Essays on Universe

The existence of God or rather an intelligent being with define abilities has been a contentious issue of discussion since time immemorial. There are as many people advocating for divinity in the creation of the universe as there are people doubting the existence of this Supreme Being with unique and really frightening capabilities who designed and created the universe. Among the chief advocates of the thought of the existence of God and perfect order in the creation of the universe is William Paley. William Paley brings forth among the best arguments ever brought forward advocating for the existence of Continue reading...

Abstract

The universe contains 100 billion galaxies. Each of these galaxies has billions of stars, great gas and dust clouds with others having scads of moons and planets. The stars release an abundance of energy either from radio waves, X-rays or from other forms of energy that run at a speed of light across the universe. However, all that can be seen is like the tip of the cosmic iceberg and accounts for a small portion of the total energy and mass in the universe. About one-quarter portion of the universe is made up of dark matter that does not Continue reading...

Introduction to gamma-ray bursts

The universe is made up of many objects some of which scientists have managed to discover while others are yet to be discovered. Gamma-ray bursts form the highest and most complicated cosmic events present in the universe. These are high-energy explosions discovered during the cold war by astronomers. The discovery was made after the United States suspected the soviets could test nuclear weapons in space. They installed satellites in the space that detected gamma-ray flashes. It was until 1997 when astronomers discovered that gamma-ray bursts are caused by explosions of young energetic stars found in the distant galaxies. These Continue reading...

For far too long, humanity has been content with unquestioned faith in subjective knowledge passed down from generation to generation. This has been especially true on issues regarding the origins of our species and, indeed, the universe. However, in the last 100 years, a new culture has emerged. A culture rooted in the ideals espoused by such trailblazers as Bertrand Russell; a belief in scientific understanding of the world we live in and veneration of acquisition of knowledge. The human race is no longer content with fables and fairy tales. We want to know how, when and why our Continue reading...

The exploration of the meaning of life is done through many different ways, one prevalent route being religion. In attempting to determine exactly where we fit in from our perspective in the universe, we have taken a plethora of roads toward that end - some believe that we need to connect more deeply with the universe around us, while others believe we need to be saved through an outside force that can only help us through complete abandonment of our agency. These two different, yet equally compelling, perspectives are outlined in Karen Armstrong's "Homo Religiosus" and Robert Thurman's essay " Continue reading...

Since the beginning of the early civilizations, man tried to understand the world around him and why events take place. Some tried to put symbols to non-living things and even on natural occurrences, while many turned to religion to explain the meaning of life and the mystery behind the creation story. However, there were a few who deviated from this unyielding faith in religious preaching and sought to answer the world’s many mysteries through their own studies. In Europe, this desire to solve these mysteries escalated into a conflict between religion and science that resulted to the advent Continue reading...

Introduction

The main aim of this document is to address my personal beliefs in God, knowledge, ethnics, reality, human nature, consistency, human purpose, and metaphysical in our daily life. I have presented answers the exact way I would answer to the questions during a regular conversation or when someone asks me about my individualized thoughts and alignment with my religious thoughts and views. I this outline, I have presented answers to the questions based solely on my personal views. I have not included nor taken anyone’s point of view concerning the questions in the document. The answers are my Continue reading...

Introduction:

We know for sure that the universe exists. This knowledge alone is not able to satisfy the insatiable curiosity in humans. Since the existence of mankind, the quest for further understanding of the origin of the universe has been imprinted into the human genetic code. This curiosity has led to more questions than answers. It has led to us to question the significance and purpose of humans in the universe. This curiosity has also led us to question the role of man in this universe. These questions have exited through time: How was the universe created? Where did it Continue reading...

Religious studies

A PHILOSOPHICAL DEBATE
Ever since the beginning of time, Man has strived to discover the secrets of the Universe. From Aristotle to Socrates to the modern philosophers, every curious mind has tried to divulge answers from Mother Earth in order to satiate their burning thirst for the knowledge. Philosophy has solely existed to answer questions related to reality, existence, values, reason and mind. Philosophy has been divided into many subcategories. They include metaphysics, ethics, logic, aesthetics and epistemology. Whereas logic is connected with reasoning, epistemology attempts to garner the nature and scope of knowledge. Ethics refers to the philosophy Continue reading...

The Mayan apocalyptic predictions of 2012 have long since passed, and civilization has essentially moved on from its portents of doom and gloom. However, with Gregg Braden’s Fractal Time: The Secret of 2012 and a New World Age, elements of self-help spiritualism and pseudo-math are combined to create a work of New Age spiritualism that, while certainly illuminating to the converted, will not successfully convince those looking for philosophies to the universe that require greater rigor. Looking at the book through an air of skepticism, Fractal Time fails to convince, poorly using its own research and loosely connecting Continue reading...

