Future PsyD

25 y/o future PsyD sharing notes, presentations, and other helpful info for study purposes! Psychology Major Focus: Schizophrenia Current Classes - Winter 2021 Contemporary Biology / Principles of Sociology

[futurepsyd]

Pinned Post

Here's all my most important links:

My Notes Section - my main blog can also be searched by subject name as all notes posted are tagged with their subject

My Resources Notion - my Notion with all my curated resources, updating constantly.

My Study Youtube - study with me, ask questions about the subject, chill, and off semesters, chill game streams.

My goal this year is to finally finish building my discord server and work out the workarounds for some things so look forward to that!

[futurepsyd]

Hey y'all! I am live right now, Spring semester started and I am starting by diving head first into my Intro to Communications class (also known as public speaking!) I had immense anxiety over this class so I am hoping this helps me and you!

[futurepsyd]

Winter Semester Reflection

So, looking back on this semester I have a few thoughts.

First, taking an accelerated class was challenging in a good way, yet I would not do it again. I retained a lot of information but felt it was not as great a deal compared to other, full semester, classes.

Second and the most on topic yet off topic, education should be free. Higher education is paywalled because it can radicalize hearts of the working class and capitalists are terrified of that. I am grateful for my education, because I would not have been able to put my beliefs into words in a way that could be shared with others. It's no longer just "Fuck the Police" because everyone said so, its "Fuck the Police" with resources and getting your hands dirty and educating yourself and others of the situation. It's not just thinking like everyone else because you trust everyone else to know what they're talking about, it's being part of the conversation and contributing to active change because you know what you're talking about.

I went from idle to active because of my life experience and my education. My education has helped me figure out exactly what I want to do to be part of the change (psychiatric emancipation and non-coercive psychological treatment and education for psychotic, schizophrenic, and autistic peoples. Maybe a street psych?)

Everyone has a right to freedom of information and equal access to the same resources that I and so many others do. I have a privilege to have access to financial aid and scholarships to help pay for my education, where others don't. The internet and collective care are things so vital to our survival and yet we allow corporate and government entities tell us what information we can or cannot share based off of what letters come after the words "copyright."

You do not need a college institution to educate yourself and y0ou do not need to spend money. Some college institutions cannot be trusted and it is up to us as individuals to educate ourselves in order to better help the collective. Please follow this link to my Notion for my list of favorite resources for free education and tools useful for school! I am still adding things to it so be sure to check back often!

[futurepsyd]

American Values (Robin Williams, 1970: 452-500)

“Values are a culture’s standard for discerning what is good and just in society” (p56).

Sociologist Robin Williams identified ten core U.S. values which are central to the American way of life. They are widespread, enduring, and reflect many people’s intense feelings.

1. Individualism(“Consistent Persistence”) - Americans have traditionally prized success that comes from individual effort and initiative. They cherish the ideal that an individual can rise from the bottom of society to its very top. If someone fails to “get ahead,” Americans generally find fault with that individual, rather than with the social system for placing roadblocks in his or her path.

2. Achievement and Success (“Success Emphasis”) - Americans place a high value on personal achievement, especially outdoing others. This value includes getting ahead at work and school, and attaining wealth, power, and prestige.

3. Activity and Work (“Work for Work’s Sake”) - Americans expect people to work hard and to be busily engaged in some activity even when not at work.

4. Efficiency and Practicality - Americans award high marks for getting things done efficiently. Even in everyday life, Americans consider it important to do things fast, and they constantly seek ways to increase efficiency.

5. Science and Technology - Americans have a passion for applied science, for using science to control nature – to tame rivers and harness wind – and to develop new technology, from motorized scooters to talking computers.

6. Progress - Americans expect rapid technological change. They believe that they should constantly build “more and better” gadgets.

7. Material Comfort - Americans expect a high level of material comfort. This comfort includes not only good nutrition, medical care, and housing, but also late-model cars and recreational playthings – from boats o computer games.

8. Humanitarianism- Americans emphasize helpfulness, personal kindness, aid in mass disasters, and organized philanthropy.

9. Freedom- This core value pervades U.S. life. It underscored the American Revolution, and Americans pride themselves on their personal freedom.

10. Democracy - By this term, Americans refer to majority rule, to the right of everyone to express an opinion, and to representative government.

