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Motivation and emotion/Textbook/Motivation/Anxiety

Are we living in the Age of Anxiety?

Today’s society is becoming faster paced and more pressured than ever before. Technology is on the rise, mobile phones are increasing in capability and various media outlets are constantly updating and highlighting daily horror stories and health concerns. People are continually faced with societal expectations to stay looking young, achieve successful careers and maintain high levels of social status. With these ongoing external demands and pressures, an evolving environment and self-imposed internal stresses, it could be questioned the extent to which these elements take part in the development of anxiety disorders and motivate the associated behaviours. Anxiety disorders are becoming more and more common within society, with sufferers running to their local GP’s in hope of prescription drug treatments as a quick solution. Many Australians may be faced with the ongoing struggle associated with the diagnosis of an anxiety related condition. This warrants the need to truly enhance the current medical and academic communities understanding of the motivating factors behind these disorders and the consequences associated with these illnesses. While mental health campaigns continue to highlight the increasing incidence and symptoms of anxiety, many questions surrounding anxiety behaviour motivation remain unanswered.
 * Are anxiety disorders really mental illnesses or are they just learned patterns of behaviours and cognitive scripts formed through experience?
 * Are anxious behaviours the result of the internal biological components within the brain or are they just exaggerated survival mechanisms passed down through evolution?
 * Does the media’s promotion of mental illnesses really assist in the understanding and treatment or does it only reinforce and give rise to fears and social stigma amplifying such conditions?

Motivational psychologists primary goal understanding anxiety disorders is to determine the root cause of anxiety driven behaviour and provide a rational for an individual’s engagement and intensity of conduct.

What is Motivation?
The study of motivation concerns processes whereby behavior can be explained in terms of energy and direction. Energy is identified as the arousal aspect,the inner drive or force whereby someone is driven to carry out some form of behavior. However, energy alone is not enough for the behavior to occur. Direction such as a desired outcome or goal is required in combination with arousal for activity to occur.

Motivation revolves around seeking solutions to two main questions.

 * What causes behaviour ?
 * Why does behaviour vary with intensity ?

In order to understand the motivating factors driving an anxiety disorder, many theoretical components need to be considered. An anxiety disorder involves many behaviours depending on the type of disorder examined (Cisler, Olatunji, Lohr & Williams, 2009). For the purpose of this chapter, the focus is on Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). This is largely because the disorder is extremely complicated, often misunderstood by the public and in some cases treatment involving medications does not always provide releif (Barrett,Farrell,Pina,& Piacentini, 2008). OCD is driven by many factors including biological, cognitive and learning (Starcevic & Berle, 2008). OCD can have devastating effects on the individual, especially if they don't have good coping skills and a reasonable understanding of their condition (Barrett et al., 2008). While this chapter does not cover treatment, it does attempt to explain the motivational aspects underlying the condition.

Motivational Questions & OCD

To gather a complete understanding of the role motivation plays in the expression of OCD symptoms, the following questions need to be taken into consideration.
 * What initiates obsessions to enter consciousness?
 * Why does the content regarding these obsessions vary between OCD individuals?
 * What causes an OCD sufferer to engage in compulsive behaviour?
 * What sustains the disorder over time?
 * Why do OCD individuals vary in the intensity of compulsive behaviour?
 * What signals the OCD individual to stop the compulsive behaviour?

What are Anxiety Disorders?
The term anxiety disorder covers a large range of anxiety related conditions (Lang, & Mcteague, 2009). Individuals who suffer from these conditions generally report emotions or symptoms of excessive fear, inappropriate thoughts, hyper-vigilant states, and an overwhelming feeling that they may lose self-control (Starcevic & Berle, 2006). The cluster of anxiety disorders can be broken down into Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Social Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Agoraphobia and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (Starcevic & Berle, 2006). While these conditions are distinguished separately with individual diagnosis and different theoretical models, many have overlapping symptoms which can severely impact an individuals’ life (Hewitt, Egan, & Rees, 2009). It’s likely if an individual has one of these disorders, they may also meet the diagnostic criteria for another. For instance individuals who suffer from social phobia, are also likely to meet the criteria for panic disorder (Starcevic & Berle, 2006).

What is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder?
Obsessions can be identified as persistent, bothersome, intrusive, inappropriate thoughts and impulses, often leading the individual to experience high levels or stress and anxiety (O'Connor, 2007). A sufferer’s thoughts often arise in consciousness containing themes of violence, sex, health and religious. While the sufferer may be convinced they are losing their mind or developing a psychotic illness, the opposite is very true. The individual is very aware of the bizarre content and knows that these obsessions are purely a product of his or her mind (O'Connor, 2007).

Compulsions can be defined by repetitive mental acts (counting, praying, saying affirmations silently) or excessive behavioural actions (checking locks, hand washing, seeking reassurance and cleaning). Individuals carry out the compulsive acts following an obsession in an attempt to relieve the anxiety experienced (Reuven-Margil, Darr & Liberman, 2008). While the general public may be familiar with OCD behaviours such as excessive cleaning, fewer are aware of the internal obsessions and the bizarre content which motivate these compulsive acts. Due to the consequences of social stigma and embarrassment that is often attached to the individual, it is suggested many sufferers withhold the content of their intrusive thoughts and choose not to seek help. This can further exacerbate the condition, causing the individual to withdraw and leaving them a prisoner within their own mind. However, researchers suggest that suffers of OCD usually demonstrate high levels of intelligence. The motivating factors behind OCD are generally the same influences which drive the individual to obtain high levels of success. An OCD sufferer is more likely to succeed if he/she is not restricted by societal routine, but rather follow their individual intrinsic goals and passions (Deci & Ryan, 2008).

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder diagnosis can be considered when an individual suffers either repetitive obsessions or obsessions combined with compulsions which are ongoing, worrisome and time consuming over an extended period of time and impacting ones well being (Lang, & Mcteague, 2009).

Below is an example of someone suffering from OCD.

"Jeremy had been battling obsessions for years. One ongoing obsession he had was an intense fear of the number seven. Jeremy thought that if he saw the number seven he or one of his family members would get cancer. Jeremy knew this made no logical sense. However, every time he saw a number seven, an anxious feeling swept over him and he would silently pray to God that nothing bad would happen. Over time this obsession became worse and worse, consuming much of his time and damaging his self-esteem. He started to develop panic attacks at the mere sight of anything that resembled a seven. He stopped going to movie cinemas because of the showing times on the board, he stopped driving past streets where he knew he would see a seven and eventually threw away every clock in house because it had a number seven on it. Jeremy was constantly on guard, hyper-vigilant and lost all his self-belief."

Theories of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
The theories developed by Pavlov, Skinner and Bandura are based on learning principles such as fear conditioning, operant conditioning, reinforcement and social learning (Starcevic & Berle, 2006). These theories have provided tremendous insight into explaining the motivation behind anxiety disorders. Learning theories are particularly helpful in explaining how social phobia and agoraphobia are developed and sustained (Starcevic & Berle, 2006). However, due to the complexity of human behaviours, particular those expressed in OCD, alternative theories must also be examined. Learning theories simply can’t provide a comprehensive explanation as to why an individual experiences constant intrusive thoughts surrounding religious, violent, sexual and health content (Moulding, Kyrios, Doron, & Nedeljkovic, 2009). These thoughts are generally inconsistent with the individuals’ personality traits. Evolutionary, biological and cognitive theories also play vital roles (Londsorf, Weike, Nikamo, Shalling, Hamm & Oham, 2009).

