The Definition of Reality Essay Example for Free

The Definition of Reality Essay The quote which Christof made in the movie â€Å"The Truman Show† depicts the narrow-mindedness of the human brain the inability to search for the truth. Humans get used to the idea of a particular habit of living, which disables them from reaching the ultimate truth. Therefore, reality is the achievement of the questioning of the world around us to find the perfect truth which should be accepted, to live without the conflict that our world presents itself with. In numerous situations in life, people confirm to the ideas prevalent in their society. Whether it is a certain ideology, fashion style, religion or anything, people usually take it upon themselves to follow it, even though it might not make sense. They climb onto the bandwagon with everyone else, thereby conforming to the popular ideas. However, if one pondered about such ideologies, one would find loopholes, errors and petty misunderstandings within such worldly ideologies. Reality, however, does not and should not have any sort of fallacy. Reality is like the diamond, glittering between the darkness of the other rocks it is buried with. If one scoured the whole place meticulously and with the correct mindset, one would notice the glimmer of the diamond. Reality, thus, is individuality, which makes one appreciate uniqueness and consider ideologies without throwing one’s sense away and following the widely held idea. Gaarder depicts such a situation in his book â€Å"Sophie’s World†. Most people conform to society and slide down into the rabbit’s fur, making themselves comfortable without using their brain, while the best way is to cling on to the edges of the rabbit’s fur, seeing, questioning, interrogating and actively reading through the world’s mysteries to reach that shimmering diamond of reality. Reality is freedom. Because reality is the ultimate truth, it will set one free. Truman is trapped in Seahaven Island because he does not the truth. Born and raised in Seahaven, he knows nothing else. He does not know actual reality, therefore, he is confined. Up until in the movie, Truman had been accepting the world with which he was presented. And that is what all human beings do which is why each and every one of us is trapped in a world that we accept unconsciously. Once we break the barriers of such confinement and realize that it is ultimate truth that we were seeking the whole time and that helped us from such entrapment, we are left with the glittering diamond of reality. Similarly, the people who have slid down the rabbit’s fur have confirmed themselves to the cozy and warm interior of the world they know, accepting, with blind faith, the surroundings they are surrounded with. Truth or reality is the only way towards the questions that has haunted the human race for centuries. Who are we? How was the universe created? Who or what was the cause for creation? What is the purpose of our lives and our universe? An endless stream of questions runs on and on. In the â€Å"Truth Project†, Dr. Tackett explains the fallacy of searching for the answers to such â€Å"universals† in the particulate and natural world around us. Reality is the answer to the universal questions through the acceptance of divinity, authenticity and common reasoning. With the assumption of the existence of God, it is unambiguous that He is the basis for reality- the point that philosophers and cultures from centuries ago have been trying to prove. The idea of divinity of a Supreme Being controlling is the ultimate truth and reality of our existence. Such an idea is of more worth than diamond, gold or silver put together, and thus one would achieve the epitome of reality and truth when he realizes it. Many people state and strongly believe in a multi-faceted reality, in which reality is the perspective of each and every person. In other words, reality is relative, and takes different shapes and forms with each person. This would mean that truth is defined as however each person defines it- truth is relative. However, this is just a notion of the modern ages. It is widely accepted that truth and reality are absolute- there can only be one. By stating truth as relative, according to ‘allaboutphilosophy. org’ people are engaging themselves in a petty fallacy of circular reasoning. They reject the absolutist nature of reality by stating that reality is relative, wherein they are stating an absolute statement, which contradicts their relativism. Reality or truth is absolute- there is only one real way. Many paths may look similar, however- and that is where critical thinking plays a huge role- one must critically examine all the nuances and scrutinize all the â€Å"fine print† before walking down that path. The assumption of a living and supreme God being the reality of our purpose and creation is an ideal that many people refute- atheists, humanists etc. The proof of the suffering in the world and the seemingly cruel and selfish reality of the world- which they perceive because of their narrow-mindedness—seems to present to them evidence against the existence of the supreme being. However, C. S. Lewis and his arguments for the real existence of God prove otherwise. Of course, reality would be worthier than diamond itself, but for this essay’s sake, we would make such an extended analogy. Reality is the ultimate truth that should be seeked by each and every one in their life. The various positive definitions of reality serve to motivate anyone to search for the truth through critical thinking and determination to appreciate the world’s ultimate truth and the struggle to get to that particular destination.