11. Equality - It is impossible to understand Americans without being aware of the central role that the value of equality plays in their lives. Equality of opportunity has significantly influenced U.S. history and continues to mark relations between groups that make up U.S. society.

12. Racism and Group Superiority - Although it contradicts freedom, democracy, and equality, Americans value some groups more than others and have done so throughout their history. The slaughter of Native Americans and the enslaving of Africans are the most notorious examples.

Williams acknowledged that these core American values are sometimes contradictory and don’t always mesh with reality. It is important to consider values in terms of ideal culture -- “the standards society would like to embrace and live up to” (57). In any society, there is a gap between ideal culture and real culture– “the way society actually is, based on what occurs and exists” (57).

[futurepsyd]

Symbolic Interaction

A Micro-level theory; sees society as the product of the everyday interactions of individuals

According to Symbolic Interaction, social structures and functions do not shape society (functionalist perspective), inequality does not shape society (conflict perspective), rather, social interaction shapes society. Main Points of Focus:

Symbols are the foundation of society

Symbols are the meanings we attach to things; we attach meaning to everything: words, gestures, dates, etc. Does July 4th mean something different than July 5th? Why?

We construct meanings and then interact with others based on those meanings

How likely are you to swear in front of your grandmother? Your buddy? Why, what’s the difference? The difference is in the meaning associated with the two different people. You (probably) have a different relationship with your grandmother than you do with your pals

Meanings are learned through interaction with others

Symbols are leaned…you weren’t born with the knowledge that July 4th is a national holiday in the US.

Reality is subjective

Points of view and behavior are influenced by interaction with others; reality is perception

Society is basically nothing more than people interacting – and constructing their own realities

Our identity or sense of self is shaped through social interaction

We develop our self concept by observing how others interact with us and label us; by observing how others define us, we define ourselves.

[futurepsyd]

Conflict Theory

A macro-level theory; focuses on the inequality that exists in society that causes conflict (while functionalism focuses on stability) Focuses on the following themes:

Society is NOT stable – tremendous inequality between groups causes conflict between groups

Those with higher status have greater access to social resources

Assume factors such as class, race, gender, etc. are related to the unequal distribution of social resources. For example, is there a relationship between wealth and access to health care?

The relationship between the “haves” and the “have-nots”

Conflict exists between socially dominant and socially disadvantaged people (wealthy vs. poor, whites vs. racial and ethnic minorities, men vs. women, etc.)

Structural Inequality

Social structures are set up to benefit the “haves”, at the expense of the “have-nots”

Assumes the “haves” construct and control the social structures, so they are set up to reflect the interests of the haves

Inequality persists because of structural inequality; the structures are the problem

Social change is necessary

Inequality causes (or makes worse) social problems. For example, many people in the United States have asthma, but the persistence of poverty (and subsequent gaps in health care) make the problem of asthma much worse.

[futurepsyd]

Structural Functionalism

A macro-level theory; views society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability. Focuses on the importance of:

Social Structure

Macro-Level Orientation

Social Functions

Consequences for the operation of society

Every social structure serves important functions for society

Examples:

Family – reproduction, nurturing, socializing kids.

Education – transmits knowledge and skills

Economy – coordinates the production and distribution of goods and services

All structures have functions: functional or dysfunctional. Some, like crime, can be both. Crime is dysfunctional in that it causes property loss, fear, etc. However, it is functional in that it creates jobs for many people (police officers, lawyers, etc.).

We can break this down even further by analyzing manifest and latent functions.

Manifest Functions – recognized and intended consequences of a social pattern

Latent Functions - consequences that are largely unintended and unrecognized

For example, a manifest function of higher education is to train people; a latent function is to serve as a match maker for future enduring relationships.

Inter-connectedness of Social Structures

Emphasizes the inter-connectedness of social structures; social structures influence and are influenced by each other

Example: how many aspects of society did Hurricane Katrina impact? Here’s a few: education, culture, economy, housing, health care, government… the list goes on! A change in one social structure will impact others. If the stock market crashed, what other aspects of society might be affected?

Social Stability

Assumes that overall, society is stable

Early functionalists compared society to the human body. Just as the body is comprised of various systems that function for survival, the systems of society work together for stability.

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”

Functionalism assumes society is stable, therefore no major changes are required. We should simply work to strengthen already existing social structures

[futurepsyd]

Contemporary Bio Notes

Qualitative measurements are subjective. They are a measurement of the quality of something and depend on an opinion. For example, · My dog's fur is very short, or · My vacation was very expensive.