The underlying factors of all anxiety disorders which result in heighten states of fear, are suggested to be the result of evolved brain circuitry, chemical neurotransmitter imbalances, overactivity or malfunctioning brain structures, memory encoding of negative past events, as well as cognitive beliefs (Starcevic et al., 2006).

Evolutionary Theory
Evolutionary theory suggests that motive circuits within the brain evolved over time because they were necessary for survival. Research has suggested that emotions reflect the activation of the appetitive motive system and the defensive motive system (Lang & McTeague, 2009). The appetitive motive system directs and guides behaviours that ensure the basic needs are met such as procreation, hunger and thirst. Alternately, the defensive motive system directs and guides behaviours to ensure safety in response to environmental threats (Lang & McTeague, 2009). When an individual suffering from OCD experiences an intrusive thought, it is suggested that the defensive motive system is activated, directing and guiding the individual towards avoidance type behaviours (Lang & McTeague, 2009). These avoidance behaviours include avoiding places, people and specific objects or any external stimuli that may produce a feeling of fear (Lee, Lim, Lee, Kim, & Choi, 2009).

From the example involving Jeremy, we can see that the defensive system was activated every time his sensory systems within the brain recognised the number seven. This recognition, to Jeremy, signalled danger. Evolutionary theory suggests this form of reactive behaviour stems from an individual’s core goal of survival. This survival instinct is passed down from our ancestors.

Recent research has found that certain genes may act as motivators towards the development OCD. Londsorf, et al.,(2009) investigated the effects of two genetic polymorphisms 5-HTTLPR and COMTvall58met on conditioning and extinction of fear. The study involved 48 participants and discovered that carriers of the 5-HTTLPR factor acquired fear when exposed to environmental threatening stimuli. Furthermore, the results identified that carriers of the COMTvall58met gene have a reduced ability to turn off the fear conditioned response (Lonsdorf, et al., 2009). This suggests those genes act as motivators for OCD and even more so when the individual is a carrier of both.

Biological Component

 * The Amygdala

Research in the field of neuroscience has identified that malfunctioning circuitry within the brain structures play a major role in OCD (Lang, Kroll, Lipinski, Wessa, Ridder, Christmann, Schad & Flor, 2009). Brain imaging tools show that when an individual is exposed to fear provoking stimuli, increased activity occurs within the amygdala. The amygdala functions in the storage of highly emotionally charged events, specifically those concerning fear (Lang, et al., 2009). Research suggests that when an individual is experiencing levels of high anxiety, the amygdala is highly aroused (Lee, et al., 2009). When an individual’s amygdala is constantly active overtime, the base rate at which the amygdala once operated may become reset to a higher level. This provides insight into the explanation of symptoms of hyper vigilance, fear and constant worry (Zvolensky, Forsyth, Bernestein & Leen-Feldner, 2007).

 * The Worry Circuit

The orbital cortex functions as the error detection circuit. This component of the brain is responsible for stimulating pathways concerning worry (Saxena, Gorbis, Oneill, Baker, Mandelkern, Maidment, Chang, Salamon, Brody, Schwartz & London, 2009). These pathways run between the caudate nucleus, the cingulate gyrus, and the thalamus. Research suggests that the caudate nucleus is responsible for changing from one thought to another. When an individual with OCD experiences an intrusive thought, they become ‘stuck’ and are unable to move to the next thought process. The persistence of intrusive thoughts are suggested to be the result of a malfunctioning caudate nucleus (Robinson, Wu, Munne, Ashtari, Alvir, Lerner, Koreen, Cole, & Bogerts, 1995).

 * The Striatum

The striatum is the key component allowing the intrusive thoughts into awareness. The striatum acts as an automatic transmission and filtering system. When the striatum isn’t functioning correctly, the sensory information coming from the external world isn’t being filtered effectively. This allows the old evolutionary circuits to pass through resulting in the intrusive thoughts (Lang, & McTeague, 2009).

 * Neurotransmitters

 * Serotonin - Low levels of serotonin are suggested to act as biological motivators in individuals with OCD. Research has shown that individuals suffering OCD symptoms, can improve through serotonin enhancing drugs (Barrett et al., 2008).
 * Dopamine - Low levels of dopamine can result in decreased executive functioning within the brain. This can result in reduced cognitive ability.

Social Cognitive Theories
Social cognitive theories are very important in understanding how anxiety disorders such as OCD are developed and sustained. Social cognitive theory was initiated by Albert Bandura. He proposed that individuals learn through the observations of others, and that cognitive beliefs about the self contribute to future decision making, behaviour engagement or disengagement and coping strategies. Bandura developed the theory self-efficacy, suggesting that individuals will either be motivated towards or away from certain behaviours based upon their beliefs involving competence. For the purpose of this chapter both the cognitive component and learned components will be examined. Individuals suffering from OCD have certain cognitions that act as motives, guiding anxious behaviour.

Cognitive Component
The intrusive thoughts constantly experienced by OCD sufferers are suggested to be experienced by every person at some stage in their lives. They are universal in nature and are experienced by males and females of all cultures. Many cognitive models propose that individuals with OCD are different in their thought processes because they apply excessive meaning to them (Moulding et al., 2009). They misinterpret certain thoughts as an indication that something is very wrong, creating an intense feeling of fear usually accompanied by anxiety (O'Connor, 2007). For instance, if a mother were to have the thought “grab the pillow and smother the baby” she might automatically think she is a risk of hurting her child and run out of the house. She would then doubt herself and think she is a terrible person for having such a thought. Following an incident like this the mother may begin to fear having the thought again, placing greater emphasis on the meaning of the original occurrence (Reuven-Magril et al., 2008). This creates anticipatory anxiety, where the individual attempts to control the reoccurrence of such negative or violent thoughts (Reuven-Magril et al., 2008). This act is motivated from the internal need to feel safe, secure and protected both for the individual and loved ones.

The human mind is highly imaginative, especially in OCD sufferers. Their imagination may increase at times of stress causing the thoughts or obsessions to spiral out of control. An original obsession such as a fear of harming loved ones can manifest into multiple obsessions containing religious and sexual content (O'Connor, 2007). The external environment can often act as stimuli triggering intrusive thoughts and anxiety. For example, the daily news containing horror stories about new illnesses, teenage shootings and terrorism can exacerbate an OCD condition. This violent stimulus can motivate the OCD individual to display avoidance behaviours where they no longer watch TV, listen to the radio and avoid reading the newspapers (Cisler, Olatunji, Lohr, & Williams, 2009). Conversely, these obsessions can motivate the individual to engage in excessive activities such as praying for hours a day, washing their hands excessively before eating meals and constantly cleaning. Some extreme cases even report individuals driving along the highway and having an intrusion that they just ran over someone. This may cause the individual to check the environment for hours and incessantly reassure themselves that everything is OK.

