Change.... good or bad?

Change is an ever present element of life. It is always happening. Change is the passing from one state to the other. Without change, we would all still be cavemen living in caves the exact same way as our ancestors. Whether or not change is a good or bad thing depends on the situation. Change for the better is always good, but whether or not it is for the better depends on a person’s opinion. The thing about that is everyone has an opinion. Although one person may think a particular change is good, there will always be another person who thinks just the opposite. Change is all over the place; the most recent and most famous example of change was when the current president, Obama ran for election. His main points were on or about change. This example also shows that everyone has an opinion, many liked the change he spoke of and many did not. Everyone has their own opinion, but the thing to figure out is when change can be good and when it can be bad.

Change is constant and pretty hard to avoid. You are changing as you read this sentence. Getting older causes your mind, your thought process, and your body to change. What makes us humans today differ from our ancestors of over a million years ago? The answer is simply change. The gradual development of living things, and even things not living, causes new ideas to form almost constantly.

Okay, so why does change take place? Time passes, and as this comes about it is just natural for mankind, and nature, and everything to advance. Think of watching a movie. The movie is at a part where they are showing time passing by. As this happens you can see the sun go down, the clouds move, grass growing, and people or animals coming and going. Since time is always passing, change is always happening. For some when they think of change the first thing that pops into their head may be evolution. Evolution is the theory of development from previous forms. People, animals, and plants have developed into more advanced organism from their ancestors. Why? Organisms themselves have changed so they can adapt to their ever changing surroundings. Our ancestors, the Paleolithic people of the Stone Age were no strangers to change. When they discovered how to make stone tools they’re lives were revolutionized. The discovery of the stone tools is one of the main reasons mankind is where it is today. As the people evolved and grew because of their discoveries, so did their way of life in general. Change is something that just happens, and although they did not know this at the time most have realized that today.

Change transpires because organisms were created with the marvelous ability to adapt to their surroundings. This ability helps living things to stay alive and survive for as long as we have. An example of a living thing changing itself to survive is a simple plant. Plants get their energy through photosynthesis. One of the things that plants need for photosynthesis to occur is water. The thing with that is some plants live in dry climates where they lose a lot of water. These plants have adapted to their surroundings over time to survive. They found alternative ways to get and keep water by closing of pores, called stomata, which let sometimes release water. The Harappan civilization that was very successful and way ahead of its time had a sewage system before Thomas Crapper invented the toilet. Even though after a certain point in time archaeologists can find absolutely no information on them, they were very far ahead of their time because they saw something that needed to change.

There are many things that can influence whether or not a person likes change. The fact is people and their personalities vary. A person who is old fashioned may not be a big fan of change. One who likes things the way they are may not like change. Many people who suffer from OCD, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, do not like small changes in their lives. Another thing that influences whether or not someone likes change is the change that is occurring. As stated before, a more current topic on change would be the 2008 race for President. The theme of Barack Obama’s campaign was change. One of the main reasons he won the election was because the majority of Americans wanted change for America. Sometimes the case for whether or not change will come about is based on someone’s opinion of if they like that change or not.

Another thing that influences change is the circumstances which surround it. The change of reliance that people have on different types of technology nowadays can be looked at as good or bad. This change is looked upon by some as good because computer equal information. Others look at it as bad because just because people have the information, does not mean they use it for that. Also the health risks that come with computers, television, mp3s or iPods, and cell phones. None of these devices are good for the eyes and ear phones have been rumored to cause cancer. When looking at a change you can always argue the good or bad.

The good side of change is that without it, we would not be where we are today, the seasons and weather would not change, people would not grow, and nothing at all would happen. Change keeps life interesting. An example of a good change is the discovery of different uses for water. Our predecessors figured out that water can be used to travel. When they discovered the practice of domestication of crops, they came up with the idea to irrigate crops. Their ideas spread because of the traveling that was happening across the land and water. Without that change or development, many of the countries that exist today would not be here.

With every single thing, occurrence, or phenomena there will always be a good and bad side. The bad side of change most of the time, is that it makes people lazy. Since a lot of changes in history have just made life easier mankind has just become a little bit more indolent.

So, what do you think? Is change a good or bad thing? Change is neither good nor bad because change is a vast subject. When trying to answer the question, “Is change good or bad?” you have to look at how the change influences people, places, and things around it.

Citation :

Organizing America. 29 Jan 2010.

Shantee, Renee. "Our PreHistory - Paleolithic People of the Stone Age." Associated Content(2007): n. pag. Web. 29 Jan 2010. .

