GRE AWA ISSUES WITH ANSWERS - VERY IMPORTANT

Present your perspective on the issue below, using relevant reasons and/or examples to support your views.

"Patriotic reverence for the history of a nation often does more to impede than to encourage progress."
• Love and support for one's country is a good thing. Must be understood that no country is perfect and it can become better. In this way, patriotism can impede progress.
• Patriotism can be taken too far, if Americans only purchased American cars, this would allow american car companies to become more anticompetative.
• American manufacturers need competition to stay strong.
• Patriotism can be confused with nationalism. This might encourage people to become more close minded towards those not associated with a country's history - creates xenophobia.
• Politicians can take advantage of patriotism by calling those who do not support certain efforts anti-patriotic, can lead to "witch hunts".
• Patriotism is hard to define. It is ambiguous as to which actions support a country and can be therefore consider to be patriotic.
• To some, patriotism has connotations of self-sacrifice, implying that the individual should place the interests of the community above their personal interests, and in extreme cases their lives and the lives of other individuals, perceived to be members of a different community. In wartime, patriotism as so understood is assumed to be the main driving force for participation in military operations, certainly if it is voluntary. In this context patriotism is seen as an explanation for the apparent suspension of the instinct for self-preservation, which implies that all humans would avoid a battlefield.

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"Government should never censor the artistic works or historical displays that a museum wishes to exhibit."
• Government should not censor artistic works as such behavior boarders on thought control and impinges on freedom of speech.
• Censoring indirectly implies that some works of art are sponsored while others are not.
• There are other competing factors, people will ultimately be making the censorship decision and it is difficult to apply completely unbiased judgment. Works of art with religious context such as those depicting the crucifixion of Jesus may be seen as offensive to non-Christians in the sense that a human is shown suffering due to brutal punishment. All art requires some level of understanding and socio-historical context.
• The proper role of government is not to monitor works of art, there are more important issues which deserve attention.
• What is even more problematic is who decides which arts should even be displayed. Some people may find works such as the Mona Lisa more enjoyable while others prefer works which may seem to be purely pornographic.
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"Government should preserve publicly owned wilderness areas in their natural state, even though these areas are often extremely remote and thus accessible to only a few people."
• The reader is supplying a universal statement that should be obeyed always. I do not think the matter is quite so simple.
• Preserving some areas of land may be more expensive than preserving other areas of equal area. A cost benefit analysis must be run to determine benefits vs. costs.
• Preserving some areas of land may provide jobs near areas which have high unemployment or reduce pollution in areas which have high industrial output. Other factors for land preservation need to be considered.
• Preserving wilderness that is accessible to many people is preferable so that people are able to enjoy the preserved wilderness, through hiking or camping in it. However, areas which are not remote could be better candidates for public recreational reasons.
• Wilderness accessible to only a few people are typically preserved anyway. Although there are some political figures who suggest that wilderness should be exploited partially because few people are affected -- GW Bush and drilling in the Artic Wildlife Preserve.
• Also need to consider how the preservation decision will benefit specific species of wildlife.
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"In any field of endeavor, it is impossible to make a significant contribution without first being strongly influenced by past achievements within that field."
• Author's viewpoint goes too far. In some fields of an endeavor it is possible to make a significant contribution without being strongly influenced by past achievements.
• One example is art and music. These are fields which depend highly on creative talent. Too much knowledge about past achievements and artistic theory encourages conformity.
• In classical music (without words) and art, there may be very little which requires understanding in order to appreciate.
• However, architecture is an example of art which does benefit from both creativity and practicality. Therefore, some knowledge about architectural techniques and space planning will prove to be beneficial, but still may not be essential. There will still likely be a tradeoff between creativity and conformity however.
• Other examples such as physics and medicine are built upon the foundations of past inventors, theorists, and experimentalists. Engineering is completely centered around the application of science discovered by others.
• Contributions in some fields of academic endeavor favor knowledge about past achievements while other areas may benefit from ignorance about past achievements which may only encourage conformity.
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"Government funding of the arts threatens the integrity of the arts."
• Government funding of the arts can threaten the integrity of the arts if the government supports certain art themes over others.
• Artists enjoy expressing artistic creativity, however their creativity could be severely limited if they were only allowed to produce arts with specific types of themes.
• Art is often used to express ideas, government funding for the arts translates into certain ideas being expressed over others.
• During World War II, US government made posters to support general themes of signing up for the military and to encourage people to support crop rationing through "victory gardens". It seems acceptable to pay artists to create these posters. However, Soviet Russia forced all artists to create art with specific political messages, usually endorsing communist ideals and spreading communist propaganda.
• The question of who decides which works of art to support must also be addressed. Congressmen and legislators will support their own quirky notions of art, subject to religious overtones while it would be foolish to have people vote on which artwork to support, because even through voting, some preliminary options need to be established to vote on.
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"Young people should be encouraged to pursue long-term, realistic goals rather than seek immediate fame and recognition."
• Many people occupy themselves by seeking the instant gratification that comes with fame and recognition. In reality though, few people seeking fame or recognition rarely become famous.
• The wealthiest person in the US, Bill Gates, was not motivated exclusively by fame and recognition, but instead was motivated by learning about computers at a very young age.
• The most successful scientists such as Einstein and Steven Hawkings are not associated with the pursuit of fame and recognition.
• There certainly is evidence that people seek fame and recognition. Many students devote more time to sports than academics. Shows such as American Idol certainly appeal to the dreams and desires of a specific audience.
• Fame and recognition are really just for people who do not feel fulfilled and are unsure about how to attain fulfillment.
• Fame and recognition are also questionable ends. Many celebrities who have attained their dreams of becoming famous and recognized miss the privacy they once had and go to extreme lengths and inconveniences to avoid being recognized.