The intrusions experienced by OCD individuals are different from those suffering psychotic illness. The OCD sufferer is not paranoid and is very aware of the bizarre content of their intrusions. Paranoia is a word often thrown around society in the wrong context and mistaken for anxiety. Individuals suffering from OCD know their behaviours and obsessions are not logical and do not experience delusions or hallucinations.

Researchers have found that OCD individuals generally hold several cognitive beliefs that underlie the illness (Moulding et al., 2009) These include:
 * 1) Inflated Responsibility - They think they are responsible for actions that are outside of their control - For example, “It’s my fault my parents are getting divorced”, or “It’s my fault my girlfriend cheated on me, maybe I wasn’t been a man”.
 * 2) Placing over importance on their thoughts – For example, “that persons attractive, I shouldn’t be thinking that, I am in a relationship”
 * 3) The importance of controlling ones thoughts – Thinking they must have complete control over their thoughts – For example, “I must control my thoughts or I am not a pure person and might go to hell for external punishment”
 * 4) Over estimation of threat – For example “Seven people at work got cancer, what if I get cancer or someone in my family does”
 * 5) Intolerance of uncertainty – For example “It’s unlikely I would ever a rob a liquor store, I have been alive for 20 years and I haven’t yet, but it’s still possible”
 * 6) Perfectionism – For example “The wine glasses has to be arranged perfectly and crystal clear” (Moulding et al., 2009).

These internal beliefs are unrealistic expectations and may to some extent act as goals. Ultimately when viewed from a goal orientated perspective the outcome will be disappointment. Research involving Mihaly’s work on “Flow” and “Optimal Experience” suggests that when the goal is set too high, above the skill level of the individual, the emotion anxiety is likely to be experienced. This may be another motivating factor when considering the development of OCD. Research has investigated the effects of control related cognitions in relation to OCD (Reuven-Magril et al., 2008). The more persistent the person is in trying to neutralise the obsessions, the more likely it is that he/she has control related beliefs. This provides an explanation as to why some OCD individuals engage with greater intensity when carrying out their compulsions. The study also determined that having a low sense of control was directly related to the increased severity of OCD symptoms. Further, it has been found that OCD individuals have low perceptions of competence (Reuven-Magril et al., 2008).

The Learned Component
Pavlovian fear conditioning theory is a form of associated learning in which an original neutral stimulus develops into a conditioned stimulus (CS) after several pairings with an unconditioned threat stimulus (US). This can provide insight into some of Jeremy’s (example listed at the beginning of the chapter) compulsive behaviours. Every time Jeremy identifies the number seven in his surroundings, it acts as a conditioned stimulus that triggers fear, giving rise to anxiety. Due to this trigger, Jeremy feels compelled to ‘get rid of’ the emotion through the act of compulsive behaviour. This is goal directed in attempt to achieve an internal state of peace. The theory of operant conditioning developed by Skinner, indicates that the compulsion may act as a reinforcer. This further motivates the disorder to be sustained (Londsorf et al., 2009).

Living with OCD
Many individuals with OCD often face difficulties in ordinary daily activities. This ranges from holding onto jobs, communicating with others, developing close relationships, feeling at ease with oneself and taking risks. They can often feel very alone, helpless and suffer from constant negative emotions such as fear, shame and doubt. These negative emotions can act as motivators in themselves, leading to obsessional thinking and the repetitive cycle involving compulsive behaviour. OCD individuals often report that they feel as though the ability to live a normal life has been taken away from them. This can lead to learned self helplessness, depression and other anxiety disorders such as social phobia, agoraphobia and panic disorder. This only adds to the challenges the individual is faced with. Due to the frustration OCD causes, some individuals are motivated to take extreme actions to resolve their illness and allow them to return to a normal life. This can involve activities such as constantly researching books, medical articles and investigating the latest OCD related therapies. However, due to the theories behind operant-conditioning, this may become compulsion in itself through the act of reinforcement. This can make the disorder very difficult to treat. For the purpose of this section, living with OCD will be linked with the components of Self Determination Theory.

Self Determination Theory

Autonomy

Autonomy is a psychological need to make an independent decision and exert control over the external environment. Every healthy adult individual has the desire to choose their own actions and decide when, where and how these actions will take place. This freedom is a basic instinct (Deci, & Ryan, 2008). However, an OCD sufferer often feels a low sense of this basic self-sufficiency. Their intrusive thoughts or obsessions ‘take over’ and the sufferer is compelled to act out the consequent compulsion. This thought and reaction process creates a low perception of autonomy (Starcevic et al., 2006). The OCD sufferer generally has little ability to choose their actions during the obsessive state because of a heightened emotional response. Research suggests OCD sufferers often compensate for this loss of autonomy by over-controlling their actions and emotions.

Competence

Every individual strives to develop and sustain competence. Competence is a psychological need to progress in life and overcome life’s challenges. Throughout the life cycle an individual will continually attempt to interact effectively with their environment and with others, improve their skills and potential and gain competence in all possible areas (Deci, & Ryan, 2008). This is necessary for development and personal growth. An OCD sufferer however, has low competence and often finds it difficult to effectively interact with their environment (Reuven-Magril et al., 2008). They are less likely to engage in social activities and seize opportunities when they arise, due to a fear of constant anxiety or compulsive actions. This may lead to the acceptance of lower employment positions, less social support and possible isolation.

Relatedness

Every individual has the desire to be connected to others. Intimate relationships and friendships are vital to everyday functioning and provide an individual with a sense of acceptance, acknowledgement and understanding. This relatedness is highly valued and has been showed to reduce overall personal stress levels (Deci, & Ryan, 2008). However, an individual suffering with OCD may experience certain barriers to developing strong interpersonal connections and therefore a low sense of relatedness. This may be due to their anxiety and avoidance of social situations and their fear of being dismissed as ‘crazy’ (Starcevic et al., 2006). As an OCD sufferer is well aware of the bizarre nature of their thoughts and actions, they are vulnerable to social rejection and stigma.

Summary
Anxiety disorders and anxiety related behaviours are becoming more common within modern society. These anxious behaviours can be motivated by either internal or external factors. Theory and recent research suggests anxiety related behaviours are motivated by multiple components. These include biological, cognitive and social learning. This chapter used OCD to highlight the motivating factors driving anxious behaviour. Cognitive beliefs involving control, self efficacy and competence have a major role in guiding the compulsive actions. While the compulsive actions might provide temporary relief, they only strengthen the neural pathways worsening the condition. The content variation for the obsessions is suggested to be the result of anxiety passed down through evolution, and malfunctioning brain structures. While the frequency of the intrusive thoughts rely largely on how often an OCD sufferer engages in trying to suppress them. The constant attempt to suppress the thoughts worsens the condition creating further anxiety. Self Determination Theory has shown that psychological needs such as autonomy, competence and relatedness are vital for well being and personal growth. When these needs or instinctual goals are not met, the individual may engage in avoidance type behaviours. {{Hide in print|


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Talk:Motivation and emotion/Textbook/Motivation/Anxiety

-- Jtneill - Talk - c 04:15, 13 December 2010 (UTC)

-- Jtneill - Talk - c 13:49, 14 December 2010 (UTC)

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User:Poojap

Quiz template
{$$\sum_{i=0}^3 (5+\sqrt{4^i})$$ - 45 + 35 - 30 - 25
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{ What is the full form of ODE? { Ordinary Differential Equation }
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{ Solution for ODE $$y^\prime-2ty=t$$ is $$Ce^{t^{2}}-1/2$$ +TRUE. -FALSE.
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Exercise Template
What is 2+2? Solution: 4

Project Report for User:PoojaP
For Introduction to Numerical Analysis, Fall 2010.

