The Science of Evolution

During Professor Kjar's lecture, I had learned about the theory of evolution and that it is not always truly about the survival of the fittest. Growing up and learning about the beginnings of Charles Darwin's concept of "Survival of the Fittest" among the different types of species that there are in the world. What I took from the lecture was that Evolution can also be based off of others helping out others in order to survive. Throughout the lecture, Professor Kjar showed the attendees of the lecture a sideshow that was filled with pictures of bugs that had been helping out the other animals in order for them to survive as a whole.

Picture taken from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dsbrennan/2668159697/

Blade Runner: A look into the future

Question:
Blade Runner is best known for its cyberpunk mise en scene (design aspects of the film): the incredibly dense texture of its shots. Watch very carefully and describe the 2020 culture the movie suggests visually.

Response:
In 2010, as the film Blade Runner suggests is run and looks very differently than the society in which we happen to live in today. In the "future" as described by the film has clones, flying cars, and flying billboards. The technology that is around today is no where near the advancement that is being shown in the movie. Scientists have for years been trying to create clones and robots and trying to advance the world in technology.

Question:
A moral message of the movie is that it was wrong to enslave the replicants and use them as forced labor since they were so human-like in both appearance and thought process. What would need to be different about replicants in order for us to feel that it was OK to use them for labor?

Answer:
In order for the replicants to become accepted in our world as an assistant to the working field would require the replicants to learn all of the necessary skills that would be needed to help the workforce succeed. I feel as though in order for us, as humans to become comfortable with the replicants working among us, they would be able to help out all of the workers with their job so that the work day can go much more smoothly.

Picture taken from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/russelldarling/3467086429/

Colliding Music with History

During Professor Lemak's lecture, I have learned how music can be somewhat tied into the history of wars that have gone on. During the lecture, a slideshow was presented to the attendees of the lecture that showed numerous maps of Greece and numerous war images as well as some of the famous names in classic rock music. The actual book, "The Burial at Thebes" is really a discussion between Creon and Oedepus and what to not do as a leader.

Question: How do we balance social justice with moral authority, or just with unjust laws?
Social Justice has a lot to do with the way a person thinks about the choices that they make on a daily basis. If a person chooses to commit a crime they are, put in jail so that they can reflect on the exactly what they did wrong. By being placed in jail, society is slowly becoming a better and safer place to live and work in.

Question: What constitutes social responsibility and justice, and what is the relationship between freedom and power?
Jury Duty is an example of a social responsibility that every citizen of the United States is required to be served. Many try to get out of this responsibility but are then forced to pay a fine or serve for an extra session. The relationship between freedom and power is that the government basically controls and oversees that each citizen is fulfilling their duty by paying their taxes on time.

Question: What constitutes leadership and how do leaders confront moral choices?
There are many different reasons as to why leadership is controlled. Every year on election day, the citizens of the United States are allowed under the Constitution to voice their own opinion as to who they would like to see as their new leader. The way that leaders confront moral choices is by speaking in public and letting those who matter to them (who would be the people) what they are looking to do in order to improve how society is functioning.

Picture taken from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mexbi/4421764832/