Thought and Thesis

*What follows is a write up that I did for one of my grad classes concerning a number of claims that Eduard C. Lindeman makes in his book "The Meaning of Adult Education". I don't claim for it to be authority, or exactly what Lindeman means by his claims, but I do believe that what I have written is a good explanation of some of the implications for the claims that he makes and doesn't defend.* While reading “The Meaning of Adult Education” I ran into a number of major claims made by the author that I believe needed to be clarified and expounded upon. In the first paragraph on page 17 Lindeman makes a number claims that need to be unpacked. These claims will go on to have a profound effect on the rest of the book. Although a few pages before Lindeman tell us what intelligence ‘is’, we don’t find out what makes an intelligent person until pages 16 and 17. It is to these points that I’d like to address. First, “The person who knows what he wants to do and why i...

So this is a draft of a piece that I have been working on for a while now on and off. It's not complete yet, and it may not be complete for some time, but it is a view that I believe is the best explanation for ethical and moral views. Enjoy and any comments are welcome. If there is something in this piece that you would like to use feel free to do so, but please site it properly. Thank you.   Sociological Ethics by Larry N. Wagner Master of Adult and Post Secondary Education (on going), University of Wyoming Bachelor of Philosophy, University of Wyoming (draft 23 November 2013  ©2013) Contents Introduction 3 Theoretical Bases 3 Philosophical Bases 3 Sociological Bases 4 Social Contract 4 Ethics from Individual 5 Ethics from Society 6 Justice 7 Laws as Ethic 7 Education of the Social Ethic (Updated 23 Nov. 2013) Introduction Over the course of history there has been much discussion across the academic world about Sociolog...

The entrepreneurial spirit has lead to a world of wondrous creations. Great individuals with great minds have advanced the world to horizons hitherto unforeseen. When the individual puts ones life into a thing it takes on a quality and a value that enriches the individual. One should revel in ones creation. One should allow what is created to be a defining factor in life. When one allows that to happen, the individual is elevated and made greater then otherwise. Yet, there is a cancer that infects this relation. A loss of self creation. When one dominates the labor of another to create what is of ones own invention, that which is created is cheapened and worth less. It looses it power to make its maker greater. Worse yet the individual can no longer feel the joy of creation; one is alienated from the creation. When an individual no longer creates that which comes from ones own invention, that joy that was felt in creation is replaced by something of far less worth. Namely, the mere m...

Tomorrow is a big day for this nation. We all have a choice to make that will have major effects upon all of us. I'm sure we all know who we are voting for. But before you leave the house tomorrow I want you to ask yourself a few questions. 1. Do you believe that women should have the choice to do what they wish with their bodies? 2. Do you believe that as a society that we all must come together and put aside petty individualism and greed to become great? 3. Do you believe that men and women should be allowed to marry the one person that they love above all things? 4. Do believe that we all have a responsibility to contribute equally to the society? 5. And lastly, do you believe in a nation in which it doesn't matter what you race, sex, religion, creed, or orientation is, you will have equal rights under the law? If you said yes to the above questions then you choice must be clear and reason must drive you to vote for reelection. I know what my choice is, I ...

As a service member, I presume, that I have been give the right to chose to join the Army. I also assume that by doing so have a made the choice put myself in harms way and thusly run the risk of dying. In a sense I have chosen an act such that would, or could, end my life. Yet, if when I grow old, I find myself with a terminal illness, I do not have the same right to make the choice to put myself in the same situation. It seems to me, that at least for this case, that there is an inconsistency between the views.  So I have to ask, what is the origin of that  inconsistency, and why does it still exist?

So its been a really, really long time since I have posted anything. But, while writing this post for a class I decided to share it to a broader audience. So here it is.  While reading about race in chapter 10 I started thinking about the links in Marxism that lead to issues presented in the chapter.  It is my belief that racism, as well as sexism, has become inexorably linked to the market economy. I will prove this, in breif, in the following way, and then make the link toward education.  For the market economy of the nation to exist there is a need for there to be a percentage of the population to be under-employed or unemployed. By maintaing this percentage the market is able to keep wages down due to the competition between working age individuals. If the percentage gets to low the companies will be forced to pay more to attach workers, thus cutting profits. This maintaining of under and unemployed percentage plays a role in the alienation that occurs within th...

While laying in bed an interesting question came to me that I would like to put toward Christians: "Why would a all loving, all powerful, perfect being create such imperfect species? Why, too, would that being then require those imperfect creatures to worship it with unwaveringly devotion with the intention of then rewarding that devotion with a place in heaven? If that being we're truly all loving, then wouldn't it have just made created those beings in heaven? Heaven is meant to be a reward for faith. That reward is given by God. Yet it is also God that created the beings that will be rewarded for faith. To be rewarded for faith one must have the chance not to have faith. So God created imperfect beings. Yet what kind if reward is it when your own creator has made you flawed for the soul purpose of faith, and then to reward you for it? And does God take pity on his own creations? Yes, thusly giving the reward for faith. This is all very confusing. It seems insane t...