Abstract
This paper looks at how the question of the origins of the universe has concerned humanity for centuries and how understanding the origins of the universe also implies an understanding of creation and leads to insight into humanities place in the universe. The central scientific theory on this subject, known as the Big Bang theory, is compared to two modern theories that have become popular alternatives to the Big Bang theory. The two other theories are ekpyrotic theory and the split universe theory. The central thesis that is explored in this paper is that the Big Bang theory does not provide a comprehensive and satisfying explanation of the origins of the universe and that the other theories provide a more comprehensive and fitting explanation.

Outline:
Outline
Introduction
Major Theories
The Big Bang Theory of the Origins of the Universe
Ekpyrotic Theory
The Split Universe Theory
Analysis and Argument
Conclusion

From the Paper
"Another theory that has become popular is the theory that the universe is in fact split into two. This is also based on quantum string theory. According to this view, the universe was at one point ten-dimensional but this was unstable structure. As a result it split into two universes - one with six dimension and one with four dimensions. We exist in the four-dimensional universe. Therefore, according to this theory, the Big Bang was in fact the breakdown of the ten dimensional universe into two parts ( Theories on the Existence and Origin of the Universe).
"This theory was put forward by, among others, Cumrun Vafa, a professor at Harvard University. He has determined that "...the six-dimensional universe is in the shape of an orbifold. The simplest example of an orbifold is a cone, but in this case the universe is a 'twisted torus' - a doughnut shape" ( Theories on the Existence and Origin of the Universe)."

Tags:quantum, string, Ekpyrotic

Abstract
The purpose of the universe has been seen from many angles in human history. The scientific view of the purpose of the universe has fluctuated together with various epochs and the philosophies connected with these epochs. Various philosophies of the purpose of the universe, and whether indeed the universe does have a purpose, are discussed.

From the Paper
"Cosmology, or the study of the universe, originated in Mesopotamia. The philosophy of the time was that the earth was the center of the universe. Main philosophers of the time were Aristotle and Ptolemy. Because of Aristotle's power, this view of the world remained relatively uncontested until 1543. This philosophy also made the idea of the purpose of the universe fairly simple. The universe existed for human beings, who were created at the center of it. The understanding of the world, being simple, was therefore unproblematic. It therefore might be not only Aristotle's power but also the basic human need to feel that there is a purpose to things that perpetuated this view."

Tags:cosmology, science, aristotle

Abstract
This paper discusses how the creation of the universe has been a controversial topic since its inception and how scientists now accept the 'big bang theory' as the most likely origin of the universe. It also looks at how there are other theories, such as the steady state theory,
that also endeavor to explain our existence. The paper attempts to show that although both theories share certain bases such as the violation of the first law of thermodynamics, the big bang theory is the more probable theory as to how the universe formed.

From the Paper
"The Big Bang is believed to have happened 13.7 billion years ago, marking the beginning of space and time. It suggested that the universe violently exploded into existence, and it continued to expand and cool, condensing and growing in both size and temperature, eventually forming the universe we know today. To this day, the universe continues to expand. The Big Bang theory has quite a bit of evidence backing it up, such as Hubble's Law- suggesting that the universe is constantly expanding and compacting through time. Or the discovery of Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson, both radio-astronomers, that 2.735 Kelvin CMB radiation can be found in the universe, a leftover of the Big Bang. Also, the sheer amount of large 'light elements' such as hydrogen and helium in combination to form deuterium, which is believed to be created at the Big Bang. This evidence led scientists to accept the Big Bang theory as the most probable origin of the universe.
"

Tags:perfect cosmological principle First Law of Thermodynamics energy spectrum

Abstract
This paper explores the fate of the universe. The writer looks back to the origins of the universe to see how it all started and what has been happening since then. In this article the writer explores some of the predictions for the future, the main one of which is that the universe will go on expanding forever.

From the Paper
"Before one can speculate on the fate of the universe, one must first look back to how it began. The modern version of the 'Big Bang' theory is that a massive explosion created all the mass and energy in the universe and also the fabric of time-space, which inflated rapidly after the big bang but then slowed down and the universe cooled down. The temperature dropped within minutes and free-roaming quarks formed protons and neutrons, some of which coalesced into the nuclei of simple elements."

Tags:Big Bang, Big Splat, Big Rip, cosmological constant, neutrinos, gravity

Abstract
This paper discusses the origins of the universe using the theory of the inflationary model. It discusses the concept of the fine tuning of the universe and defines and explains the anthropic principle. It discusses how the anthropic principle does provide a useful explanation of the universe, despite the fact that it appears to be a weak concept initially.

From the Paper
"So many strong coincidences on the universal level can hardly be explained by random chance. For example, it may be possible for a player to get a royal flush once, but when it happens repeatedly, it becomes clear that there are unaccounted factors, such as cheating. Similarly, to call the perfection of these various quantities coincidence is quite a stretch. It can only be convincingly explained as a tailoring towards life. On the more terrestrial level, it is the exact opposite; there is virtually no evident fine-tuning for life as far as we know. Together, these result in an overall moderate tailoring of the universe towards life. This fine-tuning logically leads to the weak anthropic principle, which offers an explanation for the basic, "first principles" of the universe, providing us with the answer to "why" instead of "how," purpose rather than method."

Tags:random, coincidence, expansion

Abstract
This paper briefly discusses how for thousands of years, scientists have attempted to explain the phenomenon of gravity in various ways. Gravity is one of the four fundamental interactions of the universe, yet arguably less is known about it than any of the other three forces. The paper briefly examines theories from Aristotle and Galileo to Sir Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein and explains that the current view of gravity as a "universal glue" helps to explain the basic motion of our solar system and the universe as a whole.

