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Humanities 101
Humanities 101
Humanities 101
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Humanities 101

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Leon Hariton, CPA, MA in Psychology, nationally rated chess player, successful sculptor and the author of The Making of An American offers us his thoughts on subjects as diverse as the scientifi c method, economics, philosophy, why one should enter politics at a young age and how to lead a more meaningful life, among other topics. This book offers a perfect introduction to any of the above subjects for the lone reader and searcher and would make an excellent point of departure for group discussion either for the college classroom or a general reading group-- hence its title: Humanities 101.

LanguageEnglish
PublisheriUniverse
Release dateDec 4, 2013
ISBN9781491716625
Humanities 101
Author

Leon Hariton

Leon Hariton was born on Manhattan’s Lower East Side but reared in the streets of Brooklyn and the Bronx where he acquired street smarts. He is a veteran of World War II, a retired CPA with an MA in psychology, a successful sculptor whose works are in corporate and private collections throughout the United States, and the author of a previous book: The Making of An American.

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    Humanities 101 - Leon Hariton

    TABLE OF CONTENTS

    Preamble

    Chapter  1.  Commentaries—Understanding Our World

    Chapter  2.  Reality (And Then Some)

    Chapter  3.  Morality-Bound Or Hidebound?

    Chapter  4.  Tussling With The Concept Of God

    Chapter  5.  The Self And Who Else?

    Chapter  6.  Is The Self Related To Culture As A Fish Is To Water?

    Chapter  7.  Culture: Perspectives, Observations And Free Associations

    Chapter  8.  Meaning Of Existence

    Chapter  9.  The Lure Of Utopia

    Chapter  10.  Holy Trinity

    Chapter  11.  The Endless Yearning For Coherent Existence

    Chapter  12.  The Impact Of Eonomics On A Democratic Society

    Chapter  13.  Retrospection And Reflections

    Chapter  14.  Epilogue: Historical Perspectives

    Dedicated to my children and my grandchildren, and to others of their generations:

    The future is yours! Make the most of it! Enjoy a life full of intellectual curiosity, physical emotions, and spiritual experiences!

    PREAMBLE

    This book is about thoughts, ideas and issues that I considered worthwhile. I am aware that the various subjects discussed herein could each be the topic of a whole book; never-the-less, I offer you my rambling thoughts and the free-associations that came to mind while writing.

    These thoughts could be used as supplemental material for an elementary course in theology, psychology, sociology, economics, political science, ethics, or morality, as well as for a discussion of the scientific method; hence the title: HUMANITIES 101. The perspective is basically subjective and, although I have tried to be objective, the reader may come to different conclusions than the ones I arrived at.

    The scientific method is a process that gets at reality, which I defined as what the five senses pick up plus our intellectual capacity to ask the right questions. There is no value system in the scientific method; it is not concerned with what is socially right or wrong. It is concerned only with reality as defined above. Since most people live by a moral code, the scientific method serves as a beacon to that code. It points out when the moral code clashes with, or contradicts, the findings of the scientific method. Therefore this method is of great value in pointing to truth.

    Economics, as practiced under capitalism, also has no morality. It is simply a question of supply and demand. Therefore those who own or control economic resources use the system to benefit themselves to the utmost (as is logical, if not necessarily pleasant). The evidence shows that over 50 per cent of the assets, as well as over 50 per cent of the annual income, of people in the USA are held in the hands of 1 per cent of the population. The only way for a democratic society to offset this steady accretion of wealth by the upper 1 per cent of our population is through taxation policies that favor the middle class, who pay the largest part of the revenue. Long term capital gains are subject to only a 15% rate of tax whereas ordinary income is subject to 35% tax. Naturally the economic forces controlled by the upper 1 per cent greatly influence the taxation policies set by the government.

    For the last four decades, those who work for a living have not seen their earnings keep pace with their productivity. Those who have the economic power have unjustly taken advantage of those who work for a living. To claim that technological changes have made labor more productive is to state only a half truth. It is true that technology is a way of improving productivity over whatever preceded. However, making the technological changes on a mass scale still requires human beings to modify the design and adjust the machinery that will create the technological improvement. It is only when the technology has been put in place that the cost of requisite labor is reduced.

    Those with economic power have long claimed that government should not interfere with social and economic policies. At the same time they spend a massive amount of money to help elect politicians who agree with their position and who will try to get the government to stay out of their way. This very interference is itself blatant hypocrisy.

