L1: "Science and Certainty"

BACON, NEWTON, EINSTEIN.

"Mechanistic Materialists" - The world as a machine.

Science as the search for the truth. The separation of Mind and Reality. Two forms of knowledge according to KANT (1724-1804). Apriori and Aposteriori. One true "by definition". The other learned through experience.

Object ---> Phenomena (perceived) ---> Noumena (unperceived) 

When an object is unperceived, "noumenal", it becomes a "thing-in-itself". SCHOPENHAUER (1788-1860) believed in the world as a "thing in itself", whereby, it is necessary for existence.

The Cartesian belief of Solopsism. The idea that only you exist and everything else is a dream. "I think, therefore I am". Apriori reasoning of the phenomenal, external world.

Modern Theoretical Physics. The idea that there was no time before time. We view the world through "space time goggles". We see the world in 3D because we, ourselves, are 3D beings. Time as a mental phenomena. [EINSTEIN] - "The Verification Principle" "The truth is of any proposition is the way in which you verify". Supportive of BACON'S inductive method.

NEWTON. The laws of nature from nature itself. Knowledge is objective and independent from perception. Apriori.

Journalists taught to "play dumb". We can know nothing for certain. Aposteriori reasoning of deduction, not induction.

HCJ Seminar Paper (1.11.12)

Economics

Economics, in this sense is scientific and subjective. Based on fact and according to Karl Popper (1902-1994) cannot be falsified. In his view, policies should be judged as experimental leaving maximum room for self-correction, as stated in his work “The Open Society and its Enemies” (1962). Empiricist John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) claims that it is through falsifying that human nature progresses.

Classical Economist Adam Smith (1723-1790) views people as “calculating machines” designed for maximising pleasure and minimising pain. Otherwise known as Utilitarianism, this moral philosophy is hindered by the State, which is viewed as an obstacle to progress. In “The Wealth of Nations” (1776) he states that richer countries come down to too much state intervention. “The hidden hand of the market” in which all value is derived from trade, when in actuality; people should be allowed to be free.

This is the crisis of Capitalism, claimed by Karl Marx (1818-1883) with which the “Iron Law of Wages” will inevitably lead to the fall of Western Civilisation. There is a constant struggle to survive (Charles Darwin, 1809-1882) as humans use up resources to their maximum limit. A prime example being the Golden Age of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s, whereby the economic boom lead to high levels of inflation, causing mass unemployment. The rise in monetary value reduced the right of human freedom in the modern world.

The Lucan Case.

As newly appointed Crime Reporter for WINOL, a University based News Bulletin (WinchesterNewsOnline), I have spent the past fortnight undergoing intensive shorthand (re)training and research into some of the most infamous criminal cases.

With less than a week left, I am fully preparing myself for the start of a new semester.

This will be my livelihood from this moment on.

One case in particular has grabbed the headlines recently - The Lucan Case.

Create your own Batgirl outfit. STUDENT STYLE!

Stuck at home all summer? Why not get creative in 10 easy steps.

With reference to http://www.revampfancydress.co.uk/prod-batgirl-hire-costume/861/.

1. Begin with an old plain black top and skirt. Carefully remove any unecessary embellishments.

Creative Memories.

"It's nice that we've all been there for each other and I hope we remain friends" (15.12.11)

"I've started to build my own life now I've settled in and I couldn't be happier" (9.2.12)

"Experienced more this year than my whole life, it feels" (26.6.12)

 "Great times. Bad times. Damn near incredible times. I don't regret a thing" (8.7.12)

As my second year at University begins, I have decided to document my first year in a Scrapbook. I loved crafting when I was little and I thought this would be the perfect way to record my experiences.

Analysis of a Converged Media Text

Captain America

When Captain America was introduced in 1941, he represented a “patriotic ideal” that related to the consumer, its target audience either aspiring young men or soldiers of war. “A hero emblazoned in stars and stripes was never going to be an easy sell” (Lupoi, 2012), yet he became the symbol of an “idealised freedom fighter” during World War II, branded with a costume modelled on the American Flag. He represented Liberty during the “Golden Age” of America. “The fact that many readers would soon find themselves in that… army helped ensure ‘Cap’s’ popularity; the new soldiers remained comic book fans, and they, too, hoped to be heroes in disguise.” (Abrams, 1991, [Online]) His popularity meant Captain America became a “leading patriot”; an “artefact” of popular culture through “old” and “new” media convergence.

"The Paradigm Of Change" #2

19th Century Romanticism was greatly dominated by 'German Idealism'. Influenced by the almighty power of the Prussian State, it produced such philosophers as Immanuel Kant who declared that "not everything can be known" - the idea that certain knowledge of the world is beyond our understanding.

His philosophy went on to influence the likes of Hegel, Byron and Schopenhauer at a time when British Empiricism was thriving.