Introduction
My final project is about Romberg integration method. Romberg integration method is one of the useful methods used for approximating integrals of the form $$ \int_a^bf(x)\,dx$$ where f(x) is called the integrand a = lower limit of integration b = upper limit of integration This method uses two phases of calculation. In the first phase composite trapezoidal rule is used for a series a approximations. While in the second phase the approximations are improved using Richardson Extrapolation.

Initial Experience
Embarking on the exciting final project,helped me learn essential things about Numerical Analysis.Before I could begin with this project I did some smaller projects as part of homework assignments. This was a good learning curve for me.

Initially I had started with my proposal for changes on Fixed point iteration method. Did lot of reading and tried to make some changes into the current topic present within the Wikipedia page. Unfortunately this wasn't accepted and helped me learn that it needs even bigger effort to actually make changes into pages that are under public surveillance.

I found the existing page on fixed point iteration very brief so I added an excerpt on Methodological error.This basically described how to check if a function is converging or not.The excerpt was not satisfying because the WP tone used to write the extract was not fitting under the rules. The content was also described to be a bit confusing.

I had proposed to add ...

"Methodological Error" The link to the source of this claim has been collected from The error of the fixed point iteration method can be shown as: $$E_{n+1} = | g'(r) | E_{n}$$ This equation shows us that fixed point iteration is a first order scheme provided $$g'(r)!=0$$ This equation shows us if the scheme converges or not. The error reduces if $$| g'(r) |<1 $$, the scheme converges, The error increases if $$| g'(r) |>1 $$, the scheme diverges.

When this proposal was posted to the discussion page someone there deleted the content and added the reason as described earlier.

I realized that I need more time for this topic to be prepared and added to the current Wikipedia page.The topic is also missing out on the code snippet for evaluating fixed point. This proposal has been updated in the discussion page.

"Sample Code"

After few hours this has also been deleted from the topic.

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Main Project includes editing the Numerical Analysis content on Wikiversity. I have chosen Romberg Integration method as the topic for editing the webpage content.There are few pages added for Romberg's Integration method. First the method is described and the formulas are listed out. There is also an inclusion of sample code. Also there is an example and an exercise for students to practice and understand the method. Quiz is also included related to this method.

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I have tried to cover as much content as possible for Romberg's method.There is Wikipedia reference added along with the method explanation.The formulas are consolidated so that it would be easier for students to solve problems referring to them.There are few problems solved in detail with steps clearly mentioned. This would help students get a clear idea about the method.Also there is sample matlab code included. Quiz on Romberg's method is also part of the topic which could be taken once the students are familiar with the method.

Resouces
1. Numerical Analysis by Burden 2. Numerical methods using Matlab by Mathews

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User:Saichow2k

Math 544 exercise
What is the value of f(x) when f(x)=2x+3 at x=0? Solution: 3

Quiz template
{f(x)=c is a - greatest integer function -identity function +constant function -reciprocal function -absolute value function
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In this section we are going to look at a method for approximating solutions to equations. We all know that equations need to be solved on occasion and in fact we’ve solved quite a few equations ourselves to this point. In all the examples we’ve looked at to this point we were able to actually find the solutions, but it’s not always possible to do that exactly and/or do the work by hand. That is where this application comes into play. So, let’s see what this application is all about. Let’s suppose that we want to approximate the solution to and let’s also suppose that we have somehow found an initial approximation to this solution say, x0. This initial approximation is probably not all that good and so we’d like to find a better approximation. This is easy enough to do. First we will get the tangent line to at x0.

So, how do we find this point? Well we know it’s coordinates,, and we know that it’s on the tangent line so plug this point into the tangent line and solve for x1 as follows,

{ The determinant of $$\left[\begin{array}{c c}6 & 2 \\1 & 4\end{array} \right]$$ is { 22 _3 }.
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{Newton's method for solving f(x) = 0 is} +xm+1=xm-f(xm)/f'(xm) -xm+1=xm+f(xm)/f'(xm) -xm+1=xm-f'(xm)/f(xm) -xm+1=xm-f(xm)/f''(xm)

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title: User talk:Poojap


text:
Pillbox, Shako, and Cap/Chapter VII

The end in sight, 1918
The Kensingtons having handed over to the Scots marched to the transport lines near Fremicourt. After a week of route marches and wagon rides adjacent to Vimy Ridge… finally marched to up the ridge to the long communication trench leading down to the trenches in front of the village of Oppy. Once again the Kensingtons had their numbers made up as they prepared for the new years battles.

After the October Revolution and the overthrow of the Monarchy Russia negotiated a cease fire. The Germans could now concentrate on the west – deal with a single opponent - the Allies. As soon as the peace treaty was signed they started to transport men and arms westwards in an attempt to create a victory before America could contribute. As soon as Haig heard of this he immediately realised his preparations should include a stockpile of ammunition. The Germans were about to field 191 Divisions against the Allies 164. There was a discrepancy of manpower which dictated that the Allies should stand firm and defend. The German offensive began on the 21st March [my father’s birthday] and was directed at Britain’s 5th Army who had been recuperating after the Battle of Cambrai and Passchendale…

Battle of Lys, 21 March
The following year, 1918, it became a well known secret that the Germans were being strongly reinforced – that they were preparing for an offensive that would be against the 5th Army. The RFC squadrons were bombing the German lines and airfields at Busigny, Bertry and Escaufourt. The build-up by the Germans was very much larger than previous occasions. Their object was to smash through British lines before the Americans built up sufficient forces to make a difference. The German Offensive in Picardy became better known as The March retreat.

On the 19th after a long spell of hot dry weather it started to rain with a heavy mist. All sights and sounds were dampened down and the enemy after some artillery fire became quiet. Both sides were oppressed by the enveloping fog. Suddenly there was an enormous crash as an artillery bombardment started. It was the most intensive bombardment staged since the beginning of the war. The St. Quentin sector was in the middle of it. The onslaught was massive. Gas was used and the order was given to put on gas-masks. The fog kept the gas close to the ground as it crept closer. Behind the gas the Germans started to penetrate the weak positions, feeling their way around strong points. Their reserves taking their place as the main body moved forward. Ahead of the main force surged the storm-troopers equipped with automatic rifles and machine guns and light mortars. They made many openings in the British lines. The front had never been held by so few men and so few guns. Behind the British front line troops there were few reserves. The 5th Army had to cover forty-two miles with twelve infantry divisions and three cavalry divisions. The Germans had forty-three divisions and by sheer weight of numbers began to push the British Forces back. There was a break through at St. Quentin. The last of the British reserves were used up. A general order to retire was made.

