Agh! A whole week since the last post!

Your Dominant Thinking Style:

Experimenting You're all about looking at the facts, and you could always use more of them. You see life as your lab - and you're always trying out new things, people, and ideas. The master of mix and match, you're always coming up with unique combinations. You are good at getting a group to reach consensus.

Your Secondary Thinking Style:

Modifying Super logical and rational, you consider every fact available to you. You don't make rash decisions and are rarely moved by emotion. You prefer what's known and proven - to the new and untested. You tend to ground those around you and add stability.

What's Your Thinking Style?

Te Deum

Recently I've been revelling in the book Angels in the Architecture by Dougs Wilson and Jones. Last night as I was reading, just before falling asleep, I felt for the first time in months (literally) that I actually understood and delighted in those monotonous scribbles across the page. I have never stopped reading, but lately reading has been somewhat of self-inflicted disciplinary measure rather than a joy. These are some poignant quotes which awoke me from my intellectual slumber:

"Properly understood, the formal descriptions we give God are not boundaries for the divine essence; they are well-marked boundaries between creaturely knowledge and creaturely ignorance. When we heed them, it leads us to true knowledge which ends in worship." (Jones & Wilson 40)

"We do not know what it would be like to walk through a grove of ancient trees sacred to the holy and terrible gods, and then be converted to the worship of One holier, and stanger, and mightier than these. We reject the shining of the ancient and numinous gods [...] not because they are creatures, but because they remind us of the divine. This is not the holiness of Christianity, but rather the crass materialism of modernity..." (Jones & Wilson 44)

"We [moderns] have no room for the idea that ineffable wisdom governs us in the most inscrutable ways. We, trapped in our thicket of time and chance, imagine there is nothing above or outside it. Because we do not know, because we do not see, it must not be there to be known or seen." (Jones & Wilson)

Wrestling with Hume

Yes, so we've moved at all too rapid a pace until reaching the Continental Rationalists (Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz) and the British Empiricists (Berkeley, Locke and Hume). And though I didn't much like what Descartes did with induction- which I believe was at least slightly marred by the professor's bias- I find Hume's philosophy absolutely repugnant, even in comparison. And yet my refutations crumble before the professor's rhetorical battering ram.

Here's what little I managed to write last night:

Despite the accusations of my opponents, I don't reject Hume because I dogmatically hate. That would be rash-- throwing the baby out with the bath water, in effect. But when the baby has drowned in the fetid water, reason demands they both be thrown out.

Hume has no concept of truth. For him, it's either analytic (viz tautological) and thus completely impractical, or synthetic and thus merely a fleeting human "impression." And, even ignoring the fact that these implications are false, some truths are both analytic and synthetic- the two interact.

Consider, for example, the proposition "God exists." God, by definition, exists, for He is the highest, most perfect form of reality (see Anselm's ontological argument). Nevertheless, we also know He exists because we witness the aspects of His existence in creation through general revelation (Romans 1:20). So the truth of God's existence is both tautological and experienced through finite human impressions.

Thus Hume, while guarding against a post hoc, ergo propter hoc of the highest degree, is guilty of an even more serious apriorism.

The fool has said in his heart "there is no God"...

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Just got my philosophy midterm back and was pleasantly surprise by a 100%! I guess all those hours of mundane studying really worked. I also got back a Spanish quiz for which I had not studied and felt I had failed horribly after it was over. 27.5 out of 25- my Spanish teacher was inordinately gracious! It must be the gorgeous weather...

Science and religion: mutually exclusive?

I must apologize for the lack of intelligent posts over the past week or so. Between writing a résumé, filling out 8 job applications, and taking midterms, I haven't had much time to blog- or think, for that matter. To speak with perfect honesty, I suppose I've had the time, just not the motivation to do so.

