Articles written by Matthew Ryan

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About me - Matthew Ryan

I graduated from SUNY Geneseo in 1994 with a bachelor's degree in philosophy and mathematics. I also studied computer science from 1998 to 2000 at SUNY Geneseo. Somewhere in there, I also earned a black belt in the martial arts at Fred Villari's Studios of

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Arts & Humanities > Ethics How do we define evil: 1 of 40
The nature of good and evil has been a central problem in philosophy since the discipline began. It is the very focal point of the subfield of ethics. The central ethical question is "How can I be a good person?" A related question is "How can I avoid being an evil person?" and also, "How can I recognize evil?" In this essay,... More..
Arts & Humanities > English Language Should English be the official language in the USA?: 3 of 55
Every once in a while this topic comes up and hits the mainstream. With the coming election and the importance of the illegal immigration issue, I believe it is necessary to give this topic a detailed discussion. Should the United States adopt English as its official language? I believe it should for a number of reasons. But ... More..
Arts & Humanities > Awareness & Reality What is solipsism: 1 of 10
Solipsism is the view that reality, as far as you can know it, consists of your own private mental states. It is often discussed in philosophy in connection with Rene Descartes' method of hyperbolic doubt as well as the "Problem of Perception." We shall discuss Descartes first.In his "Meditations" Descartes tried to find a fo... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Thoughts on God Evolution and intelligent design: Taking sides: 3 of 27
The question of the existence of God has been debated throughout the ages. Today, there is a movement to teach "Intelligent Design" in the classroom alongside the "Theory of Evolution." Personally, I'm not against the teaching of Intelligent Design, but neither do I have an overriding compulsion to see it taught. I'd much rat... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Justice System Jessica's Law: How to punish child molesters: 4 of 30
Many states around the country have enacted Jessica's Law, or something close to it. According to Wikipedia, the key provisions of the law are a mandatory minimum of 25 years in prison, and lifetime monitoring of the child sexual predator. Other states have gone further suggesting life in prison or even the death penalty (e.... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Bible Study Looking at obedience and authority as defined by the Bible: 2 of 12
A common theme in religion is that we must "obey" God. My concern in this article is to investigate what this means and how far we should take it. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the story of Abraham expresses an extreme point-of-view on this topic. God asks Abraham to sacrifice his son to Him; Abraham agrees and nearly com... More..
Arts & Humanities > Ethics Active vs. passive euthanasia: 1 of 5
Euthanasia, like abortion, is a divisive issue capable of sparking heated and emotional debates. The practice of euthanasia has been around for centuries in some cultures. For example, in ancient times the Spartans, a warrior culture, killed disabled and deformed children by leaving them on a hilltop to fend for themselves. M... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Comparative Religion Is there one, true religion that is better than all the others?: 32 of 155
There is no one true faith automatically superior to all the others. Most faiths, are on roughly equal footing. The purpose of religion is to bring one closer to God. Traditionally, there have been two different aspects of this endeavor. The first is ritual. Ritual is almost entirely subjective. However, some universal restr... More..
Arts & Humanities > Meaning of Life Finding the meaning of life: 21 of 88
The search for the meaning of life is a quest that has echoed through the ages. Why are we here? More specifically, why am I here? This is an important question for each individual that asks it of herself. Some individuals spend their entire lives searching for the answer, while others spend only a few minutes. Socrates, for... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Heaven, Hell & Afterlife Can you get to heaven by being good?: 12 of 48
"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father, except through me." (John 14:6) Jesus Christ spoke these words to his apostles and many Christians believe that they form the crux of Christianity as a religion. They believe the words are to be taken literally-only Christians, those that believe Jesus is ... More..