Quantitative measurements are objective. They are a measure of the quantity of something and are linked to a standard unit of measurement, which is why they're preferred by scientists – quantitative measurements are repeatable and universal. For example, · My dog's fur is 2.5 centimeters long. · My vacation cost $2,500.

Length - The measurement of the extent of something along its greatest dimension.

Examples of U.S. Customary System: Inches, Yards, Miles

Examples of Metric Units: Centimeters, Meters, Kilometers

Mass - A measure of the amount of matter contained in or constituting a physical body.

Examples of U.S. Customary System: Ounces, Pounds

Examples of Metric Units: Milligrams, Grams, Kilograms

Volume - Capacity; the amount of 3- dimensional space an object occupies

Examples of U.S. Customary System: Teaspoon, Tablespoon, Pint, Quart, Gallon

Examples of Metric Units: Milliliter, Liter

Temperature - The degree or intensity of heat present in a substance or object, expressed according to a comparative scale

Examples of U.S. Customary System: Fahrenheit

Examples of Metric Units: Celsius

The metric system uses the Celsius scale. In the United States, we are accustomed to the Fahrenheit scale. Listed below are some common temperatures that you should know in BOTH scales.

Freezing Point - 0°C = 32°F

Boiling Point - 100°C = 212°F

Human Body Temperature - 37°C = 98.6°F

Temperature Conversion Equations: °C = (F - 32) x 5/9

°F = (9/5 x 0C) + 32

Example conversion for US Customary to Metric::

[futurepsyd]

Principles of Sociology Unit 1 Notes

Sociological Imagination Notes

In addition to introducing you to the discipline of sociology, Chapter 1 covers several theories that you’ll be expected to learn and apply to the world around you. The most important concepts in this chapter are:

• The Sociological Imagination

• The Perspectives: Functionalism, Conflict Theory and Symbolic Interaction

These concepts are fundamental to the discipline of sociology, and you’ll need a firm grasp of them to move forward with the course. As such, we’ll spend a considerable amount of time (2 weeks!) covering them. This week we’ll cover the sociological imagination, which gives us insight into what it means to think sociologically. Next week, we'll cover the theoretical perspectives.

The Sociological Imagination

The Promise by C. Wright Mills is by far the most challenging reading of the semester. Take heart, it’s not cruel and unusual punishment, it’s simply that important! At the heart of The Promise is what Mills refers to as the sociological imagination. What is the sociological imagination? Simply stated, it’s a way of thinking. Mills refers to it as “a quality of mind” (30). To use your sociological imagination is to think sociologically.

The sociological imagination is a way of thinking that incorporates the following three themes:

· Milieu

· Link between social history and biography

· Link between personal troubles and public issues

Milieu - Your milieu is your social environment. It’s your scene – the people you know, the places you go, etc. Mills writes that to use your sociological imagination is to look beyond your milieu, to see how society has an impact on your day to day life. It’s understanding that government policy might affect you (think financial aid!), that religion might influence your beliefs, that gender and race might influence your experiences. It’s important to look beyond milieu because what happens in the world has a direct impact on your life. It can be difficult to take a step back from our lives in order to understand the bigger picture – let’s face it, we’re busy! But, according to Mills, it’s a critical part of the sociological perspective.

Link between social history and biography- Mills writes that we cannot understand the life on an individual without understanding the history of his/her society (29-30). In other words, there is a connection between your life story and your society’s history. For example, 9/11 has had an impact on our life stories. The day to day lives of some Americans dramatically changed after 9/11 (due to personal loss, increased fear of attack, economic changes, government policy, etc.).

I always think of my grandmother – a woman who mends socks with holes, sneaks sugar packets from restaurant tables, and has been wearing the same housecoat for years (by the way, she’d kill me if she knew I made this public). Growing up I assumed she was just quirky. Of course I now realize that she lived through the Great Depression, World War I, World War II…times when “waste not want not” was the mantra of most Americans. Those experiences impacted her philosophy, and to an extent, the philosophy of a generation. Therefore these moments of history affected her personal biography.

Link between personal troubles and public issues- A public issue is a social problem that affects many people; a personal trouble is a private hardship that an individual experiences. Mills writes that social problems cause hardships for people in their everyday lives. Mills uses the example of war (32). War is a social issue, one that affects many people. Those who experience war face personal troubles: anxiety, loss, financial hardship, etc.

