Looks Can Be Deceiving Essays - Logic, Philosophy, Abstraction

Looks Can Be Deceiving Essays - Logic, Philosophy, Abstraction Looks Can Be Deceiving Looks Can Be Deceiving Paradoxes are sometimes composed of contradictory ideas presented together, ultimately leading to an unworkable situation. Paradoxes, however, are not simply ambiguous questions. Paradoxes are the essence of the inherent complexity of systems (Internet 1). Each paradox must be analyzed and clearly understood before it can be explained. Since mathematics is, in a sense, a universal language, certain paradoxes and contradictions have arisen that have troubled mathematicians, dating from ancient times to the present. Some are false paradoxes; that is, they do not present actual contradictions, and are merely slick logic tricks. Others have shaken the very foundations of mathematics requiring brilliant, creative mathematical thinking to resolve. Others remain unresolved to this day, but are assumed to be solvable. One recurring theme concerning paradoxes is that each of them can be solved to some degree of satisfaction, but are never completely conclusive. In other words, new answers wil l likely replace older ones, in an attempt to solidify the answer and clarify the problem. A paradox can be defined as an unacceptable conclusion derived by apparently acceptable reasoning from apparently acceptable premises. This essay provides an introduction to a range of paradoxes and their possible solutions. In addition, a questionnaire was composed in order to demonstrate the extent of knowledge that the general population has pertaining to paradoxes. Paradoxes are useful things, despite their mind-boggling appearance. Generally, however, most paradoxes can be solved by searching for specific properties that they may contain. Therefore, if you try to describe a situation and you end up with a paradox (contradictory outcome), it usually means that the theory is wrong, or the theory or the definitions break down along the way. Also, it is possible that the situation cannot possibly occur, or the question may simply be meaningless for some other reason. Any of these possibilities are relevant, and if you exhaust all the possible interpretations, one of them should prove to be incorrect (Internet 1). The following type of paradox is called Simpsons Paradox. This paradox involves an apparent contradiction, because when the data are presented one way, one particular conclusion is inferred. However, when the same data are presented in another form, the opposite conclusion results. Paradox 1: Acceptance Percentages for College A and College Chart 1 Section A Section B Accepted Rejected Total Percent Accepted Accepted Rejected Total Percent Passing Women 400 250 650 61% 50 300 350 14% Men 50 25 75 67% 125 300 425 29% Total 450 275 725 175 600 775 As is evident in Chart 1, when the data are presented in two separate tables, it looks as if men are accepted more often than women, because in each case (College A and College B), men are accepted at a higher ratio than women. However, when the same data are combined into one table (Chart 2), a contradicting result is implied. Acceptance Percentage Totals for the University Chart 2 Accepted Rejected Total Percent Accepted Women 450 550 1000 45% Men 175 325 500 35% Total 625 875 1500 This table shows women actually having a higher overall acceptance rate than men. This is an example of Simpsons Paradox because it involves misleading data. Obviously, the presentation of the data is very important, and can lead to incorrect assumptions if the data are not used properly (Internet 2). Paradox 2: An Arrow in Flight One can imagine an arrow in flight, toward a target. For the arrow to reach the target, the arrow must first travel half of the overall distance from the starting point to the target. Next, the arrow must travel half of the remaining distance. For example, if the starting distance was 10m, the arrow first travels 5m, then 2.5m. If one extends this concept further, one can imagine the resulting distances getting smaller and smaller. Will the arrow ever reach the target? (Internet 3) The answer is, of course, yes the arrow will reach the target. Our common sense tells us so. But, mathematically, this fact can be proven because the sum of an infinite series can be a finite number. The question contains a premise, which implies that the infinite series will result in an infinite number. Thus, 1/2 + 1/4 + 1/8 + ... = 1 and the arrow hits the target (Internet 3). Paradox 3: Two Equals

