Abstract
This paper takes a critical look at the book "Rare Earth: Why Complex Life is Uncommon in the Universe", by Peter Ward and Donald Brownlee. It discusses their theories of the beginning of life on Earth and additional theories to life on other planets. It challenges their research and data and offers other explanations and theories.

From the Paper
"Was the occurrence of complex life on the planet Earth an isolated event or simply the next logical step in evolution? Ward and Brownlee seem to believe complex life is unique to our home world or at least extremely scarce in the Universe.1 In addition to the factors in their Rare Earth equation, mentioned in their book are some specific factors peculiar to Earth that may have affected the development of complex life. Beginning with the planet Mars, W&B argue that the fossil record shows that the cooling Earth developed bacterial life as soon as conditions permitted. They suggest that this may be because the bacteria first developed on Mars, which cooled earlier, and that perhaps Earth was then seeded with these bacteria carried by meteorites reaching our planet after having been ejected from Mars by asteroid impacts. The low gravity of Mars makes this more likely, and it is estimated that ten percent of meteors ejected from Mars may impact Earth. A system lacking a Mars-like planetary companion might have been slower to develop bacterial life."

Tags:complex, earth, life, Mars, geology, bacteria, plants, galaxy, scientific, molecule, DNA

Abstract
The next few pages will discuss the life and triumphs of Charles Dickens, one of the modern age's most beloved novelists. The paper will detail the strengths of Dickens' work, his early life, the unusual wisdom and sagacity of his writing, his dramatic rise to prominence in the 1830s when he was not much older than most university students are today, and his lengthy series of critical and (especially) commercial successes. Finally, the paper highlights how (arguably) Dickens' greatest literary masterpieces came in the late 1850s and early 1860s when his characteristic vigor was coupled with tremendous insight and a certain sadness. In the end, anyone who wants to understand nineteenth century literature in Great Britain needs to read Charles Dickens.

From the Paper
Charles Dickens: A Life The next few pages will discuss the life and triumphs of Charles Dickens, one of the modern age's most beloved novelists. The paper will detail the strengths of Dickens' work, his early life, the unusual wisdom and sagacity of his writing, his dramatic rise to prominence in the 1830s when he was not much older than most university students are today, and his lengthy series of critical and (especially) commercial successes. Finally, the paper highlights how (arguably) Dickens' greatest literary masterpieces came in the late 1850s and early 1860s when his characteristic vigor was coupled with tremendous insight and a certain

Tags:charles, dickens, life

Abstract
This research proposal involves an examination of how the decision to remove life-sustaining interventions in the intensive care unit (ICU) comprises a most significant event that encapsulates diverse experiences for families. The methodology used consists of a sample of four to five families who will be contacted through ICU family conferences in one or two hospitals. The research design is based on interpretive phenomenology, according to the work of M. van Manen and its focus on direct experience. The paper maintains that family members' experience of decision making related to withdrawal of life support is subjective, but also universal in many respects. The decision to withhold or withdraw interventions involves a complex process that occurs in stages. The paper concludes that the goal of the study is to show how this process is either facilitated or made more problematic for families.

Outline:
Introduction
Research Design
Theoretical Underpinning
Strengths and Limitations of Design
Participant Selection
Study Setting
Data Collection
Data Analysis
Steps to Ensure Rigor
Dissemination of Findings
Conclusion

From the Paper
"The theory underlying this study ultimately is found in the writings of Heidegger (1975, p. 11) who maintained that the individual worldview is not relative because whenever a worldview is developed, what it contains "can be formulated in propositions and rules which are related in their meaning to a specific really existing world". Individual experience, then, reflects universal experience. According to Phillips and Brown (1993), a critical hermeneutic approach proves useful in investigating the management of meaning. The approach is based on hermeneutics as an area of philosophy which relates to the theory and practice of interpretation, but is critical because it enables self-conscious reflection on social conditions. When the hermeneutic perspective is combined with a critical approach, the result is a structured approach to the analysis of the role of meaning in people's experience (Phillips & Brown, 1993). Researchers use the approach to associate ideas and symbols in ways which will explain the creation or maintenance of a permanent pattern of social relations. These include any activity which affects the network of symbols through which the individual or group understands reality. Critical hermeneutics is especially useful since it extends existing interpretive approaches (Phillips & Brown, 1993). The method can be used in longitudinal studies, in studies comparing cultural management, or in the study of groups and inter-group conflict."

Tags:terminal, illness, life-sustaining, interventions, family, decision

Abstract
This paper examines the different views--scientific, philosophical, religious--on how to tackle and how to best answer questions regarding the meaning of life. The paper explains that science contends that the meaning of life is centered on the origin of life, both in terms of biological life and the universe itself. The paper then points out that, it is uncertain whether science can really tell us what is most significant in life in a philosophical sense. The paper also looks at how the meaning of life is said to be the question which was at the very heart of the classical moral philosophy initiated by Socrates. The writer believes that the only important thing is that you live your life in a way that you don't have regrets or you don't step on other people's feelings or rights.

From the Paper
"Another philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard, argued that life is full of absurdity and the individual must make his or her own values in an indifferent world. For Kierkegaard, an individual can have a meaningful life if the individual relates the self in an unconditional commitment to something finite, and devotes his or her life to the commitment despite the inherent vulnerability of doing so.
"These are but instances of how different people give different answers to the most-asked question about life. There are a million other contentions and concepts, may they be philosophical, religious or scientific in nature. These contentions and ideas depend on how one's beliefs are patterned or how one's experiences have shaped this belief system, or, maybe, his or her set of goals."