Consider the recent crisis in the housing market. It’s not any one person’s fault that this is a social problem, but many Americans are impacted by it. Personal troubles associated with this problem might include stress, financial hardship, difficulty obtaining loans, perhaps even foreclosure. So while losing one’s home (foreclosure) is a personal trouble that is experienced privately by an individual or family, the cause of the foreclosure may be, at least in part, social.

A public issues is something that (1) affects many people and (2) is connected to social structure. Is unemployment a public issue in the United States? Yes, because it affects many Americans, and solutions to the problem must come, at least in part, through social structures (such as the economy, government, banking systems, etc.). So then, unemployment is a public issue, and it causes personal troubles for people in their everyday lives. Practice this on your own - describe some of the personal troubles associated with social problems like poverty, pollution, etc. Refer to your readings for assistance.

In conclusion, to think sociologically is to look beyond your own milieu, to understand the link between history and biography, and to understand that social problems can cause hardships for people in their everyday lives.

Any questions?

[futurepsyd]

Contemporary Biology Chapter 1 Notes

Opening Questions: What are the properties of life? Cells, growth and reproduction.

1.1 Properties of living things

Reproduction: All organisms reproduce their own kind.

Growth and development: Information carried by genes controls the pattern of growth in all organisms.

Energy use: Every organism takes in energy, converts it to useful forms, and expels energy.

Order: Each living thing has a complex but well-ordered structure.

Cells: All living organisms consist of cells. Some living organisms have only one cell and some have trillions of cells.

Response to the environment: All organisms respond to changes in the environment.

Evolution: Individuals with traits that help them survive and reproduce pass the genes for those traits to offspring, driving the evolution of populations.

Opening Questions: What about a virus? Is a virus alive? No, a virus has no cells and cannot reproduce on its own.

1.2 Life can be studied at many levels

The biosphere consists of all life on Earth.

An ecosystem consists of the living and non-living components.

A community consists of all the interacting populations in an ecosystem

A population is a group of interacting individuals of one species.

An organism is an individual living being.

An organ system is a group of organs that work together.

An organ consists of multiple tissues that cooperate to perform a specific task.

A tissue is an integrated group of similar cells that work together

The cell is the fundamental unit of life.

An organelle is a component of the cell that performs a specific function.

A molecule is a group of atoms bonded together.

An atom is the fundamental unit of matter.

Opening Questions: Does the discipline of science have any limits? The natural world What might be an example of a limit? A limit could be outside Is there any questions science can not answer? Ghosts as testable questions are not easy to prove with science, whether there is an afterlife, a definitive god, etc.

1.3 What is science?

Observation is the first step in science. The scientific method serves as a guideline for a scientist to understand an observation.

Not all science is hypothesis driven. Discovery science provides data used to describe the natural world.

Controlled experiments investigate a hypothesis by changing only one variable.

A hypothesis is a proposed explanation for an observation. A valid hypothesis must be testable.

A theory is much broader in scope and explains a great many observations. Theories are supported by a large and growing body of evidence.

Scientists use theory with a specific meaning.

Common Language: Conjecture Speculation Opinion

Scientific Language: Well-supported Testable ideas Objective data

1.4 Cells are the fundamental units of life

Every living organism is composed of one or more cells. Some organisms are unicellular. Others are multicellular. All cells contain genes made of DNA.

All life on Earth is composed of one of two types of cells: prokaryotic or eukaryotic

Bacteria are prokaryotic cells

Prokaryotic cells are small, simple cells. They lack membrane-bound organelles.

Always unicellular First appeared 3.5 billion years ago DNA not contained Bacteria and archaea

Plants and animals have eukaryotic cells

Eukaryotic cells are larger, complex cells. They contain membrane-bound organelles.

Unicellular or multicellular First appeared 2.1 billion years ago DNA in nucleus Plants, animals, fungi, and protists

All cells contain genes—units of hereditary information—made from the molecule DNA.

Genes from one species may be cut and pasted into the DNA of a different species.