The Amazing and Horrifying Story of Kurt Gerstein

The Amazing and Horrifying Story of Kurt Gerstein Anti-Nazi Kurt Gerstein (1905-1945) never intended to be a witness to the Nazi murder of the Jews. He joined the SS to try to find out what happened to his sister-in-law, who had mysteriously died in a mental institution. Gerstein was so successful in his infiltration of the SS that he was placed in a position to witness gassings at Belzec. Gerstein then told everyone he could think of about what he saw and yet no action was taken. Some wonder if Gerstein did enough. Kurt Gerstein Kurt Gerstein was born on August 11, 1905, in Mà ¼nster, Germany. Growing up as a young boy in Germany during the First World War and the following tumultuous years, Gerstein did not escape the pressures of his time. He was taught by his father to follow orders without question; he agreed with the growing patriotic fervor that espoused German nationalism, and he was not immune to the strengthening anti-Semitic feelings of the inter-war period. Thus he joined the Nazi Party on May 2, 1933. However, Gerstein found that much of the National Socialist (Nazi) dogma went against his strong Christian beliefs. Turning Anti-Nazi While attending college, Gerstein became very involved in Christian youth groups. Even after graduating in 1931 as a mining engineer, Gerstein remained very active in the youth groups, especially the Federation of German Bible Circles (until it was disbanded in 1934). On January 30, 1935, Gerstein attended an anti-Christian play, Wittekind at the Municipal Theater in Hagen. Though he sat amongst numerous Nazi members, at one point in the play he stood up and shouted, This is unheard of! We shall not allow our faith to be publicly mocked without protest!1 For this statement, he was given a black eye and had several teeth knocked out.2 On September 26, 1936, Gerstein was arrested and imprisoned for anti-Nazi activities. He had been arrested for attaching anti-Nazi letters to invitations sent out to invitees of the German Miners Association.3 When Gersteins house was searched, additional anti-Nazi letters, issued by the Confessional Church, were found ready to be mailed along with 7,000 addressed envelopes.4 After the arrest, Gerstein was officially excluded from the Nazi Party. Also, after six weeks of imprisonment, he was released only to find that he had lost his job in the mines. Arrested Again Not able to get a job, Gerstein went back to school. He began to study theology at Tà ¼bingen but soon transferred to the Protestant Missions Institute to study medicine. After a two-year engagement, Gerstein married Elfriede Bensch, a pastors daughter, on August 31, 1937. Even though Gerstein had already suffered exclusion from the Nazi Party as a warning against his anti-Nazi activities, he soon resumed his distribution of such documents. On July 14, 1938, Gerstein was again arrested. This time, he was transferred to the Welzheim concentration camp where he became extremely depressed. He wrote, Several times I came within an ace of hanging myself of putting an end to my life in some other way because I hadnt the faintest idea if, or when, I should ever be released from that concentration camp.5 On June 22, 1939, after Gersteins release from the camp, the Nazi Party took even more drastic action against him regarding his status in the Party - they officially dismissed him. Gerstein Joins the SS In the beginning of 1941, Gersteins sister-in-law, Bertha Ebeling, died mysteriously at the Hadamar mental institution. Gerstein was shocked by her death and became determined to infiltrate the Third Reich to find out the truth about the numerous deaths at Hadamar and similar institutions. On March 10, 1941, a year and a half into the Second World War, Gerstein joined the Waffen SS. He was soon placed in the medical services hygiene section where he succeeded in inventing water filters for German troops - to his superiors delight. Gerstein had been dismissed from the Nazi Party, thus should not have been able to hold any Party position, especially not