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"In any field of inquiry, the beginner is more likely than the expert to make important discoveries."
• It is hard to see how this claim could possibly be true since the expert knows more than the beginner.
• Whatever the case may be, there are other more important factors such as intelligence and motivation which will determine the overall success of an individual.
• Some Hollywood movies such as Happy Gilmore and Big illustrate examples of a beginner entering a new field and becoming incredibly successful overnight. In Happy Gilmore, the star of the film experienced difficulties with his hockey career and randomly stumbled upon golf. He was discovered by a retired golfer and with practice, became very successful at golfing.
• Big illustrated a similar situation, a child who wanted to grow up and attain the freedoms enjoyed by adults magically achieved his wish and became a successful lawyer.
• However, these examples are not realistic and based more on fantasy than real-life examples.
• In the academic world, it is the experts rather than the beginners who are performing research. Granted, some of these beginners will go onto become experts, it is hard to see how they are more likely than their teachers to make important discoveries.
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"Technologies not only influence but actually determine social customs and ethics."
• Technologies do not determine ethics as technology and science in itself is not an ethical matter.
• It is the politics of how these technologies are managed and funded which determine the ethics.
• Consider stem cell research and nuclear technologies. The science behind splitting atoms or altering the genetic makeup of an organism is in many cases not controversial. Chemotherapy uses nuclear technology to eradicate cancer. Many food sources are genetically engineered for enhanced efficiency and have been for decades. These areas do not receive much philosophical or political interest.
• Certain extensions of stem cell and nuclear technologies are very controversial - there are fears, perhaps not completely justified, of some people developing a genetic master race of elite people or a genetic underclass of slaves. There are concerns of how nuclear weapons will be managed. But in both cases, technology itself does not determine social customs and ethics. It the concerns of how technologies will be used that influence ethics.
• Social customs is a different matter than ethics. Some social customs seek to regulate cell phone usage in movie theaters and at other public events. However, again, it is not the technology or the cell phone which invented these conventions, it is instead the preferences of the majority which are satisfied.
• Ultimately, technologies are just applications of science to solve a given problem. Medical technologies have been developed such as vaccines to fight infectious diseases. Some of these cures were discovered accidentally such as Henry Flemming's discovery of penicillin. However, it was the doctors and practitioners who decided to use these cures to prevent people from dying that decided the ethics.
• Technology in itself has no ethical content, how the technology is used by humans relates to ethics and social customs.
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"Leaders are created primarily by the demands that are placed upon them."
• Many leaders are created by the demands placed upon them.
• New York mayor Rudolph Gulliani is an example of someone who lead effectively during a time of national crisis. His legacy and reputation will be remembered more by most people from his actions during the short time after September 11th compared to the rest of his political career.
• Other examples in politics such as Abraham Lincoln support the idea that effective leaders are illustrated in times of crisis.
• However, I would argue that the characteristics of a great leader were formed in these leaders discussed above much earlier than the time of crisis. The crisis only tested their abilities and allowed them to demonstrate their leadership qualities.
• All accomplishments of the time cannot be attributed completely to one leader, but also the people supporting the leader.
• If the above statement were true, then anyone could become a better leader in the business world by simply placing higher demands on them. However, this is more likely to only increase stress which will adversely affect management performance. For example, an assembly plant manager may not become a better leader by being told to produce more products given the same resources held at present.
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"College students should be encouraged to pursue subjects that interest them rather than seek programs that promise entry into the job market."
• Statement neglects the fact that some students pursue subjects which interest them and also promise entry into the job market.
• Some of the fields in engineering which have the best job prospects upon graduation -- availability of jobs and starting salary - are very difficult majors, highly competitive requiring lots of time.
• Computer science at my former university was the most difficult major to gain entry into, high GPA requirement and lowest acceptance rate of all majors on campus.
• Since these majors are so difficult, students will most likely need to be interested in the field in order to stay competitive. It is doubtful that relying only on job opportunities after college will provide sufficient motivation for most students to stay competitive in these fields.
• The author is also placing high stress on pursuing subjects which are most interesting -- which I think is generally good advice. But what if the applicant desires to retire as early as possible. If the applicant really desires such a goal, then the applicant would be best suited to pursue a program of study which will enable him or her to do that.
• Another example would be someone who wants to provide a high income to support his or her family. There are other competing interests and only so much time in life to accomplish goals. Priorities must be made.
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"Most people think that their deeply held values are the result of rational choice, but reason often has little to do with the way people form values."
• Values are developed through experience.
• Someone who suffered through an economic depression will tend to value employment and avoid over-consumption.
• Someone who survived a war will most likely realize the need for peaceful conflict resolution.
• Someone who suffered through cancer will most likely realize the need for cancer research.
• Hard to define morality and values, most generally accepted to be those principles which maximize happiness and minimize suffering.
• Values could be based on self-interest and may change over time.
• In order for values to be consistent, they must be reasonable, even if they were not born explicitly through reason.
• After suffering through an illness, some may place more value in helping others. The value of helping others can also be derived through reason, no human is completely independent and at some point in their lives, they will require assistance from others. Old age even makes independent people dependent on others. So helping others is a simple value that can be rationally derived or born out of experience.
• It is hard to determine how values originate.
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"In any academic area or professional field, it is just as important to recognize the limits of our knowledge and understanding as it is to acquire new facts and information."
1. Pros:
1. Medical professionals, lawyers, and business people must deal with risks and uncertainties
1. Learning how to accommodate these limitations is just as important as risk itself
2. Risk and uncertainty can often not be obviated by any amount of knowledge
1. Gathering more financial knowledge may only lead to more confusion
2. Cons:
1. How can we know the limits of knowledge until we have thoroughly tested the limits through empirical observation?
2. Opposed to scientific method – we can only know what we observe
1. Example: physics, better understanding of the nature of matter through increased precision of measurement
3. Two levels of understanding – the facts we gather from experiments vs. understanding what these facts mean
4. In professional sports -- a "professional field", it is more important to gain a thorough understanding of the rules and techniques regarding a given sport than it is to determine the limits of knowledge and understanding, which do not exist as the game has already been defined and there are no areas of ambiguity in the rules. Although some calls of violations to the rules of the game may be questioned, the rules of the game are perfectly defined.
