Salem Witch Hysteria And Trials - 1620 Words

Salem Witch Hysteria and Trials Joshua Furman History 121: Early America to the Civil War Dr. Phillip Hamilton November 18, 2015  The Salem Witch Trial consisted of heinous accusations implicated by Cotton Mather which effected society as a hole and gave reasoning to the numerous amount of witch stories we hear today. Cotton Mather was the eldest son of Increase Mather, Massachusetts most influential and well known Puritan minister, and the grandson of John Cotton, Salem’s spiritual founder. Cotton Mather was born in Boston Massachusetts and attended Harvard University, receiving an honors degree from Glasgow University. Mather was pastor of Boston s second protestant church and began his journey into politics in 1689.†¦show more content†¦Mather eventually casted out the demons residing in the Godwin children by fasting, prayer, and patient reassurance. Todays readers may find Mather’s publications to be gullible, but he claims these articles are factual detailed observations. Mather’s latter work targets numerous purposes. Firstly, â€Å"Wonders of the Invisible Worldâ₠¬ , 1is Massachusetts official defense of the court s verdict and testimony regarding witchcraft. Secondly, it is Mather s involvement to the six most well known cases of Salem witchcraft. He supports his account with a discussion on the devil s purpose described in the bible, with previously delivered sermons, and with his own investigations. Mather exposed Satan s scheme to overthrow Salem’s churches, and also recommends Increase Mather to reject the use of spectral evidence as grounds for conviction and condemning confessions of witchcraft obtained under torturing the accused. Lastly, Mather defended the court s assessment and supported the government s position, but he also voiced his concern with the court s manner in the matter. 1 Mather preached his first sermon at the age of 17 and was an ordained minster at the age of twenty-two. Besides his involvement with the Salem Witch Trials in 1962, he is also remembered as one of the most influential Puritan ministers of the seventeenth century. Although he never achieved his father s success, he made a name for himself through

Descartes Philosophy On Method And Meditations On First...

Countless philosophers show a way of clarifying what is real and what life is meant to be. Philosophers are typically all different, but follow a similar policy by trying to use all of their mind and prove their points. Many philosophers were different from Rene Descartes, Descartes had an opinion that if he could somehow disregard everything that he knew was real, try to doubt it and it would help him in life; â€Å"I will be happy to show in this discourse what paths I have followed and to represent my life† . In his book, Discourse on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy, Descartes explains that his way of thinking is the best â€Å"no better proofs can be found than mine† , this shows that Descartes was really confident in his works and his accomplishments. Descartes controlled his mind even though he knew his mind was real, he believed that other things could not be certain, except his own mind, because that is what he used to doubt all other things. Descarte s knew how to catch the eye of the reader while he was introducing an argument. He would start of by giving the reader an idea or telling a story to help guide his audience throughout the introduction of a new argument. On part three of his book, Descartes brings in his opinions of the morals and maxims. â€Å"And finally, just as it is not enough, before beginning to rebuild the house where one is living, simply to pull it down† . This introduction goes on to talk about the architectural idea of building a house. TheShow MoreRelated The Folly of Renà © Descartes’ Discourse on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy1462 Words   |  6 PagesThe Folly of Renà © Descartes’ Discourse on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy In order to embark on his quest for truth, Descartes first devises his four rules which should serve as a solid foundation for all else that he comes to understand. Those rules are here evaluated in terms of what they fail to take into consideration. The rules are examined individually and consecutively, and are therefore also reiterated in order to be clear about them. Furthermore, the approach of usingRead MoreEssay Rene Descartess View on God1300 Words   |  6 Pagesseventeenth century?   Well, in the seventeenth century, there was a man, named Rene Descartes, who was interested in God and wondered about His existence.   After an unforgettable night in November 10, 1619, his interest in God became stronger, and had developed many views that concerned or were about God. When he expressed his investigations of applying inductive methods of science and mathematics to philosophy by the Cogito ero sum (I think, therefore I am), he started to argue the existenceRead MoreDescar tes Six Meditations on First Philosophy Essay1347 Words   |  6 PagesThroughout the six meditations on First Philosophy, French philosopher Rene Descartes seeks to find a concrete foundation for the basis of science, one which he states can only include certain and unquestionable beliefs. Anything less concrete, he argues will be exposed to the external world and to opposition by philosophical sceptics. The sense of the Cartesian reform is the imposition of a new method of thinking. 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This important notion was dictated by Rene Descartes in his 1641 metaphysics work, Mediations on First Philosophy, and influenced all modern philosophical works written after Descartes revolutionary achievement. This work was written at a time when modern physics was being developed as a mathematization of nature. The principles of metaphysics contain in Meditations were d eveloped in order to serveRead MoreDescartes s Meditations On First Philosophy986 Words   |  4 Pagesinwards, or as Renà © Descartes would call it, meditation. These ‘meditations’ are moments of reflection, time spent with one’s thoughts, and time to figure out where one is placed within the world. During one of these meditations, Descartes creates the phrase, â€Å"cogito ergo sum†, I think, therefore I am, in his monumental book, Principles of Philosophy, though it was written in another form earlier, â€Å"ego sum, ego existo†, I am, I exist, in his book Meditations on First Philosophy. 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Cultural Self Portrait free essay sample

