Abstract This is a reaction paper to the book "A NaturalHistory of the Senses". It covers each chapter - one on each sense, and one on synaesthesia, or a unification/interaction of senses. Each corresponding section of the paper is followed by a few questions.
Abstract The paper examines Ackerman's book "The NaturalHistory of the Senses" that spans an experiential history of all five senses. The paper explains Ackerman's premise that it is essential to use a multifaceted approach to understanding human sensory experiences. The paper discusses how human biology influences the way people experience the sensory world. The paper explains that cultural and social influences affect the ways in which these biologically generated impulses are experienced throughout history, in different areas of the world and from person to person. The paper asserts that one will never smell, touch, taste, hear, or see the world the same after reading "The NaturalHistory of the Senses."
From the Paper "Diane Ackerman, author of The Natural History of the Senses, seems to posses the ideal qualifications to author such an enterprising and all-encompassing work. According to the author's own website, Ackerman is a noted author of poetry, memoir, and nonfiction. Her education is grounded in both creative and academic training. She received an M.A., M.F.A. and Ph.D. from Cornell University. Previous to writing A Natural History of the Senses in 1990, Ackerman authored several volumes of poetry, and has written a kind of sequel after The Natural History of the Sense's success, called The Natural History of Love. She has authored a book for children on animal's senses, and even has a molecule named after her, called "dianeackerone.""
Abstract This paper explains that both excerpts from C.S. Giscombe's "Into and Out of Dislocation" and Peter Hudson's "NaturalHistories of Southwestern British Columbia" discuss black history in British Columbia. The author points out that the two writers' styles are utterly different. The paper relates that Giscombe simultaneously relates the history of his travels in British Columbia and the history of John Robert Giscome, a man who was possibly one of Giscombe's ancestors.
From the Paper "On the face of it, the excerpts from C.S. Giscombe's Into and Out of Dislocation and Peter Hudson's Natural Histories of Southwestern British Columbia seem to have little in common. Certainly, the two authors' styles are utterly different. However, closer analysis reveals many similarities between the two excerpts. The first and most obvious similarity is that both men have as their subject matter history - specifically, black history in British Columbia. Giscombe simultaneously relates the history of his travels in British Columbia and the history of John Robert Giscome, a man who was possibly one of Giscombe's ancestors."
Abstract In this article, the writer offers a comparison of how South African, American, and Czech sources portray national history, art history, world history and personal history. The writer examines a selection of texts to identify to what extent each amplifies linkages between world history, naturalhistory, art history and personal history.
From the Paper "History as a record of events and dates can be a dull affair because it does not necessarily capture the dynamics of personal or even state actions as they were experienced by the people involved. Yet people are what make history and what made up the culture or cultures in which events and actions unfolded. Professional historians, if they are skilled enough, can make an account of an era or a significant set of events lively, but the life's blood of a culture a people a person or ... "
Tags: Personal, history, national, history, world, history, art, history
Abstract This paper explains that the more common personal health care style is a collective health care process, called alternative medicine or complementary medicine, which includes elements of allopathic practice, non-natural medicine and surgery and of natural medicine. The author points out the idea that natural medicine is actually traditional medicine and should be looked at as such, with benefits and drawbacks, just as allopathic medicine is consider by many people. As an example of the presented natural health therapies; the paper relates that the Alexander technique, both a natural health practice and a restorative natural medical treatment, is a technique used to reduce repetitive motion injury by retraining the body to move in a different, more natural way.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Natural Health
Hydrotherapy
Herbalism
Eclectic Medicine
Natural Hygiene
Natural Philosophy
Natural Healing
Natural Medicine
Fingernail and Tongue Analysis
Iridology
Hair Analysis
Live Blood Analysis (Darkfield Microscopy) and Dry Blood Analysis
Antibody (IgE, IgG) Test for Food Allergies
Acid-Alkaline Balance (Ph Testing)
Alternative Therapies
Acupuncture
Acupressure
Air Supply Personal Air Purifier
Alexander Technique.