Opening Questions: Think about the energy in the food you ate for breakfast today. Where did that energy come from? Plants and animals, atoms and cells within the animals that give the plants energy the sun. Where did that energy go? Into the energy expended when I went for a walk and when I did chores Now consider the chemicals that were in your breakfast (the atoms). Were they destroyed? no What happens to the “mass” of the food? it gets converted into human waste 🥴

1.5 Ecosystems

The ecosystem includes all living organisms as well as non-living factors such as air, sunlight, wind, and water. The dynamics of every ecosystem depend on two main processes Energy flow and Chemical recycling

Opening Questions: What are the differences and similarities among the following groups of organisms? A sunflower (plant) A chimpanzee (animal) A mushroom (fungi) All three grow and use energy to grow, multicellular generally, a mushroom can be single celled though. Sunflower uses the sun for energy, a chimp uses other organisms to get energy, fungi use death to grow

1.6 Classification

Life on Earth is currently classified into three domains based on the type of cell.

Three kingdoms are recognized by how members obtain energy: Plantae (plants) Fungi Animalia (animals) Organisms that do not fit into are classified as protists.

Opening Questions: What are some things that all living things have in common? Growth, reproduction, cells How do living things differ from each other? How they get their energy, how they grow, the speed of growth and death and reproduction, single cell vs multicell

1.7 Evolution

Evolution is the core theme of biology. All life on Earth is connected through a shared evolutionary history that stretches back over 3 billion years.

In 1859, Charles Darwin published The Origin of Species. Darwin laid out a very easy to understand logical argument for evolution by natural selection. Darwin argued that a few readily verifiable observations lead to a profound conclusion.

Every species has the potential to increase its numbers very rapidly by exponential growth. For all organisms, resources (food, shelter, sunlight) are limited.

From these two observations, Darwin concluded competition is a factor for all living things

💡 Heritable variation means that not all individuals are alike. Some individuals leave more offspring behind. Individuals with traits better suited to compete in the current environment will, on average, produce more offspring.

Darwin called the nonrandom unequal reproductive success among individuals natural selection.

Natural selection is not random because it favors individuals with traits that increase survival and reproduction.

Darwin realized that traits that enhance survival and reproduction will increase in frequency over time. Adaptation is the accumulation of favorable traits.

Darwin proposed that natural selection will result in “descent with modification.”

Life is highly diverse in the number of species. Yet there is tremendous unity among living things.

Opening Questions: Why doesn’t penicillin work as well as it once did? Before 1940, millions of people died every year from common bacterial infections such as tonsillitis and strep throat. The discovery of antibiotics made these diseases treatable and we have come to expect protection against bacteria. However, today some of our antibiotics are no longer effective. What is going on? Come up with a hypothesis to explain the increasing incidence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. I hypothesis that via evolution we as a species are becoming immune to antibiotics. This is seen on an individual level as we are often advised by doctors to not keep taking it as a precautionary thing as we can just be adding to our body's immunity to antibiotics as well as bacteria's evolutionary process becoming resistant to antibiotics.

1.8 Artificial Selection

You can witness examples of evolution in action all around you! Darwin noted that humans have been selecting for traits for millennia. He called this artificial selection.

💡 What are some examples of plants or animals that humans have bred for specific traits?

Wolves/Dogs, Horses

Antibiotics were first discovered in the 1940s. Today, some antibiotics have become virtually useless because bacteria have evolved resistance.

[futurepsyd]

Sociology Section 1 - Watch & Reflect

What is Sociology?

Sociology is the study of social life, social change, and the social causes and consequences of human behavior. Cultural and environmental factors that help determine decisions in groups.

The Danger of a Single Story

Seeing all sides of a situation, culture, or people is important. Single story outlook brings prejudice, assumptions, or harmful narratives that can damage interactions between persons. I am a person that values the idea that every situation is multifaceted. Boiling it down to one cause or another is unfair to the complexity of human interactions and building of relationships. To understand a situation and its root cause you must also understand all the other contributing factors to that result. A singular narrative completely drowns out the attributing factors that come from others within the social structure or relationship.

The Danger of Silence

Silence amongst society causes mistreatment to run rampant as people keep themselves quiet, silence can kill en masse or singularly. Forcing mental health into the darkness as taboo, kills people, forcing the idea that a single race or religion is better than another, kills people. Too often society would rather be quiet about relationships between people for x, y, or z reason. Clint details he chose silence over speaking out because the students needed the money more and kept himself quiet rather than speak out against homophobia to protect himself. So often we keeps ourselves quiet for many reasons, not wanting to be attacked too, our reputation, a job, money, love, education, pick one. Using this knowledge helps us to fight this silence and urge others to speak. Talking about mental health is hard, suffering in silence is harder. Racism has lasted as long as it has in part thanks to those who refuse to speak about it or change it (as silence does not only mean in speech but also seen within inaction.)

