Second Lecture

After the second lecture on the topic of Philosophy and more reading of Bertrand Russel - History of Western Philosophy, I have begun to understand the chapters 1-9 in book 3 more greatly. The beginning chapter explains the diminshing authority of the Church and the increasing authority of Science. The States and their governmental authority were beginning to over power the Church.
The difference between the authority of Science and authority of the Church became clearer as the authority of Science is intellectual not governmental.

The chapters continue to explain in greater detail the important period of the Renaissance which began in Florence, Italy. The Medici family ultimately became the rulers of Florence, they began as political bosses on the Democratic side. They understood how to make Florence rich as well as themselves and under them the city began to prosper.

The power of the Church was becoming less significant and new greater achievements were increasing. Artistc developments were portrayed through the work of Leonardo and Michelangelo. Their forms of art and styles of paintings began to show realistic figures and great detail which portrayed the feelings and emotions of people.

After reading through book 3, chapters 1-9, I have found that the History of Science in the Renaissance, also referred to as a "scientific revolution", produced significant changes in the ideas of the Universe and also the methods Philosophers used to explain the surrounding nautral phenomena.

Machiavelli, a scientifc political philosopher, remarks that "all armed prophets have conquered and unarmed ones have failed". His book, The Prince, defines how principalities are won, how they are held and how they are lost. It claims "a ruler perish if he is always good; he must be as cunning as a fox and as fierce as a lion."

The Rise of Science begins in the seventeenth century, with great names such as Copernicus and his devotion to astronomy. His theory was only an hypothesis and contradicted the bible. Galileo, however, first discovered the law of falling bodies. Galileo proved by experiment that there is no measurable difference between large and small lumps of the same substance, as before his time it was believed by assumption that a large lump of led would fall much quicker than a small one.

Measurements were not as accurate as they are modern day, but Galileo found the true law of falling bodies proven by experiment and since then, experiments have continued to result in greater true findings and lead to explanations for natural phenomena.

My First Introduction to Journalism

It has officially begun, my first lecture based on the History of Journalism so here i am posting my first blog on the topic of Philosophy. I've never really approached this topic in great detail before and I am looking forward to learning and understanding this study thoroughly.

It is essential for Journalists to investigate matters of existence, beliefs, knowledge and norms in order to create information at a level of accuracy.

This first introduction to Journalism has helped me portray greater ideas and has also given me a further insight into philosophy and how it began in the 14th century period of renaissance. Philosophy began as the way of life in Greek civilisation and this period of history lead to have an important impact on the shape of modern life.

History was soon able to be recorded through phenomena such as the printing press which captured ideas and allowed them to be examined and discussed in order to create new knowledge and ways of sharing them. I never took time to think how much this period has influenced modern society and the way the world communicates and shares ideas so I was fascinated after hearing this introduction.

Without the ingredients to medicines being written down, penicillin, for example, would be non-existant and there would be no knowledge or shared information recorded in order for us to create, as it is in modern life, an essential or progress our knowledge and information further.

Philosophy has also taught me that there are two main categories to believe in, reason and evidence. Journalists base their beliefs on evidence. They need to be sure that the information they share are facts and accuracy is most essential.

So, all that's left to say now is... I look forward to learning more!

First Chapter

After finishing my GCSE's, I moved from London to Bournemouth to study A-levels at sixth form. During those two years change became current for me but the biggest change would be moving to Winchester University to study Journalism and that's exactly what I did! I've always been interested in current affairs but mostly celebrity news and scandals and the best way to keep up to date is to be involved with the magazine industry. It sounds cliche but it is the first chapter in becoming the Journalist i want to be!