Utopia: Why a Sensible Reformer?

"Why does More present the traveler as a sensible reformer early in book 1, but not later?"



I believe that More is attempting to ease into Utopia. In Utopia, there are a great deal of highly controversial topics, and it would be rather difficult for the reader to immediately dive into them.

Allow me to use horseback riding as an example. Generally, when you ride a horse you don't begin by immediately going into your canter (the main speed a horse can go between a walk and gallop). You ease into it. First with a walk, then with a trot. This is what I believe More is attempting to accomplish by representing the traveler in this manner.

Luther's Thoughts on Pope Leo X, and His Knowledge of the Indulgence Salesmen's Words

"Do you think that Luther really believed that Pope Leo X did not know what the indulgence salesmen were saying?"


As to this topic, I have two main hypotheses.  The first is that he honestly thought he was defending the pope by saying that the pope didn't know what the indulgence salesmen were saying.  The second is that he simply hoped that he was correct in assuming as much.

Truthfully, I am unsure as to what Luther thought at this time in my study.  I will need to dive further into this topic in the future, and I highly suggest that you do the same.

Thank you so much for reading, and please give me some feedback on this essay!

The Conflicts Between the Holy Roman Emperors and the Popes

The popes and Holy Roman Emperors engaged in many different conflicts time and time again, but the main reasons behind the conflicts are really quite simple.  The conflicts arose generally out of hunger for power.

For example, the emperors would sometimes completely throw the promises that they made to the popes out the window.  Likewise, on several different occasions we see the Holy Roman Emperors attempting to downsize the power of the pope.

Many desired to assert their power over vast areas, and this concerned the popes.  The popes feared that the Holy Roman Emperors would try to gain some amount of control over the papacy, and this was unacceptable in the minds of the popes.

Like I said, the reasons for the conflicts between the emperors and popes were quite simple.  The lesson that we should take from these conflicts, is that a quest for power usually stands in the way of peace, and it is unfortunate that the emperors didn't pay attention to this major truth.

Thank you very much for reading this essay, and please give me some feedback in the comments section below!  I would love to hear from you!    

Identifying the Diet of a Deceased, Unidentified Animal

"Suppose you found the bones of an unidentified animal.  How could you learn about what the animal ate?  What specific structures would give you clues about the creature's diet?"



If you were to find the bones of an unidentified animal, your first thought probably wouldn't be, "I wonder what this animal ate when it lived among us in space and time."  But lets pretend that this was your first thought regarding the animal.  How would you find the answer to the question?  Well, you would look at the teeth.  What kinds of teeth are among the bones?  If they are mostly molars and premolars, then that would mean that the animal generally ate a diet which would require it to grind and crush the food in it's mouth.

A good example of this sort of animal is the horse.  The horse's diet is made up of foods such as oats, grass, grain, and hay.  All of these require the horse to grind and crush the food using it's molars.

Likewise, if the animal's teeth are mainly incisors and canines the animal was probably be a flesh eating, ferocious best from the underworld.  Either that, or it could be a harmless little chihuahua that generally wore little booties and doggy dresses...both work I suppose.  My point is that incisors and canines are characteristics of meat-eaters.

This is one of the fascinating ways that you can identify an animal's diet.

I hope that you have found this essay informational, as well as enjoyable!  Please leave me some feedback; I would love to hear from you!      

Different Ways That the Body Maintains Optimal Temperatures

The body maintains optimal temperatures in several different ways.  Among these ways are shivering when you are cold in order to heat you up, sweating when you are hot in order to cool you down, growing hair/fur/feathers depending on what kind of creature you are in order to keep warm, and having a layer of fat to protect you from the cold.

Isn't it fascinating how the body is able to come up with such creative ways to protect itself?  I think it is amazing how often we take for granted these things!  We tend to completely disregard the fact that our bodies are able to cool themselves in the hot summer months, or warm up in the dead of winter.  It's certainly a huge blessing that our bodies know how to do these things!  Think about it.  If our bodies weren't able to produce something as simple as sweat, it would be terribly hard to handle those 90 degree days!  Likewise, if we couldn't shiver, it would be difficult to warm up after swimming in the lake!   These are definitely some big things to be thankful for!  Don't ever take for granted the ways that your body takes care of itself!

The body maintains optimal temperatures in such interesting ways, and I hope that you understand them a bit better!    

Discussion on the Just War Theory, as well as the Later Scholastics

"Describe the main principals of just-war theory."


I think that this will be one of the easier topics for me to describe, as well as one of the easier ones for you to understand.

Just war theory is simply the theory of just war.  It is ideals and principles that make a war "just".  For instance, according to the just war theory it would be wrong to go to war with a country or state that had simply stolen a single apple.  It would likewise be wrong according to the just war theory to slaughter mercilessly all of the civilians living in the place that you are at war with once you had already won.

I hope you have a basic idea of what the just war theory is now.



"In what fundamental way did Duns Scotus and William of Ockham challenge the position of Thomas Aquinas?"


These two later scholastics were of the opinion that reason and faith simply did not go together.  They were two completely separate things in the eyes of these men.  This of course was a complete and utter challenge to the position taken by Thomas Aquinas.  Thomas Aquinas had spent a great deal of his life trying to prove that faith and reason went hand in hand.  Faith could be proven using reason according to Thomas Aquinas. This was the fundamental way that Duns Scotus and William of Ockham challenged the views of Thomas Aquinas.


Thanks for reading, and please give me feedback!  I would love to hear from you!

Animal Intelligence

"What does it mean to say a creature is 'intelligent'?"


First of all, what is intelligence?  Well, intelligence is what determines how well (if at all) we will be able to decipher a problem.  It helps us to learn about the world in which we live, and it assists us in making this world better for all of us.  Without intelligence, the world would be completely chaotic.

Now that we have defined intelligence, we must tackle the question that asks, "What does it mean to say a creature is intelligent?".  I suppose it means that the creature can think about a problem, and find a solution that isn't simply based on instinct.

I will use two examples of animal intelligence today.  First of all, I will use the chimpanzee.  The chimpanzee has been known to "problem-solve" in peculiar ways.  Sometimes it will actually make tools for finding food! It will take a piece of grassy twig, remove the leaves, and then stick the grassy twig into a termite mound.  When it pulls out the grassy twig, there are generally several termites stuck to the grass.  In this way, the chimpanzee has used the grassy twig to "fish" for a termite snack.

The next example that I will use is the elephant.  They have been known to paint pictures, they form lasting bonds with family members, and they seem to exhibit self-recognition in mirrors!

Even though animals can't create spacecrafts, or create a car engine like us, they certainly seem to have intelligence to some degree.

Thanks for reading and please let me know what you think!