Notes Of A Biology Watcher, By Lewis Thomas

The irony in this passage is showing that even though Master Thomas was a newly religious person practicing a peaceful religion that teaches to help the poor and helpless, he

We, human beings feel distinctly unique, individual and most importantly, unmistakably superior due to our exclusive intelligence. This is why we, as a society, tend to look down on other types of life-forms, insect or animal, as they do not possess that desired intellect. Yet, Lewis Thomas, in his opinion essay “On Societies as Organisms”, argues that human society has much to learn from the communal accomplishment of other life-forms. The author effectively conveys this main idea through his use of analogy, enumeration of examples and through his level of language.

Thomas says that survival is the key to success in nature. When we think about the survival of ourselves, it often means we will do anything and everything needed to survive. This may include hurting or killing other animals in order to protect oneself and the irony of this comes in when we think about what we define survival as, and what altruism is defined as. According to the English Dictionary, these terms are exact opposites, yet Thomas uses them cohesively in one

In “On Natural Death,” Thomas appeals to the readers by contemplating the subject of death with an academic approach that includes facts, data, and information. Thomas successfully transforms death from an awkward, emotional subject to a more comfortable intellectual one. This engages the readers by placing contemplation of death and dying within the confines of a more manageable and rational context. His gradual exhumation of death eases the audience into pondering the subject in the absence of emotional stress. The essay transitions from the death of an elm tree to that of a mouse. This is followed by Thomas giving a significant amount of attention to a scientific explanation of death, and then finally the description of the near death experience of a human. This use of an academic appeal moves the audience to a comfort zone with the subject of death and circumvents the common response of avoidance. The reader is simultaneously desensitized to the gravity of subject matter and given permission to consider death and dying without the normal societal negative stigma associated with the subject.

The latter places one human life above any victory; while the former would sacrifice hundreds and thousands of lives to the ambition of one”(Worship the Spirit of Criticism 17). Meaning that there are positive ways that the creation might have an effect on society and negative ways, depending on who the individual is. Yet still have the responsibility to own up to the creation. His whole speech focuses on the fact that it’s the person's job to figure out if what they make will help society or not. And all the efforts this certain individual has taken, all the dedication this person has put into his work should be responsible for their creation, if it has a bad or good outcome in the world, they should still take responsibility for what they had

Edwards compares man and his righteousness to insects to demonstrate the unworthiness and insignificance of man. “The God that holds you over the pits of Hell, much as one holds a spider, or some loathsome insect over a fire, abhors you, and is dreadfully provoked:”. In this imagery, Edwards tells how the only thing keeping humanity from Hell is God holding them in His hand. However, God’s wrath is also depicted, as Edwards describes God holding them as if they were loathsome bugs or spiders. This emphasizes the huge size of God’s wrath, as generally people do not like bugs and would gladly throw them in fire. This stresses the dangerous situation humanity is in, saying that they are all hanging by a string over Hell and would cause the audience to repent and seek salvation. “… all your righteousness, would have no more influence to uphold you and keep you out of Hell, than a spider's

Thomas realizes it is human nature to take life for granted; until death approaches. Thomas wrote this poem for his father, to tell him that there is so much more for him here, living, to do. The only way to deter death is through fury and frenzy. Death comes too quickly for most people and only with "rage" can death be defied.

The 19th century was one of the most revolutionized eras in the history of the world. It is in this time period that the power shift was on a constant stir; empires falling, empires rising, and important discoveries that would change the world forever. Many Significant theories and belief systems were established, as well as the rise of some of the potent people in history. One person that is remembered for his work and celebrated for his theories is English biologist and scientist Charles Darwin. He is the sole theorists who conjured up the idea of human evolution, commonly known today as “Darwinism”. In effort to ensure this is recognized this paper continues on into the life of Charles Darwin, his story, his achievements,

The human is the most complex living being on the face of this earth, yet human roots are sometimes forgotten. Through Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, it is clear that animals are the brothers and sisters of the human race. In turn, human habits resemble those of all the living beings which creates unity between all walks of life, determining the same fate for all. A similar concept relates the three works: Living Like Weasels, Shooting an Elephant, and The Death of a Moth by Annie Dillard, George Orwell, and Virginia Woolf respectively. The authors explore the nature of such creatures in order to achieve a better understanding of their motives, all the while gaining insight on the cycle of life.

Humans sometimes get the idea that we are superior to other species and even to other humans. We rarely think about how even the smallest things in our life make the biggest impact and that we,ourselves, are relied on by other animals. We also assume that something so annoying can not possibly be interesting or beneficial to use in anyway. Richard Conniff’s essay “Why God Created Flies” uses various biological and scientific evidence and fact to prove his point that everything in this world affects one another no matter how much we like it or not and that even the smallest creatures have such an awe to them. His essay also points out of human’s dislike of a species can turn around and just hurt us.

Charles Darwin began his scientific breakthroughs and upcoming theories when he began an expedition trip to the Galapagos Islands of South America. While studying there, he discovered that each island had its own type of plant and animal species. Although these plants and animals were similar in appearance, they had other characteristics that made them differ from one another and seem to not appear as similar. Darwin questioned why these plants and animals were on these islands and why they are different in ways.

Chapter 7 revolves around beginnings of human research into the idea of evolution and an introduction of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. This chapter has given us, as students, more knowledge and insight into the topic of evolution. Since we were little kids, we always thought of evolution as the theory that establishes the link between humans and monkeys or that the phrase “Survival of the fittest” meant that the strongest always prevailed over the weak. However, this chapter has given us more detailed knowledge and background information about evolution, allowing us to lift these rumors and myths from our minds.

Those are largely comparing humans and animals, or their behaviors. Those can be present in different ways. Directly, such as when the narrator compares her brother to young elephants “The almost grown-up one wrestled like my first-born brother with his friends - only they used trunks instead of arms.” (37). Or indirectly, such as when they fear being attacked by the lions at night or the vultures. Both animals could be compared to the bandits they are running away from, given they represent violence and death - the bandits in the city and the animals in the

Charles Darwin was a man who shaped the way in which we think about evolution in modern times. He brought forth and described the theory of natural selection and survival of the fittest. To fully understand modern evolutionary thoughts it is necessary for one to completely understand the early theories of Charles Darwin. In this paper I will provide the reader with a complete background on Charles Darwin, describe his voyage on the HMS Beagle, and discuss his theory of natural selection.

Before the theory of evolution was a widespread theory in the world of science, Greek and Roman philosophers had their own theories about how life came to its present state and where it was going from there. One theory at the time was that all organisms are reflections of a “perfect” form and were coming closer to it all the time, although this was the less accepted theory even though it was closer to the truth proven hundreds of years after, while another was that all things were simply places on Earth in their present form, common to modern day Creationism. Even after this, Darwin was not the first to try explain evolution, he just provided convincing proof and published his ideas. The publishing of Darwin’s Theory of Evolution was