Althusser - A Critique :: essays research papers

<a href="http://www.geocities.com/vaksam/">Sam Vaknin's Psychology, Philosophy, Economics and Foreign Affairs Web Sites With the exception of Nietzsche, no other madman has contributed so much to human sanity as has Louis Althusser. He is mentioned twice in the Encyclopaedia Britannica as someone's teacher. There could be no greater lapse: for two important decades (the 60s and the 70s), Althusser was at the eye of all the important cultural storms. He fathered quite a few of them. This newly-found obscurity forces me to summarize his work before suggesting a few (minor) modifications to it. (1) Society consists of practices: economic, political and ideological. Althusser defines a practice as: "Any process of transformation of a determinate product, affected by a determinate human labour, using determinate means (of production)" The economic practice (the historically specific mode of production) transforms raw materials to finished products using human labour and other means of production, all organized within defined webs of inter-relations. The political practice does the same with social relations as the raw materials. Finally, ideology is the transformation of the way that a subject relates to his real life conditions of existence. This is a rejection of the mechanistic worldview (replete with bases and superstructures). It is a rejection of the Marxist theorization of ideology. It is a rejection of the Hegelian fascist "social totality". It is a dynamic, revealing, modern day model. In it, the very existence and reproduction of the social base (not merely its expression) is dependent upon the social superstructure. The superstructure is "relatively autonomous" and ideology has a central part in it - see entry about Marx and Engels and entry concerning Hegel. The economic structure is determinant but another structure could be dominant, depending on the historical conjuncture. Determination (now called over-determination - see Note) specifies the form of economic production upon which the dominant practice depends. Put otherwise: the economic is determinant not because the practices of the social formation (political and ideological) are the social formation's expressive epiphenomena - but because it determines WHICH of them is dominant. (2) People relate to the conditions of existence through the practice of ideology. Contradictions are smoothed over and (real) problems are offered false (though seemingly true) solutions. Thus, ideology has a realistic dimension - and a dimension of representations (myths, concepts, ideas, images). There is (harsh, conflicting) reality - and the way that we represent it both to ourselves and to others.