On the 21 March an Operation called Michael, and the less important attack at Lys, began on the 9th April regained all the ground lost [6 miles] to the Allies the previous year… This was achieved by the Germans in three days. Many of the Brigades were decimated within a few hours. The German advance was finally halted before Amiens.

Battle of Doullens, 26 March
During the second night it was realised that the Germans were massing again for another attack... The airfield at Flez had to be evacuated and right in the valley of the Somme columns of German troops could be seen advancing everywhere. They were advancing in hordes. The RFC delayed the advance but not sufficiently to stem the tide. Three days after launching the attack the Germans stood a good chance of driving a wedge in-between the 5th Army and the 3rd Army to the north. An ominous bulge began to form in the line once again the British Army fell back. The 4th Division faced seven German divisions in the ‘Mars’ offensive; the German advance was halted. It looked as if the Germans were making for the important railway centre at Amiens. On the 26th March the Germans were eventually held at Doullens. It was decided by the general Staff that the British troops should come under General Foch to coordinate the defence of the line. The following day the British held the line the Germans began to falter once again, there was consternation. General Gough was relieved of his command.

The magnificent fighting withdrawal left the Germans with extended lines to the extent it had to stop and regroup. As soon as the Germans halted without capturing Amiens or broken through at Arras they tried to break through to Paris, then to the north towards the coast gaining some ground but the British line still remained complete and unbroken… each side losing nearly three hundred and fifty thousand men. Although it was a very testing attack for both Armies for the Germans it was a very bitter pill, it convinced many that the war was not going to be won their resources had drained away.

Battle of Bapaume, 12 April
The Kensingtons entrained to be taken along the line to Watten, Houle and finally Bapaume.This was an old battle area, and looked it being desolate. The Germans had retired to high ground. We found our way to Le Transloy and the sugar factory. Thankfully the weather was fine and warm.

On the 12th April 1918, the Germans became so threatening that Douglas Haig issued an order of the day – recognising the seriousness of the German attack – that all troops should stand firm. The lull between the Battle of Amiens and the continuation of the fighting at the Somme became known as the Battle of Bapaume. For a week during the end of August and the beginning of September the battle raged across the Somme. The front to the north and south had been pushed forward; there was a general advance of all the Allies along the whole front. The Germans were in full retreat – it was a total collapse of their lines. The weather helped being warm and dry making the ground suitable for tank movement. Douglas Haig issued to all commanders instructions that contained in them an indication of intent, that risks should be incurred as a duty – which it was no longer to advance in regular lines but to take what ground was won or offered. At the end of the month the Australians made a ferocious attack on Mont St. Quentin and Peronne the last commanding positions left to the Germans. Mont St. Quentin is a rounded hill two miles to the north of Peronne. Their fortifications were of the strongest kind and the German troops were told to defend it to the last man. They put up tremendous resistance but were in the end overcome by the Australians who took the fortifications forcing the Germans to fall back on the Hindenburg Line. Away to the southeast the Americans were engaged in the hard fighting for Argonne.

Battle of Chateau Thierry, 27 May
The battle opened up with the usual bombardment followed by massed infantry attacks. Within five days the Germans had reached Chateau Thierry on the river Marne. Some of the new America arrivals were attached to the British line. By June the Germans had pushed through the British line to the river, and beyond. It was a situation that called for desperate measures. All day long the 2nd Battalion Devon’s continued until darkness fell. In the morning the mist seem to be clearing. Out of the murk the Devon’s saw the Germans advancing in lines bringing with them their guns and transport. When they got within range they were all mown down. This heroic stand partly took place in a wood the original trench had been blown up. Taking up position in another they turned to face the Germans who were so tightly packed together they could not be missed. The Devon’s made a last stand until finally out of ammunition charged the enemy. This triumphant last ditch attempt to stop the Germans disrupted their offensive and sapped their will.

Battle Hindenburg Line, 18 September
The battle began with the British 1st, 3rd and 4th Armies moving forwards to reach the fortifications capturing 116,000 prisoners. An attack on both flanks of the German forces was made by all the Allies in a piecemeal fashion to deceive the Germans. The German positions between Cambrai and St. Quentin were penetrated and the Allies surged on. The Hindenburg Line was formidable having deep canal-trenches filled with water and wire making it difficult to get the men and tanks across. The thick impenetrable wire, massive concrete fortifications and earth banks were constructed in depth. The British artillery blasted away with a passion that was staggering. On the evening of the 26th of September all the front was in action. The troops were stilled to let the artillery bombard the front. For a time the Hindenburg Line held but finally the attack by the British, American and Australian troops succeeded – during the 29th September following a rain storm and dense fog during the night forward troops penetrated the defences. By the end of the next day the Germans were in full retreat.

The night before Hindenburg agreed with Ludendorff that to save Germany from a catastrophe there must be an immediate armistice. The leaders prevaricated and the fighting went on... The moral of the German Army was in tatters the men were refusing to fight. During the last weeks of the war in October the Germans were in confusion. They had reached a line that ran along the western edge of the large Forest of Mormal and to the south of it the Sambre Canal. The line was back to where it had been at the beginning of the war four years before. On the 4th of November the Fourth Army launched its attack against the enemy positions along the Sambre canal. In the morning the German resistance broke down completely and all along the front the Germans Army fell back in an open and general retreat. The whole of the Allied troops moved forward eastwards by the British and north-eastwards by the Americans and French. The plight of the Germans became an impossible one. The German gambol had failed and Ludendorff resigned. By this time the division had suffered 34,809 casualties. The German Navy Mutiny at Kiel sparked off a revolution. On the 30th the Turks signed an armistice and on the 7th The German Government named their delegates for discussions about an armistice; on the 9th November the revolution sized Berlin; and on the 11th the armistice was signed.

By the middle of October there were one million American troops in France creating two Armies. Their casualties, when the battle was over, were just over a quarter of the total… after being a full-scale force. On the 6th November the Kensingtons fought their last battle. They had been on the move for three days. The Germans intended to resist their passage and a heavy barrage of gas shells landed. The 169th Brigade was on the right and the 168th on the left. They, together with the London Scottish, advanced towards the River Grande Honnelle. A, joined with B, and C Companies were to keep in touch with the flank Brigades. After a tremendous artillery bombardment the advance was seriously in jeopardy. D Company was sent off in support to link with C. Together they were sent to the northern outskirts of the village where they found the enemy in possession. After clearing a number of Germans, taking many prisoners, the situation became clearer. At last the village was securely held as Battalion Headquarters was set up in the cellars of the church.

The London Division received the Cease Fire order for 11am on the 11th November 1918. The order was given to the Kensingtons in Rieu de Bury. By this time all the roads and villages about were completely devastated… this gave a great deal of work to tidy up - to allow passage through. The Kensingtons provided a body of troops to march with others in the First Army through the town of Mons on November 15th. On the 27th November the Kensingtons left Rieu de Bury and marched to Villers sire Nicole. They stayed for more than a month, including Christmas. Eventually demobilization came to them allowing groups to slip away. The 1st Battalion had spent more than four and a half years in France and been through fourteen battles.