Both of these messages are important to sociology because human relationships are dynamic and ever changing due to numerous factors that are in themselves, based on other numerous factors. To look at this multifaceted relationship between people and groups with only one singular lenses gives you a one dimension look, one idea, one side, and because of this, speaking out against injustices recognized in a group is vital to the survival of the group dynamic, however that dynamic may change. Racism is the result of numerous things and as a consequence continues to have a negative result on a group. Armed with this knowledge, the group can advocate better for itself and other groups.

[futurepsyd]

Citation Resources:

Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University’s Research and Citation Resources

MLA (Modern Language Association) Resources

MLA Handbook. 8th ed., Modern Language Association of America, 2016.

The MLA Style Center https://style.mla.org/

Ask the MLA FAQ https://style.mla.org/category/ask-the-mla/

Behind the Style Blog https://style.mla.org/category/behind-the-style/

APA (American Psychological Association) Resources

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. 7th ed., American Psychological Association, 2019.

APA Style https://apastyle.apa.org/

APA Style Instructional Aids https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/

APA Style Blog https://apastyle.apa.org/blog/

Chicago Resources

The Chicago Manual of Style. 17th ed., University of Chicago Press, 2017.

Chicago Style Citation Quick Guide https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html

Chicago Style Q&A https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/qanda/topicList

CMOS Shop Talk blog https://cmosshoptalk.org/

NLM (National Library of Medicine) Resources

Citing Medicine: the NLM Style Guide for Authors, Editors, and Publishers. 2nd ed., National Library of Medicine, 2007.

Find it online at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK7256/

Samples of Formatted References for Authors of Journal Articles https://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/uniform_requirements.html

[futurepsyd]

Plagiarism Spectrum

- Via Turninit - for detailed overview please see their article

Clone

Submitting another's work, word-for-word, as one's own

CTRL+C

Contains significant portions of text from a single source without alterations

Find – Replace

Changing key words and phrases but retaining the essential content of the source

Remix

Paraphrases from multiple sources, made to fit together

Recycle

Borrows generously from the writer's previous work without citation

Hybrid

Combines perfectly cited sources with copied passages without citation

Mashup

Mixes copied material from multiple sources

404 Error

Includes citations to non-existent or inaccurate information about sources

Aggregator

Includes proper citation to sources but the paper contains almost no original work

Re-Tweet

Includes proper citation, but relies too closely on the text's original wording and/or structure

[futurepsyd]

My Intro to Philosophy Professor’s Notes - Anselm (Part2)

The argument only works with God. God is the only being denied by the atheist BECAUSE of its perfection. Anselm thought about what is the real concern which the atheist has in mind when they have a problem with God's existence. This attribute is "perfection", because only a perfect God would be problematic for issues like:  "why there is evil in the world?", "how can a human be free and God already know what one is going to do before they do it?" etc. These problems are only problems because of the contradiction which would exist IF God were considered to be perfect. Since it only makes sense to have a problem with a God that is perfect, the atheist must be thinking about a perfect God when they point out problems with this God. Therefore, the atheist is already thinking of God as perfect. Since this God is perfect, it must exist. If this God did not exist, it would lack something and thereby not be considered perfect. Clever!!

Anselm's point with the atheist is that because the atheist has a problem with a "perfect god", they must AT THE SAME TIME conceive of God as being perfect. This is all Anselm needs in order to point out that, once the atheist thinks of "perfection" in order to have a problem with "perfection", they are also concluding that this perfect God must exist. If not, then this god does not exist as perfect, and, therefore, the atheist would not have a problem with what does not exist.

Anselm partially got the idea of God from the atheist conception of God. This is a perfect God. The atheist MUST conceive of God's perfection in order to point out a problem with Evil existing in the world. Only a perfect God would be a contradiction to things like babies dying and earthquakes killing large groups of religious people. Here is a key point: ANSELM DOES NOT WANT TO SETTLE THIS PROBLEM!! As long as the atheist keeps thinking of a perfect God, so that they can have a problem with this God's existence, Anselm's reasoning is correct. The issue with the fire and water has to do with the fact that God being God cannot be less than God, or else God is not God. Think about it.