    I have great respect for economic theory as well as for the scientific method but my main interest is in ethics and moral values because to live a civilized life is to live by a moral code. These areas are ripe for discussion because most of us face situations where we are judged not by what we believe but by how we behave or react to those situations. If one’s behavior is contradictory to what one believes, one hasn’t lived up to one’s moral code. Again, the reader may take a different perspective from mine. This is perfectly fine so long as each one of us continues to respect the other.

    Now is the time to acknowledge that this book was made possible by the conscientious editing by my wife Janet Hariton. The ideas are mine; the clarity is hers. My son, Joel, set up the format for chapter one and also worked on editing parts of chapters one and two.

    The content stems from issues that I thought about during my years at school and, subsequently, during my professional life. In the final analysis, it is the summation of what I believe, as well as my perspectives on the world.

    COMMENTARIES—

    UNDERSTANDING OUR WORLD

    1. The Beauty of the Scientific Method

    To test a hypothesis empirically one has to set up a procedure that can be duplicated so that another independent experimenter can repeat the test to see if he or she arrives at the same results. To allow this to happen, the experiment must be set forth in great detail so that the second tester can repeat all of the steps exactly. Further, it must be set up without bias so that the hypothesis is fairly and accurately tested as to its truth, without the possibility of extraneous conditions, intended or unintended, that might distort the experiment. If any part of the experiment were distorted, one could not determine if the hypothesis had been truly validated. This process requires meticulous work and much analysis so that one may have confidence in the result.

    If, through error, a condition were included in the experiment, which supported the theory but was not part of the theory, the next independent examiner would discard such condition since presumably it was not necessary. If the experiment then failed to prove the theory, it revealed that the unintended bias existed and the hypothesis did not hold up. This is just a small but significant aspect of the scientific method. When others test a theory by repeating an experiment and get the same results, it proves the reliability of the theory.

    It is a method of improving the validity of what is being tested over a range of possibilities when variables are introduced into an experiment. In experimentation, the variables often test the limits of a theory. Thus a new theory may develop. It may incorporate the old theory but go further in describing reality in that no limitations are presently known to exist. I know I reveal more of my tenacious and obsessive traits when I enjoy the work of getting into detail so as to comprehend the nitty-gritty of the scientific method more than my knowledge of the field.

    Newtonian theory failed when it dealt with the speed of light. Einstein’s theory of relativity embraced Newtonian theory and could further explain the empirical phenomena of matter moving at almost the speed of light. Einstein’s insight and his genius made a significant achievement for the world of twentieth-century physics. It was with awe and glowing admiration for two giants of the twentieth century that I read about the Bohr and Einstein debates on the significance of the theory of quantum mechanics.

    Bohr points out the limitation of human experiment in relation to the atom, and our inability to know its location and its motion simultaneously, since in measuring one aspect we distort the other. I was interested to learn that Einstein felt that something was missing in the statistical way one dealt with quantum mechanics. He hoped to tackle the whole subject in another way but he never found the means to do so. I was simply dazzled by such scientific thoughts, and nothing stopped me from delving further into the study of the implications of the scientific method.

    Although everything that was scientifically proven can be considered to be true, there was always the possibility that a hidden fact not initially discernible, or variables not previously thought about, existed. This could mean that the discovery of new factual data might indicate that what one had believed in was, in fact, limited. In this respect then, all scientific findings were limited. Inherent in the method is the constant possibility of falsification. The negative is always possible when beginning a new experiment. This philosophical and empirical doubt is the strength of the scientific method; nothing is absolute!

    For those who seek eternal truth, the method is meaningless or, at most, ephemeral because nothing can be proven in a positive way to be eternal. As stated before, to insure that the method tests what it is supposed to test, controlled variables are introduced into the experiment. This ensures not only reliability through repetition but also that what is purportedly the object of the experiment is in fact what is being tested.

    What excites my imagination is the predictability of results and the fact that the method reflects the ingenuity of human creativity. Ironically, the beauty and crystal purity of the theory must be proven only by the ambiguous and dissonant fact patterns that we consider reality. When conflicts exist between theory and empirical reality, theory (with all its enticement and allure) must give way to facts that may be bizarre and/or prickly. Truth is more beautiful than any nice theory that cannot be substantiated, or even a proven theory that is limited or temporary.