Aromatherapy
Astropulse
Ayurveda
Bathing Therapy
Biomagnetics (Magnetic Field Energy Therapy)
Electro-Dermal Screening
Chelation Therapy
Chi Lel
Chiropractic Treatment
Colloidal Silver Therapy
Colonic Therapy (Colon Lavage, Colon Hydrotherapy)
Color Therapy (Chromotherapy)
Crystal Healing
Dental Amalgam Mercury Removal
Detoxification Therapy
Reflexology
Shiatsu
Rolfing
Fasting
Feng Shui Balance
Flower Essence Therapy
Food Detoxification
Flotation Tank
Glandular Therapy
Prayer
Guided Imagery (Visualization)
Herbal Medicine
Homeopathy
Hydrotherapy
Hypnotherapy
Hydrogen Peroxide Therapy
Juicing
Kinesiology
Laughter (Play) Therapy
Light Beam Generator Therapy
Light Therapy (Solar Therapy)
Lymphatic Therapy
Macrobiotics Diet
Massage Therapy
Moxibustion
Music and Sound Therapy
Naturopathy
Osteopathy
Oxygen Therapy
Radionics (Radiesthesia Dowsing), Reflexology
Reiki (Therapeutic Touch)
Infrared Heat Therapy
Vitamin C Therapy
Yoga
Holistic Nutrition
Food Safety
Exercise
Conventional Medicine
Maintaining Health
From the Paper "In the time surrounding the Revolutionary War (1775-1783), in America, medicine was often seen as a part-time practice, conducted by laywomen and men who had a vocation for the healing arts or who inherited the knowledge from ancestral teachers. These healers who took care of their friends and families illnesses, injuries and births performed most medicine, outside the major centers of population. "Of course, these natural healing practices varied from locality to locality with major cities, like Boston, Philadelphia, and New York City having hospitals and other medical practices approaching those found in Europe.""
Abstract This paper examines two of the general theories of law - legal naturalism and legal positivism, both of which have had an enormous influence on law throughout history. The first part of the paper looks at natural law which describes those diverse theories of law that do not accept human law as true law and hold that a particular "something other than the positive law is the true law". The second section examines legal positivism where one of several general theoretical traditions is based on the belief that the source of knowledge lies in experience, not in reason, nor in mind.
From the Paper "A good example of the usefulness of classical legal naturalism can be seen in the rise of commercial law in the Middle Ages in Europe. As Glendon, Gordon, and Carozza point out, the rise of commercial law took place when Roman civil law provided no adequate coverage of new problems that arose as trade "emerged from the localism and relative economic stagnation of the Middle Ages" in the form of international banking, expanded maritime trade, and rising commercial centers."
Abstract The paper seeks to define the terms history, spirit, man, freedom, idea and nature according to the definitions of Hegel. The writer continues with an explanation of how these terms relate to each other and how they relate to Hegel's concept of God. The paper also considers the philosophy of Kant and the ways in which their ideas differ.
From the Paper "Freedom, to Hegel, is the very essence of Spirit, the highest reward to Spirit after its development of consciousness. To better explain that Spirit is Freedom, Hegel contrasts Spirit with Matter, its opposite. While Matter, responding to its gravitational dependence on other Matter, moves toward unity, thereby attaining substance (i.e. existence) outside itself, Spirit "does not have unity outside of itself but has found it: it is in itself and with itself." Applying this example to man, Hegel shows that the man who develops spiritually becomes more conscious of himself, and, as a result, is freer. When a person is free, he is unrestrained by external forces: his Spirit is self-contained and, therefore, independent. Hegel also says that history is included in Freedom, for history is "the exhibition of spirit striving to attain knowledge of its own nature." Since history is a record of States, and the State is produced of a reality that supports Right and Law, both of which are recognized through Freedom, both history and the State are part of Freedom. In conclusion, Freedom, says Hegel, is "the final purpose of the world.""
Abstract This paper compares the attitudes of philosophers Peter Winch and Bruno Latour to the study of the sciences - natural vs. social. Each philosopher published works on the topic and these are analyzed.
