Parenting Adolescents – The Most Difficult and Extremely Important Task

Parenting adolescents is identified as probably the most difficult parenting task. Teens are preoccupied with identity crisis, eager to be independent; hasty to be adulst - essentially lost, disturbed, and frightened with consequent loss of self esteem that usually results in deep depression and a “Rebel without a cause” behavior pattern. Accelerated by rapid advances in media technology, adolescence now starts as early as 8 years of age, and has become more difficult today. Hence love, understanding and care by parents are more crucial now than before. Parents need to accept the fact that the peer group, central to adolescence culture, is a place for experimentation; and a supportive setting for achieving the two primary adolescence developmental tasks of identity and autonomy. Many issues ranging from drugs, reckless driving, drinking and depression to sex, pregnancy and abortion are involved. This paper is limited to just three areas: Goal setting, Conflict Management, and Raising Self Esteem

Save the Ozone Shield

The earth is constantly bombarded by ultraviolet (UV) rays, which consist of two forms UVA and UVB, the latter being more potent. High UVB levels can affect human health, ecosystem productivity and global habitability. However a layer of ozone in the atmosphere, called the ozone shield, protects the earth. Over the years the ozone shield has been destroyed, and a hole has appeared that allows UVB to harm living organisms. The size of the ozone hole is increasing. The main ozone depleting substances, ODS, the chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are of anthropogenic origin. Global responses, such as the Montreal Protocol and the response by USA (the major ODS producer), to the threat are mentioned. Importance of individual response is also emphasized. Individual environmental ethics is fundamentally essential. Three ways of minimizing the release of CFCs are suggested. Benefits of reducing CFCs and some case studies of successful CFC elimination are cited

Science and Metaphysics Part IV- Scientific Ethics?

The following six controversies, which form a basic set of ethical issues, are used as basis for testing the applicability of science to ethics.Hedonism (Epicurus) v. Nonhedonism (Plato)Absolutism (Thomas Hobbes) v. Relativism (Thomas Aquinas)Deontology (Kant) v. Teleology (Aristotle)Nonconsequentialism v. Consequentia-lismFree Will (St. Augustine) v. Determin-ismEgoism v. Utilitarianism (John Stuart Mill

Science and Metaphysics Part III Scientific Epistemology?

The major factor that limits application of science in epistemology is identified as the blindness of science to the mind side of humans. The argument is developed through three issues: Knowledge v. Belief; Rationalism v. Empiricism and Skepticism v. Certainty, which form the three major arguments of epistemology.Plato’s view and The Justified True Belief theory on knowledge and belief; Rene Descartes’ defense of rationalism and John Locke’s defense of empiricism in rationalism v. empiricism; and G. E. Moore’s defense of certainty, called “Defense of Common Sense” and David Hume’s defense of skepticism in skepticism v. certainty are examined

Science and Metaphysics Part II - Science and Theology – Complementary or Mutual Exclusion?

The major factor that limits application of science in theology is identified as negligence of the mind aspect of humans. The argument is developed through two paths: Arguments Against Existence of God and Arguments for Existence of God.Durkheim’s Social Argument, Freud’s “psychological crutch” argument and The Argument from Evil constitute the arguments against God existence.Arguments for God existence consists of St. Anselm and Descartes’ Ontological Argument (Priori Logical argument); Aquinas’ three versions and Descartes’ two versions of The Cosmological Argument (Posteriori Logical argument); Aquinas and Paley’s Teleological Argument (Logical Argument); and The Argument from Will and Faith: Kant’s Moral Law Argument, Hobbe’s argument against revelations

Science and Metaphysics Part I - Scientific Art Appreciation?

Ignorance of the mind aspect of humans is identified as the major factor that limits application of science in art appreciation. It prevents scientific art appreciation. The argument is developed through two areas: work of art and aesthetic experience.The work of art part consists of Morris Weitz’s Anti-Essentialism argument and the Essentialism arguments of Margaret Macdonald (Physicalism view) and the three Non-physicalism views of Bernard Bosanquet (Idealism view), Plato (Abstract Entity view), and Monroe Beardsley (Phenomenalism view).Aesthetic experience part includes Kingsley Price’s Objectivism, George Santayana’s Subjectivism, and Edward Bullough’s Psychical Distance