Subliminal Messages
Our discussion the other day in class over the unconscious and priming was really interesting to me. We learned that people walk slower after they are primed with words related to old people and that people are more aggressive when they see words related to aggression. This made me wonder, how much of our behavior can we attribute to our unconscious perception of visual stimuli? In the field of psychology, it would be ignorant to believe that one has complete control over their own behavior, but as a person I like to think that I choose to behave how I want to. Yet, experiments on the unconscious show that people are influenced to behave a certain way without even realizing it. How often do we do and say things only because of how we were primed right before we did them? One thing that comes to mind when I think about this is subliminal messaging. The Budweiser ad is just a simple example of messages that you do not realize are there. Subliminal messaging is very interesting to me. How much do these messages prime us for a desired product or sexual behavior? Some of the subliminal messages that I came across looked normal to the untrained eye, but when pointed out the messages for very explicit and almost pornographic. These messages are a cause for concern when you think about how many you see daily. These messages are not only in advertisements, but also in movies and television. Even Disney adds scenes to their movies that are so quick that they go undetected. Knowing that the research shows that priming influences thoughts and behaviors makes me wonder how much of an affect they are having on me subconsciously. I think the important thing is to be aware of what stimuli you are experiencing. Of course, if you are perceiving stimuli unconsciously then its difficult to be aware of it.
Rachel Jinkerson on I am afraid of Phineas Gage
12:19 pm, 10.04.10
I have found myself having very similar thoughts since our discussion of Phineas Gage last week; particularly regarding eternity. I believe in God as a merciful God, but I also believe in Hell. There are a lot of what ifs stemming from this situation.
Another thing to consider is what if this happened to a member of your family? Would you continue to treat them the same even if they were completely different? When you marry someone you make the covenant for life, but does that still apply if they have an accident and are no longer that person? It is a very scary thought and I pray that I never have to deal with it.
Rachel Jinkerson on I'll take theories for $1,000
12:01 pm, 10.04.10
I’m not a scientist and I’m not well versed in the ways of carbon dating, but I feel like the mature earth theory is very plausible. I think you made a very good point by saying that God created mature humans and animals. He did not just put seeds in the ground or make Adam and Eve into babies. Furthermore, I do not see it as God being tricky as much as I see him with a sense of humor. Maybe God, in all his power, knew that in order to survive we would need fossil fuels in the ground and such. I think its important to keep an open mind towards things like this.
Rachel Jinkerson on "We were made for each other"
12:17 pm, 09.20.10
I believe there are some areas of God that man was not made to understand and will never understand, so its not worth bending over backwards for. That being said, I believe God is all knowing and I believe we have free will. I think to over analyze this idea is to put God in a box. Since we are not God and do not comprehend His power, how can we even try to understand free will, knowledge, and predestination? I believe that God wants us to choose Him and that is all that matters.
Rachel Jinkerson on Is the need for God innate or derived?
12:03 pm, 09.20.10
I believe that it is a little of both. For example,I think that our hearts yearn for something that this world cannot fill, this is an innate idea. We are born knowing that something is missing in our lives and God is the only thing that can complete us. If you want to look at it on an experience level, all you have to do is look at a culture that has been completely isolated from the world. Amazonian tribes believe in a higher power even though they have never read the Bible, or the Torah, or the Koran. Yet, their experiences with the wonder of nature and creation have lead them to know that something bigger than them exists in the world.
Rachel Jinkerson on The Misbehavior of (Spiritual?) Organisms
10:21 pm, 09.19.10
When I think of spiritually drifting, I think of spiritual highs and lows. For example, in high school the summers were full of spiritual highs. I would go to church camp and go on mission trips. These experiences would lift me up and show me God’s glory. Yet, come September or October I would slowly drift back to a normal, mundane spirituality that only consisted of church on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights completely void of joy. I like that your opinion is positive and that you say that our spiritual drift is back to Him. I never thought of it that way and I hope to be able to experience that.
Rachel Jinkerson on The Cave Of Beauty
10:05 am, 09.06.10
I have seen that video before, but it never ceases to amaze me. Even the most beautiful women that I know do not look like the women portrayed in ads. It is the complete opposite of truth. It is not only selling sex, but it is selling lies. Yet, like you said, we refuse to admit it. Women all over America including myself still strive to look beautiful in our appearance. We need to change our definition of beauty.
Rachel Jinkerson on Greek Philosophy and Eurocentrism
8:44 am, 09.06.10
Thank you for reminding us that just because Greece is credited with something, does not mean the ideas and discoveries originated with them. They were a dominant power in ancient times, yet, America is the dominant power today. Does that mean that we are the ones who will be documented and remembered the most? I think we have to be careful not to think too highly of ourselves. Even with all the advancements and wisdom the Greeks had, their power eventually crumbled. Someday ours will too.
Rachel Jinkerson on The Question of Evil
6:19 pm, 09.05.10
When we discussed the golden mean in class, I simply thought of it as a straight line with good and evil as points along a continuum. Its interesting to think of it as a V or circle. I think that sheds a different light on the matter. These other models demonstrate how apparent evil is in the world and how it is easier to be evil than good. This is also seen in Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” I agree that Satan is on both opposing sides of the virtue.