The war had a profound effect on my father whose life afterwards was never the same again. He relived his time in French throughout the rest of his life, as I am sure, many did. During the war, he lost four of his brothers and many of his friends. Albert never trusted his Staff Officers and certainly not the Generals. He thought them inefficient and uncaring. His experiences played an important part in shaping his military service in the next war, and clouded many judgements after.

In Albert’s DCM citation it makes it clear that he considered his men first, at all times, and felt responsible for their wellbeing.

'The Citation Reads:'

''He showed the greatest energy and efficiency. Determined and cool in action. He has set an inspiring example to all the junior non-commissioned officers and men of his company. He was present at the First Battle of Ypres and Cambrai in 1917, the enemy offensive at Vimy Ridge in 1918, Arras the same year and later at Maubeuge.''

In 1918, there was a unity of command between the English and French Armies under the French Commander in Chief, Marshal Foch. The British and French had relied upon, to a major degree, a continuous sustained firepower from the artillery. This depleted the German Army, a fact not recognised until later by the High Command. Had they followed up immediately victory would have come sooner? As it was the eventual counter attacks made by tanks later on lead to ultimate victory breaking the morale of the German Army. Ludendorff and The Kaiser both realised that the war could not go on. The Treaty of Versailles settled the fate of Germany and directed the course of events over the next twenty years - which lead to The Second World War.

The Armistice terms were signed in a railway carriage in the Forest of Compiegne. The terms forced Germany to give up all Allied territory, to withdraw her troops to the German side of the Rhine, to surrender all prisoners, and to hand over her fleet, aeroplanes, and guns. In June 1919 the Treaty of Versailles settles the fate of Germany. The ‘war-guilt clause’ declared Germany responsible, demanding a sum of money to be paid annually to her conquerors, the Rhineland to be occupied by the Allied troops, her coal field to be given to the French. France to regain Alsace-Lorraine, Poland gained territory, and did Czechoslovakia, and Germany was to give up her colonies which were divided up amongst the Allies and reduce her army to 100,000. The treaty of Saint-Germaine brought an end to the Austro-Hungarian Empire – it was split up into racial elements. Two new states were made Czechoslovakia, formed from the old Bohemia with Moravia and the Slovak area of Hungary, and Yugoslavia, an enlarged Serbia. Poland was restored along with the republics of Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

When the troops were demobilized the cry was, ‘Back to Normal’. Lloyd George had promised, ‘Britain would become, a land fit for heroes’. A General Election in 1919 retained the Coalition Party, of mainly Conservatives, in power; led by Lloyd George… they remained in power until 1922. Unemployment was the most persistent problem. The returning troops were allowed to return to their old jobs. This naturally forced out those who had replaced them - those who were used to new production standards and methods brought about by mass production techniques. It also turned out most of the women who filled the jobs of conscripted men. The men returning were four years older, some had been promoted to senior ranks – given authority and responsibility. They found it difficult to cope with dissatisfied workers clinging to the shirt tails of Trade Union officials. Soon many began to feel disillusioned believing that they had sacrificed much for a few to become rich. Industry began to feel the pinch as customers cut back. Factories lost their contracts for armaments finding it hard to turn to peacetime products. Overseas customers had been neglected the retooled factories had to compete with the then existing manufacturers. All this led to firms laying off workers. Unemployment soared and an economic crisis loomed ever larger. The dole queues lengthened…!

title: Pillbox, Shako, and Cap/Chapter VII


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Northern Arizona University/Environmental Ethics/Journals/Selina's Journal

Journal Entry #1 The fan makes the feathers flow frighteningly across my face. What feathers? The feathers of the land. Now empowered by the rights of an individual it has become an overlord. We are now its slaves. The pendulum has swung too far. In a post-apocalyptic world, Aldo Leopold has finally got his way. The year is 2984. The wind cuts through man like a whip, because it is a whip; a whip of slavery and devastation. The land now not only has rights, it has stolen all the rights that humanity once took for granted. The mountains, tall and threatening, overpower the world with the possibility of avalanches, mudslides, and other ecological terrors. The trees loom as the moonlight cast ghostly shadows of the naked oak. The water rushes angrily to the ocean, which shines a deep, omnipotent blue. In this time, there is no God only land.

The few humans that are left, serve the land wholeheartedly, even on the tiniest whim. They plow and sow and reap, but not for themselves, for the land. Sweat drips from the brow of the tired farmer. drip The water tainted by the human body falls to the land. plop The land becomes infuriated. A nearby tree falls on the daughter of the farmer. A scream escapes her tiny mouth and she expires, as fruit did in the back of the refrigerator many years before. But that was a different time. The farmer knows not of refrigerators. He rushes to his daughter, but the rocky earth bellows “NO!” The farmer stops in fear. “Cultivate me!” the wind howls. The farmer knows he has no rights, and he must obey or die. The lightning flashes above, reminding the lonely farmer of the land wars, which decided his fate even before his grandfather was born. The conservation movement has been existed for decades. However, it has yet to “root” itself in the general public’s interest. This is because conservation is usually not profitable, and therefore humans have no reason to invest themselves in it. Any profits that conservation would result in would only be apparent in the long-term. This does not suit our society, which demands instant gratification. While most living things are content to exist in their realm of the land pyramid, humans prefer to obliterate the entire pyramid with dynamite that is gluttony. Humanity has gained superior intelligence and the ability to reason through evolution. Using this intelligence we have granted ourselves immunity to predators and certain ecological threats that once controlled our species. However, in the history of time humanity has only just recently freed itself from these pressures, so we have not yet lost these instincts that help us survive and essentially cause us to be greedy. Self-preservation in the form of greed fuels our consumer society, where we look out for our own best interest rather than investing in civilization as a whole. In 2984, the land is a personification of man. Land protects itself by suppressing humankind. The land, like humans, cannot limit itself to taking only what is necessary for survival. Instead it hoards rights from all others because of self interest. While looking out my window, I understand the hardship we force the land to undergo. However, when I find time to commune with nature, I see the balance that man and nature can share and what good it brings. Journal Entry #2 A journey to supermarket on a cool evening in September bears little resemblance to the nature trapped within. The apples viciously plucked from their trees present the sinister red shine of the pesticides they drowned in at the orchard—their home. The lettuce wilts, reflecting the sorrow that comes with being kidnapped. The potatoes reluctantly catch a glimpse of a passing bag of potato chips and weep for their fallen brothers. The mini amputated carrots suffocate in the bags, the bruised tomatoes rot in their pyramid of suffering, and the corn breathes a sigh of relief at managing to survive as corn rather than transform into the malevolent high fructose corn syrup. A clap of thunder echoes through the store, reminding the fruit of the true thunder they once experienced in the wild. Their dreams are crushed by the reality of artificial rains pouring down on them from sprinklers which have not been cleaned in years. Humans have taken life and disfigured it. A woman passes by the blackberry display. A menacing ringing comes from her pocket, and she removes her Blackberry. “Oh, hi John.” The blackberries glare upwards from their plastic prisons in anger. Their name has been tainted by this technological behemoth. Once the word blackberry conjured up images of luscious fruit, filled to the brim with succulent juices; now, ask any American child about blackberries and they will launch into a discussion of the virtues of a cellular device. The apples feel the same pain as a man across the way pulls out an iPhone. Mankind has blocked nature from its thoughts and replaced it with the human’s own artificial creations. A trip home from the store in the dark, passing a lake reflecting the moon, is a dangerous trek. The headlights of the car can only aid a driver for a few feet until blackness engulfs the rest of the world. The headlights compete with the darkness and this helps the driver. clop-clop clop-clop clop-clop. The car radio drowns out the sound of an approaching elk. The elk competes with the car for the territory on the road, and therefore hurts the human who has formed a symbiotic relationship with the car. Luckily for all involved, the car swerves and the elk steps back, and both carry on their merry way. The elk learns to be weary of bright lights. The human learns to be more cautious on the back road. And the car learns nothing. The battle between dark and light rages on, and parallels the battle between man and nature.

