The American dream or nightmare? Understanding the change in perceptions of the American dream

The American Dream remains at the heart of many Americans’ national identity, and is a major theme throughout entertainment and news media, most significantly throughout political elections. It is an ideal uniquely able to ignite emotion in Americans and is something that connects people around the country, while also used as a tactic by politicians because of its impact. Since its origin, though, there has been a decline in belief in the American Dream, specifically among millennials, with growing pessimism in the amount of opportunity there really is in the United States for all. This pessimism is thoroughly explored through the studies of various authors beginning in the 1950s, and also through data conducted this past year asking respondents across the country a variety of questions regarding their sentiments on economic opportunity and American Dream. Through the usage of variables such as age, party identification, opinion on the news, and more, the change in perceptions of the American Dream is examined and uncovered

Bear Minimum: Ultralight Composite Bear Canister

The ultralight backpacking community needs a strong, easy to use, safe bear canister that is lighter than current market products for trekking in the backcountry. A full design of the lid for the bear canister is to be completed. This includes the locking mechanism to ensure it is bear proof, the interface between the lid and the canister, and the structure of the lid so it passes the strength and weight specifications. The lid, along with the already designed canister body, is to be manufactured with formal documentation. The lid will initially be tested separately and then with the canister body as an assembly. All tests will be to either verify or reject one or more of the design specifications listed later in this document. The overarching goal of the project is to find a balance of two project requirements: making a rigid lid that is, when combined with the canister body, less than 1.3 lbf and still meeting the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (IGBC) certification strength requirements

Something about Vagueness and Aesthetic Disagreement

Vagueness has gotten some attention in aesthetics, but deserves more. Vagueness is universally acknowledged to be ubiquitous. It has played a substantive role in some recent writing on the definition of art. It has figured importantly in analyses of the concept of literature, and (in connection with a thought experiment of Arthur Danto’s), of the ontology of art. Vagueness was a locus of contention in a debate between Alan Goldman and Eddy Zemach about the reality of aesthetic properties. This paper’s aim is to advance that debate, by focusing on the relevance of vagueness to the familiar argument that moves from premises about aesthetic disagreement to the conclusion that aesthetic properties are not real. In what follows, it is argued that, vis-á-vis aesthetic disagreement, the vagueness of aesthetic properties can do important theoretical work for aesthetic realis

Demarcation, Definition, Art

The question of how to demarcate science from pseudo-science commands relatively little attention today. In the philosophy of logic, by contrast, the problem of demarcating the logical constants is less skeptically regarded. In aesthetics, where the problem is how to demarcate art from non-art, the question as to whether the problem is a real one or a pseudo-problem also continues to be debated. This paper discusses the hypothesis that the demarcation questions in these three areas are parallel, or at least similar enough to be interesting. Some arguments for the conclusion that the demarcation problem is a pseudo-problem are considered, as are some demarcation proposals of a deflationist or minimalist sort. All are found wanting

Room-temperature Magnetic Thermal Switching by Suppressing Phonon-Magnon Scattering

Thermal switching materials, whose thermal conductivity can be controlled externally, show great potential in contemporary thermal management. Manipulating thermal transport properties through magnetic fields has been accomplished in materials that exhibit a high magnetoresistance. However, it is generally understood that the lattice thermal conductivity attributed to phonons is not significantly impacted by the magnetic fields. In this study, we experimentally demonstrate the significant impact of phonon-magnon scattering on the thermal conductivity of the rare-earth metal gadolinium near room temperature, which can be controlled by a magnetic field to realize thermal switching. Using first-principles lattice dynamics and spin-lattice dynamics simulations, we attribute the observed change in phononic thermal conductivity to field-suppressed phonon-magnon scattering. This research suggests that phonon-magnon scattering in ferromagnetic materials is crucial for determining their thermal conductivity, opening the door to innovative magnetic-field-controlled thermal switching materials

