Why should we belive in a religion Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Why should we belive in a religion - Term Paper Example At the same, consideration of human religiosity involves accepting the freedom of a personal choice. This means that every person has the right to take the religion that most accurately fits his/her worldview and life expectancy. This paper defends the idea of a special significance of religion for the life of both the individual and society as a whole. To begin with, the special status of religion and religiosity was claimed in ancient Greek philosophy (Hare). Moreover, almost the majority of Greek philosophy was riddled with the idea of the existence of a divine origin, and every philosopher gave it his own interpretation. Socrates and Plato pointed out the particular importance of religion in human life. They considered religion in close connection with ethics as a science of the right human behavior and actions. According to this position, the person as a rational being should have to follow the religious principles that affirm the universality and high status of ethical principles. In one of Platos dialogues namely Euthyphro, Socrates makes it clear that the gods are just and moral beings, and therefore faith in them allows a person to observe justice in this world. After many centuries, another philosopher Immanuel Kant addresses religion as well. As part of his concept, Kant says that a man cannot reliably prove the existenc e of God, since the knowledge of the world is limited by sensory experience that does not reveal the true nature of things (Rohlf). For this reason, Kant exposes the harsh criticism of the evidence for the existence of God, the soul and immortality. Nevertheless, despite this understanding, the philosopher draws attention to the importance of religion as a basis for human ethics. Based on the existence of the moral law requiring people to follow it, Kant asserts the necessity of postulating the existence of God and the immortality of the soul. Only by admitting the existence of God, able to observe the good and the

Uncertainty reduction theory Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Uncertainty reduction theory - Term Paper Example Therefore, the importance of the uncertainty reduction theory in communication can be explained with the statement offered by Heath and Bryant (2000). As the authors emphasize, the uncertainty reduction theory is based on the statement that the key aim of the communication process between two people is to reduce the uncertainty, and get to know each other by applying various communication strategies, including passive observation, active assessment, and interpersonal communication. Theoretical Discussion The bases of the uncertainty reduction theory are linked with the concept that people will try to get to know as much as possible about each other by using various communication channels. Considering the fact that their uncertainty can be observed through behavioral and cognitive factors, it should be emphasized, that the general premise of the theory is linked with the necessity to adapt behavior and communication in order to find the most suitable behavioral pattern. Additionally, people tend to find out the opponent’s opinion, as well as formulate their own one about the other communicator. The further reduction of uncertainty can be observed on the relational communication level, and the key premise of this transition is linked with the statement that people become highly motivated in advancing the communication level, in order to reduce uncertainty, and reach certain goals. The key terms of the theory are grounded on the interaction patterns, applied by the strangers. Moreover, Berger and Calabrese (in Kramer, 2004), the founders of the theory, divide the interaction into three key stages that can be regarded as the liking or disliking communication factors: The entry stage is aimed at creating the first opinion, and development of the initial behavioral pattern. This is also featured by the use of the behavioral norms, commonly accepted within the society, while the character of the information exchanged (either verbal or nonverbal) is often of the demographic or transactional nature. The personal stage involves interaction initiation when the basic information concerning the stranger’s beliefs and attitudes is found out. This stage can be entered only after several entry stages. The interacting individuals start probing each other for the particular attitudes, values, and personal features of character. This stage is also featured with the emerging of particular emotions towards each other. The exit stage is also regarded as the decision-taking phase of the relations development. Therefore, people have enough information concerning each other, and they decide whether they have sympathy towards another person, or not. This stage is featured with the decisions whether the further relations will be developed. Therefore, clear understanding of the communication cycles is crucial for studying the behavioral and communication patterns, people resort to, in order to reduce their uncertainty about each other. The key paradigm of the uncertainty reduction theory falls under the premise that people feel uncomfortable when they know nothing about each other, and the communication process between two communicators is turned into getting to know as much information as possible about each other. The uncertainty reduction makes collocutors feel less uncomfortable. However, considering the basic theorems of the theory, it should be emphasized that the actual