Tags:science, ideas, goals, feelings, Socrates

Abstract
This paper explains that the search for life beyond this planet must be built on a solid understanding of how life managed to emerge on Earth. The author examines the development of extraterrestrial theories about the origins of life by beginning with an examination of previous theories of origin. The paper then presents current research and the empirical basis for current theories with implications for the search for extraterrestrial life. The author also offers some possible avenues of future research and examination, which could help refine the understanding of the origins of life in the universe.

From the Paper
"In fact, the presence of a liquid like water seems to be the only major prerequisite for the development of life. Without a liquid, the complex chemical reactions required for the emergence of life are presumed impossible. But, that's not to say that the liquid in question must be water. Many researchers are exploring the possibility of life developing in more unorthodox liquids, such as methane, ammonia, or even sulfuric acid. Life on earth may have simply developed to take advantage of the very abundant liquid water; water's presence may have only been happenstance."

Tags:water, darwin, panspermia, mechanisms, chemoautrophic

Abstract
In this article, the writer maintains that the universe does indeed have a logical structure and discusses this issue with reference to Bertrand Russell. The writer discusses that it is intuitively obvious to anyone who lives in the universe, and indeed it is argued that this intuitive apprehension provides the underlying foundation for our ability to relax enough (amongst the surface chaos of everyday life) to be able to get on with our lives.

From the Paper
"However, how can it be proven that the universe has a logical structure? The answer is that it cannot be ultimately proven. However, it is possible to build a good case for it; a case good enough to enable us to relax and get on with our lives. It is argued here that this is precisely what Bertrand Russell offers us in his metaphysics, based on his philosophy of logical atomism."

Tags:metaphysics, atomic, facts

Abstract
The writer relates how he was diagnosed with a learning disability in high school and only through determination and great efforts could he stay at the pace of his colleagues. The writer tells of his struggle to enter the lacrosse team at university and describes how his determination overcame the difficulties encountered. The writer learns from the saying "Some succeed because they are destined to, most succeed because they are determined to" that he could achieve his goals if he believed in his powers and fought assiduously enough, no matter the obstacles.

From the Paper
"A long time ago, when I was merely a child, I came across a saying, which had a great impact on my then easily impressionable mind: "Some succeed because they are destined to, most succeed because they are determined to." Later on, I discovered that the saying was actually a quote from the French author, Anatole France. At that point in my life, I had not the necessary experience to realize the very essence of the quote. Nevertheless, it was engraved deep within my mind since that frail age. Little did I know then that this quote was to symbolize the story of my life, marked by bold and severe struggle to achieve my goals and proudly rise above the crowd."

Tags:effort, determination, goals

Abstract
This essay examines modern author Toni Morrison?s life and uses examples from the story to discuss the 20th century Afircan-American experience. The paper also discusses the universal literary themes found in Morrison's work, "Sula", as well as the strong examples of irony and symbolism found in the tale. The author analyzes "Sula" on many different levels, viewing the book from multiple perspectives, especially as mirror of Morrison's experiences, and through various literary reviews.

From the Paper
"The novel Sula, by Toni Morrison, is an expression of the author's experiences with and attitudes toward African-American life. The strong focus on black community, female relationships, and the search for identity and values in the midst of racism and poverty characterize the novel.. Literary devices such as irony, humor, and symbolism guide the reader through the rich but spare language of a story the reader "sees" rather than is told. As Sara Blackburn wrote in her review of Sula after the book's release in 1973, "Toni Morrison is someone who really knows how to clank a sentence?".and her dialogue is so compressed and life-like it sizzles.? It is a rare writer who can be successful trying to entertain, educate, and expand upon some of life's deeper mysteries, but Morrison does all these."

Tags:african, american, literature, race, symbolism, eva, pearce

Abstract
The paper recounts the story of Elizabeth Bishop's life, from her early beginnings in New England living with her grandparents, through the ups and downs of her professional career as a poet and her turbulent private life, fraught with unstable relationships and drinking problems. The paper also touches on the works she published during her lifetime as well as the awards and honors she received.

From the Paper
"After graduating, Elizabeth moved to New York, where she started to launch her literary career. She was writing and being introduced to some editors who started to request poems from her. She also spent a couple of years in Europe, living with Louise Crane, her first partner. In 1938, both Bishop and Crane fell in love with the simplicity of a small town called Key West, in Florida, where they bought a house and established their lives. Even living there, they still had contact with the literary circle of New York, and frequently received writers and artists in their house."

Tags:depression, writing, Brazil, universities, Neustadt, Pulitzer, prize

Abstract
Both Plato and Aristotle had conceptions of the good life as something to be sought by the philosopher - both to explain and to achieve. Aristotle was Plato's student, but the two had differing opinions on a number of matters in their writings. The paper shows that, in general, Aristotle agreed with Plato that everything in this world strives toward the Good, though each defined the Good in his own way. Aristotle created a teleological system in which everything had to be striving toward some ultimate and concrete perfection that exists as the Telos, or goal. The paper explains that Aristotle called this the Prime Mover, the cause of the universe, not as that which started the universe but as that to which the universe is moving as the Final Cause. This is identified as pure activity, and the activity involved is pure thought. The paper shows that Plato also holds that the good life involves the application of reason and that philosophy is the highest form of inquiry and so the route to the good life.

From the Paper
"Plato expresses his views through the character of Socrates, and, though Socrates was a real figure, it is never clear in the dialogues whether Plato is reporting what Socrates said or putting words into the older man's mouth. In any case, Socrates in the dialogues represents the primary social value of inquiry, of the pursuit of truth through philosophy, of the examination of the meaning of life, and of the quest for the good. Socrates also represents integrity, for when we inquire into the meaning of existence and develop a set of beliefs, we then have to live up to those beliefs and put thought into action."

Tags:Nicomachean, Ethics, Socrates, Republic