Gentleman Of Rio En Medio Essay

Having a Family Don Anselmo is the protagonist of the short story â€Å"Gentleman of Rà ­o en Medio† written by Juan A. A. Sedillo. He is an old man descendent of Mexican Americans who born and lived up in Rà ­o en Medio, New Mexico. He is a respectable, humble and generous man who cares a lot of the people around him. The most important value that represents Don Anselmo is demonstrate through the development of the story is the importance of having a family. For Don Anselmo the family is a very important value. Its importance is present from the beginning to the end of the story. Don Anselmo has a particular form to introduce himself in the meeting he has with Senator Catron. Before considering a new offer proposed by the Americans, the ones who want to buy Don Anselmo’s house and property and the principal purpose of the meeting, the old man starts a conversation about his family. During this conversation, he emphasizes how proud he is for having a very big family in which he is like the â€Å"patriarca†. When Senator finally had the opportunity to make the new offer, Don Anselmo does not accept it immediately. It is possible to infer that the old gentleman does not respond because he was thinking in his family and community. He feels that he cannot accept this offer because he does not deserve more money for sell something that he consider a gift from nature to his family. At the end of the meeting Don Anselmo decided to reject the new offer in order to respect the value of nature and the love that he and his family feel for it. (By Nicole Ferrer) Other reason to say that the highest value of Don Anselmo is the family is that almost every person in Rio en Medio are they descendants. In several parts of the story â€Å"Gentleman of Rio en Medio† the author emphasizes using the characters the importance that the family has to Don Alselmo. Also he says in the story that the children of Rio en Medio are his sobrinos and  nietos, part of his family. Like the oldest man of the village, the people there belong to him. For this reason, he demonstrates the responsibility that has with his family that is the people in Rio en Medio. This show us why he don’t accept more money for the sale of his land or the reason to says that the trees aren’t of he, they belong to the children in Rio en Medio. Once more time we realize that the value best describe Don Alselmo is having a family because he has a responsibility with his descendants and a respect to them. (by Edrick Negron) The last reason to say that the most important value that guides Don Anselmo’s behavior in â€Å"Gentleman form Rio en Medio is having a family because every time a child was born in Rio en Medio, Don Anselmo planted a tree for that child (par.11). It was like a birth gift, so that tree belong to the child. When the Americans complain about the children trespassing the fence to play at the orchard after Don Anselmo sold it to them, they wanted him to stop the children for doing it. Since the children were part of Don Anselmo’s family they thought he had the power to stop it. When they confront Don Anselmo he said that he couldn’t do a thing about it because the trees belonged to the child and not to him (par. 12). When Don Anselmo didn’t sold the trees because he couldn’t; the Americans bought the trees from every single children. (By Bryanda Diaz) Don Anselmo’s biggest value is having a family. Three reasons why he is a family man are presented in the story. Been a family man includes being caring and Don Anselmo demonstrates this in the story when he say he gave every child in the city a tree as a birthgift. Also it says he is proud of his big family; every child in Rio en Medio is his niece or grandchild. Having a family includes being honest, caring, loving and have wisdom, and Don Anselmo have all of this.