5. Conclusion: A more precise definition of knowledge is needed.
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"The concept of 'individual responsibility' is a necessary fiction. Although societies must hold individuals accountable for their own actions, people's behavior is largely determined by forces not of their own making."
1. Moral accountability and human equality depend on the existence of some form of individual responsibility.
1. Lack of accountability results in lawless society
1. Exception for psychos
2. Too much forgiveness, too much tolerance of bad behavior
2. We are faced with many choices, some are undesirable
3. Deterministic view of the world – today's actions influence tomorrow's decisions
1. Genetic dispositions do exist – some are more inclined than others towards certain behavior
1. Many fear genetic engineering, irrational fears of creating a master race
1. Default to the more humanist free will theory
4. Conclusion: There may be evidence to support scientific determinism, until then assume free will out of convenience.
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"Universities should require every student to take a variety of courses outside the student's field of study because acquiring knowledge of various academic disciplines is the best way to become truly educated."
1. True education is more than career preparation.
1. Understand oneself, society better, and the physical world better
2. Some may assert that no student can be truly educated without literature, fine arts, and other forms of subjective intellectual development
2. Need to obtain mastery of field
1. Mastery of any field requires knowledge in others
2. Political science needs history, economics and social studies
3. Anthropologist needs chemistry and geology
4. Computer engineering tied into other fields, language study, media, communications
3. Students must not overextend themselves – jack of all trades, master of none
4. Most college freshman are unsure of what to major in, should be exposed to many fields
5. Personal view – set a minimum requirement of classes for a degree, grant electives to be taken within the major or elsewhere – let the student decide.
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"People work more productively in teams than individually. Teamwork requires cooperation, which motivates people much more than individual competition does."
1. The best approach depends on the job
2. Some jobs depend on the ability of co-workers to corporate
1. Businesses involved with production of products using complex processes
2. Computer scientists and researches must collaborate to reach their common goals
3. Managers stress cooperation and whatever it takes to get a project completed on time.
4. Manhattan Project, research labs
3. In other types of jobs, individual competition, tenacity, and ambition are keys to productivity
1. Salespeople
2. Entrepreneurship and sales – people competitive by nature
3. Lawyers
4. Employees who are looking to enhance their careers are concerned about performance reviews and work to achieve greater results than their peers. Although their aims might be questionable, in some areas where employees are working on similar, but different problems, competition will allow more work to get done.
5. As consumers, we certainly emphasize competition. In the interest of having inexpensive products.
4. Cooperation is more crucial for organization's long-term productivity than individual competition
1. Competition among sales people can turn into jealousy and unethical behavior
2. Entrepreneurs rely on cooperation of their subordinates, partners, and colleagues
5. Overall productivity depends on willingness to cooperate, ambition can motivate, so can common sense of mission.
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"Although, critics who write about the arts tend to deny the existence of any objective standards for evaluating works of art, they have a responsibility to establish standards by which works of art can be judged."
• Judging art by standards supports conformity and can stifle creativity.
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"It is unfortunate but true that political decisions and activities affect all aspects of people's lives."
• Political decisions and activities do affect all aspects of people's lives.
• Politics deals with how resources are collected and how resources are distributed.
• Deals with which programs are funded and by how much – based on the expected results of such research and the amount by which society benefits. This seems logical, but I question who determines how much benefit a given program can bring and how accurately the results of such research can be predicted.
• Politics can make decisions which can drastically change an individual's life, possibly for worse, but gives other people some convenience.
• For example, when city planning decides to build a new highway, the current land owners who own land where the road is to be constructed are forced to give up their land for what may be minimal or inadequate compensation for the sake of convenience to the benefit of the rest of society.
• Politics intervenes in some areas where it the issues would be best left to the judicial system. During a recent trial over the assisted suicide of a Floridan resident who went into coma, the husband ordered doctors to disconnect her feeding tube so that she would eventually die due to lack of nutrition. The Florida governor soon became involved and the issue became political. It has been frequently questioned as to what role politics should play in such a matter.
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"Colleges and universities should offer more courses on popular music, film, advertising, and television because contemporary culture has much greater relevance for students than do arts and literature of the past."
1. Cons:
1. Studying current popular culture at the expense of past culture can undermine the function of education
2. Historical perspective allows us to more fully appreciate art of today
3. Need yardstick for measuring art, requires study of the classics as a reference
4. Popular culture is available outside classroom
2. Pros:
1. Pop culture mirrors society's values and impulses
2. In every age, some worthwhile art emerges
1. John Lennon, Paul McCartney have made a lasting contribution from rather recent pop.
3. Popular films, music, and art provides a person with common ground for interacting with other people.
3. Conclusion: Literature and art of the past is more important – need cultural perspective
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"In any realm of life—whether academic, social, business, or political—the only way to succeed is to take a practical, rather than an idealistic, point of view. Pragmatic behavior guarantees survival, whereas idealistic views tend to be superseded by simpler, more immediate options."
1. Academics
1. Pragmatic
1. Students considered as pragmatic tend not to pursue education for its own sake
2. Focus is on optimizing GPA and survive current term
2. Idealistic
1. Students who pursue paths which interest them are more likely to have a meaningful education.
2. Sense of mission about one's fascination motivates more participation in classroom
3. Academic discipline will serve idealistic student well later in life
2. Business
1. Business world shares both – pragmatic in the sense of getting things done, idealistic in the sense of a vision which seeks to make the firm more meaningful to the community.
