Aporia Definition and Examples

Aporia is a  figure of speech in which the speaker expresses real or simulated doubt or perplexity. The adjective is  aporetic. In classical rhetoric, aporia means placing a claim in doubt by developing arguments on both sides of an issue. In the terminology of deconstruction, aporia is a final impasse or paradox--the site at which the text most obviously undermines its own rhetorical structure, dismantles, or deconstructs itself. Etymology: From the Greek, without passagePronunciation: eh-POR-ee-eh Examples and Observations David MikicsScholars have described as aporetic early Socratic dialogues like the Protagoras (ca. 380 BCE), which end in puzzlement rather than resolution, and which fail to supply convincing definitions of sought-after concepts like truth and virtue. At the end of the Protagoras, wrote the philosopher Sà ¸ren Kierkegaard, Socrates and Protagoras resemble two bald men searching for a comb.Peter FalkI dont think its proving anything, Doc. As a matter of fact, I dont even know what it means. Its just one of those things that gets in my head and keeps rolling around in there like a marble.William WordsworthIf living sympathy be theirsAnd leaves and airs,The piping breeze and dancing treeAre all alive and glad as we:Whether this be truth or noI cannot tell, I do not know;Nay--whether now I reason well,I do not know, I cannot tell.Ford Maddox FordAm I no better than a eunuch or is the proper man--the man with the right to existence--a raging stallion forever neighing after his neighborâ €™s womankind? Or are we meant to act on impulse alone? It is all a darkness.Julian WolfreysA particularly striking example of the experience of the aporetic appears in Karl Marxs consideration of the commodity fetish, where he finds it logically impossible to explain, within the limits of his discourse, what transforms material into its mystified form as desired commodity, and what invests the commodity object with its commodified mystique.David LodgeRobin wrote the word with a coloured felt-tip marker on the whiteboard screwed to the wall of her office. Aporia. In classical rhetoric it means real or pretended uncertainty about the subject under discussion. Deconstructionists today use it to refer to more radical kinds of contradiction or subversion of logic or defeat of the readers expectation in a text. You could say that its deconstructions favourite trope. Hillis Miller compares it to following a mountain path and then finding that it gives out, leaving you stranded on a le dge, unable to go back or forwards. It actually derives from a Greek word meaning a pathless path.