become part of the Nazi elite. For a year and a half, the anti-Nazi Gersteins entry into the Waffen SS went unnoticed by those that had dismissed him. In November 1941, at a funeral for Gersteins brother, a member of the Nazi court that had dismissed Gerstein saw him in uniform. Although information about his past was passed on to Gersteins superiors, his technical and medical skills - proven by the working water filter - made him too valuable to dismiss, Gerstein was thus allowed to stay at his post. Zyklon B Three months later, in January 1942, Gerstein was appointed the head of the Technical Disinfection Department of the Waffen SS where he worked with various toxic gases, including Zyklon B. On June 8, 1942, while the head of the Technical Disinfection Department, Gerstein was visited by SS Sturmbannfà ¼hrer Rolf Gà ¼nther of the Reich Security Main Office. Gà ¼nther ordered Gerstein to deliver 220 pounds of Zyklon B to a location known only to the driver of the truck. Gersteins main task was to determine the feasibility of changing the Aktion Reinhard gas chambers from carbon monoxide to Zyklon B. In August 1942, after having collected the  Zyklon B  from a factory in Kolin (near Prague, Czech Republic), Gerstein was taken to  Majdanek, Belzec, and  Treblinka. Belzec Gerstein arrived at Belzec on August 19, 1942, where he witnessed the entire process of gassing a trainload of Jews. After the unloading of 45 train cars stuffed with 6,700 people, those that were still alive were marched, completely naked, and told that no harm would come to them.  After the gas chambers were filled: Unterscharfà ¼hrer Hackenholt was making great efforts to get the engine running. But it doesnt go. Captain Wirth comes up. I can see he is afraid because I am present at a disaster. Yes, I see it all and I wait. My stopwatch showed it all, 50 minutes, 70 minutes, and the diesel did not start. The people wait inside the gas chambers. In vain. They can be heard weeping, like in the synagogue, says Professor Pfannenstiel, his eyes glued to a window in the wooden door. Furious, Captain Wirth lashes the Ukrainian assisting Hackenholt twelve, thirteen times, in the face. After 2 hours and 49 minutes - the stopwatch recorded it all - the diesel started. Up to that moment, the people shut up in those four crowded chambers were still alive, four times 750 persons in four times 45 cubic meters. Another 25 minutes elapsed. Many were already dead, that could be seen through the small window because an electric lamp inside lit up the chamber for a few moments. After 28 minutes, only a few were still alive. Finally, after 32 minutes, all were dead. 6 Gerstein was then shown the processing of the dead: Dentists hammered out gold teeth, bridges and crowns. In the midst of them stood Captain Wirth. He was in his element, and showing me a large can full of teeth, he said: See for yourself the weight of that gold! Its only from yesterday and the day before. You cant imagine what we find every day - dollars, diamonds, gold. Youll see for yourself! 7 Telling the World Gerstein was shocked by what he had witnessed. Yet, he realized that as a witness, his position was unique. I was one of the handful of people who had seen every corner of the establishment, and certainly the only one to have visited it as an enemy of this gang of murderers. 8 He buried the Zyklon B canisters that he was supposed to deliver to the death camps. He was shaken by what he had seen. He wanted to expose what he knew to the world so that they could stop it. On the train back to Berlin, Gerstein met Baron Gà ¶ran von Otter, a Swedish diplomat. Gerstein told von Otter all he had seen. As von Otter relates the conversation: It was hard to get Gerstein to keep his voice down. We stood there together, all night, some six hours or maybe eight. And again and again, Gerstein kept on recalling what he had seen. He sobbed and hid his face in his hands. 