The "fool" is a term used by Anselm for those that have a problem with something they, themselves, claim to be non existent. That is, according to the atheist God cannot exist, because (for example) babies die. This is the issue of God's perfect love being contradictory to the fact that evil exists (babies dies). Anselm's point here is that because the atheist (fool) must be thinking of a perfectly loving God, in order to have a problem with this in relation to babies dying(evil) ,they must, logically, be holding in their consciousness that God is perfect and this would be contrary to the existence of evil in the world. Think about it. If God is "all loving", how can innocent beings be harmed without God doing something about it? Anselm does NOT want to settle this contradiction, because as long as it is a contradiction in the mind of the "fool" (atheist), then the "fool" (atheist) MUST be considering God to be perfectly loving in the first place. This admission of God's perfection is what Anselm uses to conclude that this type of God (Perfect) must exist. If this God does not exist, then this God would not be perfect because this God would lack existence and, therefore be "less than that which non greater can be conceived". get It?

Once the atheist starts to realize his illogical reasoning with his own conceptualization of God, he begins to change his definition of god to something less than perfect. This process is what Anselm is referring to here when he writes about all the ways God cannot be "less than that which none greater can be conceived". Once this occurs the theist can simply respond by asserting that the atheist is not denying the existence of the God of the theist, thereby it is not an argument against the theist's conception of  a perfect God.

Anselm uses the atheist's conception of God to start the "argument". That is, once the atheist, themselves, think of a perfect God, in order to have a logical problem with issues like evil in the world, they are, by that fact, already considering, in their understanding, the issue of a perfect God. Only the conception of a God that is perfect would allow for a problem with evil in the world. Simply put, babies(innocence) die, and an all perfect God should (logically) have a problem with allow for this, yet babies still die. Therefore, how can a perfectly loving God (omni-benevolent) exist, if babies are allowed to die? This is the concern that exists in the understanding of the atheist. Anselm does not want to settle this issue. All Anselm wants to do is use this conception of God as being perfect to conclude that the atheist already has in their understanding the idea of a perfect God in order to have a problem with this God existing. Once this conception of perfection ON BEHALF OF THE ATHIEST is asserted, Anselm can simply point out that this type of God must necessarily exist according to the atheist. If this type of God (a perfect God) did not exist, according to the atheist, then there would be no issue for the evil existing in the world. Get it?

The idea here with the quote is that according to the "fool" God is in the thoughts of the fool, but at the same time, this God is regarded by the fool as not to exist. Anselm points out the illogical condition which the fool finds themselves. Once a person has a "perfect God" in mind when they are considering God, then, according to the very essence of such perfection, this type of God MUST exist, otherwise this type of God lacks something and, thereby, making this type of God "less than that which none greater can exist." Please see my postings on this.

[futurepsyd]

My Intro to Philosophy Professor's Notes - David Hume (Part2)

For Hume, we do not sense the world carefully enough and this allows for to generalize with our ideas of identity and difference. All this means is that when we sense things that generally are similar in characteristics like color, shape, sound, etc. we combine these as ideas in our mind and create the idea of identity. One the other hand, when we sense things that seem not to have general similarities in characteristics like color, shape, sound etc. we separate these as ideas in our mind and create the idea of difference. It all comes down to the fact that we do not sense things accurately and, therefore, to overcome this inability to sense accurately we feign the idea of some continued existence in our thoughts of things, whether they be through the idea of identity or difference.  When we apply this "messed up" process of ours to ourselves, we create the idea of self or soul. Hume calls this a "natural propensity". For Hume, the way in which we assert personal identity has to do with our inability to notice sensual information (impression) as they actually occur. That is, our in ability to comprehend all the variants involved in what we actually experience "gives rise to " our mistaken conception of identity and difference. While Hume does assert, however, that there may be a "natural propensity" to affirm the existence of a self, soul, personal identity, etc., he does not account for where such a "propensity" comes from. It is one thing to say that humans do not sense well, it is another thing to say why we don't like it being so. Think about it. There is plenty of room for Locke's Psychological State Theory here.