2. Without a dream or vision – idealist leadership – company can be lost
3. Politics
1. Seems that politicians just want to achieve or stay in power
2. Idealists incite the masses and catalyze revolution
1. Ghandi and Martin King
3. Conclusion: Idealism is a requirement for long-term success
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"The pressure to achieve high grades in school seriously limits the quality of learning. An educational environment without grades would promote more genuine intellectual development."
• Pressure to achieve high grades in school can create stress for most students which is counter-productive to learning and unhealthy.
• Author goes too far to claim that it seriously limits the quality of learning. If a student is dedicated to really understanding something, they will most likely do well on exams.
• Without grades, there is no standard for academic progress. Grades serve as an indicator to judge students applying for jobs and later schooling.
• With no measure of progress, some students would not study at all and would eventually become burdens to society.
• Even students who are motivated only by grades still learn much about their field of interest. Grades can facilitate learning, especially among students who take pride in their GPAs and compete against each other for the highest score on a test. In this sense, grades facilitate learning because it is difficult or impossible to do well on a test without understanding the material.
• In some countries, grades mean much more than they do in the US. Grades in other countries can determine the quality of education that a student receives.
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"Governments should provide funding for artists so that the arts can flourish and be available to all people."
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"For better or worse, education is a process that involves revising the ideas, beliefs, and values people held in the past."
• Education serves to provide facts and meaning behind the facts primarily. Education does not serve to revise ideas, beliefs, and values held by people in the past. Education does serve to explain why people might have held certain beliefs and ideals, but it does not aim to rewrite the past, which is what the word "revising" suggests.
• Educators do attempt to determine the beliefs of people in the past and reasons for why people adopted these given beliefs.
• Educators do attempt to determine how the ideals of certain classes of people were formed and how they differed from the ideals held by people of different socioeconomic classes.
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"The study of history has value only to the extent that it is relevant to our daily lives."
1. History provides inspiration
1. Student encouraged by the courage and tenacity of history's great explorers
2. Studying stories of courage can provide motivation in daily life
2. Innumerable lessons for living
1. Avoiding mistakes of past
1. Addressing and legislating moral issues
1. Prohibition
3. Value-clarification and perspective
1. Creating reflective ideals
4. Bullshit about how inventions have improved everyday tasks
1. Historical appreciation of inventions which facilitate everyday tasks
2. Appreciate freedoms present in daily lives
5. Conclusion: History can inspire, inform, guide, and nuture.
1. Study of history allows us to be more human. What does this mean? Should “being more human” be an objective we should strive for???
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"It is primarily through formal education that a culture tries to perpetuate the ideas it favors and discredit the ideas it fears."
1. Grade school and even high school education involves cultural indoctrination
1. Young students taught not to question authority, think critically for themselves
2. Emphasis is desirable to an extent
1. Promotes memorization and learning of facts
2. College education affords students cultural perspective and a capacity for understanding opposing viewpoints
1. Critical analysis and skepticism
2. College curriculum is influenced by benefactors
1. Such influences are minor especially in public university systems
3. More significant factors in society which favor thought control
1. System of laws – judicial decisions carry the weight of law, sponsored by legislators and those in power.
2. Mainstream media
1. Mirror culture's ideas and values
2. Distinguish between mainstream and alternative media
1. Mainstream is more dominant
3. Conclusion: Speaker might be correct with respect to high school and lower, but not college. Other influences are present.
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"The true strength of a country is best demonstrated by the willingness of its government to tolerate challenges from it's own citizens."
• Best governments protect the fundamental rights of its citizens.
• If the fundamental rights of citizens are being protected, citizens will oppose those individuals who challenge their rights through radical challenges to government.
• It is true that there will occasionally be challenges from radical citizens who join or form cults such as the KKK or Heaven's Gate. However, the radical views that these people seek to spread will never take hold if the government provides the fundamental rights to which its citizens are entitled.
• During the 1960s MLK challenged the United States constitution in regards to the status of African-American rights. Although some of these demonstrations erupted into civil disobedience and riots, eventually the American people caused officials in government to reform for equality and uphold fundamental rights to freedom already enjoyed by the majority of Americans. Since no government is perfect, toleration is not necessarily a desired trait as toleration implies that nothing is changed. Rather, government must address and if necessary respond to injustices brought up by its people if it is to remain stable.
• Sometimes challenges to a government's constitution can literally divide a nation. The Civil War is such an example where several Americans died over the issue of slavery. As Abraham Lincoln once stated, "A house divided cannot stand", he realized that perhaps the only thread that held America, even though divided by North and South together, was unity around a common mission -- to preserve or abolish slavery. A government united around a common cause can hold people together and become stable, at least in the short term. Other examples include Nazi Germany where its people remained firm in their goal amongst horrible atrocities where rotting bodies were thrown in the streets.
• The true strength of a country is demonstrated by its ability to remain true to its beliefs when being tested. Consider September 11th, 2001 in America. America was not overcome by panic and turmoil as some terrorists had anticipated, but instead embraced its freedoms as a source of strength. For this reason, I would argue that a countries ability to remain resolute in its principles during a trial or time of struggle is the most effective indicator for the strength of a country.
• Also, a country cannot simply tolerate challenges that affect the rights of other citizens. Government must therefore be concerned primarily with protecting the rights of its citizens.
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"All students should be required to take at least one course in ethics, even if taking the course means a decreased emphasis on academic subjects."
• Author places a high value on ethics.
• I agree that there are benefits to taking a course in ethics. However, due to finite time and financial resource constraints, other classes may more closely align with the student's intellectual goals.
• The author may be advising that more students take a course in ethics due to an increase in corporate financial fraud in recent history. There have also been ethical concerns in government such as Watergate and the recent admission by the Secretary of Defense that phone calls are being monitored as part of a Homeland Security effort. However, it is unclear that an ethics class will make people more ethical. I am willing to submit that in the cases of the most serious ethical violations, the violators knew that they were not acting ethically.