From the paper:
"What is natural and what is social in the sciences? Is there a divide between the two, where the natural sciences operate in the realm of objectivity, while the social sciences are a philosophic construction of man? There is a very old dispute in the social sciences about whether social inquiry is ?natural? or not. Naturalists hold that the methods of the natural sciences should be used by social scientists, to explain and predict human behavior, just as we explain and predict phenomena like mass and velocity? Or is social inquiry a separate endeavor that is essentially interpretive and philosophical?"
Abstract This paper looks at commentaries on Hume's works by Vladimir Price called "The Ironic Hume." The writer lays out a few suggestions of ironic interpretation not mentioned by Price, the purpose being to get them on the table for philosophical discussion. It begins with a few comments on the intellectual “freedom” of the eighteenth century. This was the time in which Hume lived, a time in which someone like him, a man with integrity, wit, and great intelligence, had to carefully choose his words. The writer then examines Hume's “Of Miracles,” turning to "The NaturalHistory of Religion", and the "Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion" (with the heaviest focus on this last). The paper focuses on certain passages which appear to feature more than the usual Humean ambiguity. Price’s ironic interpretations are then examined, which provide material which the the writer claims grasps Hume’s intent.
From the Paper ""Be a philosopher; but, amidst all your philosophy, be still a man" (Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (ECHU) I.4: 452). So David Hume advised anyone who would venture into the deep and perplexing regions of abstract philosophy. Indeed, those trying to interpret Hume's own writings, particularly when they relate to religious issues, must stay on their toes. After reading these works, one realizes that Hume's writing style is deceptively simple. Packed within each sentence, each phrase, and often, each word, are meanings within meanings, deep irony hovering over lighter irony, and grand, major points made around smaller, but no less important, staccato-type ones. Certainly, after delving into the challenges lying deep within Hume's religious writings, philosophers might feel the need to relax their vigilance and engage in some business of purely ordinary human gratification. Hume would encourage them to do so."
Abstract This paper discusses how Romans sets out to describe the land to the reader and shows that this is his sole purpose. It analyzes Roman's thesis, which is that the region can be so described best by moving from east to west, and this is the approach he takes. The book describes the region of Florida, its flora and fauna and its geographical strong points.
From the Paper "Romans opens his book with the statement that someone writing about a region should approach the mater the way an engineer would, by setting out the plans he will follow and by "directing my readers to the charts or plans accompanying it" (1). He first divides the peninsula up according to the weather prevailing in each section, finally concluding that West Florida and East Florida are virtually indistinguishable in terms of the weather. This is a "natural" history, and so Romans begins to detail the kind of flora and fauna found in the region, listing the trees that are found in different areas and the sort of terrain with which they are associated. Included among the animal life are the various Indian tribes, described according to their location and some of their habits of warfare, including taking slaves and scalps."
This well-researched paper details Pennsylvania as state with a long and rich history as well as vast natural resources and a vigorous environmental program.
Abstract The writer of this paper clearly details the ecological and environmental makeup of Pennsylvania, while also supplying relevant data and statistics regarding the state's economy. Due to the abundant supply of ore and hardwoods for furnaces, iron smelting became important in the 18th century and by the 19th century, Pennsylvania became the nation's leading steel producer. Although the state still manufactures metal products, chemicals and transportation equipment, this paper describes how heavy industry has declined in recent years. This paper delves into Pennsylvania's rich history while citing several major events. Pennsylvania has also been the site for some of America's most horrendous ecological disasters. In 1889, the South Fork Dam gave way after a heavy rain and destroyed the downstream factory town of Johnstown, killing over 2,000 people in what has come to be known as the notorious Johnstown Flood. The first oil well in the U.S. was drilled in Pennsylvania in 1859. Pennsylvania became a leader in the U.S. iron industry during the days of the American Revolution. This paper also discusses the fact that Pennsylvania spends a disproportionate share of development money on outlying areas while abandoning established communities, just one of the reasons why Pennsylvania still has a long way to go before it will be a sustainable state.