It is a common norm for scientists to use “proofs” to describe the reasoning for various things. Scientists make use of these proofs to explain why something happens. For instance, geologists believe that the earth possesses an electromagnetic field that acts as a protector against destructive solar winds. These geologists have never really witnessed or seen this field, yet they strongly believe it to be the most plausible explanation of why the earth is protected from destructive solar winds. This analogy is comparable to the use of ‘proofs” by Christians to make strong arguments about God’s existence. When Continue reading...

The cosmos is a vast super structure consisting of planets, stars, contents of intergalactic space, subatomic particles, matter and energy. It is approximately forty six billion light years in radius. The universe was formed 13 billion years ago, when the Planck epoch expanded causing the Big Bang explosion. It is governed by laws and constants that determine the position and the interactions of objects in the universe. Cosmologists argue that the universe has been expanding since its formation. The Big Bang model of the universe, the universe will begin to crumble in the phase, scientists refer to as the Continue reading...

Since time exceeding back memory, people have had different views in as far as the existence of God and the universe are concerned. Theist believe that God exists and He is the creator of the universe while atheists, such as Stephen Hawking, are of the opinion that the existence of God is simply a delusion and that the universe is simply as a result of evolution through forces of nature. Each of these two opposing sides has come up with its own theories and arguments to support its view. These contrasting beliefs have had a significant impact on people’ Continue reading...

Communication:

My topic of presentation was on the expansion of the universe. The center of my discussion was on the accelerating expansion of the universe and the cosmological implications particularly that at some point in the cosmological timescale, the better part of our universe will be unobservable to us. Our planet (or at least our galaxy since the planet would be long over) will be an isolated lonely place and boring with no cosmology to study. Due to the accelerating expansion, galaxies will at some point be moving apart at a speed possibly faster than that of light, this will Continue reading...

Over the years, man has embarked on explaining his relationship to the environment. There has been an increasing emergence of theories that seek to describe the social, biological, and physical environment in which man resides. These theories and school of thoughts have been instrumental in helping people to gain a better understanding of the universe and the relationship of the human race to the universe. These theories and school of thoughts are based on skills such as observation, conducting of experiments, and the analysis of these experiments. This means that the validity of knowledge regarding the relationship of the Continue reading...

Looking up to the sky has been one of the most important activities of humans. Early civilizations are finding answers to their theological principles in the stars while others look guidance as they travel (Rosenburg & Russo, np). Astronomy is a vital part for the foundation of the religious beliefs and concepts of most of the early civilization. They view astronomy as a tool or as a backbone to their religious, social and cultural beliefs (Sprajc 87). Curiosity and hunger for knowledge have been the fuel for mankind to search answers in space. The significance of astronomy to life could Continue reading...

The epigraph mentioned in the question has been taken from the journal The Medieval Church Encounters the Classical Tradition. This blame on medieval ages is most often credited to the Christian Churches for throwing away the minute sparks of science and other creative activities.
However, the conformation of the scholars to this fact has proved to be a major hindrance to the real understanding of the medieval ages. It cannot be denied that the middle ages were the times of political and social turmoil and saw a steep decline in the fields of learning and literacy. But, it is Continue reading...

Since the beginning of time, people constantly look for ways of justifying their religions. The most basic justification would be the presence of God. For this reason, many religions look for ways of proving that God Exists. Cosmological arguments are those that seek to show either the presence or the absence of God in the universe (Hume, 59). In the cosmological argument, one looks at one factor about the world. Such factors include the fact that the earth has materials that cause others to exist. The cosmological argument has two parts. The first part seeks to proof the existence Continue reading...

Philosophers have increasingly developed theories and perceptions explaining the existence of the universe. Although human beings are still under the down of the scientific age, it is evident that the universe existence is handwork by an intelligent creator. All knowledge and discoveries as a result of the scientific spirit and faith based beliefs approach even nearer to God’s awareness. This article will analyze the works and arguments of great philosophers; Cressy Morrison and Dawkins on their contribution about God existence.
Morrison argued that, for scientific reasons about the nature of the universe, scientists believe in God’s existence. Continue reading...

I. Introduction
In this research paper, the relationship between science and religion is examined in terms of the potential for a harmonious coexistence. This is an old debate and currently it is a vitally significant one. The view of science and religion as warring enemies has historic roots. The Catholic Inquisition was known to persecute and execute people considered heretics because of their belief in science and scientific things. The Church found science as an explanation offensive. Galileo Galilei is one of the most well known of the victims of the Inquisition. He was imprisoned and forced to do Continue reading...