• In some fields of academic pursuit, ethics is less relevant in the profession. For example, there have been proportionally fewer cases of ethical violations by symphony violinists compared to people in investment banking. This is not to say that violinists are more ethical on average, but that some careers have had fewer ethical issues than others.
• Author goes too far by insisting that all students take a class in ethics. I will admit that it is a valuable course, but there are other equally-valuable courses as well and the net overall benefit of taking such a course over all other options remains to be proven.
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"Instant communication systems encourage people to form hasty opinions and give quick replies rather than take the time to develop thoughtful, well-reasoned points of view."
• Instant communication systems may encourage people to form hasty opinions and give quick replies, but the amount of deliberation one invests into a reply is completely up to the user.
• The encouraged "impulsiveness" of a computer communications medium varies widely from e-mail to real-time voice conversation. The transmission time of an electronic mail may be instant, but this does not mean that the writer cannot invest as much time into the e-mail compared to a paper letter.
• E-mail allows more time for a thoughtful response compared to a face-to-face meeting or phone conversation in which the replies must be given immediately for effective communication. So some computer communication channels allow for more thoughtful conversation compared to face-to-face meetings.
• E-mail conversations however can be less polite than face-to-face conversations if the people communicating do not know each other. This is similar to how many drivers on the road are especially rude to each other and would act differently if they realized that the person they were honking at was actually their neighbor or co-worker. Similar to driving in public, an e-mail address may be no more personal than a license plate number. And lacking the human connection, an e-mail to a stranger may be no more thoughtful than a conversation with a telemarketer.
• Another form of emerging computer communications is the instant messenger. Instant messenger applications allow for a real-time conversation, where the two chatting parties can send short messages to each other, but each fragment of text is not revealed until the user selects to send it. So more thoughtful sentences can be arranged compared to telephone communication where the two parties understand each other word-by-word instead of phrase-by-phrase. Instant messengering therefore allows more thoughtful conversation than an informal talk, but it still lacks the personal connection similar to e-mail.
• There is still something more personal to hearing another person's voice or seeing their handwriting on a piece of paper than receiving snippets of text exchanged through cyberspace. More personal, but not necessarily more thoughtful or well-reasoned.
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"In many countries it is now possible to turn on the television and view government at work. Watching these proceedings can help people understand the issues that affect their lives. The more kinds of government proceedings—trials, debates, meetings, etc—that are televised, the more society will benefit."
1. Benefits of access to government proceedings via television
1. Archival functions
1. Convey body language and other clues
2. Allow for remote viewing
3. Possible to view governments of other cities, nations at work
4. Television proceedings can be useful supplements
2. Cons:
1. Watching television is a passive experience
1. Viewer cannot voice opinions
2. Watching government proceedings as a substitute for active involvement
3. True business of government may take place behind closed doors, televised coverage pertains more to marketing as a public relations event
3. Conclusion: Overall helpful as long as people do not become too lazy.
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"The purpose of many advertisements is to make consumers want to buy a product so that they will 'be like' the person in the ad. This practice is effective because it not only sells products but also helps people feel better about themselves."
1. Practice of suggesting a product will help one become more like the model in the product is probably effective.
1. There are exceptions, Budweiser frogs
2. Most ads portray a model whose life is enhanced by a given product.
1. Since these ads still exist, they are probably effective for some product types
3. Some ads do the opposite to suggest that their product will help one not be like the model in the ad. Deodorant commercials, commercials dealing with impending indigestional events, old people with bladder problems, etc.
2. Ads may help people feel better temporarily, but not long-term.
1. Diet pills, cosmetics
1. May cause health troubles
3. Related to socioeconomic status
1. Luxury cars and clothing
1. Genuinely successful people would not attribute these items as contributing to their success.
1. Successful people may allow unsuccessful people to feel pathetic about their accomplishments.
4. Conclusion: This advertising works, but does not make the consumer feel better, actually makes consumer feel worse for failure, inadequacies, etc.
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"When we concern ourselves with the study of history, we become storytellers. Because we can never know the past directly but must construct it by interpreting evidence, exploring history is more of a creative enterprise than it is an objective pursuit. All historians are storytellers."
1. Speaker is suggesting that we can only know what we experience first-hand
1. Suggestion of “storytelling” goes too far
2. Differentiation between historian, archivist, and journalist
1. Archivist and journalist are responsible for preserving fact and evidence to the historian
2. Historian pieces together facts provided to construct history
1. Historian must interpret
3. Must allow for interpretations to achieve differing viewpoints
1. Historians will disagree over causes for the same event
1. Helps create fuller understanding of history
4. Historians are not granted artistic license
1. Cannot add stuff to the story
5. Conclusion: Historians interpret, but they can't make stuff up.
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"The worldwide distribution of television programs and advertisements is seriously diminishing the differences among cultures."
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"Some educational systems emphasize the development of students' capacity for reasoning and logical thinking, but students would benefit more from an education that also taught them to explore their own emotions."
1. Too much emphasis on reason and logic may be harmful to the arts
1. Creative writing and arts do require some cognitive ability
2. Emotions has little place in the educational system
1. Physical sciences, mathematics
2. Poly sci, history, social science also should not rely on emotions
1. Justice, fairness, equality
3. Emotions are subjective
4. Reason = communication, consensus, and compromise
3. Emotions invite irrational thought
1. Social problems are best solved through cause and effect logic
2. Talk shows show that culture puts too much emphasis on emotions
3. Reason and logic are better deterrents to war and tyranny
4. Conclusion: The discerning man walks among the common man as among animals
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"It is primarily through our identification with social groups that we define ourselves."
