What Is Thayer?

There are a number of universities in the United States that offer a liberal arts education. These particular universities encompass philosophy and theology as a part of their core curriculum. By taking such courses, students are enabled to learn and understand more about the world around them, as well as whom they are. A question concerning the existence of God and the role of each individual in society gives rise to speculation. In his article “Why Study Philosophy and Theology”, Dr. Peter Kreeft makes a bold claim which indicates that “anyone who is simply not interested in these questions is less than fully human…” He explains this claim by providing a continuing chain of arguments, in which each argument breaks down the proper reasoning

The aforementioned parable with the fish asking “What the hell is water?” is one example, and so his another story in which an Atheist and a Christian are arguing about the existence of God. The Atheist gets caught in a blizzard and cries out “Oh, God…I’m lost in this blizzard” and the Christian uses reason to deduct that he must believe in God because he’s still alive and able to tell his story. The Atheist rolls his eyes and says “No, man, all that was was a couple of Eskimos happened to come wandering by and showed me the way back to camp”. We can conclude using logic that people have different belief systems, and that everybody has their own “belief template” that we use to get meaning from our experiences. He furthers his logos with “Because we prize tolerance and diversity of belief, nowhere in our liberal arts analysis do we want to claim that one guy’s interpretation is true and the other guy’s is false or bad”. He’s persuading the audience that we need to talk aboutwhereour beliefs come from. The logical approach is saying that our experiences are just “hard-wired… As if how we construct meaning were not actually a matter of personal, intentional choice” and that if somebody is automatically certain of what they believe without questioning whythey believe it, then they’re being arrogant and unaware. Just like the nonreligious guy’s dismissal “of the possibility that the passing Eskimos had anything to do with his prayer for help”. If we are automatically certain of anything, we’re going to end up closed-minded people. This is

Throughout recorded history, man has sought explanations for the various phenomena that occur in every facet of nature, and when no obvious answer is forthcoming, still a theory is often proposed.  These explanatory theories, often taking the form of stories or chronicles, are usually linked to some sort of mysticism or divine intervention.  By ascribing that which he does not understand to the gods’ will at work, man avoids facing up to his own lack of knowledge in a given area, and also draws comfort from assuming that the universe does indeed function under the guidance of divine beings.  Thus the explanatory accounts that man crafts enhance his own security, quelling the fear of chaos that

Jonathan Vogel wrote Skepticism and Inference to the Best Explanation as a solution to accept the real world hypothesis over any skeptical hypothesis. Vogel presents a compelling argument for a definitive reason to accept that the world we are experiencing is in fact the real world. I believe that Vogel’s argument falls short of proving a reason for accepting the real world hypothesis over a skeptical one. In this paper I will clearly explain Vogels argument, explain some important concepts to understand, and attempt to refute the argument.

“A Worldviews give faith-based answers to a set of ultimate and ground- ing questions. Everyone operates on the basis of some worldview or faith-based understanding of the universe and persons— examined, or unexamined, implicit or explicit, simplistic or sophisticated. One way or

One’s understanding always comes with their experience in life, and because some wonders are too far-stretched to fathom, everyone ends up with different rationales for these wonders—and no definite conclusion can be

I believe we find that appropriate explanation is lost to those who have become

Between the World and Me examines the history and present circumstances of racial inequality and segregation in America. Coates directs the book to Samori to give his audience personal insight into the various stages of a black man’s life. From his childhood, to his college experience, to his complicated role as a father, Coates gradually unfolds a critical account of the relationship between black and white communities. He calls those who “believe themselves to be white” the “Dreamers” and criticizes them for the indifference toward black people 's experiences. He wants the audience to reflect upon themselves and realize that they are part of the problem.

Since the beginning of time, humans have searched for truth. Reality. Verity. Truth about why we do the things we do, how the Earth came to be what it is, how we have evolved, and where we started so long ago. It’s only when we find our truth, we want more, and we’re thirsty for more. We search for alternate certainties, different perspectives. Quickly we come to conclusions, which turn to rumours, theories… Ideas have been built up, until they are towering conspiracies, quickly turning to turmoil under the media’s sharp wit. I have been absorbed in theories on the deepest oceans, deaths, murders, untold truths that have been hidden away deep down.

First, an innate craving for understanding is an important trait unique to humans. It is remarkable that Homo sapiens take time to just try and figure things out. This is something that has been apparent throughout the entirety of humans’ existence, and still is today. We try to conceive a way to make tasks easier, and we understand that the only method by which this can be done is to first have a total understanding of the mechanics of things. This desire for comprehension is reflected in humans’ gradual exodus from Africa. The most popular theory is that humans left Africa solely because they were instinctively curious about what lies beyond the environment they have become accustomed to (NOVA, episode 2). Humans have

To understand what is happening around us, we first have to know what it is that is happening and more importantly, why.

Since the dawn of the man we have been wanderers and explorers, looking up at the night sky, studying the stars, and pondering the origin of them. How did we get here? Who are we? Why are we here? Why does anything exist? These are questions that have baffled us since we first looked to the stars, and still do continue to linger amongst us. Will we ever know the answer to these questions? This cannot be easily answered, for we uncover new mysteries every day, but with the uncovering of one mystery, comes the discovery of another. In Steven Hawking’s “The Grand Design” and the “Theory of Everything” he discusses these mysteries that have dominated our lives since the beginning. Starting with a brief history of our understanding of the

In “The Refutation of Skepticism”, Jonathan Vogel establishes an “Inference to the Best Explanation” (hereafter, “IBE”) as a means to refute skepticism about the external world. In this refutation, Vogel acknowledges that skepticism about IBE still remains a possibility, but that this kind of skepticism would be rather outlandish in character and thus could be ignored. This paper shall both establish and evaluate Vogel’s reasoning as to why he confidently dismisses any skepticism pertaining to his IBE, and furthermore will illuminate some points as to why Vogel may have mischaracterized potential threats to his method, leaving his refutation of skepticism vulnerable to doubt that is not as

Life is like a beach and its sand teaches many lessons. Almost anything can be crafted. Holes can be dug. Stumbling upon either of these can cause one to question them. Did somebody make that beautiful sandcastle with their own hands or was it carefully crafted by professionals? Was that hole created by some little kids trying to dig to China? These questions are all centered around one thing, the truth. Man has sought after this one thing for all of its existence. But truths about or concerning ourselves have always sparked curiosity. The questions of reality and illusion, freedom and fate have enthralled us throughout history and will continue to do so until our race is extinct.

No human being could grasp the truth of our existence, or the existence our universe and all that reside within. All we are able to do, is attempt to comprehend what God’s purpose in his creation of our universe. Throughout the existence humanity, we have deemed this understanding as the “Logos” or “Truth”. To reach Logos would be the greatest achievement than any man or woman could achieve, yet this is something that is unheard of. Throughout history man has attempted to achieve logos, while others determined reasons why man will never be able to attain it. There were also those who claimed to have reached Logos, but were usually thought of as liars, thus providing information that was not the truth. Yet, what if these men and women truly did reach Logos? How would common men and women be able to understand? The answer is blurry because of the lack of understanding that we have of what is “truth”. It is agreed that the only being that is capable of having complete Logos is God, the creator of all. It was believed that only through the practice of Christianity can man achieve Logos; through the teachings of God himself. Even those who were Christian argued how to truly practice their faith, and how to show their understanding of God. Some men a women believed that they could only truly understand God by understanding his creations. Thus a majority of scholars and philosophers believed they were beginning to grasp an understanding of God. On the other hand, there were those