    The findings of science form an ever-widening circle of knowledge. Within this circumference lies the implicit inference that there is greater awareness of the unknown, as the limitation of human understanding emerges from a fog.

    From this point of view we will never be able to know it all. The new findings of cosmology reflect this. With the great achievements in the twentieth century by Einstein in his theory of relativity and the development of quantum mechanics, we in the twenty-first century appear to be approaching the culmination of these developments: the string theory, in which the four major forces would come under a unified theory. To date this has not yet been accomplished but there is great hope for the future: there would be a unification of physical laws, especially between relativity and quantum phenomena. If these forces cannot be resolved, then a modification will be required that, one hopes, will be broad enough to incorporate both theories into a larger concept to meet the empirical findings of today. For now, it seems to take a contradiction to make us progress further.

    2. The Power of the Scientific Method

    With the development of the scientific method, Western civilization began to dominate the entire world. This continues today because new knowledge is converted into technology, thereby enhancing growth manifold. Religious institutions in the West, mainly Christianity, slowly but steadily gave way to scientific findings that enhanced the secular world. In its conflict with the Christian West, the Islamic world—which in the past was the pinnacle of civilization and development—is struggling to come to terms with this secular experience. The major cultures of the Far East (Japan, China, and India), each in its own inimitable way, are already embracing the scientific method as a tool.

    It was evident to me that science had become a major force in world history. Those who employed its method reaped the economic benefits and dominated the commercial scene. I later realized that the use of the method is one thing; its findings and how they are used is another thing entirely. I had a lot to learn not only about science but also about its implications when applied to humans. My study of history gave credence to my viewpoint that science had a great economic and military impact upon nations.

    3. Cosmology

    Cosmology was endlessly fascinating. Since the discovery of cosmic microwave background, which was predicted in 1940 by George Gamow and his colleagues Ralph A. Alpher and Robert C. Herman, this field has undergone a revolution. When they found background microwave radiation in 1964, the big bang theory was the victor over the steady state theory whose proponents were Herman Bondi, Thomas Gold, and Fred Hoyle. By the twenty-first century, the astrophysicists produced the most detailed map of the cosmic wave background. This enabled the astrophysicists to infer many attributes about the cosmological world. This was a great example of factual findings to support a given theory and destroy another: facts must prevail over theoretical hypotheses!

    My layman’s knowledge relied on Neil de Grosse Tyson, astrophysicist, in Natural History of October 3, 2003. I include the following information so that we can truly appreciate the knowledge that science and its method reveal.

    "From the relative amount of ordinary matter, dark matter and dark energy in the universe can be calculated (the percentages are 4, 23, and 73 respectively), and from these percentages it’s easy to tell whether or not the universe will expand forever.

    Ordinary matter is what everyone is made of. It exerts gravity and can absorb, emit, and otherwise interact with light. Dark matter however is a mysterious substance that exerts gravity but does not interact with light in any known way. Dark energy is a mysterious pressure that counteracts gravity, forcing the universe to expand faster than it otherwise would. The cosmologists understand how the universe behaved, but it also demonstrates (sic) that most of the universe, then and now, is made of stuff they’re clueless about.

    4. Uncertainty

    Because of the impact created by the very way we try to measure these atoms and the other sub-atomic particles, we cannot simultaneously determine the mass and the location of these small particles. The logic of the belief in causality, with all the complications of defining the term causality, does not allow for miracles or supernatural events. The fact that such events happen and are not fully explainable, is presumably because of a combination of factors unknown to us, or they are so complex in a given situation that we cannot predict either the emergence of such events or when such events may occur. So, naturally, one concludes that everything that exists is determined.

    If one looks back in time to explain the creation of the world, one must accept that there was a first cause beyond which one cannot go, and the result is either an agnostic or a believer in God. There is no basis for dispute between science and religion on this point. If one believes that even the creation of the universe was only a continuation from a gigantic black hole, and thus there are more ancient universes in other dimensions, as some recent theorists in cosmology have proposed, then the big bang creating our universe is one of a series of events that direct one toward the Infinite. Thus, first cause never comes into existence. With its awesome ever-expanding scope of subject matter, as well as the range in theoretical concepts and the mathematical language to go with it, one cannot but feel the exhilaration of grasping the science, the ideas, and concepts as one mulls them over.

