Anathema

Anathema
Originally uploaded by hghwtr

Anathema A term with Greek roots meaning something lifted up as an offering to a deity or deities.
In Catholicism it came to mean a severe denunciation of some theological idea or practice and usually the complete separation of the culpable person or persons from the saving power of the Church.
Essentially, [...]

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Athleticism

Athleticism In 1973 a Canadian not-for-profit private company called Participaction ran TV messages, similar in style to commercial ads, calling viewers to get physical exercise.
One segment claimed the average 30-year-old Canadian was in similar physical condition to the average 60-year-old Swede.

The ad had significant impact across Canada while years later it was suggested that
This was [...]

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Caste

Caste In ancient India caste was apparently regarded as a positive, divinely-based phenomenon. The hierarchical differentiation of human beings on the basis of color (varna) and birth (jati) was seen as a worldly reflection of a ritually sacrificed Divine Body (purusa).
Accordingly, the Rig Veda of the conquering northern Aryans (if one subscribes to that version [...]

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Chaos Theory

Chaos Theory A popular idea centering around the view that social organizations, to include businesses, operate more like clouds in the sky than a railroad train.
In chaos theory systems interactions may be perceived and even predicted in a general, non-linear sense but precise numerical and linear-based predictions are beyond its reach.
Chaos theorists point out that [...]

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Chomsky, Noam

Chomsky, Noam (1928 -  ) American intellectual and political activist who initially distinguished himself in linguistics.
During the Vietnam war Chomsky became increasingly vocal, criticizing those who see the United States as the center of the ideological universe. Since then he’s never looked back.
He and others like Michael Moore figure prominently in the 2003 film, The Corporation. [...]

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Determinism

Determinism The belief popularized by John Stuart Mill that choice and free will are unreal. In determinism, every event is the outcome of previous causes and nature is believed to be uniform. Moreover, the notion of chance is merely a concept incorrectly used by those unaware of all previous causes. » Predestination
Add to this, report [...]

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Dogma

Dogma A doctrine or a creed that may refer to religious or non-religious belief. “Dogma” is often used to refer to beliefs endorsed by the Papacy of the Roman Catholic Church. » Aquinas (St. Thomas), Assumption, Church Fathers, Doctrine, Enlightenment, Heterodox, Holy Spirit, Infallibility, Postmodernism, Science, Transubstantiation, Wisdom
Add to this, report errors, suggest edits or voice your [...]

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Equal Rights

Equal Rights Social thinkers like Zygmunt Bauman often point out a fundamental tension between two social ideals: (a) Equal Rights, including the right not to be harmed by another and (b) Personal Freedom. A problem usually arises when two or more conflicting belief systems meet head on. For instance, is a Catholic mother justly concerned [...]

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Evil

Evil  The idea of evil has several different meanings and different types of arguments attempt to explain its existence. Some materialists and scientific persons scoff at the notion of evil as if it were an antiquated legacy from a superstitious past. Murderers seen on the evening news are usually explained away with medico-psychiatric terms. Violent [...]

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Existentialism

Existentialism To some, existentialism is a bleak philosophical worldview. To others, it’s the only sane solution to a seemingly insane world. Existentialism’s best known proponent is Jean-Paul Sartre, who put a lot of very basic ideas into equally clever phrases and hence made a celebrity out of himself. And this exemplifies what existentialism is all [...]

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