The Aztecs believed 13 to be a sacred number. The Aztec week was thirteen days long and the number was respected as a measure of time and completion (Number 13, 2010). The Aztec calendar year was 260 days long, which was calculated as 20, thirteen day periods, called Trecenas. The goddess Tlazolteotl was the ruler of the 13th Trecena, who was the goddess of sin and could forgive sins (Number 13, 2010). In Hinduism, the thirteenth night of the waning moon in the month of Maagha is sacred to Shiva, and notes a cause for celebration of creation and preservation (Number 13, 2010). For those reading tarot cards, the tarot 13 is the card of death. In Scandinavia, the day of the Saint Lucia celebration is December 13th (Number 13, 2010). Regarding United States currency, the number 13 is seemingly glorified. On the one dollar bill, there are 13 leaves on the olive branch, 13 fruits, 13 arrows, 13 stars above the eagle, 13 steps on the pyramid, 13 feathers on each of the eagle's wings, and there are 13 letters in "E pluribus unum" (Number 13, 2010). The origins of the number 13 superstition appear to expand millennia. However, the prevalence of the superstition and its overall awareness in Western cultures seems to be as recent as the 19th century. It wasn't until the 19th century that newspapers began to print stories and anecdotes about dinner parties being interrupted by a 13th guest and later one of the guests would be met with misfortune (Lachenmeyer, 2004). Magazines of the time were also...
By the middle of the 19th century, there was a profound awareness of the number 13 and its inherent ill fortune (Lachenmeyer, 2004). Over the decades, hotels were built without 13th floors, dining parties of 13 were not seated, and history has been scoured for the number 13 and any disaster that followed (Number 13, 2010).
He tells Walton he was "surprised that among so many men of genius . . . that I alone should be reserved to discover so astonishing a secret" (37). Here Shelley illuminates the weakness of man with Frankenstein's inability to control himself in this situation. Shelley placed Frankenstein in this environment because he represented "modern scientist is search of the spark to animate lifeless matter" (Wright 14). Like Prometheus,
sociological debate between scientific knowledge and religious knowledge has been occurring for most of the last few centuries (Anesi, 2003a). While the concept of "knowledge" is broad, and the definitions for "knowledge" even more broad (Meja & Stehr, 2000), this paper will only examine the concepts of religious and scientific knowledge, and the debate among modern sociologists between the two. This paper will present a definition of religious knowledge,
Knowledge creation, according to Borland (2001), requires the systematic analysis of data collected. Best & Kahn (1998, pg. 18) write that "research" has been classically defined as "the systematic and objective analysis and recording of controlled observations that may lead to the development of generalizations, principles, or theories, resulting in prediction and possibly ultimate control of events." The post-positivist paradigm, as Mertens (2005) writes, provides that research is designed
Gnostics believed that they belonged to the "true church" of an elect few who were worthy; the orthodox Christians would not be saved because they were blind to the truth. Part E -- Content - if we then combine the historical outline of the "reason" for John's writings with the overall message, we can conclude that there are at least five major paradigms present that are important in a contextual
Key ethical beliefs and values about one's self and others I am known as a socially aware leader, one who believes that the needs of society transcend the needs of any one person -- including myself. My idealism is also manifest in my style as a socially aware leader in that I believe the welfare of others, even when that may conflict with my own personal and economic self-interest, is more
Epistemology represents the study of knowledge. This applied to a philosophical context means understanding how an individual learns something, what the basis for genuine knowledge is, and what that knowledge signifies. Many interpret knowledge as true, justified belief, meaning a claim can be justified, the claim is true, and the individual believes in the claim. Over time such exploration of thinking has led to the formation of two main branches
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