For a long time, people believed that the earth was the center of the universe. This was until Nicolaus Copernicus radically transformed the traditional astronomical model of the universe. Born on 19 February 1473, Nicolaus was a polish astronomer who changed the perception in the nature of the universe. He came up with a working hypothesis that demonstrated that the sun was the center of the universe. The scientific and religious community treated the hypothesis of Nicolaus Copernicus with rejection because it disputed other hypotheses considered valid. These included the Aristotle and Ptolemy’s geocentric astronomical models that placed Continue reading...

Man has always been curious and been investigating the nature of things. He has probed into the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of all phenomena observed. As science evolved, he came up with laws and equations to represent these observations. For many decades, if not centuries, he was satisfied with explaining everything around him using what is today known as ‘Classical Mechanics’. All bodies and phenomena observed could be explained by Newton’s Laws and his equations of motion. In fact this developed into the branch of Classical Mechanics and saw a huge leap in the field of Science. Be it Continue reading...

Abstract

Since time immemorial man has tried to study the Universe, its origin, and the laws that govern it. For many centuries now, this has been the major attraction in the field of Science. The scientific curiosity to learn about the Universe and its origin has gradually developed into a well defined branch of Science termed Cosmology. Today there are many sub-branches in Cosmology, and man has made huge progress in the journey towards finding the ultimate truth about the Universe. This paper introduces the field of Cosmology, its various disciplines, past findings, and then goes on to outline the Continue reading...

Paper Due Date

This paper critically reviews and discusses the paper by Paley, entitled “Natural Theology.” In the following paragraphs the author’s arguments to support his theories / propositions and conclusions are considered and commented upon.
Essentially, Paley’s paper attempts to show by building on a basic comparison between two objects: a stone (simple), and a watch (complex) that the Universe can only exist because it is part of a grand design created and overseen by God. He offered eight individual arguments to develop and support his case, which were as follows:
The first was that just as a watch Continue reading...

Camus was a philosopher who debated absurdity and the meaning of life. His basic premise is that human life is absurd. According to him, the choices we make as humans about the lives we lead are verging on the ridiculous. He theorises, however, that the combination of human beings and the universe are what make both absurd. While Camus has some valid points within this topic, the only solution appears to be abolishing the application of reason to the universe, which is impossible to do due to the intrinsic connection between human beings and reason and, therefore, absurdity seems Continue reading...

It appears that McCloskey is trying to support and substantiate his case for atheism by adopting a very narrow and objective approach. The usage of terms like “proof” for different school of arguments indicates that McCloskey is keen to give a sense of finality to a very complex question by attempting to debunk the thought process behind the arguments that has been labeled as proof. Human mind has its own limitations. This universe is very complex and infinite. There are a lot of things which are beyond the comprehension of human mind. The question of existence of god is Continue reading...

The book of Genesis begins with the creation of the cosmos from nothing by a supernatural deity. Creation is the core theme of the book of Genesis and the preternatural beings and objects are attributed to a supreme being. The natural realm exists in the physical universe whereas the metaphysical realm exists outside the common dimension of time. The intelligence design of the universe is attributed to a supernatural being. The book of genesis attempts to give a succinct explanation of the origin of the universe.
Moses, the author, focused on the natural universe and did not bring his Continue reading...

A wormhole theoretically is known to be a passageway through space-time that can be used to create short routes for extensive journeys that go across the universe. Wormholes are mainly forecasted through the general relativity theory. Wormholes have been forecasted come with the dangers of high radiation, unexpected collapse, and unsafe contact with alien matter. A wormhole when viewed depicts a tunnel that has separated ends in space-time. It can be pictured as a two dimensional tube surface that connects various parts of the surfaces (Nelson, Peter & Rohitash Rao 67).
There are no evidences that are observable about wormholes Continue reading...

Worldview

Worldview refers to a set of suggestions and proposals that a person holds and deeply influences the life of people with similar believes.
- The followers of Christian religion commonly regard their religion as a collection of ideas that may change their life and follow Christianity as a guideline to interact with society. Followers hardly comprehend their religion as a whole conceptual framework.
- Following are the few examples of worldview narrated by different authors.
- According to James Sire, the concept of worldview is just a conventional set of suppositions that one may hold of this world and Continue reading...

Introduction

One of the frequently asked questions in astronomy is, “are we alone in the universe?” It is hard to believe that we are alone in this universe that is home to billions of stars and innumerable planets and satellites. The astronomical community is divided into two groups in the matter of opinions on this. According to one group of astrophysicists, there are many earth-like objects existing in the universe, and it is only a matter of time before we find out our neighbors. A few astrophysicists, on the other hand, cherish the notion that life on the earth is Continue reading...