Because I've been discussing the relationship between religion and science with my philosophy professor lately, I thought I'd look into the matter a bit over the weekend. More specifically, my professor acknowledges that evolution is often dogmatic (and therefore not true science), but refuses to let it go until I can propose and support something better. My solution would be Intelligent Design Theory. Here's what I found in a post entitled Mere Creation:

"The main thrust of design theory is that (given the Christian premise that God interacts with the world He has made) God's activities within the world are empirically detectable, showing up as evidence of intelligent causation. Building up from the distinction between undirected natural causes and intelligent causes which science itself already recognizes, design theory seeks to show that life is the product of intelligent design, not of random, undirected natural forces (as in naturalism).
Design Theory avoids the polarization that always occurs when "religion" is perceived to be "meddling" in "science" by focusing rigorous scientific inquiry "not on intelligent causes per se [God] but of informational pathways induced by intelligent causes." Once such intelligent causation is recognized, design theory permits a scientist to go beyond the constricting confines of materialist philosophy (which would absolutely insist that some "purely natural" explanation be found) and probe deeper into the created order, to in effect "reverse-engineer" the objects previously shown to be the product of intelligent design. Such a project is certainly worthy of being pursued by scientists, and in fact, is pursued by even the most radical naturalistic scientist, who simply refuses to admit that he, as an intelligent agent, is interfering with the "natural" course of the universe (much as God would have during the creation week!)."

Wow, this is uncannily accurate

Your Birthdate: January 7

Born on the 7th day of month gives you a tendency to be something of a perfectionist and makes you more individualistic in many ways. Your mind is good at deep mental analysis and complicated reasoning. You are very psychic and sensitive, and you should usually follow your hunches. You may not take orders too well, so you may want to work alone or in a situation where you can be the boss. This birthday gives a tendency to be somewhat self-centered and a little stubborn.

What does your birthdate mean?

All the interesting details about me you never wanted to know :)

~~~The Basics~~~

1. Name: Emmilee
2. Nicknames: "Emm" (which I despise and accept only from my closest friends) and Emmi (which I also despise but am forced to accept from my mother :)
3. Birthday: January 7, 1988
4. Place of Birth: Sacred Heart Hospital in Spokane
5. Zodiac Sign: I think Capricorn
6. Male or Female: Female
7. Grade: Senior in highschool, sophomore in college
8. School: Eastern Washington University (for another month...)
9. Occupation: Student
10. Residence: Home
11. Screen Name: elfchick, psyche, and em2ile2

~~~Your Appearance~~~
12. Hair Color: Used to be blonde, now a bit darker
13. Hair Length: About shoulder length, a little longer.
14. Eye color: Blue-green.
15. Weight: 135
16. Height: 5'10"
17. Braces?: Nope
18. Glasses?: No, but I think I need them.
19. Piercings: Just ears.
20. Tattoos: Um, no.
21. Righty or Lefty: Right (unfortunately- they say left-handed people are more artistic).

~~~Your 'Firsts'~~~
22. First best friend: BJ
23. First Award: Perfect attendance in 5th grade.
24. First Sport You Joined: None, really, unless you count ballet.
25. First pet: Never really had one, unless you count the family's dog, Rosy.
26. First Real Vacation: Minnesota and the Midwest at the age of 6.
27. First Concert: I don't ever remember going to a concert...
28. First Love: Non-existent.

~~~Favorites~~~
29. Movie: Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Patriot, Emma, The Bourne Identity, and A Beautiful Mind.
30. TV Show: I don't really watch TV.
31. Color: Various shades of green and blue.
32. Rapper: I rarely listen to rap so I don't really have a favorite.
33. Band: Did I mention I don't listen to much music?
34. Song Right Now: Track 16 from Hero soundtrack.
35. Friend: Too many to choose from.
36. Candy: Symphony and/or Reese's peanutbutter cups.
39. Favorite brand to wear: Whatever is inexpensive without being cheaply made.
40. Store: None. Anyplace that has what I want when I want it.
41. School Subject: Philosophy at the moment. Spanish is good too, but not right now.
42. Seafood: Disgusting!
43. Book: "The Mating Season" by P.G. Wodehouse, and also "Angels in the Architecture."
44. Magazine: World or St. Anne's audio magazine.
45. Shoes: Hmm, I need new ones...but out of the ones I have, probably my white heeled sandals, though they make me too tall.

~~~Currently~~~
46. Feeling: Tired and incompetent.
47. Single or Taken?: Single and proud of it!
48. Have a crush: Not at the moment, but someone else has one on me...*rrrrrr*
49. Eating: Not right now.
50. Drinking: Water, though it's coffee I need.
51. Typing: Obviously.
52. Online?: See previous answer. About 2 hrs a day.
53. Listening To: A pleasant mixture of Hero, Fellowship of the Ring, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Troy. No, I don't like soundtracks...
54. Thinking About: The looming deadlines I'm facing. And also a summer job.
55. Wanting To: Get something done and go to sleep.
56. Watching: Nothing, but I might catch Jeopardy! later tonight.
57. Wearing: My pajama pants because I felt in the dirt and tore my pants.