From the Paper "Pennsylvania's state forest system includes sixty-one special natural areas and fourteen wild areas that are set aside to "protect unique or unusual biologic, geologic, scenic and historic features, or to showcase outstanding examples of Pennsylvania's major forest communities." Generally speaking, sustainable forestry is defined as protecting the long-term health and viability of forests by using management techniques that value "all uses of the forests," thus, protecting the forest "ecosystem, recreation, clean water, and the production of timber for current and future generations." Pennsylvania employs sustainable forestry practices of its 2.1 million acres of state forestlands. In 1998 and 1999, a team of scientists praised Pennsylvania's commitment to its forests and its "exemplary practices and innovation in managing forest resources."
Abstract This paper is an in-depth examination of the role that La Malinche played in Mexican history and culture. The author gives the reader an historical overview, including the fact that she was an actual person, whose actions caused her to lose favor in society. This is done through the review and analysis of two pieces of works by historians, one male and one female, Casillo and Paz. The author also points out that La Malinche is not a well-known personality outside of Mexican culture, but her history dates back to the mid-sixteenth century. According to the paper, La Malinche's role in history has been revived by feminists who feel that her tainted past is the result of the chauvinistic nature of Mexican society which has begun to evolve over the years. For many Mexican women she is a symbol of independence and endurance of the Mexican people, and she should be accorded respect and proper recognition in history.
From the Paper "These many complications and elaborations of this essential and essentializing dichotomy about the true nature of woman can be seen to come together in the character of La Malinche, a figure not well known outside of Mexico (except to those whose families originally came from Mexico). This paper explores the figure of La Malinche, a figure who representations have over the years become at least in general more positive as Mexicans have regained a sense of themselves as a people worthy of self-respect ? and as Mexican women have refused to see themselves as meriting only the role of a traitor condemned to silence."
Abstract This paper studies descriptive epidemiology as it relates to the naturalhistory of cardiovascular disease. It begins with an overview of descriptive epidemiology and its application to the heart followed by the presentation of a number of findings from the Bogalusa Heart Study of 1972 through 1997. The paper concludes with a look at new studies and techniques, which are based on the Bogalusa model. Included is the beta-cath system for radiating an artery wall.
Outline
Introduction
Problem Background
Findings
Conclusions and Summary
From the Paper "At its simplest level, Epidemiology can be to have the description of the application of statistical methodologies to analyze the determinants of health and illness of a given population or sub-group within the population. This sort of analysis therefore has an application to the planning and evaluation of interventions and to the causation and prevention of illness. Moreover, as with most sciences Epidemiology presents itself in various formats and although the central role of Epidemiology within a department is to provide valid, reliable and appropriately interpreted data upon which decisions can be based, Epidemiology is usually divided, in a somewhat arbitrary manner along several lines. Our concern here however is with Descriptive Epidemiology as it relates to the epidemiology and natural history of Cardiovascular Disease."
Abstract This paper reviews the work ?What is History?, by Edmund Hallet Carr. It looks at how the work redefines the way historical facts are understood and the importance of context in the interpretation of historical facts. It looks at the importance of a historian having an awareness of the time-frame a historical work was written in, the objectives of the writer at that time and his/her own society-based biases. The paper then brings in Cronon's "A place for stories: nature, history, and narrative" and Linda Alcoff's "The problem of speaking for others", as examples of how Carr's ideas have been used by other historians writing on the meaning of history.
From the Paper "Edmund Hallet Carr's book, What is History?, was first published in 1961 and had a major impact on the understanding of history. Reading this book over 40 years later, it still has the same impact, creating a change in the way history is viewed and understood. The lasting impact of Carr's concepts can also be seen by the way they are still applicable to modern ideas on the meaning and purpose of history."
Abstract This paper discusses Karl Marx's theory of history with special emphasis on how this theory underpins his larger theory of human nature and its fundamental incompatibility with capitalist society. The author points out the historical inevitability of revolution..
From the Paper "Karl Marx developed a theory of history and society that was indispensable as an underpinning of his larger economic theory. For Marx, human history was and is essentially economic history and thus we cannot begin to understand economics until we understand ..."
Tags: marx, as historian, german ideology, materialist history, communism