Images of reality: Iris Murdoch's five ways from art to religion

Art plays a significant role in Iris Murdoch’s moral philosophy, a major part of which may be interpreted as a proposal for the revision of religious belief. In this paper, I identify within Murdoch’s philosophical writings five distinct but related ways in which great art can assist moral/religious belief and practice: art can reveal to us “the world as we were never able so clearly to see it before”; this revelatory capacity provides us with evidence for the existence of the Good, a metaphor for a transcendent reality of which God was also a symbol; art is a “hall of reflection” in which “everything under the sun can be examined and considered”; art provides us with an analogue for the way in which we should try to perceive our world; and art enables us to transcend our selfish concerns. I consider three possible objections: that Murdoch’s theory is not applicable to all forms of art; that the meaning of works of art is often ambiguous; and that there is disagreement about what constitutes a great work of art. I argue that none of these objections are decisive, and that all forms of art have at least the potential to furnish us with important tools for developing the insight required to live a moral/religious life

Defining Art

Overview of the definition of art and its relationship to definitions of the individual art forms, with an eye to clarifying the issues separating dominant institutionalist and skeptical positions from non-skeptical, non-institutional ones. Section 2 indicates some of the key philosophical issues which intersect in discussions of the definition of art, and singles out some important areas of broad agreement and disagreement. Section 3 critically reviews some influential standard versions of institutionalism, and some more recent variations on them. Section 4 discusses some recent reductionist approaches to definitional questions, which advocate a shift of philosophical focus from the macro- to the micro-level —from art to the individual art forms. Section 5 outlines an alternative, non-institutionalist and non-reductionist approach to definitional question

The Kingdom of Hexa - A Musical for Piano and Voices

This composition project utilizes aspects of entomology and musical storytellingto create a parable about human behavior. It emphasizes the importance of understanding one’s own lineage, and how that process plays a part in cultivating a sense of personal self-actualization and determination. In this fantasy, the central character is a bee on a journey to save the habitat of her species, a hive on the verge of collapse. Ultimately, she discovers her true identity, and this enables her to lead a movement of all of the insect members of the forest away from typical hierarchies of queens and colonies to a more democratic system of shared responsibility for all. The main problem to solve in this project was how to anthropomorphize insects enough to present an allegory about the complications of human perception and emotions, while at the same time informing the audience about the need for attention to larger sociological concerns. I studied aspects of insect behavior, and used them in conjunction with my own experiences to create elements of the story. I composed seven songs describing the needs and philosophies of several characters, and arranged those pieces in pop, show tune and cabaret styles to augment a cohesive storyline about identity and social progress, and how those entities coexist. The goal was to create a piece in which the central protagonist transcends the bounds of her predicament to achieve something for the greater good of all concerned

Seven Sins

In my work, I attempt to examine the gestures of everyday life, to discover how objective clues are subjectively interpreted. As a motif, the Seven Deadly Sins are prevalent enough in Western culture to ostensibly suggest a common moral point of view. As with any other intellectual construct, the categories and what they symbolize are open to interpretation. Any artful representation of the motif works on at least two levels; all seven sins have universal literal meanings, but each carries a specifically emotional thrust depending on the experience of a particular reader or audience. The latter is a result of the cognitive agent of memory. Without a personal context, we conceptualize ideas like Pride, Wrath, or Gluttony in the abstract. Memories serve to qualify the conditions into something emotionally significant, giving each sin a stronger impact. Personal context provides a focus, a hard investment in searching and sharing thoughts to determine a common understanding of each sin's larger meaning. There is no definitive result ??? the goal is to attempt to explore ways that social mores connect us emotionally. If indeed that kind of link also functions through art, then the duality of both a universal understanding and personal resonance makes the Seven Sins a worthy vehicle for expression. In this vein, I have chosen to make seven films (one per Sin) and musically score them. The best way to explain the work in total is to look at each film separately, then draw larger conclusions about the cycle as a complete piece