9 Von Otter made a detailed report of his conversation with Gerstein and sent it to his superiors. Nothing happened. Gerstein continued to tell people what he had seen. He tried to contact the Legation of the Holy See but was denied access because he was a soldier.10 [T]aking my life in my hands every moment, I continued to inform hundreds of people of these horrible massacres. Among them were the Niemà ¶ller family; Dr. Hochstrasser, the press attachà © at the Swiss Legation in Berlin; Dr. Winter, the coadjutor of the Catholic Bishop of Berlin - so that he could transmit my information to the Bishop and to the Pope; Dr. Dibelius [bishop of the Confessing Church], and many others. In this way, thousands of people were informed by me.11 As months continued to pass and still the Allies had done nothing to stop the extermination, Gerstein became increasingly frantic. [H]e behaved in a strangely reckless manner, needlessly risking his life every time he spoke of the extermination camps to persons he scarcely knew, who were in no position to help, but might easily have been subjected to torture and interrogation. . .  12 Suicide or Murder On April 22, 1945, near the end of the war, Gerstein contacted the Allies. After telling his story and showing his documents, Gerstein was kept in honorable captivity in Rottweil - this meant he was lodged at Hotel Mohren and just had to report to the French gendarmerie once a day.13 It was here that Gerstein wrote down his experiences - both in French and German. At this time, Gerstein seemed optimistic and confident. In a letter, Gerstein wrote: After twelve years of unremitting struggle, and in particular after the last four years of my extremely dangerous and exhausting activity and the many horrors I have lived through, I should like to recuperate with my family in Tà ¼bingen. 14 On May 26, 1945, Gerstein was soon transferred to Constance, Germany and then to Paris, France in early June. In Paris, the French did not treat Gerstein differently than the other war prisoners. He was taken to the Cherche-Midi military prison on July 5, 1945. The conditions there were terrible. On the afternoon of July 25, 1945, Kurt Gerstein was found dead in his cell, hung with part of his blanket. Though it was apparently a suicide, there is still some question if it was perhaps murder, possibly committed by other German prisoners who did not want Gerstein to talk. Gerstein was buried in the Thiais cemetery under the name Gastein. But even that was temporary, for his grave was within a section of the cemetery that was razed in 1956. Tainted In 1950, a final blow was given to Gerstein - a denazification court posthumously condemned him. After his experiences in the Belzec camp, he might have been expected to resist, with all the strength at his command, being made the tool of an organized mass murder. The court is of the opinion that the accused did not exhaust all the possibilities open to him and that he could have found other ways and means of holding aloof from the operation. . . .Accordingly, taking into account the extenuating circumstances noted . . . the court has not included the accused among the main criminals but has placed him among the tainted.15 It was not until January 20, 1965, that Kurt Gerstein was cleared of all charges, by the Premier of Baden-Wà ¼rttemberg. End Notes Saul Friedlnder,  Kurt Gerstein: The Ambiguity of Good  (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1969) 37.Friedlnder,  Gerstein  37.Friedlnder,  Gerstein  43.Friedlnder,  Gerstein  44.Letter by Kurt Gerstein to relatives in the United States as quoted in Friedlnder,  Gerstein  61.Report by Kurt Gerstein as quoted in Yitzhak Arad,  Belzec, Sobibor, Treblinka: The Operation Reinhard Death Camps  (Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1987)  102.Report by Kurt Gerstein as quoted in Arad,  Belzec  102.Friedlnder,  Gerstein  109.Friedlnder,  Gerstein  124.Report by Kurt Gerstein as quoted in Friedlnder,  Gerstein  128.Report by Kurt Gerstein as quoted in Friedlnder,  Gerstein  128-129.Martin Niemà ¶ller as quoted in Friedlnder,  Gerstein  179.Friedlnder,  Gerstein  211-212.Letter by Kurt Gerstein as quoted in Friedlnder,  Gerstein  215-216.Verdict of the Tà ¼bingen Denazification Court, August 17, 1950 as quoted in Friedlnder,  Gerstein  225-226. Bibliography Arad, Yitzhak.  Belzec, Sobibor, Treblinka: The Operation Reinhard Death Camps. Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1987.Friedlnder, Saul.  Kurt Gerstein: The Ambiguity of Good. New York: Alfred A Knopf, 1969.Kochan, Lionel. Kurt Gerstein.  Encyclopedia of the Holocaust. Ed. Israel Gutman. New York: Macmillan Library Reference USA, 1990.