Essay about Human Cloning A Benefit to Humanity - 607 Words

What would you think if you were to able to talk to an exact clone of yourself? Most people think that cloning is part of science fiction but can be done and in June of 1997, scientists in Scotland were successfully able to clone a sheep. This major step in cloning raised question in the scientific world. Many people ask is cloning ethical to humanity? To some people, being able to clone is like â€Å"playing God†. To me, is beneficiary to humanity if used in a manner to help, not harm. Statistics from the National Funeral Directors Association show that 8.8 people die in death per every on one thousand in the U.S. population, with the population at over two hundred billion to date. If cloning were introduced in to society, I feel that the†¦show more content†¦It may even be used to repair retinas of the eyes. Cloning also makes it possible to preserve certain qualities in selected fruits and plants. For example, creating a tomato or any kind of fruit or vegetable that was genetically enhanced to be bigger, or have more vitamins and nutrients in it, then cloning it for mass production. That would lead to more demand for a healthier consumer. This production of cloned vegetables is already being used today but in the future, every farmed plant may be genetically grown. According to surveys done on the ethics of cloning, six percent favor the use of cloning and more than eighty percent are against it. But on the other hand when ask if the practice and techniques of cloning were to be further researched, seventy one percent said yes. I asked a former teacher of mine what he felt about cloning and he quoted: I feel that cloning has more advantages to society than disadvantages. I mean, yeah, if you look at it at a certain way, it may seem immoral but I am all for the research and development of cloning. I’ve interviewed a lot of my friends and they are more afraid of cloning being used in way of mass destruction like for example, mass producing infantry soldiers for war. I think that as people mature, they start to see the benefits of cloning more than the drawbacks. In conclusion, I feel that cloning should be further researched and that peopleShow MoreRelatedIs Human Cloning Legal? Essay1147 Words   |  5 PagesHuman cloning has not been legally used in humans because many people and experts are still discussing its effectiveness, worthiness and effect on humanity. Human cloning, also known as human genetic engineering, can be divided into two main types, which are therapeutic cloning, growing cloned tissue from individual, and reproductive cloning, genetically identical copy of an individual. Human cloning have drawn people’s attention because people are become more concerned about health problems andRead MoreEthics And The New Genetics1428 Words   |  6 Pagesadvancements of technology the ideology of cloning has now become a reality. The increasing use of science today is slowly leading to the development of cloning and genetic selection. By altering the genetic make-up of a being, scientists have brought about several questions on how the population would adjust to the â€Å"super-beings,† and what benefits and consequences both human and non-humans would gain with their creations? Authors Francis Fukuyama, who wrote â€Å"Human Dignity,† and The Dalai Lama, writerRead MoreThe Ethics of Cloning Essay example1453 Words   |  6 PagesThe Ethics of Cloning On February 27, 1997, it was reported that scientists produced the first clone of an adult sheep, attracting international attention and raising questions on the morality of cloning. Within days, the public had called for ethics inquires and new laws banning cloning. Issues are now raised over the potentially destructive side of this scientific frontier. Many people are morally opposed to the possible consequences of women being able to give birth to themselves, or scientistsRead MoreThe Consequences Of Cloning In Frankenstein By Mary Shelley1470 Words   |  6 PagesThe invention of cloning, both a blessing and a curse, can possibly enable humanity to reach eternal life. An invention is the creation of a device developed after a study or an experiment, in the hopes of benefiting society. The novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is about an inventor, Victor Frankenstein, who creates life that he later rejects. His invention results in consequences for both himself and his creation. Both cloning and the creation of the monster was made to benefit and advance society’sRead MoreThe Benefits of Cloning Essay1095 Words   |  5 PagesThe Advantages of Cloning The first successfully cloned mammal was created on February of 1997. It was a breakthrough in scientific research when the Scottish scientists cloned a sheep by the name of Dolly. The method of cloning requires the extraction of DNA from anywhere on a subjects body and inserting that DNA into a womans egg. Worldwide attention was turned to the prospect of human cloning and with a push for sweeping prohibition (Tribe 459) legislatures around the world banned anyRead MoreHuman Cloning Essay1608 Words   |  7 Pagesa future where humans are manufactured, a future where humans are created by science, a future where humans are the new lab specimen. Human cloning is like opening Pandoras Box, unleashing a torrent of potential evils but at the same time bringing a small seed of hope. No matter how many potential medical and scientific benefits could be made possible by human cloning, it is unethical to clone humans. Before the ethics of human cloning can be discussed, the mechanics of cloning must be understoodRead MoreEssay about The Ethics of Human Cloning979 Words   |  4 PagesThe Ethics of Human Cloning In order to make a fully justified decision on whether human cloning is ethical or not, one must be exposed to the background of the subject. To start, a clone is an exact replica of an organism, cell, or gene. The process itself is done asexually with the use of a cell from the original human. It is then placed inside a female capable of bearing a child and is then born as a clone. Along with this comes questions of whether or not it is rightRead MoreThe Ethics Of Cloning894 Words   |  4 Pages The ethics of cloning Early in 1997, Scottish scientist Dr. Ian Wilmot revealed to the world that he had successfully cloned an adult sheep, Dolly. With this invention, the world made a aggregate astonishment at the realization that cloning was no longer an aspect of a Science Fiction movie. Since then, human cloning has become one of the most expressing divergent topics in the world, discussions began regarding the ethic consequence of human cloning. In several recent opponentsRead MoreThe Ethics Of Human Cloning890 Words   |  4 Pages The ethics of cloning Early in 1997, Scottish scientist Dr. Ian Wilmot revealed to the world that he had successfully cloned an adult sheep, Dolly. With this invention, the world made a aggregate astonishment at the realization that cloning was no longer an aspect of a Science Fiction movie. Since then, human cloning has become one of the most expressing divergent topics in the world, discussions began regarding the ethic consequence of human cloning. In several recent opponents argue thatRead MoreCloning Is Not Without Opposition1278 Words   |  6 PagesCloning is a vital technology that humanity should strive to perfect, despite the many obstacles it currently faces in development and application. Approximately 100 species become extinct a day. Among them are flora and fauna that could hold the cures for cancer, HIV, or any other disease. Cloning technology could preserve and restore these vitally important animals. As of now, the technology is far from usable. Most experiments have resulted in th e death of the cloned embryo. However, a few have