In today’s grim world nature has no intrinsic value. Humanity only sees the planet as a means to an end. Trees become paper, minks become scarves, and horses become glue. Nature is solely an economic asset to be profited from, not cared for. Only when man can begin to value the blackberry more than the Blackberry will fruit be free from tyranny. Journal Entry #3 Two foxes scurry across the dark floor of the forest scavenging for small rodents who have just woken up from their daily slumber. As the foxes prowl in the night, the smaller of the two foxes lets out a shriek of pain and is paralyzed. Suddenly, bright lights flood the pitch black forest, and the roar of an unknown beast echoes demonically. The foxes freeze as the lights disappear, and two men emerge from the metal creature. The men walk to the trapped animal and sedate her. The other fox, in hopes to defend his sister, attacks the nearest man. The man aggressively kicks the fox, who is then sent flying and lands against a tree. “Should I go get that one Charlie?” “Nah, you got blood all over its pelt. Now it’s worthless.” The fox weakly lifts his head and gets one last glimpse of his sister before he falls unconscious.

Two years later, the fox has joined the Foxes’ Brotherhood of Insurgence (FBI), a society dedicated to rebelling against the omnipotent human overlords. He has been specially trained to wander through the forest and look for traps put out by man. As he is investigating what could be a trap, he finds himself face to face with a human skull. This greatly puzzles him at first, for he thought the human race was immortal. sniff sniff. It is definitely a human skull. The fact that humans can die is a revelation for this fox. He brings the skull back to his den and even gives it a name: Skully. He wants to believe the truth is out there. To many animals humans must seem undying. They are all powerful and can control almost every aspect of the planet. Humanity destroys mindlessly and thinks nothing of the innate value of nature. Mankind has created an image of perfection in its collective mind and anything deviating from that image is seen as worthless. Anything that cannot be profited from is cast aside as if it were nothing more than trash. Man must change its moral values to include all living things on the Earth. This will also take in to account abiotic material, such as dirt and rocks, because they directly contribute to the survival of other species. This is the main point of Leopold’s book, A Sand County Almanac, and especially of the section, “The Land Ethic.” Leopold is hoping to change the perspective of people so that the entire biotic community is included in their ethical standards. If this change was made the quality of life for the entire planet, man and fox alike, would increase greatly. Unity breeds harmony. Journal Entry #4 As I read John Muir’s Yosemite, I was reminded of my childhood when I used to watch old episodes of Looney Toons, especially ones involving Yosemite Sam. He would always get into conflicts with Bugs Bunny and constantly would try to kill the rabbit. Because this was a cartoon, Bugs Bunny could not die. However, in reality life is not so laughable. Instead nature is quite fragile, and man constantly destroys it. As I was writing this journal, I was suddenly gripped by inspiration to write a poem: There once was a man named Sam He walked with a gun in each hand He tried to kill a rabbit And he made it a habit The rabbit is a metaphor for land This poem clearly illuminates the plight of land (in the poem, a rabbit) at the hands of man (in the poem, Sam). In the cartoon nature doesn’t suffer, but in real life Bugs Bunny cannot trick Yosemite Sam. The land is bulldozed, drilled, and completely destroyed without regard for its value. It is seen as an inconvenience such as Yosemite Sam sees Bugs Bunny as merely obnoxious. If humans were to change their image of the land and realize it has worth there would be harmony, and Yosemite Sam and Bugs Bunny would be friends. This is the point John Muir was trying to get across (I think). Journal Entry #5 A few days ago the sky became clouded, and a storm began. As I walked to class, I noticed different people’s reactions to water. Some people would run to the nearest building as if they were afraid. Others would have an umbrella or a raincoat to avoid the rain. While others still would have on a t-shirt and shorts and ignore the rain. A limited few would gracefully frolic enjoying every minute of the downpour while they got soaking wet. I found it very interesting how much reactions differed, and decided this was similar to how people react to the environment. Similar to when it rains, people’s responses to environmental damage vary greatly. The people who are exploiting the environment and have no interest in environmental issues are like the people who run from the rain. They both prefer removing themselves from nature. Most people are somewhat conscious of the environment, but they are not true activists, like how most people will bring a jacket or umbrella. Others are environmental proponents and they go to extremes to protect nature, as some embrace the rain, feeling joy with every drop. It would be ideal to have all people embrace the environment and understand the importance of giving nature value without going to extremes. The question becomes how can we change people’s responses. If the people who are afraid of the rain realized water is not going to hurt them, they would have no need to run. Those who destroy the environment should realize it is only a small inconvenience to take steps to protect nature and the benefits outweigh the costs. The people who embrace the rain too much get wet and have their immune systems weakened, and thus get sick. Extreme environmental activists bomb things and kill people for whales. Although this makes for somewhat interesting television, it is not an ideal mindset. These people need to understand that nature is not the only important matter. It is good to be aware of the environment along with other issues. A balance is necessary for nature and man together to live long and prosper. Journal Entry #6 Although Thoreau claims to hold simplicity one of the highest virtues, he does not simplify his life, he merely transfers his desire for more consumer goods into his writings and thoughts. Instead of going out and buying things to satisfy his material wants, he supplants these desires and uses the energy towards living a lifestyle that differs from most rather than a lifestyle that is completely simple. He seems to contradict himself when he states he is not trying to live a completely simple lifestyle, but yet he believes that people should. Still some would consider this a healthier life choice, because he is consuming less, but these people do not have to read his book in its entirety. . 	If Thoreau was one of the ants he discusses in “Brute Neighbors,” he would likely consume significantly less than and be an efficient worker. Unfortunately, he would talk so much that both the black and red ants would hate him, and they would decide to set aside their difference to kill him. The definition of self-sufficient, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is “able to maintain oneself or itself without outside aid.” It is very clear that Thoreau does not fit this definition. While he does grow some of his crops, he trades these crops for others, which is outside aid. True self-sufficiency is impossible for someone to accomplish. A community may be self-sufficient, but for an individual, this is an unfeasible feat. By not making it clear how much self reliance a person should have, Thoreau confuses the reader into thinking they need to live a life of complete simplicity. . 	It is interesting that Thoreau is such an advocate of simplicity, and yet his writing style is overly elaborate. Walden has been feared by high schools students for many generations. This clearly is not because the book is so simple and easy to understand. It seems if Thoreau truly wanted to be simple, he would have written in way that would be accessible to the less educated peoples of his time. A more straightforward approach to conveying his ideas could have allowed people to understand what he was trying to say rather than frustrated and give up. In the end, Thoreau failed to accomplish his goals, not by my standards, but by his. . Journal Entry #7 While reading Thoreau’s Walden, specifically “The Bean-Field,” I began to come to the conclusion that Thoreau was merely wasting his time. I believed that spending seven hours a day taking care of beans and thinking about mankind was an extremely inefficient use of time and didn’t really enrich the experience of human life. I tried to think of something Thoreau could have done that, in my opinion, would have been a “good” use of his time. Gregor Mendel, who holds a special place in my heart, immediately came to mind. Thoreau and Mendel were doing very similar things during the same time period and yet both persons had dramatically different impacts on history. Gregor Mendel counted peas every day, much like how Thoreau spent time with his beans. The result of Mendel’s experiments was the discovery of basic genetics, while the result of Thoreau’s experiment, including not only his bean adventures but his whole stay at Walden Pond, was some thoughts he wrote down in a book. In my mind, the results of Mendel’s work, even if he did change a few numbers here and there, were much more significant than the philosophical ideas Thoreau presents in his book. I can see Mendelian genetics and understand how it works. However, Thoreau’s arguments are dubious and, in general, I do not accept them. Using Mendel’s conclusions in my life is easy, and most of the time, it is fun; But when I try to use Thoreau’s conclusions I get bored and usually start feeling nauseated. The minimalistic ideas of Thoreau I do understand, and I have been introduced to these ideas many times before. On the other hand, the idea that chef end of mankind is the pursuit of virtue is something that my mind believes to be an absurd idea. I would be much more inclined to agree with Thoreau if he argued the chef end of mankind is the pursuit of the solution to the Riemann Hypothesis, which really makes no sense, but I think it would be a more enjoyable endeavor. After much thought, I decided the reason I think Thoreau wasted his time is because I value science and mathematics over philosophy, much like humans value certain species over others. Maybe if I valued all subjects equally I would be a more productive member of society. Unfortunately, I trust that I am too close-minded to ever appreciate philosophy in the way I appreciate math, or at least appreciate the subject as much as it deserves. Journal Entry #8 In my Buddhism class, I recently had to read a book called Contemplative Science. It is all about how to reconstruct the current methods of science so they include not just natural sciences but what occurs within the mind. This reminded me of the ideas in Walden and some of the ideas that are in Emerson’s essays that I have read so far. Contemplative science puts an emphasis on thoughts instead of the physical sense, much like how Thoreau puts emphasis on his thoughts and believes the soul is more important than anything in the physical world. Thoreau spends his days thinking, much like a monk spends his time meditating. Most Buddhists tradition focus on discovering what the ultimate truth is rather than what appears to be true in the natural world. This usually involves realizing that everything is empty, and a person must ignore what their physical senses tell them. Thoreau also believes that the truth is not in the physical world. The truth lies within the souls of humans, and they must explore their spirituality in order to find it. Emerson shares Thoreau’s view and believes people need to change their perspective to include the nonphysical world. It is interesting to see how closely the ideas of the monk who wrote Contemplative science and the ideas of Thoreau and Emerson correspond. In conclusion, I have decided that both Thoreau and Emerson are closet Buddhists, or at least they would have respected the view of Buddhism if they had been exposed to it.