Brain and Physical Injuries Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Brain and Physical Injuries - Essay Example The researchers found that most of the family members were less psychologically distressed. However, people suffering from brain injury had poorer psychological outcomes than their relatives did. The study also found that spouses of patients with brain injury were subjected to trauma and psychological distress. Bell, Kathleen R., Nancy Temkin R., Peter Esselman C., Jason Doctor N., Charles Bombardier S., Robert Fraser T., Jeanne Hoffman M., Janet Powell M., and Sureyya Dukem. â€Å"The Effect of a Scheduled Telephone Intervention on Outcome after Moderate to Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: A Randomized Trial.† Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 86.5 (2005): 851-856. Print. The authors studied the effectiveness of telephone interventions in counseling and education for brain injury patients. These interventions, coming from home, were compared with the standard follow-ups conducted after one year. The researchers found that constant telephone interventions made patients feel better than interventions that come after a long time. Esser, E., Valencia, E., Conover, S., Felix, A., Tsai, W.Y. and Wyatt, R. J. â€Å"Preventing recurrent homelessness among mentally ill men: a "critical time" intervention after discharge from a shelter.† American Journal of Public Health 87.2 (2007): 256-262. Print. The authors set out to establish strategies that can protect mentally ill persons from becoming homeless. They sought a bridge between community care and mental institutions. They sampled 96 men with severe mental illness, including brain injury and gave them critical care in an institution. The researchers discovered that most of the men longed for home and families despite the good care they received at the institution. The researchers sought to determine the factors that predict family system functioning after one member of the family experiences brain injury. The

Trust Can Make or Unmake Organizations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Trust Can Make or Unmake Organizations - Essay Example Hong Kong had been a bastion of capitalism for so long, hopping and prospering in a nearly unbridled free enterprise system that it looked at mainland China as untrustworthy as the new lord and master of a freedom and fun-loving group of people. China was of course known for its regimented economic and political life as well as its severe, heavy-handed style of communist rule. Their minds made up on the undesirability of Chinese control, many business interests fled Hong Kong before the Chinese took over. But just as many companies stayed - and found that the earlier fears and feelings of distrust by the others were unfounded. The Chinese let the former British colony live the way it used to and in fact opened up mainland China to fresh winds of reforms. What happened in Hong Kong was an example of how lack of trust and full understanding of how trust operates can blindside people and in the process erode the level of economic activity and the quality of life desired for everyone. This is one of the reasons why the formal study of trust is attracting a lot of interest among scholars in the fields of international relations, political science, psychology and sociology, management and economics, and conflict analysis. Results of the initial studies confirm that people suspect or mistrust others based on surface impressions. More important, they cannot work together as a group without each appreciating the value of trust. Tr Trust Trust is a key enabler of cooperative human actions (D'Amico, L., 2003). The intensified studies on trust in many relevant fields in effect recognize the importance of cooperative behavior to the success of any human endeavor and, consequently, to the success or failure of an organization. It was found that trust leads two other basic mechanisms by which such cooperation can be achieved in human behavior, the other two being power and the market. These mechanisms come into play through three types of trust: Type A - The relationship between two parties is based on a system of sanctions or incentives, which could be economic (fines, rewards, etc.) or social (black listing or alienation), put up to ensure that one does not abuse the trust of the other. Type B - Confidence is based on personal relations or trust. Thus, John would not abuse Joe's trust because to do so would damage their friendship and John believes that Joe values such friendship. Type C - The relationship is hinged on abstract systems (money tokens, for example) and social institutions (professional and trade associations) and hence avails of market forces. Lewis & Weigert define trust as "a complex and multidimensional phenomenon that extends to both the personal and impersonal, and to situational and across-situational contexts." This means that trusting or depending on another is based on a given situation, such that the decision to trust is formed tentatively and conditionally until the other person or institution proves to be unworthy of the trust. The other way around happened to the companies that opted to stay in Hong Kong despite earlier misgivings about the fair-mindedness of Chinese decision-makers. In time, China proved worthy of said companies' trust . In the concept of trust set by Harrison, et al. trust can be a behavior, an expectancy, an attitude, a confidence, a belief or set of beliefs, and a situational, dispositional, structural or interpersonal variable. To trust