From the Paper
"To the Greek philosopher Aristotle, gravitas was an internal property of the four classical elements and not an external force. Because he believed no effect or motion occurred without a cause, Aristotle hypothesized that substances moved according to their nature. The heavier elements, earth and water, had positive densities. Thus, their motion was naturally directed downward to the center of the universe. The lighter elements, air and fire, had negative densities that caused them to move upward to the heavens (Gregory 3). The Roman engineer Vitruvius later proposed that the property of gravitas did not depend on the weight of object but upon its nature."

Tags:Galileo, Isaac, Newton, Albert, Einstein, Aristotle, solar, system

Abstract
The early childhood years are universally recognized as being a critically important developmental period for human beings, and when normal patterns of parental caregiving and nurturing are disrupted or when children experience abuse at the hands of others, the consequences can be profound, pervasive and even life-threatening. This literature review examines the relationship between childhood sexual abuse, dissociation and self-destructive behavior. The studies are grouped according to those studies concerning childhood sexual abuse and dissociation, those that concern childhood sexual abuse and various self-destructive behaviors, and those that investigate the relationship between all three factors.

Outline:
Introduction
Studies Concerning Childhood Sexual Abuse and Dissociation
Studies Concerning Childhood Sexual Abuse and Self-Destructive Behaviors
Studies Examining All Three Variables

From the Paper
"When families experience the trauma of sexual abuse, the processes by which these multiple and competing reactions on the part of the parent and the child tend to interfere with the normal processes that provide families with the means to achieve healthy functioning following such episodes of abuse. In this regard, Silberg (2004) reports that when children are sexually abused, there will be a natural tendency to engage in a number of emotional responses that may compete for primacy, including a desire for secrecy, individual victimization memories and sexual experiences, and confused and mixed emotions in the child and the parent. According to this researcher, "This is likely to be the case whether the conflicting feelings are a result of abuse within the family or from maltreatment by an individual outside of the family. In either case, these competing processes lead to dissociative manifestations, forgetting, and inability to make adequate meaning out of the feelings, perceptions, and ideas stimulated by the sexual abuse" (Silberg, 2004, p. 490). "

Tags:trauma, maltreatment, victim

Abstract
This paper analyzes Sylvia Plath's novel "The Bell Jar", which is often viewed as being as much a fictionalized memoir as it is a novel. According to the paper, Plath wrote about her own feelings of despair and her attitudes about suicide, placing these thoughts and ideas in her main character, Esther Greenwood. According to the paper, Plath detailedthis woman's experiences, such as the mental disruption she faced and how it brought changes in her life as she moves from the safer world of school and then the university into the more complex adult world she seems never able to master.

From the Paper
"Sylvia Plath's novel 'The Bell Jar' is often viewed as being as much a fictionalized memoir as it is a novel. In the book, she write about her own feelings of despair and her attitudes about suicide, placing these thoughts and ideas in her main character, Esther Greenwood, as she details the way this woman experiences mental disruption as she has to face changes in her life as she moves from the safer world of school and then the university into the more complex adult world she seems never able to master. She has a strong intellect, like Plath herself, but she is not comfortable dealing with people and lacks needed social skills that would enable her to integrate with the adult world. Her plight is symbolized by..."

Tags:plath, novel, fig

Abstract
This paper contends that communitarians take issue with the liberal orientation of securing individual liberty and the just distribution of resources. The paper claims that they emphasize the importance of tradition and community, and yet their notion of community is inadequately conceptualized. Communitarians question the nature of modern liberalism's "unencumbered" individual, who is abstracted from community and who defines obligation in terms of universal duties (abstract rights) or voluntary obligations (contracts). In contrast, the communitarian will argues for the civic republican ideal of an informed and active citizen, participating in and valuing community. But their attempts to reconstitute community betray a lack of understanding of the very nature of the concept from classical sociology. The paper illustrates how the communitarian project only reintroduces problems that disrupt community.

From the Paper
"Liberal theory wants to delineate the principal task of government to that of securing individual liberty and of distributing economic resources equitably, so that those individuals can lead their freely chosen lives. In contrast a cluster of thinkers, labeled communitarian, have taken issue with that orientation, and one point of deliberation has been their emphasis on the importance of tradition and the value of community. However, it may very well be that although the communitarian's critique is decisively relevant, their notion of community will not do the heavy labor that they will want it to do."

Tags:liberal, sociology, tradition

Abstract
The paper relates that when divorce occurs in the family every child is affected differently ("Effects", n.d., para. 1); children may exhibit a variety of behaviors caused by the divorce, such as bed-wetting, attempts at suicide or drug abuse ("Effects", n.d., para. 3). The paper explains that this is because children often feel that when divorce occurs it is somehow their responsibility to attempt to hold the family together and that they are to blame for the disruption in the household. According to the University of Minnesota, the child may also believe that he or she is "powerless", is tasked with taking care of the parents or may experience grief because of the loss that is experienced ("Effects", n.d., para. 2). The paper refers to how Leon and Cole (2007) discuss the issue of divorce and the immediate impact that this occurrence may have on the child and his or her relationship with siblings. The paper also looks at the works of Berger and DeBord on this subject.

From the Paper
"When divorce occurs in the family every child is affected differently ("Effects", n.d., para. 1). Children may exhibit a variety of behaviors caused by the divorce, such as bed-wetting, attempts at suicide or drug abuse ("Effects", n.d., para. 3). This is because children often feel that when divorce occurs it is somehow their responsibility to attempt to hold the family together and that they are to blame for the disruption in the household. According to the University of Minnesota, the child may also believe that he or she is "powerless", is tasked with taking care of the parents or may experience grief because of the loss that is experienced..."

Tags:psych, divorce, children