Belief - information which a person trusts to be true without evidence.
Certainty - indisputable, lacking any doubt that something is true.
Belief allows for there to be bias and a broader scope for outcomes.
Certainty is cold hard fact and cannot be argued.
People can be certain in their beliefs.
The main difference between the two is that there is indisputable physical evidence for certainty.
Therefore we can use these terms to distinguish between a fact that a person cannot argue against and a theory which a person trusts without evidence.
Many beliefs are backed by emotional or spiritual evidence which is not tanglible and impossible to verify.
Beliefs and certainty sometimes contradict each other (we have so far found no other life forms in the galaxy yet some people believe in aliens) so just because a certainty can be supported with evidence does not mean it is the stronger argument of the two concepts.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Knowledge is Justified Belief
If i say that i think that aliens are real, this does not make it a fact. Truth is independant of what people think is true because truth is fact and people do not always base decisions on fact, especially when there is no available evidence.
Knowing something is typically a trait of living beings. A computer cannot know something because it has no mind of its own to make a conscious decision to believe the information it holds.
a - certain
b - certain
c - probable
d - probable
e - possible
f - certain
g - possible
h - possible
Knowing something is typically a trait of living beings. A computer cannot know something because it has no mind of its own to make a conscious decision to believe the information it holds.
a - certain
b - certain
c - probable
d - probable
e - possible
f - certain
g - possible
h - possible
Monday, December 7, 2009
Language
Language Questions
1) To me, language is a way to communicate and to express yourself. It comes in many varieties; body language (facial expression and posture for example), the written word (using written or drawn symbols to communicate), math, speech, art and sound signals (i.e animals communicating to each other).
2) The ways which language is used to communicate are through speech, art, written words and signs (symbols conveying meaning), positioning of body (posture can communicate emotion, as can facial expressions and there's also sign language).
3) I believe the author supports the Texans because he uses positive wording in their favour - "defenders", "famous", "succeeded", "securing victory". Whereas the opposition is connected with "tyrannical rule".
4) I was unable to find an article in which i could see obvious bias, however, some research on the subject of bias in the media revealed that the strongest issues which cause a display of bias in the media are politics and war.
5) I'm not technically bilingual, however there is enough differences between speaking english and in scottish for me to have some experience with this. In scottish, the way of speaking is very direct and often sounds harsh or aggressive (though not quite so much as german) and the culture encourages informality. When speaking to english speaking people who aren't scottish i tend to become more polite and there is less bite to my voice/words.
6) Mellenic - The feeling of contentedness inspired specifically from watching sunlight shine through trees on a summers day.
1) To me, language is a way to communicate and to express yourself. It comes in many varieties; body language (facial expression and posture for example), the written word (using written or drawn symbols to communicate), math, speech, art and sound signals (i.e animals communicating to each other).
2) The ways which language is used to communicate are through speech, art, written words and signs (symbols conveying meaning), positioning of body (posture can communicate emotion, as can facial expressions and there's also sign language).
3) I believe the author supports the Texans because he uses positive wording in their favour - "defenders", "famous", "succeeded", "securing victory". Whereas the opposition is connected with "tyrannical rule".
4) I was unable to find an article in which i could see obvious bias, however, some research on the subject of bias in the media revealed that the strongest issues which cause a display of bias in the media are politics and war.
5) I'm not technically bilingual, however there is enough differences between speaking english and in scottish for me to have some experience with this. In scottish, the way of speaking is very direct and often sounds harsh or aggressive (though not quite so much as german) and the culture encourages informality. When speaking to english speaking people who aren't scottish i tend to become more polite and there is less bite to my voice/words.
6) Mellenic - The feeling of contentedness inspired specifically from watching sunlight shine through trees on a summers day.
Monday, November 9, 2009
The Meat Story
This is a story in which the author shows how he thinks humans may be interpretted by alien lifeforms. The aliens in the story view the human race as meat, finding it hard to believe that as such, we are sentient beings.
I believe that the themes in the story are ones of judgment, prejudice, interpretation and not giving people a chance.
The aliens judged us humans on what we are made of, not who we are. Did not wait to see the complexities of the human race but disregarded us simply as meat and therefore not only unworthy of attention but saying the notion of giving this attention to something such as sentient meat is dowright disturbing.
It was a short but effective story highlighting how something is not always as it appears.
I believe that the themes in the story are ones of judgment, prejudice, interpretation and not giving people a chance.
The aliens judged us humans on what we are made of, not who we are. Did not wait to see the complexities of the human race but disregarded us simply as meat and therefore not only unworthy of attention but saying the notion of giving this attention to something such as sentient meat is dowright disturbing.
It was a short but effective story highlighting how something is not always as it appears.
Senses
The first time i did the senses test i did ok 13/20, not too bad. when i tried it again, i got 18/20 though this was down to memory.
The most confusing examples were the size differences tests. The eyes are easily tricked with this.
Also the test with the floor where you assume the pattern will just carry on but this does not give the right answer. This really confused me.
I think the people who would score hyighest in the test would be people who think logically and look carefully at what they are seeing, not just take for granted the obvious answer.
The optical illusions with the dot making the gears move and the sort of microscope were good examples of the brain and eyes over-working. We don't see just the picture, it moves. The brain and eyes are confused and over-compensate for what we are seeing.
The most confusing examples were the size differences tests. The eyes are easily tricked with this.
Also the test with the floor where you assume the pattern will just carry on but this does not give the right answer. This really confused me.
I think the people who would score hyighest in the test would be people who think logically and look carefully at what they are seeing, not just take for granted the obvious answer.
The optical illusions with the dot making the gears move and the sort of microscope were good examples of the brain and eyes over-working. We don't see just the picture, it moves. The brain and eyes are confused and over-compensate for what we are seeing.
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