1. Socialization nurtures childhood mental and psychological development
1. In daycare, children begin to understand what they have in common with other kids
1. Acceptance, behavior, likes and dislikes
2. Later in development, children find that they relate more closely to some people than others
1. Gender separation
2. Clubs and close groups – signs and rituals
3. Social clubs in high school and college
3. Adults tend to be less reliant on social clubs, more defined by marriage, occupation
1. Shift could be due to a lack of time to participate in leisure clubs
2. When older people retire, a need for these clubs reemerge
3. Humans are possessed by a need to belong to a social group of some sort
4. Conclusions: Loners are unusual. Humans are social animals.
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"Humanity has made little real progress over the past century or so. Technological innovations have taken place, but the overall condition of humanity is no better. War, violence, and poverty are still with us. Technology cannot change the condition of humanity."
1. No technological solution to enduring problems of war, poverty, and violence, due to human nature
2. May be able to one day genetically engineer better people
1. Until then we have to rely on people who bear these negative traits mentioned above to alleviate problems of human nature
3. Many technological advances have helped alleviate human suffering
4. Some technologies contribute to suffering – nuclear weapons, chem warfare
5. Comfort of living has improved with technology
6. SOCIAL PROGRESS – MLK, Ghandi
7. Computer design allows for greater design efficiency
1. Computers handle mundane and routine work so humans can focus on bigger things
8. Jobs resulting from manufacturing growth, economic growth
9. Cons:
1. environmental pollution
2. Information overload – stealing time away from other things
10. Conclusion: Lifestyle has improved, human nature remains.
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"It is through the use of logic and of precise, careful measurement that we become aware of our progress. Without such tools, we have no reference points to indicate how far we have advanced or retreated."
1. Objective data may not provide a good indicator of progress
1. Exceptions
1. Personal finance
2. Otherwise, raises are no good if they cannot keep up with cost of living
3. Cars depreciate fast
2. Useful for physical well-being
1. blood pressure
2. body weight
3. Emotional and psychological well-being cannot be measured
4. Physical discomfort cannot be measured
5. Objective measurement can be used to:
1. Assess macroeconomic progress
2. Computer technology
3. New drugs
6. Additional “logic” is needed to distinguish – determining sectors of progress
1. Between lower unemployment rate – more jobs, but of lower grade
2. Between increased economic activity – mostly going to firms outside of the country
7. Some measurements need more examination
1. Increase in welfare recipients – more compassionate society or failure of educational system?
2. How do we measure political and legal progress?
3. More lenient gun laws? Anti-abortion laws?
4. Political party ownership of legislature?
8. Conclusion: Speaker's assertion applies in many areas, but not all. Some areas cannot be quantified. Politics and law are subjective.
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"With the growth of global networks in such areas as economics and communication, there is no doubt that every aspect of society—including education, politics, the arts, and the sciences—will benefit greatly from international influences."
1. Students benefit from international influences
1. Students can advance their understanding of humanity by being exposed to other systems of government, religion, and cultures
2. Video conferencing benefits learning, enabling people to participate remotely
2. Science
1. Useful insight can occur from anyone anywhere
2. Astronomers can transmit data around the world to brainstorm together, remotely
3. Pooling economic resources – fight cancer, more beneficial than working independently
3. Arts
1. Global culture could render most art more or less the same
2. Some separation needed to preserve diversity
3. Too much globalization and sharing ideas could result is loss of cultural identity – the author thinks this is an important sociological and psychological need
4. Politics
1. Europe's countries are becoming economically interdependent – suggesting unified monetary system
1. Political differences may cause one country to pull out and disrupt the financial system
2. Global networking renders security systems more vulnerable
2. Conclusion: Education and science may benefit. Arts and politics may be better off separated.

"In any field of endeavor—the sciences, the humanities, the social sciences, industry, etc.—it is not the attainment of a goal that matters, but rather the ideas and discoveries that are encountered on the way to the goal."
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"When research priorities are being set for science, education, or any other area, the most important question to consider is: How many people's lives will be improved if the results are successful?"
1. Scientific research whose societal benefits are immediate, predictable, and profound should continue to be a high priority
1. Biotechnology, medical technology, genetics
1. Demoting these would be foolish considering the immediate benefits
2. Who decides which areas of research to fund?
1. Soviets tried this in the 1920
2. They destroyed impeding forces to their research selective agenda
3. No significant scientific accomplishments resulted during that time / govt.
3. Researchers are best at what they are interested in
1. Waste of talent to deprive one of his/her motivation
2. Steven Hawkings – sociology
4. Hard to predict which research avenues will lead to the greatest contribution to society
1. Cutting edge research with unknown results often proves most useful
2. Hard to predict long term needs
5. Conclusion: Speaker goes too far by concluding that some areas are not worth pursuing.
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"So much is new and complex today that looking back for an understanding of the past provides little guidance for living in the present."
1. History has helped us learn the effectiveness of addressing certain social issues, particularly moral ones, on a societal level
2. Attempts to legislate morality end up failing
1. Prohibition
2. Federal government attempts to regulate porn
3. Can't do much about social problems
1. Crime and violence might always exist
1. Tough on crime approach does not work
4. Racial prejudice has always been with us
5. Different methods of dealing with the mentally ill, all have tradeoffs
6. Conclusion: Studying the past is of some value – helps show the futility of legislating morality. There are no solutions to today's social problems, only alternate ways of coping with them.

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"At various times in the geological past, many species have become extinct as a result of natural, rather than human, processes. Thus, there is no justification for society to make extraordinary efforts, especially at a great cost in money and jobs, to save endangered species."
1. Pros:
1. Humans mess up the planet and it is our duty to somewhat compensate the animals for our virus-like traits.
2. If we know what steps are needed to prevent a breed of animals from going extinct and we can take those steps..then we probably should.