    5. Money and Power: A Positive Feedback Loop

    The fact is that in a free market economy there are upswings and downturns of major financial volatility that the successful companies have learned to cope with and to manage. Some companies achieve this by not revealing their true profits, if the results are unexpectedly favorable. This is accomplished by using various accounting techniques that often allow latitude in reporting events or by shading results concerning reserves, so as to be in a better position in future years when the financial results are not so favorable. The companies can then reduce their reserves, which will enable them to show better financial results in a weaker period. An area that has been a playground for years is the qualified pension plan for employees, created under the Internal Revenue Service Code. The actuaries have made those assumptions of future earnings within the plan so as to assure that the accrual expenses dovetail with the managerial requirements of the profits they wish to show. There is an area here of legitimate latitude, but often one finds that a certain finagling has occurred that smoothes out the earnings curve of a given company.

    The general public does not welcome the intrusion of government into human affairs; as people lose their privacy, they seek freedom from further government interference. The question of when and where government should act has always been the fundamental issue in a free society. Those who profess to seek to avoid government intervention between capital and labor are the very ones who use the most influence—money—via company contribution to reach elected officials so as to gain access for their position. The lines between campaign contribution and legal bribery are often fuzzy. The paradox is that those who wish the least interference from government into economic activity between labor and capital invest the most to reach elected officials: members of Congress and the President, as well as elected state officials: the Governor and legislative bodies.

    Because there has been an imbalance on the economic front it has become inevitable for the upper one-to-ten percent of the top level of wealth, in assets and earnings, to move farther and farther away from the rest of the population. Unless this concentration of wealth and undue influence is reversed, the future does not bode well for the general populace.

    6. Human Responsiveness

    It is only in the abstract that one can posit a human being standing alone; there is no Robinson Crusoe ab initio. One must be acculturated prior to becoming an independent mature human being. There is an endless complex litany for how an individual responds. When stimulated, an individual responds based on a) the conditions at that moment and/or whatever the actual stimulation was b) depending on which one (or more) of the senses were stimulated and c) the conditional state of the individual at the time the event happened, aware or focused on another matter, or relaxed. Additionally one cannot forget d) the innate capacities of the individual, his genes and how individually and jointly they might function in organized ways, and e) the early prenatal development that influenced the makeup of this individual. We must also take into consideration f) the learning experiences of the past, g) the memory of those same experiences, cognitively or kinesthetically, as well as any of the other senses that might play a role in the immediate response. Let us consider also h) the past experience and memory thereof as well as i) the maturation level, age, and all the cognitive aspects as well as j) the fact that what was learned in the past may have enhanced certain abilities and/or atrophied others and k) what emotional factors may have hindered the development of certain innate capacities, and l) . . . . on and on. It will be possible for some of one’s capacities to be revealed at a much slower rate of learning after a certain age, such as the acquisition of a new language. Thus one’s response to a stimulus is complicated by the very existence of what appear to be endless relevant variables.

    Somehow the brain and the nervous system incorporate, discriminate and select which stimulus to respond to, as well as the manner and degree of the response. Nor is the individual in his or her early years of life aware that what has been learned has not only a cognitive aspect but also a value assessment that is derived from being born within a culture at a certain socioeconomic level and/or perhaps in a particular subculture. That valuation is based on a hierarchy of values as to its future placement in one’s makeup. It will physiologically influence the memory of the response to the stimulus, the affect level or emotional level, as the body responded to the stimulus. All this will be recorded within. At times the affect level may be below the conscious level, because of the neutrality of the stimulus—that is, it may or may not threaten or benefit the individual. One always responds as part of, or should I say concomitantly with, cognitive activities. This is an interpretive response that defines reality. Once the senses and the body raise the stimulus to the level that requires a conscious response, the emotional feelings that are concomitant with the event are incorporated into memory. The response is then evaluated within, as to its placement in the hierarchy of values or beliefs. The interpretation of what the eye sees, and the belief system one has, gives meaning to the individual as to what is going on in the silent (and, at times, not so silent) affect level—the emotions. It is this that is the wild card.

    7. The Non-Inate Drivers of Behavior: Emotions and Culture

    One can clearly see the force of emotions on behavior in the autistic child, or one who suffers from Asperger’s Syndrome. Emotions are a concomitant part of every activity in the daily life and development of a child, from infancy to adulthood. Thus the way we act is constantly influenced

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