Alcamo, Edward I, Katy Z. Allen, David M. Armstrong, Barry Bogin, Curtis Chubb, Linda Culp, Cara J. Cunningham, William J. Ehmann, Mark R. Feil, David R. Hershey, Mitchell Leslie, Karel F. Liem, Thomas Manerchia, Alyson Mike, Patricia Mokry, C. Ford Morishita, Patricia Morrel, William Thwaites, Salvatore Tocci, Albert C. Wartski, Lynn Marrie Wartski. Modern Biology. Austin: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 2002.

"Human Evolution." commons wikimedia. Web. 29 Jan 2010. .

Water's Necessity to the Old World

Water is one of the necessities of life. The human body can only survive for three days without water. Even early civilization knew that water was needed. The civilizations that advanced faster where located closer to water, which helped them water their plants faster and sustain life longer. The civilizations that domesticated their animals and crops, ended up having more time on their hands. They came up with irrigation systems which gave them even more time on their hands. With the time on their hands these civilizations could advance in building up their culture and technology.

citation: "Miao Irrigation System." commons wikimedia. Web. 28 Jan 2010. .

The Best Concept of History

History is everything that has happened in the past. Everything that has happened in the past has affected the present, and will affect the future. History does not just include major events such as wars and treaties that you learn about in school. It includes the soldier that fired the first bullet during that revolution, and the idea that sprouted into someone’s head to create the Treaty of Versailles. Something that happened thirty seconds ago is history and will influence what happens to you in about thirty more seconds.

The concept of how time works can be confusing to many. How, can you tell the difference between the past, present, or future? Philosophers have been trying to figure out the concept of history and time for hundreds of years. Many are still puzzled by this mystery today. Over time however, different notions of how time works have been contemplated.

There are four different concepts of history; Linear, Cyclic, Hegelian, and Vortexual.

According to the linear concept of history, history is basically a straight line. It has a beginning and an end. In linear history there are no patterns or repeats just a straight story that will end eventually. There may be some events that make you think, “Wow, déjà vu”, but that would just be a feeling. The problem with this theory is that there have been times where something happens twice. For instance, there have been many treaties made, many famous people killed because of change, and slavery has occurred in different places at different times. The fact is that there are many patterns that have occurred in history, and they are bound to happen again. The linear concept does not apply to everyday life. It is simple and plain and the only way it can be proven is when the world eventually ends. There are many things that disprove it also, like the fact that there is a pattern to past events.

The cyclic concept of history states that history is just a cycle. This means that history is just a repetition of events that will be repeating themselves in the future. So, time began and since it is a cycle, history will repeat itself after a period of years. An example of this is a very current topic, Global Warming. The two arguments about global warming are that it is caused by humans, or that it is just a cycle. The cycle would be that eventually there will be another ice age, which would be proof of the ever present cycle. The thing that is wrong with this is that actual events have not been repeated exactly. What is needed to prove this theory is more time. Philosophers need more time to see if history will repeat itself, exactly, because so far it has not.

The Hegelian concept of history states that time is made up of a series of events and their results. The Hegelian concept was created by George Hegel who believed since two events produce a result, that result in turn can turn into an event. This concept is easy to understand and can be applied to everyday life.

Vortexual history indicates that events in history have started out big and then tunneled down into something small and then big again. It is easy to follow and actually does happen in everyday life. This concept can be traced through time. An example is Rome. Rome started out small, and then grew into the Roman Empire. After a period of time, the empire fell. Then, Europe was in the dark ages. After the dark ages Europe went through the Renaissance or The Golden Age. Basically, time has had its ups and its downs.

Out of all of these theories, the one that makes the most sense is the Hegelian theory. The Hegelian concept can be proven and applied to a lot of situations. It is really quite simple; one event, plus another event, equals a result. The result then becomes an event in itself and that plus another event generates another result. This continues on and is what has formed history and will continue to do so.

Some may find this complex, while it is simple. An easy example to follow would be that a home burns down. The fire would be classified as an event and a result. How is it a result? The fire is the result of two events. The first is that the owner of the home left the gas from their stove on. The second is that they have left a candle burning in the kitchen. How is the fire itself an event? The fire burns the house down which results in the person who owns the home to be homeless for awhile. This event plus another event will create yet another result. The events in that person’s life sum up their history and their future.

Real life is just a series of events and their results. Think about it, just waking up is the result of a series of events and will bring about another sequence of events. Look at major events in history such as assassinations, wars, and treaties. All of these were the results of someone's opinion or action. Major events in history have resulted in what happens in the present and what will happen in the future. An example of this in history is the series of events that sparked World War I and other major occurences. Archduke Ferdinand’s assassination set in motion a sequence of events that resulted in World War I. After the war the treaty of Versailles was written, and Germany suffered the most consequences. World War I, shaped Adolph Hitler’s opinion and Germany’s anger, and resulted in World War II. World War II brought about many deaths and a changed world. That is just an example, but there are many other examples in history. Hegel’s concept is better than the other concepts because it is more thought out.

