Reality: Sections A & B

• "It must be that what can be spoken and thought is: for it is possible for it to be, and it is not possible for what is nothing to be."- Parmenides 

This idea of reality as explained through the words of Parmenides, a pre-Socratic philosopher, seems to be the ideal definition of what reality is. Reality is what exists, what we can see, what we can touch, what is actually there. But one must wonder, is this all that reality is? Does there have to be some sort of conscious awareness by man for something to necessarily exist or be a part of our idea of what reality is? Man kind has come a long way in terms of what we know about the universe around us, but we have our limitations. And there are certainly, especially in terms of the universe itself, many things yet to be discovered. So since we have yet to discover something, does that it mean it doesn't exist yet. Say for instance your new born baby that has never seen the color red before. We of course know that red is color, but does the fact that this baby has never seen this color mean it is not a part of their reality. And if this is the case where does this exist before coming into reality. Is there some sort of alternate dimension/ space/ universe where things yet to be discovered by man exist, completely separate from reality. And if this is the case, does this mean that reality is a place, a physical dimension of the universe where we exist, leaving the existence of other dimensions of our universe open for the possibility of existence. Questions, questions, questions, possibly the closest thing we have to true answers.

• "To what extent must you reject "common sense" when trying to explain reality? What are the limitations to such speculation and theorizing?"
  
  As one can probably tell by read the first half of this post, reality is a very confusing concept, that begs many questions. Questions that cannot really be answered with common sense. When it comes to reality there is no real logic, rather their only exists what we perceive to be logical. After all, how does any of this really make sense. How does it make sense that I exist here typing this post for this class. Truthfully it doesn't, rather it just is what it is. So it is important to neglect all ideas of logic, because we live in a world were logic isn't really a thing, we just think it is, because this place where in, wherever that is, is all we know. And in this sense, if one were to use logic or "common sense" to explain reality, our theories would be limited to that which we know. Leaving no room for possibilities yet to exist. 

Religion: Sections F & G

• "Do you think that having an experience that is ineffable (i.e., it cannot be described or communicated to others) is a form of knowledge?"

There have been occasions where individuals have experienced certain thing that could not be explained, but rather they were matters of faith. Take for instance Joseph Smith, the found of Mormonism. The visions he had could not be explained with any rational though. But even despite this, his visions, even though they lacked no credibility, perpetuated the largest religious movement in the history of the United States. Now, perhaps in order for something to be considered knowledge there would have to be some sort of credibility or evidence behind it, supporting what happened. However, whether something quantifies as knowledge does not necessarily the people won't believe it. Visions, or unexplained communication with a higher being is a touchy subject, and it is difficult to say whether or not what is learned through events like this can be considered knowledge. Knowledge I'd have to say is backed by facts, while most of these un-explainable occurrences are back by hope or simply a belief. So, I guess, no, an ineffable experience is not a form of knowledge but rather a testament to faith.

Religion: Sections D & E

• "Do you think one must believe in either God or in evolution? Can one consistently believe in both?"

Coming from someone who can easily see both sides to every argument, I don't think one has to believe in either, and perhaps could form a hypothesis which involves both theories uniformly.  Quite simply these beliefs are just that beliefs, there is no real proof for the existence or lack their of, of a higher power. And there is no way too prove or disprove that this higher power did not cause this evolutionary chain to occur. So because of this, I like to think of it like this, somehow a power greater than us, be it a physical manifestation or a force, threw into motion all of these events that eventually led to our existence and everything we know to exist. I feel like thats the best way to look at it, and some may say thats not ideal because I'm choosing to take both sides on the matter. But the truth is, what you believe is what you believe. One doesn't have to believe in God, one doesn't have to believe in evolution. One can believe in anything they want, even if their theory is that some mystical unicorn created the known universe. People might look at you funny, but it's no different than a belief in God or evolution. Creation myths can be a tricky subject because of the lack of evidence supporting, and as such, it only makes to remain open to different possibilities. So believe what you want, whether it be God, evolution, a mix of the two, or anything in between!

• "Can you will yourself to believe something? Is will sufficient to counter religious doubt?"

Free will is a much stronger force on the human experience than I think we really understand. I've seen on occasions where will has made the absolute difference. Sports is a good way to think about will. For instance, I used to wrestle in high school, and I can't tell you how many times my coach told us, "will what you want". When you're on a wrestling mat, and you're looking at that one kid who wants to win just as bad, if not more than you do, believe me when I say that will is everything. If you don't want something bad enough, if you don't believe you can do something, you won't. And I guarantee, you're hand won't be the one raised in the air. In terms of believing in something as doubtful as religion can be, I'm not sure will is strong enough to cause some sort of spiritual enlightenment. A belief like that cannot really be had simply by mere assertion to yourself or someone else. In order for belief to be there in this sense, I think hope really needs to become a factor. Because thats really all that religion is, hope. Hope is all you really have in this sense because its not something thats there physically, but something you just have to believe. And thats where hope comes into play. Will is only useful when what you want to believe is something you can actually see or touch, like beating your opponent that stands across from you on a wrestling mat. But a belief in something you can't touch or see, its not as simple as willing this belief, you must have hope.

Religion: Sections A & B

• "What is Religion?"

This was the question posed as the first heading this chapter, and it is indeed a difficult question to answer. Religion is a difficult subject because not everyone chooses to believe in something bigger than us, that there is a possibility that things are more than they appear. And really I think that’s all religion is, the belief that there is more than meets the eye. Whether that includes some divine entity is up to you, cause I don’t think it really has to. Religion could be as simple as finding waking up everyday to be a miracle, and thinking about how and why you are here. That’s a religious question, and it did not necessarily come from a book, a priest, minister, or a rabbi. A question like that comes from the heart. And I think that is where religion comes from, your heart not your head. Religion itself defies logic, and it many respects go against it. So in that respect there is no real way to answer the question of “what is religion” because that would be using logic in area where logic does not exist. Religion is whatever you want it to be, its whatever your heart says it is. Its all the beautiful things that life has to offer, like love, compassion, hope, and really the idea of life itself.