3. Keep the animal kingdom in balance, animals depend on each other for survival
2. Cons:
1. Live and let die – it's the Darwin way. Let the weaker die off to make room for the stronger. Humans can eradicate species for our own survival.
2. Thousands of animals go extinct every year due to human and non-human factors
1. Beyond our ability to save them all
2. Which standards dictate which species are worth saving and which are not?
1. Humans favor animals with human-like traits
1. No justification for this standard
2. Let selfishness be the deciding factor
1. More money and jobs it would cost to save a certain species, the lower the priority
3. Conclusion: Difficult to make choices about what lives and dies. So justify some level of animal exploitation by human self interest.
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"We owe almost all our knowledge not to people who have agreed, but to people who have disagreed."
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"It is possible to identify a person's politics within a very short time of meeting him or her. Everything about people—their clothes, their friends, the way they talk, what they eat—reflects their political beliefs."
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"Instant foods, instant communication, faster transportation-all of these recent developments are designed to save time. Ironically, though, instead of making more leisure time available, these developments have contributed to a pace of human affairs that is more rushed and more frantic than ever before."
1. Technology has enhanced our efficiency
1. Humans are more pressed for time
1. Worked more in the 1960s compared to today
2. More fastfood, more childless professionals
2. We use additional free time gained by increased efficiency to complete more work
3. Employers expectations are higher – expectations rise with technology
4. Technology requires our time and attention to learn
5. Technology should not be aimed at promoting leisure time, but at expanding human progress – making human life better – reduce suffering in the world by making it safer.
6. Conclusion: More efficiency, but more work to be done. Leisure is not the most noble aim.
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"The past is no predictor of the future."
• Ultimately speaker is correct
• Some trends based on human nature can be expected to extend into the future. Poverty, greed, crime can always be expected to be with us - imperfect people, imperfect society.
• Technology can be expected to both help and challenge society - nuclear technology brought cheap energy as well as destructive weapons. Genetic engineering looks to alleviate a lot of genetic and medical problems, could lead to a super-race, under-race.
• War has always been with us, has become more threatening over time through improved weapons.
• Overall though, many things cannot be predicted. In 1900, few thought flight was possible and it took several days to cross the country. Today we can fly across the country in a matter of hours. In about 60 years, we went from the first manned flight on an Atlantic beach to the first human walking on the moon. This certainly viewed as science fiction back in the 1900s.
• Ultimately, nothing can predict the distant future.
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"Society's external rewards are no measure of true success. True success can be measured only in relation to the goals one sets for oneself."
• True success is fulfillment.
• People become fulfilled through different pathways. Some people are fulfilled by great athletic ability, some people are fulfilled by great social or engineering accomplishments, some people are fulfilled by religion and their ideas of the afterlife.
• What are societies external rewards? Fame or recognition? Some people may not want these and would prefer to have their private lives. Many millionaires spend less money during the course of their life compared to more financially mediocre people.
• Some people's goals and accomplishments are undesirable to other people. Some people seek fulfillment through scientific research while others seek to become the next white trash pop star.
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"Facts are stubborn things. They cannot be altered by our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions."
1. We engage in self-deception to cover the facts - denial
1. Psychic, mind-reading, etc.
2. We would like to be immortal
3. Approaches are unscientific
2. We cannot know that which we did not experience first hand
1. And even then, our memory may deceive
2. Historical facts are subject to interpretation and therefore error
3. Historical facts can still be edited by inventing versions that suit our inclinations
3. Science
1. Wishes and desires yield to fact – scientific evidence, quantifiable data
2. Hard to distinguish between scientific fact and theory
1. Many theories were based on personal desires
1. Example being that the earth is the center of the universe
4. Conclusion: Facts are stubborn things. We ignore, misunderstand, and overlook facts to some extent. Inclination, desire, and passion cannot alter fact.
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"It is often asserted that the purpose of education is to free the mind and the spirit. In reality, however, formal education tends to restrain our minds and spirits rather than set them free."
• The benefit of a formal education is to empower people to think for him or herself while becoming more aware of the surrounding world.
• Formal education is useful for dispelling false beliefs and causing one to question existing beliefs and prejudices. So by removing beliefs which developed uncritically, education can seem like thought-control, but in reality, one is simply becoming more rational.
• Too much reason and logic may stifle creativity.
• Some elements of education may encourage conformity of thinking -- there may seem to be little room for questioning mathematical rules or the organization of the periodic table. But for every seemingly arbitrary setup there is a theory underlying its organization (periodic table). All elementary math theorems can be proven.
• The the seemingly less-practical teaching of facts prepares students for real-world application.
• In regards to spirit, education can seem to stifle previous beliefs which one might have considered to be a form of freedom. For example, a Christian after examining the details of Darwin's theory or after encountering scientific knowledge about how the universe was formed, may question some of the beliefs which he or she had previous relied on.
• Political beliefs can be challenged in the same way.
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"Technology is a necessary but not always a positive force in modern life."
• Technology has enhanced our productivity. Aircraft vs. train for business trips.
• Technology is considered essential for quality of life -- even things taken for granted by mainstream people would be consider luxuries by Amish -- filtered water, air conditioning -- these were all "state-of-the-art" at some point in time.
• Technology has enabled humans to be more connected. Students studying in the US can speak with family thousands of miles away whenever desired.
• Some technology can be used for bad purposes, weapons of mass destruction.
• Some technology has negative side effects which were not considered at time of invention / adoption. Consider air pollution caused by automobiles.
• Some technology allows for more contact, but with less personal thought and consideration - Instant Messenger, e-mail vs. personal face-to-face meeting or visit.
• Medical technology saves lives - pacemakers, cancer therapies, organ transplants.
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"How children are socialized today determines the destiny of society. Unfortunately, we have not yet learned how to raise children who can help bring about a better society."