Following the American Psychological Association’s Guidelines

What is science? If confined to the typical societal stigmas, science is a scientist in a lab, working for hours over a microscope with several chemical samples. If given a broader definition, science is all around us. It is in the way we breathe, or our biology. It is in the air around us, or the ecology. It is even in the universe that stretches so far beyond our feeble conceptions that we have had to develop a branch of science, theoretical physics, just to explain the missing links we do not understand yet. The book “Life, the Universe, Continue reading...

In this paper I summarize, analyze, and critique "Can science prove that God does not exist.", by Theodore Schick Jr, on pages 484 to 487, a contemporary issue in Chapter 5 of the textbook. I discuss it with references to the chapter in MLA format. A short summary of the argument is provided, and then analysis is conducted on two underlying assumptions. Analysis of the assumptions is the type of analysis that is necessary to understand philosophy in these different contemporary issues. Often the actual logic used is sound; however, the underlying assumptions for the logic are typically not Continue reading...

The existence of God has always been discussed and argued over by many people as some argue that he does exist while others argue that he does not exist. Many people have varying views on how the world came into existence as some people share common beliefs on this issue. Arguments on the existence of God come in different forms basing on history, personal experience, science and philosophy. I believe that God does exist because there are several evidences that have been brought to book to prove that He exists.
Plato believed in gods and not God. He taught Continue reading...

Foundation of modern cosmology

Cosmology being the study of the universe has been changing over the years to what we currently view it as. Modern cosmology has been founded on the works of various principals who have studied astrology over time and during different eras.
The ancient European medieval and ancient Greeks believed the earth to be the at the universe’s center. They believed that the moon, planets, and sun were orbiting the earth. This idea was believed by many including the Catholic Church who in fact influenced people of their religion to believe so. The Catholic Church banned anybody from thinking Continue reading...

Scientific background information

The Big Bang Theory is the cosmological model that explains how the current state of the universe came into existence. Scientific theories explain that approximately 13.75 billion years ago, the universe was dense, compact and extremely hot (Wollack 5). It then expanded rapidly releasing massive amounts of energy. The rapid expansion was followed by rapid cooling which resulted in the conversion of energy into sub-atomic particles (electrons, protons and neutrons) (Menegoni 13). According to scientific theories, the neutrons and the neutrons combined atomic nuclei minutes after the big bang to form the nuclei. According to Wollack, the electrons took Continue reading...

Introduction

In the course of time, there has been a substantive increase in the number of people using the internet globally. The internet serves as a platform that facilitates the realization of a wide range of objectives. There are countries that appreciate the essence of the internet thus they have included the access to the internet as part of their constitutional rights. Nations that are characterized by a relatively high level of internet penetration record higher levels of growth than countries that are embodied by comparatively low levels of internet penetration. This serves as an indicator of the rate of Continue reading...

A telescope is a device that makes it possible to view distant and faint objects as though they were near (Telescope, 2009). The discovery of the telescope and subsequent improvement in technology has gone a long way to transforming the way we view the universe. Telescope helps in viewing distant planets, stars, and heavenly bodies. To understand the mechanisms of operation of a radio telescope, it is important to initiate by taking a look at its discovery as well as the events that potentially led to the discovery. The essay will take a look at how the discovery and Continue reading...

Compare and contrast the Stoic and Aristotelian conceptions of God as the cause of nature.

There are several conceptions devised by various people on God as the cause of nature. The world exists with several compositions including human beings, other living and non-living organisms. Various groups of people have adopted both stoic and Aristotelian conceptions. Stoics believe that nothing passes without explanation. Stoics tend to give an explanation for the existence of everything in life and nature. Stoics believe that an active force exists and that the force is everywhere with matter. The implication is that anything that occupies space and has a weight has got some special type of force. There is a Continue reading...

People have always aspired to harness and manipulate the surrounding world. Efforts to subdue and to change the nature were always connected with the invention of different types of mechanical and artificial devices that help to override the environment. One of the most important part of the surroundings for people is energy. Attempts to conquer the energy have started before the industrial revolution. People used power of sun, wind, water and animals to do their jobs. Then there was machines that were able to use the power of steam. Scientists and engineers such as Thomas Newcomen and James Watt Continue reading...

Origins of the Bible and the Universe

Discussions with regards the bible and its capacity to present the real facts about creation and the emergence of the universe has long been questioned by both critics and selected scientists. To some, the story of the bible and how the universe has emerged is too good to be true that everything seemed rather magical than logical for existence. For instance, the six-days of creation seems rather impossible, or at least too miraculous to contain the overall grand creation of matters that have been realized through time. Science basically introduces a more logical pattern of explaining the existence of Continue reading...