Why Teens Cant Sleep Essay Example for Free

Why Teens Cant Sleep Essay Warren Zevon, American songwriter and musician, once said, â€Å"I’ll sleep when I’m dead.† Ironically, sleep is one of the basic functions of life we need to survive. Teenagers take a good night’s sleep for granite, often skipping it for a variety of reasons. However, the body will never be at its peak performance without a good night’s rest. Due to other after school activities, responsibilities, or habits teenagers find themselves in circumstances where they are up late at night missing out on hours sleep. Some of these circumstances that cause sleep deprivation are out of a teen’s control, while others are not. When sports coaches schedule practices late in the evening this often means teens are not going to get a good night’s sleep. This situation is clearly out of a teen’s control as they must respect their coach’s decision. In the beginning of November, the Middletown Football team held a meeting to talk about our practice in preparation for the last game of the season. Because the last football game stretches two weeks into the winter sport season those playing a winter sport and football, such as myself, had to attend both of their practices. Coach Donahue, the football coach, arranged for me to attend wrestling at 2:30pm to 5:30pm then go to football practice 6pm to 8pm. I would not get home until 8:30pm. After eating dinner and finishing homework I was in bed by 11pm. It was then my responsibility to wake up at 5:30am to prepare for school and do it all over again. Having practice scheduled late in the evening deprived me of hours of sleep and it showed as I woul d find myself a sleep during my classes. In addition to late sports practices, a teenager’s part-time job also can lead to sleep deprivation. Some teenagers rely on their job to help support their family or save to support themselves later in college. My best friend, Ylexis, has a part-time job at the Middletown Galleria AMC. She took this job because she needs the money for college. On a regular basis her shift adviser will schedule her to work after school at 4pm to 8pm. She complains to me all the time in the most vitreous tone that she does not get enough sleep because when she gets home she is responsible for preparing dinner for her younger siblings. After completing her homework she is normally in bed at 10pm or later. Because this job deprives her of time she needs to sleep, Ylexis has talked about quitting then taking a year off after high school to work for college.  Perhaps the most common reason for sleep deprivation in teens is also the one in their control: procrastination. Teens tend to put off major assignments that are not due the next day. My friend Jose is a great example. Jose is the biggest Call of Duty fan I have ever known, and it hurt him tremendously in the grade book. He told me when Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 was released, he played online until 1am. As Jose was going to sleep for the night he remembered a two page essay due the next day in Psychology class. Jose scrambled to put what he could together, constructing his essay until five in the morning. Upon turning in the essay the teacher told Jose he looked as though he were going to fall out from exhaustion. Jose received a D- on his essay, and he regrets ever having purchased Call of Duty. There are a variety of circumstances, some in a teen’s control and others that are not, that could cause sleep deprivation. Whether it be a sport, a job, or a bad habit it is vital a teenager get an ample amount of sleep. Sleep is needed to keep the body working efficiently. I do not envy anyone who is caught in all these situations at one time.

Appleby Book Review Essay -- Essays Papers

Appleby Book Review Telling The Truth About History I am writing a book review of Telling The Truth About History by Joyce Appleby, Lynn Hunt and Margaret Jacob. In this book, the authors’ talk about the increased skepticism and the position that relativism has lessen our ability to actually know and to write about the past. The book discusses the writing of history, and how people are struggling with the issues of what is â€Å"truth.† It also discusses the postmodernist movement and how future historians can avoid the mistakes by historians from the past. Telling The Truth About History gives great insight and knowledge to those who are non-historians because it looks at the dispute and inadequacy of past historical approaches to the study of history and that science is dead. I hold that history was not written in Labs and therefore cannot be compared to science. In my review I will critique the three-absolutist ideas made by Newton and Darwin. First, Appleby, Lynn, and Jacob discussed the ideas concerning history. The first idea described how Newton and Darwin became chief examples of the Heroic model of science. Then, in a later chapter, the authors’ show how Newton and Darwin fell from grace and the effect this had on history as a discipline. Nevertheless, early historians felt that the way to find the truth was though science. Early historians felt that through science they could become neutral and reconstruct the past exactly as it happened (241). I analyze tha...

