Abstract
In this article, the writer discusses whether adolescents' personal conceptions of smoking or addiction deter them or encourage them to smoke. The writer discusses that an overview of the literature indicates the complex sociocultural context in which personal conceptions arise. The writer looks at the different variables that impact conceptions such as race and ethnicity and also considers the effects of gender and per groups.

From the Paper
"The research question underling the literature review is: do adolescents' personal conceptions of smoking or addiction deter them or encourage them to smoke? An overview of the literature indicates the complex sociocultural context in which personal conceptions arise. Among the numerous variables affecting conceptions are race, ethnicity and sociocultural expectations; gender; peer group; and nicotine. Rasmussen-Cruz, Martin & Nuno-Gutierrez (2006), for example, maintain that adolescents' conceptions involve values, expectations, beliefs, and attitudes both toward themselves and society. Nicotine is absolutely essential in tobacco addiction and produces tolerance, physical dependence, and euphoria or elation."

Tags:smoking, factors, studies

Abstract
This paper reviews the conception of innate human nature in several authors. To Emerson, innate human nature implied being an individual, free from imitation of society. Joyce searched for meaning in the face of disillusionment and disappointment, where there was incongruity between the real and the ideal. Didion sought self-respect in the light of her experiences. Hobbes saw self-interest and selfishness as innate human nature. Camus saw life as absurd. None of them understood human nature in the light of God.

Abstract
This paper explores Aldus Huxley and Josef Pieper's conceptions of what constitutes "the good life." The conceptions of the author concerning this matter are then compared with those of Huxley and Pieper. Examples from Huxley's book, "Brave New World" and Pieper's book, "Leisure: The Basis of Culture", are used to support their conceptions of the good life.

Abstract
This paper explores the nature of the Marian conceptions concerning Earth Mother imagery, not only within the Christian tradition but also as such images can be applied across religious faiths throughout the world. In this paper, the term Marian conceptions refers to those images and fables that bear a striking similarity to the image of the Virgin Mother within the Christian faith, thereby denoting that the presentation of this image indicates that there is a commonality across various religious traditions in respect to the concept of an "earth mother".

Abstract
An overview of the different conceptions of God in Western philosophy, as found in the Bible (specifically, the Book of Job) and the writings of Plato, St. Thomas Aquinas, Descartes, Kant, and Nietzsche, with an emphasis on proving God's existence and God's characteristics.

From the Paper
"A majority of philosophers see God as a dependent factor to achieving "the good." Although some philosophers feel God is detrimental to achieving "the good," the majority believes God is essential to achieving a healthy soul. While Saint Thomas Aquinas gives five proofs for the existence of God, philosophers such as Kant and DesCartes expand this belief by expressing that "our ultimate good is to be in relation to God."

Tags:god, kant, job, nietzsche, descartes, aquinas, plato, religion

Abstract
This paper stresses that philosophers have long pursued a deeper understanding of the nature of human freedom. The paper describes the beliefs of Jean Jacques Rousseau, which purport that human freedom is achieved through the rejection of the modern and the material in an effort to reach a more primitive and natural human state. The paper then relates that John Stuart Mill accepts modern society but dictates that it must be structured to facilitate happiness in the greatest number of society's individuals, thus arguing that human freedom is achieved through personal-political freedoms. The paper then suggests that both of these philosophies are too unrealistic, allowing for little or no clear path toward freedom. The paper concludes that a more realistic Karl Marx provides the idea that society can only move toward freedom after understanding the material conditions of society.

From the Paper
"Marx would say that this definition of freedom is too abstract. By Marx's terms, Mill's definition is not really freedom because it does not take into consideration the many factors of politics, society, and history. For example, a man in Mill's ideal society cannot achieve freedom simply through the pursuit of happiness and the lessening of pain. The man must still work, whether or not he is encouraged to choose the type of work. In a capitalist society, a larger body or industry will inevitably control his work."