Journal Entry #9 Emerson’s idea of an Over-soul reminds me of the Borg in Star Trek. The Borg are cybernetic organisms made up of many other species. They share a collective mind and an individual can hear the thoughts of all other individuals. It is really like there are no individuals at all, and it is strange to imagine having millions of thoughts going through your head at once. Emerson’s Over-soul proposes that there is a collective soul which connects humans, nature, and God (if the Borg really existed out there in the Delta Quadrant it would probably include them too). He even says, “behold, it saith, I am born into the great, the universal mind. I the imperfect, adore my own Perfect,” which seems more like a Borg saying than something an individual would say. The Borg assimilate many species, against their will, to gain knowledge and to try to become perfect. Emerson believes that when people are close to the Over-soul they become more virtuous, because the soul puts virtuous thoughts into their mind. In a sense, the Over-soul makes endeavors to make people perfect. I see Emerson’s push for an Over-soul more of a push for religion than anything that could be put to use. The Borg are often used as a metaphor for the evils of religion in Star Trek. They force people to join them, they can never leave, and they can never again think for themselves. When a few individuals are separated from the collective mind within the series they feel very alone and realize how much comfort the other thoughts in their head brought them. Emerson says that the Over-soul makes one more virtuous because it brings them closer to God. This is similar to how Christian religions say that one who is more involved in the religion will be more virtuous and get into heaven. Emerson likely just wants people to believe in God and therefore he creates this idea of an Over-soul to convey his ideas. Although Emerson fully believes his Over-soul can only cause good, this collective soul could actually do more good than harm, just like the Borg. The soul is an in tangible object, therefore it is hard to find out how to get closer to it. If people just decided to act virtuous rather than spend their time trying to get closer to this ambiguous soul, then the problems of the world would be fixed much faster. Instead of trying to reach perfection, either through the Over-soul, religion, or the assimilation of thousands of species, people need to just work on goals they can actually achieve.

Journal Entry #10 It is apparent after reading Thoreau and Emerson that they share many of the same ideas, which would be expected since Thoreau learned under Emerson for so many years. I find how they both focus on the spiritual world rather than the physical world the most interesting. They both claim that most people put too much emphasize on viewing the world with only their physical senses and believe more people need take on a new perspective. They believe a person’s spirituality and soul are of much more significance than anything that is tangible. In “Self-Reliance,” Emerson states “travelling is a fool's paradise.” This is very interesting because many people claim they love to travel, and it is something they want to do a lot of in their lives. Emerson is asserts that travelling is not as good of a thing as it sounds. He points out that just because someone changes their location, it doesn’t mean their life is going to change. Peoples’ problems follow them wherever they go, because the problems usually are caused by the person not their location. Emerson believes it is more worthwhile to spend time trying to change one’s soul rather than changing one’s surroundings. Thoreau uses this same idea in Walden. He states “it is not worth the while to go round the world to count the cats in Zanzibar.” He ridicules the normal appeal of travelling by stating people do this for some sort of asinine goal such as counting cats. Thoreau agrees with Emerson that the most valuable journey is not a physical one, but one that takes place within the soul. It is hard for the average person to agree with Thoreau and Emerson, because it is difficult to perceive the world in a way that is not physical. They both claim by focusing on the spiritual soul people can become more virtuous, but it seems this statement is arguable. Neither provides concrete evidence for why this is true, probably because this would be extremely difficult to do. There is no way to measure how virtuous a person is or what affects the morals of people. Since this is true, the question is whether people should try to focus on the spiritual world even if it has no results. I think more scientific research should be done on what the nonphysical world actually consists of; then this question could be answered. Thoreau and Emerson would likely not agree with me.


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User talk:MountainMelody

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User:TMcCormick31/Section 2.4: Problem

Here is a larger version of our problem and solution:

title: User:TMcCormick31/Section 2.4: Problem