The other arguments for how time works are clear, but do not always apply to life and time. Cyclic, linear, and Vortexual history cannot be seen every day. Hegelian history can be, as it is truly the story of our everyday lives.

citation: "Dominoe Cascade." commons wikimedia. Web. 28 Jan 2010. .

Technologically Advanced civilizations from thousands of years ago.

Before the Greeks, at there were civilizations that in fact had working sewage systems in their cities. These civilizations were very technologically advanced. Harappa was one of them, they had established trade routes across the Iranian plateau. But why since they were so technologically advanced beyond their peers, are they not taught about like the Greeks? The thing is at a certain point, all things about the Harappan civilization disappeared.

Concept of History I agree with

The concept of history that I agree with the most would have to be the concept that Georg Hegel created. His Concept was that of the fact that events take place and together result in something. The result plus another event results in a new result and so on.

Confused? Well look at it this way, a fire happens. That would be classified as an event and a result. How is it a result? Well, the fire was the result of someone leaving the gas on in their home and leaving a candle burning. How is it an event? The fire burns the house down which results in the person who owns the home to be homeless for awhile.

Real life is just a series of events and their results. Think about it, just waking up is the result of a series of events and will result in another series of events. Look at major events in history such as assassinations, wars, and treaties. All of these were the results of someone's opinion or action and then resulted in major changes in history.

Although the other arguments for how time works are good, I side with Hegel's concept because it is clear in our everyday lives, and can be proven.

Venus of Willendorf

Venus of Willendorf is a statuette of a woman. The woman is rather chubby and nude. You can see her hands folded across her chest, the statue can not stand alone. Also the statue is just above 11 cm so that it can fit in your hand. It is dated back to about 30,000 B.C. It suggests that since the people of that time had more time on their hands, they could work on different things. Venus of Willendorf gives some insight to some of the culture of that time. It suggests that the beginning of art and domestication of animals happened around the same time period in human history. The domestication of animals probably happened right before art, because with the animals domesticated, the people did not have to work as hard. With more time on their hands, they could form a new type of culture.

citation: "Venus von Willendorf." Wikimedia commons. Web. 28 Jan 2010.

Significance of Agriculture and Megaliths

Significance of Agriculture

In the period from 8000 to 2000 B.C. in agriculture grew in Central and Western Europe. Crops such as wheat and barley, that where prominent in the west, moved West across Europe. Crops like these can be called cereal crops and are necessary for development. The people also advanced in technology for farming the crops. The ox-drawn plow made farming easier and faster for farmers. The use of linear pottery made storing crops and transporting them easier.

Significance of Megaliths

A Megalith is a large stone used to make a structure or some sort of monument. Megaliths can be used for structures or monuments alone, or together with other megaliths. Megalithsare generally include tombs and circular standing structures.

The origin of Megaliths is unknown, the point of them is for burial and religious reasons. Also they are believed to have been used for observing the sun and other celestial things. Some famous examples of Megaliths are Stonehenge and the Easter Island heads.

There are two different types of Megaliths, Menhirs and Dolmens. Dolmens are chamber tombs and are for the dead or temples of the dead and can have hallways to different parts of the tomb. Menhirs are standing stones that normally form a circular shape and have a ditch dug around the outside of them. Megaliths were important because they were a part of the culture of Western and Central Europe during 8000 to 2000 B.C

citation: "Stone Henge front half." Wikimedia commons. Web. 28 Jan 2010. .

The Concept of History

• The first concept of history is that it is linear.
• The second concept of history is cyclic history
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel did not look at history as linear or cyclical. Thesis plus antithesis equals Synthesis. Basically, Event one plus event two equals result.
West Civ Project
Hegelian Theory of History
Thesis + Antithesis = Synthesis
Please complete another layer of the chart.
I
Event 1: John, strongest kid in class, doesn't tie his shoes + Event 2: John picks on group of kids, bullying them.
Event 3: = John chases the kids, but slips out of his shoe.
II
Event 1: John sprains his ankle. + Event 2: John gets jumped on the way home from school.
Event 3: His parents take him to Hospital
III
Event 1: They ask him what happened + Event 2: He lies about his bully behaviors and says he gets picked on
Event 3: His parents go to school administrators accusing them of not carefully watching the students.

The fourth concept of theory is vortexual history. Which is the theory of time starting big then small then big again. Ex. Rome started small, then grew into an empire, then fell, then Europe was in the dark ages, then went through the Renaissance.