i think we are over complicating adam's question. situations like these can get sticky because our feelings get involved and confuse us. however, when you take out what you feel and what you want to be true, to me the answer is not too hard to figure out. materials in and of themselves, no matter what they are made for or intended for are amoral. they are not right or wrong, because they themselves posses no intent. perhaps i am oversimplifying the issue, but i just do not see how an object can have morals. it is just a thing that exists, and it's use is determined by the user. however, i also realize that this is sometimes hard to argue. for example, arguing that the atomic bomb is not bad sounds very odd to us. then, if you try to say well, if an atomic bomb was on a shelf not being used then.....but an atomic bomb would not be sitting on a shelf no being used, because that is not the world we live in. and, like adam said, it was still made with the intent to harm someone. but i still think the argument of objects being amoral holds, because the object is still not doing or thinking or intending anything.

Really any technology will change the "status quo" and have a huge effect on society, especially at first. some will have a larger impact, or a longer lasting one, but i think any technology influences society to some extent. for example, take cell phones. at first, they were a major divisive technology (well maybe not that major but still). in my community, when i was in jr. high (i think) only one kid in my class had a cell phone. she automatically had the most friends and was liked the most because she was the "coolest" girl in school. however, some kids resented her because they were jealous and felt as if they were being passed by. this is kindof a silly example, but i think it reflects society as a whole. when technologies are first introduced to society, people that can afford them are often elevated in society and better respected by people. this has a definite effect on society classes and changes people's roles in society.

hmm, absolutes. coming from a Christian world view, i would say that there are some absolutes. the absolutes are the things that are spelled out in the Bible. however, there are situations where there may not be an absolutely correct thing to do. things that are not really addressed in the Bible. even as Christians, there are things that we disagree on. does this mean that there is only one right answer and one person is absolutely wrong and one is absolutely right? i don't really think so. this is kindof addressed in the Bible, i think. isn't this what paul is talking about when he talks about the weaker/stronger brother thing? i think so. i think he said that some things are right and fitting for me that may not be right for you. this doesn't really address absolute wrong and right in society, but i think it addresses it in Christianity.

oops! i almost forgot to do my blog...again! this is pretty late since we will all be in class in 40 minutes, but i guess it is still worth doing. So, 3 questions. the first one i guess I'll talk about is is science controllable? um, no, i don't think it is. Perhaps it should be, but i don't really think that is possible. People are too selfish and stubborn to do whatever the government or other controlling forces say they should do. we talked about this in class on Monday, so most of this is a restatement. anyway, i guess i think there are at least 3 reasons i can think of about why people would not allow science to be controlled. the first, and probable least important in my opinion, is rebellion. there are people that will do things just because you tell them not to. so i think that is a factor in this issue. second, money. like i said in class on Monday, there is a lot of money to be made in the scientific field (or so i hear) so i think that would be a definite motivator for continuing to do scientific research, even if it is not supposed to be allowed. lastly, curiosity. this was also mentioned in class, and i thought it was a good point. most human beings are innately curious about things, and it is natural to want to discover why and how things work.

The second question I'll attempt to deal with is why don't people value scientists as much as they once did. i think this has to do with a change in worldview. we talked about this some in Dr. Garner's human sit. class. in a more modern point of view, science is good and trustworthy because it proves things about the universe. absolute things. however, modernism is dying out and giving way to postmodernism. in this line of thought, absolute truth and being able to prove things is viewed as much more subjective. a lot of times, postmodern people believe that there are no absolutes, and we cannot really know anything. So, if there are no absolutes, why would science have any value? that whole profession is based on knowing things and learning more about the world around us. i think that is the reason that many people do not place as much value in science as they once did.

The last question i chose was an instance where science and society were not in step. i think a very good example of this can be found in the cold war and the"atomic age." we are talking a lot about this in my U.S and the World Since 1945 class (imagine that!). anyway, during this time, many people were afraid of an atomic attack from the soviets, so, to defend themselves, they practiced drills in schools, built radiation shelters, etc. this is perhaps one of the most ludicrous things found in history. protecting yourself from an atomic bomb by hiding under a desk?!?! ha! the problem was science was way more advanced that societal understanding. the people of this time had no concept of what an atomic bomb would really do. this is a perfect example.

Well, i am finally getting around to doing my post. i'm probably the last one, but what else is new. The first question i decided to do was an example of math as a science, an art form, a language, and a tool. Science is pretty easy.....math is involved in all areas of science, including chemistry, biology, etc. i don't think you would be able to do science without math...they really go hand in hand. Shockingly to me anyway, math is also an art form. There is beauty in order and math is definitely order. Those pictures that Dr. Priest showed us of all the different designs that people have developed were really neat. Art in itself also should have some sort of symmetry- i would think anyway, i'm not an art major. so after really thinking about it, math is also an art form. ummmm math as a language. a lot of the articles we have been reading for class talk about this one. math is a universal language that everyone can understand, at least to some extent. so that is not much of a stretch either. math is obviously a tool. without math, it would be difficult to be able to get through the day....especially if it grocery shopping day!! people use math skills as tools in every day life all the time, probably more often than they realize. math is also used in professional fields all the time too, such as medicine. so math is SALT.

Another question that i thought sounded interesting was Dr. Priest's thought of saying that people discovered math as opposed to inventing it. This statement implies many things. He is saying that it was already there, so it could not be invented. If math concepts already exist, then the order of the universe is already there, just waiting to be discovered. this order that does not need to be invented by humans, to me at least, implies the existence of an orderly God. so, considering all these implications, saying that math is discovered is a pretty huge statement.

The last question i wanted to do was leadership verses following the polls. Is it the same? of course not!!!!!!!! as a leader, it is wise to look at the polls, but i do not think that should be the deciding factor in a decision. polls are not reliable enough to be depended upon that heavily. and, even if they were, they should still not be the deciding factor in an important decision. from a Christian standpoint, morals and what God says to address the issue is much more important than what man has to say.

I feel like i've kindof just said the obvious in this post, so i hope that is okay! see everybody tomorrow!

Is this course on target for an HNRS course? this question looks relatively easy, so i guess i'll go with it, especially since i am already late. I think that HNRS courses should make one think differently than normal. They should make you look at things in a different light than you ordinarily would. The ability to look at things from different perspectives is very valuable to people in all kinds of fields, and also valuable to a follower of Christ. Thinking in varied ways and seeing things from different angles will help in everyone's career fields. For me, in the law field, thinking differently and being able to see things from different perspectives could help me win cases because criminals will obviously think quite differently than i would. Seeing things from different perspectives is also very important in Christianity. Paul addresses this when he talks about being all things to all people, as we have discussed briefly in class. Being able to think like other people and put ourselves in their shoes will help us reach more people with the message of Christ. So, yes, for me, i think this course is on target for an HNRS course. I do not think like a scientist at all, and i have a hard time understanding where people are coming from in that field. Hopefully this class will enable me to think differently and make it easier to understand others more fully.

Erin Willams

Well, i'm not really sure what I am supposed to be writing, but i can sure tell you that i do not like technology! it took me a really really really long time to get to this blog cite, and right now i am really wishing i could live in the 1950's. they didn't have any computers. haha. anyway, i guess i could write a little about myself. i am a history major with an english minor. i want to go to law school after i finish my undergrad at harding. this has been my dream for a really long time and i am so excited about actually accomplishing it! I am also going to london next semester and i can hardly wait! i am in this class so i don't have to take real science and i am hoping it will improve my appreciation for science and technology. i guess that is about it! see you all in class.