For Hume, those sensual impressions we experience are ALL that we are. There is no separate existence of Self or Mind, or Soul. This is why Hume writes that whenever he enters most intimately into what he calls himself, he always stumbles upon some sensual impression. He states that he can never catch himself without a sensual impression and that he never notices anything but the impression. When we think about ourselves it is always us doing something. We never notice the mind (Soul) by itself. We are the act of sensual impressions. When we stop sensing, we stop existing. We are tied to our physical nature this way. Welcome to Material Monism!

[futurepsyd]

My Intro to Philosophy Professor's Notes - Thomas Aquinas' Fourth Way

One main difference between the first three Ways and the 4th Way is that only the 4th Way deals directly with morality. The, so called, "Qualities" Aquinas uses in the 4th way are qualities of  GOOD AND EVIL. Our own personal Morality effects the experiences we have. In this sense, our personal view of the Good and Evil Qualities based in our own experiences are not simply "ideas".  The "highest degree of said quality" is nothing other than the GOOD of individuals. Such individuals recognize that they are Free to reflect on how Good, Good can be. This is the idea of a sliding scale between Good and Evil, which Aquinas holds ALL humans have. The existence of God within this human framework is necessitated, because human beings always control this sliding scale.  According to  Aquinas, human beings need to be accounted for in the 5 Ways, because human beings exist just like Motion, Causation and Contingency exist. Remember: Aquinas is using Paul's idea that one can know of the existence of God, simply by understanding the experiences humans have. Human beings are different from physical matter, in that they are Free to Choose. Since human beings are Free, they would be able to understand that they choose things they understand as Good and and avoid choosing  things they understand as Evil. Physical Matter (The First 3 Ways) does not do this, therefore Aquinas adds the 4th Way to understand what Humans do.

[futurepsyd]

My Intro to Philosophy Professor's Notes - Aristotelian Ethics

Aristotle's ethics focuses on the habits of character one obtains throughout one's lifetime. It is a lifelong process for one to become virtuous for Aristotle. His ethical theory is referred to as Character or Virtue Ethics.

Aristotle begins his ethics which an account of desiring after certain ends and the means we choose to achieve those ends. If all our ends which we choose are chosen solely for the sake of them being a means to another end and so on and so on, THEN our desires would be "empty and futile" Aristotle wishes to show that if this we so, we would never want to achieve a life which is as perfectly constructed an virtue dictates. Therefore he holds there must be an end to our desires, there must exist something which is chosen for its own sake and something which when we acquire it what we get out of it is having it. Aristotle calls such and end "complete and self sufficient".  For Aristotle, "happiness" is the only thing which is an end desired after which fulfills the two criteria of completeness and self sufficiency. This idea of "happiness" must not mislead us. Happiness, for Aristotle is not simply pleasure. It is probably better defined as "self actualization" (like Maslow held in his "hierarchy of needs"). Moreover, Aristotle contends that, the reason that there seems to be so many different versions of happiness is that we base what we think is good and therefore what we believe will make us happy on "conventions" as opposed to "nature". It is our "conventions" in society that convince us those certain goods can contradict other goods, within certain parameters. For example: the department of transportation has the convention of "keeping your attention on the road as you drive" This convention is considered a good by all in society. HOWEVER, there is also the convention of advertisement, which considers it a good to have one pay attention to it. Both conventions are operating at the same time. Bothe conventions seek after different goals. Both conventions regard the other's goals as good. It is here where Aristotle notices conflicting conventional good.  There are innumerable examples of this is society and it is this conflict which Aristotle is attempting to correct. For Aristotle, good (virtues) do NOT conflict with other goods (virtues. There are either both wrong (vice) or one of them is wrong (vice). Virtues support virtues and not vices, while vices support vices and not virtues. Furthermore, Aristotle holds that there are three basic types of goods in society. One is "goods of the body". The second are "external good" and the third are "goods of the soul'. Of the three types of goods, only "goods of the soul" are to be considered real good (virtues). The other types of goods can be taken from one or given to one and, therefore are not what Aristotle regards as real goods. If you think about it you can understand the type of conventions which make use of the types of goods, and which, in turn, cause an internal conflict in society. For example: " being born good looking" would be a "good of the body". It is problematic for Aristotle when we believe this type of good to be a real good, because it does not need to reflect our character. The same is true of the other types of goods which are not “goods of the soul”

For Aristotle, the individual can be either virtuous, or moving towards virtue, or vicious, or moving towards vice. The individuality issue is important, but not because of some relativistic good or evil, rather, the individual can be wrong for Aristotle and the individual can be right for Aristotle.