By Manuel Chong Filipino-Chinese. That is what I am. The term â€Å"Filipino-Chinese† simply refers to a Chinese descent born and bred in the Philippines. Being a third generation Chinese in the Philippines, I did not grow up in a culture that is purely Chinese nor is it purely Filipino. The older generation of Filipino-Chinese is trying their best to pass on to the younger ones the traditional Chinese teachings which they acquired and learned from their ancestors. They wanted to preserve every detail of Chinese tradition for the younger ones. However, this appears to be a difficult task as time passes as my generation and the coming generations are more liberal and open to Filipino, Western and other cultures. This is the reason why the older generation frowns upon and show less favorable inclination to the younger generation’s present lifestyle. It is very undesirable for them that our generation of Filipino-Chinese yield towards integration. We will write a custom essay sample on Cultural Self Portrait or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I, on the other hand, am more integrated into the mainstream of Philippine society. I’m able to better articulate the local language, attitudes and conformities. Although my parents put me in a Chinese school, as most parents do, in order for me to learn the Chinese Mandarin language, however, the mindset at that time was that the language is of no use in my country of birth. Who would have known that, after 20 years, the Chinese language became important, in an economic sense. As a result of that mindset and integration, I have lost the ability to read and write in Chinese although I can still speak the Fookien dialect which is widely used at home. This is the dilemma facing the older generation. The traditional values that have been passed on to me were gradually lost and abandoned in favour of the pragmatic and practical approach. More so now, having lived in Canada for the past 5 years and having traveled the previous 10 years, my culture and values have been greatly shaped by what I saw and experienced. In spite of all this, I can still say that my culture is still predominantly Chinese, although not with its traditional practices that does not conform to Christianity, but with its values that embraces the sense of family, hard work, and to a certain extent frugality. The foremost passion of most Chinese that is in constant tension to the teachings of the Bible, is the pursuit of wealth or money. Born out of the necessity to survive, as Chinese we were taught to work hard to amass wealth in order to alleviate ourselves from poverty and unemployment. The pursuit of wealth has become a marker in that to be truly successful one has to look into a person’s bank account. In Matthew 4:4, the Bible says that man does not live by bread alone. Also, I always remind myself Matthew 16:26, what would it benefit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul. Money is not everything. The Lord will and does provide. On a positive note, as the Filipino-Chinese are known to be pragmatic and practical in their manner of achieving success, they have become a potent force towards solving the problems of poverty and unemployment prevalent in the Philippines. Today, they excel in the business world and have been influential in the economy of the Philippines. As Christians, it is mandated by Christ that we should share the good news to all nations. One particular trait or characteristic that is strong amongst Chinese is the sense of shame. We strive not to â€Å"lose face†. This is particularly so predominant and prevalent in places like Singapore, where I had the privilege to live for sometime, that even the Malays and Indians in Singapore has learned this trait. The expression â€Å"to lose face† is something for them that have to be avoided as much as possible. â€Å"Having a face† means gaining the confidence in the society, a good reputation and personal integrity. Now, what has this got to do with sharing the gospel? Certain society or culture does not view Christianity in a positive light. To share the gospel to these societies or cultures will pose a threat and will stand to â€Å"lose face† if your belief, person and reputation is rejected by the very people you are trying to reach. This is not to say that this particular characteristic (i. e. lose face) is at all negative, having this trait dictates how we conduct ourselves by being considerate towards the other person’s standing reputation in society. In order to share the gospel and not to â€Å"lose face† at the same time, having a good testimony can be as effective as actively sharing the gospel. Society cannot fault you if they saw that there is something different but good in you. Actions speak louder than words, as they say. One of the values in my Chinese culture I believe line up well with mission is the value of frugality. Being frugal, in a good sense, is being a good steward of my resources that the Lord has so blessed me with that if I were to squander it in useless pursuits then it is not only worldly but also a waste that could have been use for the furtherance of God’s kingdom. Being frugal and at the same time being successful in my endeavours will enable me to set a good example and at the same time teach people how to manage scarce resources.