will be focusing on the relationship between aesthetic contemplation and asceticism within this work.

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Hegel and Plato's Principle of Activation: The Dialectic

• September 29, 2003
• James Skemp

According to Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, the dialectic "is in general the principle of all motion, of all life, and of all activation in the actual world", as well as "the soul of all genuinely scientific cognition." [1: 171] In other words, Hegel believes that the dialectic is the soul - the spirit one may say - of scientific cognition, or thought, as per the second quote. Because of this, if one wants to perform science, if one wants to study, and understand, the world around oneself, the dialectic must be used, and understood.

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A Response to Marilyn Adamson's Article Titled 'Is There A God?'

• August 27, 2003
• James Skemp

"Just once wouldn't you love for someone to simply show you the evidence for God's existence? No armtwisting. No statements of, "You just have to believe." Well, here is an attempt to candidly offer some of the reasons which suggest that God exists." [1] Sounds like an interesting, and bold, statement. After all, people have been attempting to prove God's existence by use of reason almost as long, and as much, as they have been using force to.

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On the Saying 'Idle Hands are the Devil's Tools'

• June 2, 2003
• James Skemp

It is said that "Idle Hands Are The Devil's Tools", meaning that when one is bored, one tends to get into trouble. I have a problem, or concern, with this statement however. Let's say I'm bored and I end up setting fire to a kerosene soaked blanket which ends up leading to my home becoming engulfed in flames. Now, if we want to get technical, which is exactly what I want to do, then as soon as my hands are no longer idle - as soon as I begin to do something with my hands - they are not the devil's tools, right?

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On the Saying "The Customer is Always Right"

• May 19, 2003
• James Skemp

One of the most heard sayings in the customer service business is "the customer is always right". The common meaning of this statement is that no matter what the customer says, they are to be treated as though they are correct. Let us take an example. Customer orders a burger with no ketchup and with no cheese. They ask for it to be this way. Then, after getting their burger, they come up to the counter and say that they didn't get the cheese on the burger, even though they asked for it.

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Religion and Medieval Philosophy: Final Text Analysis

• May 14, 2003
• James Skemp

Another version of this, slightly updated it seems, is also available, titled Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologica and the Question of the Will. Whenever I think about Medieval Philosophy, from this point on after taking this class, I will also think about religion. When I think about religion I think about God and free will. So, since I need to have a topic for this final analysis, I decided that I should probably take one of these topics, and find some writer who would be the best to analysis in this area.

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