Racism And Racism Essay - 986 Words

There are significant differences and similarities between sexism and racism. Sexism occurs when a person’s gender or sex is used as the basis for discriminating. Females are more susceptible to sexism although males are also susceptible. Sexual harassment and rape are examples of extreme cases of sexism. Racism occurs when people of a particular race or ethnicity are discriminated against or made to feel inferior. The primary outcome of the paper after comparison is to determine most dehumanizing act between racism and sexism. The first similarity between racism and sexism that it is a form of discrimination against people who do not have a choice of their race or gender. An individual cannot choose to be of particular race or a specific†¦show more content†¦An individual cannot choose body color, gender or psychological level (Smith, Althea, and Abigail J. Stewart). Different attitude levels are held by people, and understanding this will guide in accepting more moral positions. Therefore, understanding the presence of more moral positions can be realized if we treat people with different thinking from ours without contempt. Racism is based on the race of an individual while sexism is based on gender. Facial features, skin appearance, and skin tones are the definition of perceived race. It is used to direct bias and prejudice to persons’ based on racism. However, the sex of an individual is solely used to direct bias and prejudice grounded on gender. Bigotry and prejudice are forms of racism, but sexism cannot be replaced with sarcasm. For example, racism results when a white person targets a black person. It can also result when a white person who is targeted by another white person, though this is a rare case. Sexism occurs when a man targets a woman. Another form of sexism, though less common, is a man being discriminated against by a woman for being a man. The typical form of sexism is misogyny where women are rampantly affected (Swim, Janet K., et al). Sexism is intra-cultural whereas racism is an inter-cultural practice. Mostly, sexism is domestic because it is culturally embedded. The persistence of sexism, over many centuries and in everyShow MoreRelatedRacism And Racism Essay1620 Words   |  7 Pagessubjected to acts of racism and other forms of discrimination. From foreigners in modern-day Germany becoming victims of human rights abuses such as beatings, verbal abuse, etc. by Neo-Nazis and teenage skinheads. To simply just observing another person wearing a t-shirt of a rival football could still instill negative attitudes towards that particular person, even if there was zero social interaction to provide a justifiable impression. This leads to the focus of this essay. The insidious, non-consciousRead MoreRacism And Racism Essay971 Words   |  4 PagesIs it racism or economics which hinders many African American communities from progressing economically in the 21st Century? This research proposal will address this questio n by examining the social and psychological impact caused by racism and the economic impact it’s had on the African American community. This proposal will further investigate whether the emotional scars of slavery continue to hamper African American progress or if racism is actually the cause. The economic cost of discriminationRead MoreRacism And Racism Essay718 Words   |  3 PagesThe death penalty discriminates and marginalizes minorities and the poor in our society. Legal systems are unfair therefore the death penalty is imposed unfairly since equals are not treated equally. The richest man alive is not treated the same as a homeless individual on the streets of downtown Toronto. There are many flaws in the justice system mostly because it is made up of individuals and as individuals we are prone to making mistakes. Witnesses, prosecutors and jurors can create the smallestRead MoreRacism And Racism Essay1448 Words   |  6 PagesHow does stratification system take place in African American communities? Many minority Communities are subjected to racism and discrimination within/ outside their communities. The social prejudices on the black community gives an example of a caste system where you re born into unequal groups based on their parents (race), most likely b orn into poverty if a minority. â€Å"Minority racial groups are more likely to experience multidimensional property than their white counterparts†, due to historicalRead MoreRacism And Racism Essay1042 Words   |  5 Pagesthat private development be the main focus as opposed to public housing and plans for the development were never instituted (Young 146-147). Moving into the next decade black Detroiters would be continuing to be faced with the historical legacies of racism and the social consequences that would become the propulsion for rebellion. Read MoreRacism And Racism Essay1350 Words   |  6 PagesWhite privilege and acts of racism are just as pervasive on a college campus as in any other environment. Students of color may be treated differently in a classroom setting from their white counterparts, not because of who they are or how they behave but simply because of the color of their skin. Racism can be the assumption that of the two people in the classroom, the white one is the professor. It is the split-second conclusion that a Latino student with a tattoo is in a gang, but a white studentRead MoreRacism And Racism Essay1419 Words   |  6 Pagesoppression of white society. Throughout the film, racism and violence played a huge role and presented the gap between the regular lives of various African American peoples and community that are opposed. Director Spike Lee uses insulting diction and intense scenes to show how severe racism can lead to violence. Writers and artists such as Stokely Carmichael and Dr. King wo uld agree that this perspective is true. The argument of Lee’s film demonstrates that racism can affect through prestige of the communityRead MoreRacism in Essays815 Words   |  4 PagesRACISM IN ESSAYS Is an author’s main purpose of writing only to entertain his readers? Authors sometimes use their literature to demonstrate their opinions about a certain issue. One of these topics may be racial and ethnic discrimination. We see how authors express their views about racism through the literatures â€Å"Walk Well, My Brother†, â€Å"Lark Song†, and â€Å"Cowboys and Indians†. In â€Å"Walk Well, My Brother†, Farley Mowat focuses on racism against the Eskimos in 1951. As the character of CharlieRead MoreRacism Essay1634 Words   |  7 PagesFerrell Essay 3.1 Writing 121 Racism Changes Lives Racism is defined as views, practices, and actions reflecting the belief that human beings are divided into certain categories known as races and that these members share common attributes amongst one another. This definition causes a specific group or race to be less desirable, more desirable, inferior, or superior. The segregation between ethnicities have stirred many debates, battles, and controversy. Another issue that is related to racism wouldRead More Prejudice and Racism - No Racism in Heart of Darkness Essay1108 Words   |  5 PagesNo Racism in Heart of Darkness      Ã‚   Chinua Achebe challenges Joseph Conrads novella depicting the looting of Africa, Heart of Darkness (1902) in his essay An Image of Africa (1975). Achebes is an indignant yet solidly rooted argument that brings the perspective of a celebrated African writer who chips away at the almost universal acceptance of the work as classic, and proclaims that Conrad had written a bloody racist book (Achebe 319). In her introduction in the Signet 1997 edition