Lingering Thoughts On Theory

Yesterday evening, I watched a rerun of Oprah promoting the Dr. Suess book-turned-movie, Horton Hears a Who. Briefly describing the movie, Oprah coins, “Just because you cannot hear, see or touch, something, does not mean it doesn’t exist.” This statement reminded me of the development of accepting the idea of atoms. In Classics 10, Greek and Roman mythology, I learned of Greek philosophers, who simply stated that everything is comprised of tiny particles, arbitrarily calling these particles, atoms, long before microscopes and scientific research could prove so. In attempt to understand the world around us, we create theories, explored through either science or language. In Classics 10, I also learned about Greek myths, in which the actions of the Gods, explain both the hardships and fruitfulness in life. Yet no Greek citizens actually witnessed Zeus or Aphrodite while drinking at symposium--perhaps in a drunken stupor. I do not view theories as facts, rather, explanations for something not quite rationalized by anything else and not yet falsified. Both science and philosophy, initially look at something as a whole, then pull it apart, and more difficultly piece everything back together.

First Blog

Upon arriving to school, I glanced at my phone. 9:38 AM. I had a few minutes before class commenced. I sauntered to the Memorial Union to pickup my books before class. English. The subject I dread the most. I have always struggled with writing: probably because as a child I was immersed in a household where Farsi and broken English were spoken. However, I have taken three lower division writing courses at Davis and have become more comfortable with writing. Browsing through the English section on the ground floor of the bookstore, I was unable to locate my books. I was unprepared—I could not recall which section I was in. I glanced at my phone again. 9:50AM. As I darted to UWP, my heart started to pound inside my chest cavity. Beads of sweat materialized on the palms of my hands. I have never had any apprehensions about a class before. Perhaps my nerves were on the fritz from the night before.
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I walked to the bookstore to search for my books again. Upon investigation, and assistance from an employee, I found them. The line to the registers stretched past the notebooks and binders. As I waited, the girl behind me strummed her fingers along her purchases, reminding me of the translator in class, heavily tapping the keyboard as he typed. I had focused on his typing. This distracted me somewhat, but also calmed me. I had a long way to go before I reached the registers. I flipped open New Keywords. Evolution was the first word I saw.