1. Main flaw with the statement above is that it will always be true – we will always be able to bring about a “better” society because it will never be perfect.
2. Children without sufficient opportunities for healthy interaction may become anti-social
1. School playground is a good example where children learn about social behavior, both the good and the bad.
1. May help children grow up to be good leaders. Tolerant and respectful members of society.
2. Socialization is not the most important factor.
1. Courage from inner convictions despite privileged background and promising career – Mahatma Ghandi
2. Martin Luther King's contribution as a result of religious upbringing
3. Theodore Roosevelt – physical hardships overcome by intellectual curiosity and will to succeed.
3. Better society is a vague term. If we define it in terms of characteristics of tolerance. Yes, we have achieved a better society over the past century.
1. More recent emphasis on public health and environmental protection
2. More sympathetic to the rights of “x”
3. Third parties stressing individual freedoms
4. Increasing international cooperation
1. Soviet-US space exploration missions
2. Peacekeeping through international committees
3. Addressing public health care problems
5. Conclusion: Other factors are more important than socialization in determining success in life. Define better as more civilized, respectful, and tolerant one.
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"The arts (painting, music, literature, etc.) reveal the otherwise hidden ideas and impulses of a society."
1. In public architecture, there is an impulse to transcend human condition
1. Most important architecture of the Renaissance period to honor deities; focus on afterlife
1. ancient pyramids and cathedrals rise upward toward the stars
2. Castles display bruit strength
3. Sky-scrappers for industrial and technological progress
2. Attitudes and ideas of the prevailing culture ...ahh, hope I don't get this question...art blows
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"The university community consists of three different worlds—the sciences, the humanities, and the social sciences. Because each world operates on its own assumptions and has its own special habits of thinking, rarely is there meaningful interaction among the sciences, the humanities, and the social sciences."
• There are examples of meaningful discourse shared between schools of thought.
• No specialization exercises completely in isolation. Archeologists studying ancient remains rely on biochemistry and medical experts for interpretation of bone fragments. Linguists will assist in the analysis of hieroglyphics. Civil engineers may be called in to help with the excavation. Theologians may be accessed to determine the significance of religious thoughts deciphered through scrolls.
• Scientific advancement requires the participation of multiple disciplines. Electrical and mechanical engineers work on space probes and satellites. Physicists design the optical apparatus of an advanced telescope. Financal specialists and accountants will be brought in to finance the project. Legislators needed to supply funds to support.
• And of course, social science studies often requires the processing of large amounts of data. Computer scientists might be brought in to help with data analysis.
• Biochemistry students at my former university developed a joint program with computer scientists to develop a computational biology application. Folding@Home, Seti -- all examples of CS + science projects.
• Scientists will turn to philosophers and political scientists for learning about how new discoveries and inventions will change humanity and the way we view life.
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"The problems of modern society have led many people to complain: 'We live in terrible times.' Yet, given the choice, no one today would prefer to live in any other time."
• Society is not perfect. Society will never be perfect.
• People who complain that we are living in terrible times might base most of their decision on recent events or current emotion. Many people seemed depressed after September 11th. But had it not been for that one event, on the same day they might have appreciated the beautiful weather. Beauty is all around, the "Statement we live in terrible times" is just a reflection on transitory feelings.
• Life seems more comfortable today given technology improves the quality of life -- maybe not in all respects, annoying cell phones going off in movie theaters, global warming, etc. But overall, we don't fear being eaten alive by tigers on a daily basis.
• Some people may not prefer to life today rather than at other times. It is mostly technology and beliefs which separate the society of today from the society of the past. Some people -- the Amish and gothic people may prefer the times of the past over present.
• Some people such as transhumanists believe the future will be a better place. They believe that technology will overcome many if not all of the problems we face today.
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"Students should be encouraged to realize that mental agility and rhetorical skill must be accompanied by sincerity and the true conviction of their own beliefs."
• This question was intentionally vague. I have no idea what it means.
• Politics – Would you vote for a politician that you can't trust?
• Science and ethics – Fabricating research to promote an agenda or fuel interest in a specific scientific endeavor.
• Many students are pushed to excel in academics and become successful professionals. Many parents try to steer their children through a specific path in life and recommend or perhaps firmly advocate certain professions over others based on income or recognition. Sometimes it is the end rather than the means which are supported.
• Schools work to improve the mental agility and rhetorical skills of students, but the use for such skills are rarely advised. These skills are means to an end, but not an end itself.
• How these talents are used deserves more consideration. Schools may provide more motivation for students if they can also provide opportunities to use these talents -- internships, some real-world experience may allow the student to see relevance.
• Realizing real-world applications for these developed talents will contribute to a sense of true conviction in one's beliefs. One must feel fulfilled. This is a hard question because it is poorly defined. Bullshit.
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"While most of the environmental problems we face result from the use of technology, society must depend upon technology to find solutions to these problems."
• Realize why technology embraces technology: technology solves problems. Technology can save lives - medical technology. Or it can save time - automobile vs. horse.
• One solution to problems resulting from the use of technology would be to simply abandon the technology and go back to what humans were doing before. Suddenly a 30 minute commute turns into a 2 hour commute with no heat or air conditioning. This will never happen.
• Technology can be used to reduce or eliminate technology. Since the 70s there has been a huge push by government and environmentalists to reduce automobile pollution. Catalytic converters reduce emissions and most cities now require regular vehicle checkup. Technology can go further to completely eliminate vehicle emissions - fuel cell.
• Some environmental problems such as the proper disposal of nuclear waste are harder to solve through technology. In some cases, legislation and efforts involving the international community must be exercised to reduce such environmental threats.
• Also, cleaner cars are only cleaner because they are equipped with more or newer technology. This technology comes at a premium cost. Developing nations may not be able to afford the new technology. Some international effort will be required to reduce pollution in these countries.