Philosophy and Religious Belief Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Philosophy and Religious Belief - Essay Example tion of helping humans to be able to deal with aspects of life they are not able to understand, or are afraid of and therefore not entirely necessary for meaningful human existence. There have been all types of explanations for religion. Many professional have written about. For instance, Tolstoy (58), after going through an episode of meaningless of life, concluded that only faith (or religion), can be able to explain life and that only faith can help people to understand life and thus help them have a meaningful life. This argument by Tolstoy seems to prove Freud’s (10), argument about faith; that faith and religion are used by man as a way to deal with the aspects of life they do not understand. In his book, Theism as Illusion, he argues that people ascribe to religious beliefs because it helps them deal with aspects of life they are not able to comprehend or that give them anxiety. He argues that men ascribe to the belief of life after death because they are scared of death. Death is a scary phenomenon for most people because of two main factors. First, the finality of death scares people. Death is not undoable; once it happens, the diseased is gone and gone forever. The second issue about death that may make people want to believe in a second life after death is the fact that they are do not know what happens after it There is no way to know what happens to a person after they die. This finality and unknown nature of death comes as a scare for most humans and therefore the idea of an afterlife acts as a beacon of hope, as a way to overcome death. Almost every religion there is, from the early Egyptian religion to modern Christianity to Hinduism and Islam, believe in an afterlife, even if they do not believe in the same God. The Egyptians took it a little too far by building massive pyramids for their kings in order to immortalize them and thus also immortalize themselves. This may be an indication that religion serves the purpose of assisting people to deal

Frankenstein (Norton Critical Editions) book Essay

Frankenstein (Norton Critical Editions) book - Essay Example Victor has other two siblings particularly brothers: William and Ernest. Due to his obsession with the study of outdated science theories, Victor chooses to enroll in the University of Ingolstadt in Germany (Shelley 19). Weeks before he leaves for school, his mother Caroline succumbs to death after suffering from scarlet fever. This paper will seek to compare and contrast education of young monsters, parallel to the education of Victor and his creation. As the book reveals, Victor underwent formal education unlike the monster, which had to learn on its own. According to the narrator, Victor had pervasive interest in studying outdated science theories specifically those that focused on attaining natural wonders. As a result, he attended the University of Ingolstadt where studied well and excelled in subjects such as chemistry and other sciences. During his time in school, Victor developed a secretive technique that involved imbuing of inanimate bodies especially with life. This shows that Victor attended a formal school with teachers and other students and in a school like environment. Thus, he acquired formal education, which is not the case with the monster (28). As the story unveils, readers are meant to understand that the monster attained education through self-training. Predominantly, it is seeable that when the monster disappeared from the room where Victor created it, it went to seek refuge in thick bushes close to a cottage where the DeLacy family lived and to a surprise, it spent a whole year observing the members of this family. The story points out that the monster leant how to read, became self-aware, and discovered its hideous physical state. In addition, the source explains that, during its stay, the monster discovered a shoulder bag of lost books, which it used to teach itself how to read. It also stood by the pool where it found out that its physical appearance was different from that of humans (37). This entails that the monster’s mode o f education or rather acquiring knowledge was through practice, self-learning, and observation. Victor’s education is parallel to that of his creation in that, they both had quest for knowledge. Consequently, Victor went to a school to receive education while the monster had to educate itself. Victor’s interests First, Victor displays an infatuated possessiveness for Elizabeth. He undergoes a series of mentally related breakdowns but his father restores him by reinstating his former wealth status and his mother fulfils his passion for Elizabeth by lending him her hand in marriage. Apart from his interests for Elizabeth, Victor had an obsessive passion for studying outdated science theories. Victor grew up knowing that je could understand probably explain the things surrounding him if he could study outdated science theories (42). Following this believe, he developed a covert skill in which he could instill inert bodies with life. In other words, he developed a way of c reating creatures and filling them with life. This was yet another of his interests. Victor and Henry’s interests Victor Frankenstein and Henry Clerval were long-time acquaintances. Henry developed intensive interest for care, poems, and sense. When Victor was studying at Ingolstadt University, he spent a while without communicating with his family. Henry chose to relocate to where Victor was in order to take care of Victor. This shows that Victor was passionate about taking care of his friends. On the other end, when Victor brought the