animal crackers in my soup.

A look at the morality of non-human animals.

The intro to honors class ha seemed to be hung up on this topic all semester. I feel like i've been taking an intro to PETA course. However, i know that there is merit in these questions, else we wouldn't be asking them.
Just the simple fact that we care so much about whether non-human animals are moral creatures shows us what kind of creatures we are. We are so concerned with whether the way we treat other animals is right or wrong and this shows us that we are moral, though possibly misguided, creatures. I don't know if non-human animals have morals. I would like to see the world through the eyes of a member of a different species for a day so then i would know. However, because this is impossible for me to do, i will just have to assume that animals could be either moral or non-moral and that either way, my choices will affect them. And so, i have decided that it would be wrong for me to mistreat these creatures... to just eat them. And thus comes th decision to refrain from eating meat unless i kill the animal myself - i am against slaughterhouses but people need the nourishment meat has to offer.

The Dark Side of the Universe

For the reading assignment, i went to the library in an attempt to find something with philosophical value that wasn't so dry that i wouldn't be able to read it. I considered rereading Plato's (?) Republic but decided that it would be best if i had chosen something new. I looked into famous philosophers and thought about reading some Marx but the library didn't have a great selection. When i was searching through the databases for the right book for me, i came across this book: The Dark Side of the Universe. Not only did the title remind me of a Pink Floyd album i have back home, but it was a book about space theory, something im very interested in. To make sure, i picked up the book and started reading. This is what i found:
There is a theory that the universe can have no end, that it simply continues forever. The point is made by the idea of a spearman, standing at the edge of space. He holds his spear tight, draws back his arm, and lets his spear fly. Where it lands beyond the edge of space, the spearman then walks to and that becomes the edge of space. He then repeats the process. The conclusion is that because the spear can always go beyond the edge of space, there is no edge of space.
This theory captivated me. I know that because of the zero gravity point outside of planetary atmosphere, that the spear would never land, it would just keep flying until some other force interfered with its trajectory. However, the point presented made sense: if the spear can travel at all past the "edge of the universe" then that point must not actually be the edge of the universe. There is also the possibility that the universe is like the earth in that it is a round space and if you go straight along a path across the universe, you'll eventually end up where you began. But then, the fact that it is a round-shaped universe, it must be contained within more space, and withing the other space, there can be more universes. or maybe that space around the universe is just another part of that original universe which would man that the universe is endless. I feel like i can talk in circles about this forever ans neer find a solution. Maybe there is no answer.

the philosophy of decisions (a post for myself and anyone who wants to listen)

there is ambiguity. shades of gray, spots of gleaming white light, abrupt black lines 0f varying thicknesses crisscross the patchwork gray once in a while. With all of these bland, muted monochromatic shapes which make up our world, it is easy to understand how making clear decisions would be impossible. We struggle with ourselves to do what's right. Sometimes, we're lucky and we come out better in the end. Sometimes, we're not so lucky. Is it luck that forces our decisions: are we just guessing and hoping? do we really know? these questions ring through my mind because i'm sitting here wondering whether i've made some unlucky choices, or whether, knowingly, i made bad choices.
Maybe i'm hoping that my own choices aren't what brought me to this point. This point where i'm looking back, wondering where i'd be if i had made different choices. Or is it fate that i'm sitting here writing this down? i don't know. What i do know is that my choices are made, they are past already. My future choices will either be fate or accident, or they will be clear choices an dwhere i end up, is where i'm supposed to be.

inside an honors student

there is no true recipe for an honors student. each honors student is unique, as every student is unique. However, there are some attributes that any true honors student should possess.

the key ingredient: hunger
the hunger for knowledge. it is not love for competition or the ability to ace a test that matters. it is the desire to learn; to break down barriers and expand horizons. it is not the need to organize every factoid safely in notebooks or in the compartments of one's brain; but the gumption to recognize the chaos and the patterns and accept that no human is infallible. the honors student will not necessarily earn good marks in classes, but they will do the best they can to squeeze all of the information out of any source. the honors student does not do their work for the rewards or accolades received but to gain new knowledge.

next on the list is empathy. this goes hand in hand with humility. the honors student may recognize kindred spirits, their intellectual matches. and they may see those who appear less intelligent than themselves. The honors student looks at both of these groups and sees the similarities. each person has their faults, including the honors student. recognizing the similarities helps the honors student share what they know while accepting that their own knowledge is incomplete. thus, the honors student is humble.

one thing to remember is that all honors students, as all other student, have their difficulties. Sometimes, an honors student hits a low, skips a class, forgets homework, and at some points simply does not care. but what separates the honors student from the other students is recognition of these times; the pride to make no excuses for their pitfalls; and the strength to get back up and try harder the next time around.