Live Like You’Re Dying Essay

Clean, Cull, and Connect. In his short essay â€Å"Live like you’re dying,† Chuck Palahniuk refers them as the â€Å"Three C’s. † After confirming that suicide is the only escape route, they are the three final chores you must finish on your last â€Å"lively† week. Clean everything. Your bathroom, car, refrigerator, everything. Cull down your resources, donate and destroy needless possessions, and get a good haircut. Connect to everyone you’ve ever known and say something nice, no matter how bad you hate them. Don’t feel humiliated, you’ve got nothing to lose except a few days of your life. Also, know that no one will remember you, know that the world will not change after you die. Know that you will not be missed. And after all of this, Palahniuk says you probably won’t bother to kill yourself, since by then you’ll be surrounded by friends who recognize you as a decent and valuable friend. But there is more to the essay than explaining what the three C’s are. Both the title and content clearly spotlights death as a major concept of the essay, as most of Palahniuk’s writings are. Actually, Palahniuk touches on death so often that it seems he cannot go through a single essay without discussing about it. Also, from start to beginning, his sentences are written in such a clean-cut way that the reader almost feels suicidal. â€Å"Do everything. † â€Å"Destroy it. † â€Å"Treat yourself. † â€Å"Your oven will be clean, your car vacuumed. † Even in the merriest mind, one cannot help but be persuaded that the world will crumble when the essay ends. Why does Palahniuk do so? It seems odd – and arduous – for any writer to be so â€Å"deathly† when he writes. Palahniuk was beleaguered by death all his life. In his mind, his happy family had already died when his parents divorced, leaving him and his three siblings to live with their grandparents. Later on, Palahniuk volunteered at a hospice as an escort, where he had to witness the death of a patient he had grown attached to (which lead him to stop volunteer working). And around 1999, Palahniuk’s father – Fred Palahniuk – was shot and dragged into a house which was put on fire. Palahniuk later on helped the decision of the killer’s death sentence, the ex-boyfriend of Fred Palahniuk’s girlfriend. Although death is a frequently visited topic for Palahniuk, he probably doesn’t always write in such a â€Å"deathly† manner on purpose. But it is also not surprising that Palahniuk ends up writing about death every time. Palahniuk’s word choice during the essay is also different from the ordinary writer. Not only that most of them are short, but all of them are so-called â€Å"easy† words (perhaps â€Å"procrastinate† at the last paragraph is an exception). Of course, it comes from Palahniuk’s minimalistic writing philosophy, but anyone with internet connection to Wikipedia can figure that out. The question is, where does his writing philosophy come from? Palahniuk claims himself to be a romantic who expresses ideas that others do not believe in. It is only natural that he holds different ideas from the ordinary man, regarding the unordinary world he grew up in. Therefore, readers of Palahniuk need to think twice about what he wrote to understand it. But complex words tend to have an accurate meaning to it, which doesn’t leave any space to think again about what he was actually trying to say. This leaves Palahniuk no choice but to use more flexible, simpler and original words. Although it doesn’t show in the essay â€Å"Live like you’re dying,† an exception is when it comes to mechanics. For example, in his novel â€Å"Fight Club,† most of the processes in making plastic bombs or soap is described in an accurate manner. This is probably because Palahniuk used to work for Freightliner as a mechanic, but his tendency to describe mechanical processes accurately has less to do with his flow of words than we have interest to. As it has been clearly shown, â€Å"Live like you’re dying† has a deep relation to Palahniuk’s background, almost as if the essay is a shadow of Palahniuk. Everything that Palahniuk has been through, and is going through, is spilled out and spread, conscious or unconscious, on the computer screen when he writes. He can’t help it. And it would be nonsense to say that this only counts for Chuck Palahniuk – every essay is a shadow of the author in some way or the other, a footprint of what he has been through. There’s a sort of syllogism going on here: what you’ve one is what you are, what you are is what you write, so what you’ve done is what you write. If you disagreed, you’d be challenging Socrates.