Secularisation Free Essays

Rationalization shows that religions are based on a ‘leap of faith’ rather than proof or evidence, while Weber argued that following a growth in disenchantment in an increasingly rational society, discrimination, the process by which sacred and supernatural forces are no longer seen as controlling the world and religious ideas, beliefs and institutions, would occur. It is also suggested by sociologists, like Heals et al. In their Kendal study, that the holistic milieu and increased participation in Norms and New-Age spirituality is evidence of a reconciliation of society. We will write a custom essay sample on Secularisation or any similar topic only for you Order Now However, critics argue hat actual numbers are a small proportion of the population and that such groups still only have a marginal position in society. Bryan Wilson argues that Norms are almost irrelevant to society, with Peter Berger describing them as ‘islands in a secular sea’. The Kendal study would seem to support this with only 2% of the population engaged in New-Age activities and only half of these individuals viewing their activities as spiritual. This supports Brace’s view that the rise of New Age is not a threat to secularists. Where religious pluralism, is concerned there is no longer a single religious voice or message. Instead there is a fragmentation, which Steve Bruce describes as a decline in ‘strong religion’ with religiosity becoming now a matter for personal choice from ‘weak religions’. Critics argue that this is not necessarily the case. An example would be Northern Ireland, where there is a marked division between Protestants and Roman Catholics, yet religious belief remains strong. Disengagement could be the way established religions have lost influence and withdrawn from wider society. This is reflected in the way that established religions have lost political and social influence. Former Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carrey, described the Church of England in 1991 as like ‘an elderly lady, muttering away to herself ignored by most people’. Here the head of the Church seems to accept that disengagement has taken place compared with the historical past when the Church was at the heart of politics, the civil service, education, the arts etc. Although there has been a spectacular 50% fall in attendance in traditional Christian religions between 1979 and 2005, declining participation statistics, while apparently supporting secularists, do not necessarily prove it because they take no account Of people’s beliefs. It would seem that religion has shifted from the public to the private realm, summed up in Grace Davies phrase ‘believing not belonging. Other factors to bear in mind are the growth in ethnic religions, Norms and engagement with New-Age spirituality. Another thing to consider with statistics is that those from the past cannot always be considered reliable. In addition, membership criteria can change over time, just as the motives and meanings behind participation can change. Finally, religious participation does not in itself guarantee religiousness. In the past in the UK, ND currently in small-town USA, attendance may be more to do with respectability. Many parents attend church in the UK today simply in order to send their children to faith schools. Postmodernists have an ambivalent view of religion. On the one hand, they see the major established religions as in decline along with their meta-narratives. On the other hand, they see a role for individuals seeking individual spirituality to give meaning in an increasingly shallow society that lacks any depth. Augment Banyan argues that the days of universal truths disappeared with the progression from a modern society to a postmodern society. He sees society as increasingly individualistic and fragmented in which people are searching for some form of spirituality. However, in this climate of ‘pick and mix’, people can and do change their mind and beliefs, creating religious pluralism. Therefore the growth of the ‘holistic milieu’ and New-Age spirituality reflects the individualism associated with postmodernism. People operating as ‘spiritual shoppers’ search for individual meaning and seek new and different forms of spirituality, rather than engage in established religions. The global picture of religion is one of contrast between the decline of established religion in most f the developed world and the continued strength of religion generally across the rest of the world. Even in the Western world, there is not a consistent picture of religious decline. How to cite Secularisation, Papers