~~~Your Future~~~
58. Want Kids?: I suppose yes, but I think that's far away in the future.
59. Want to be Married?: Sure, why not.
60. Future Occupation: Who knows, maybe a lawyer?
61. Where do you want to live?: Anywhere, but most of all I want to travel.
62. Car: Anything with good gas mileage.

~~~Which is Better With The Opposite Sex~~~
63. Hair color: Preferably dark, though it doesn't matter much.
64. Hair length: Also not very important, so long as it's shorter than mine!
65. Eye color: Blue, green, or brown I guess. I really can't be picky.
66. Measurements: No me importa.
67. Cute or Sexy: Both are good.
68. Lips or Eyes: Definitely eyes.
69. Hugs or Kisses: Either works.
70. Short or Tall: Tall! At least 6 foot.
71. Easygoing or serious: Both, and knowing when each is appropriate.
#72: Missing. It was probably something inappropriate.
73. Fatty or Skinny: I suppose skinny is techinically better.

74. Sensitive or Loud: Again, both, but knowing when to use each one.

75. Hook-up or Relationship: Relationships are much stronger.

76. Sweet or Caring: Hah! He'd better be both!

77. Trouble Maker or Hesitant One: Trouble Makers are a lot more fun, besides, I need someone to balance my "serious" personality ;)

~~~Have you ever~~~

78. Kissed a Stranger: Not that I'm aware of.

79. Had Alcohol: Oh, most definitely.

80. Smoked: No.

81. Ran Away From Home: Yep, and spent about 6 hours out in the woods barefoot.

82. Broken a bone: Maybe a toe, but I've learned to ignore such trivial injuries, being a ballerina and all.

83. Got an X-ray: Of couse.

84. Been with someone: Hmmm, that could imply a whole lot more than I want it to, so no.

85. Broken Someone's Heart: I think not.

86. Broke Up With Someone: Um, no.

87. Cried When Someone Died: I think my grandpa was the only one.

88. Cried At School: Maybe when I was homeschooled, but definitely not in front of other people at a "real" school.

~~~Do You Believe In~~~

89. God: I should hope so.

90. Miracles: Yes.

91. Love At First sight: Possibly...I'd have to experience it to believe it.

92. Ghosts: Spirits, souls and the supernatural: yes.

93. Aliens: Yes, but only the illegal ones who come across the border from Mexico.

94. Soul Mates: Sure.

95. Heaven: Yes.

96. Hell: Yes

97. Angels: Affirmative, though not blonde ones with white dresses.

98. Kissing on The First Date: I would say no.

99. Horoscopes: Meaning whether they're true or not? Well, maybe seeing how ambiguous they are...but no, not really.

Who cares about titles?

So, I spent the weekend with Jeeves and Wooster, completely ignoring the fact that I would have a philosophy midterm this morning. Oh well. At least I did something semi-educational by writing down all the foreign expressions in the book and looking them up. Still, I've only touched on Aristotle's Ethics and Plato's Dialogues and I'm far too tired to care at the moment. I amaze myself with how much time I manage to waste each day; what do I spend all those hours on? I get so little accomplished, but I really don't have that much to do compared to other people. A curious quandry.

No philosophy about which to blog beacuse, like I said, we took a midterm today so all we've been doing is review. Which, although terribly boring, is also practical; the test was exceptionally easy.

And so my entire weekend was spent reading and reviewing, though with a little bit of dancing in between. Did I mention the Samurai swords? I think I did. Anyway, my mind doesn't funtion properly on such low levels of sleep.

Random Humor:
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson went on a camping trip. After a good meal they lay down and went to sleep in their tent. Some hours later, Holmes awoke Watson snd said "Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you deduce." Watson replied, "I see millions and millions of stars." "What does that tell you?" inquired Holmes. "Astronomically, it tells me there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, I observe that Saturn is in Leo. Horologically, I deduce that the time is approximately a quarter past three. Theologically, I can see that God is all powerful and that we are small and insignificant. Meteorologically, I suspect that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. What do you deduce?" Holmes was silent for a minute, then spoke. "Watson, you idiot! Someone has stolen our tent!"