Tags:rejection, happiness, personal-political, material, self-creation

Abstract
This paper explains that the Indian cultures, such as the Aztecs, Inca and the Maya, believed in an immortal soul, had ceremonies and beliefs which helped them reconcile themselves to it and believed that the body merely became undead and it took on the influences of the unseen powers. The author points out that the Greek philosophers strongly influenced the early apostate Christian thinkers who accepted the immortal soul teaching into their doctrine, even though it had no biblical basis; therefore, in the Christian/Catholic conception of death, Jesus frequently spoke of everlasting life. The paper relates that Judaism holds that man has an immortal soul that survives the death of his body; when an individual dies, his soul still lived on in another realm, while his body lay in the grave to await the physical resurrection of all the dead here on earth.

From the Paper
"The Greeks, having formulated many gods in their mythology, were also concerned with the dead and their destination. According to their myths, the one put in charge of that realm of murky darkness was the son of Cronus and brother of the gods Zeus and Poseidon. His name was Hades, and his realm was named after him. The Greeks had frightening stories of how the souls of the dead reached Hades. Charon rowed the ferry that transported those who had recently died from the land of the living to the underworld. Charon required payment for his ferry service, and the Greeks often buried their dead with a coin under the tongue to make sure they had the proper fare. Dead souls who could not pay were kept on the wrong side of the river, in a kind of no-man's land, and might return to haunt the living.) "

Tags:purgatory, immortal, mythology, soul, body

Abstract
The paper analyses two of Anselm of Canterbury's short works; "Free Will" and "The Fall of the Devil".
The paper discusses free will and free choice in the context of both works, and concludes that, though on first perusal both seem to offer very different and distinct views, in actuality the two are closer than they seem.

From the Paper
"In Anselm's "Free Will" and "The Fall of the Devil", there is a distinct impression left, at least initially, that the first of these two readings cleaves to the view that "free choice" is a unilateral conception with God controlling all, while the second of the two readings posits that "free choice" is very much that with man (or at least angel) apparently free to thwart the intended dispensation of salvation by God. However, the following paper will argue that the two chapters are actually closer than they appear because God has permitted subordinates a measure of power and autonomy that necessarily leaves them free to reject his will. "

Tags:anselm, free, will

From the Paper
"The dichotomy between the real images of the objects of pleasure bringing out an inappropriate reaction is an episode of moral sensibility. The instance is taken deeper as the contrary emotion also brings about a reversal. The melancholy is seen to soothe the heart instead of decaying it. The spiritual sensibility seen in this passage then becomes a force that heals the afflicted. It is just not plot devices that bring about the acts of sensibility. Goldsmith insists on using the thoughts and actions of a man whose attitude is not popular during the period. Often the Vicar expects a moral reaction in an immoral world. The following passage is a perfect example:"This gentleman [the squire] he described as one who desired to know little more of the world than its pleasures there was scarcely a farmer's daughter within ten miles around, but what had found him successful and faithless. Though this account gave me some pain, it had a very different affect on my daughters, whose features seemed to brighten with the expectation of an approaching triumph; nor was my wife less pleased and confident of their allurements and virtue." (p. 34) "

Tags:clinker, humphery, journey, of, sentimental, vicar, wakefield

From the Paper
"Conceptions of honor are addressed in the Shakespeare plays Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra. Julius Caesar was written in 1599 and Antony and Cleopatra in 1606-1607. Both are among the Roman plays of Shakespeare, plays set in the Roman Empire, though Antony and Cleopatra actually is more governed by the culture and society of Egypt where the play is set. Honor is an important Roman value, but the meaning of honor and the way it is belied by the actions of certain men are tested by the events in these plays. Honor in some ways is bound with Roman power, and there is a connection between the decline of power and the decline of honor, as Shakespeare is able to bring out centuries later as he looks back at the long lost empire and considers the meaning of honor from an Elizabethan point of view."