An Analysis of 3 Videos

Religion Atheist 2.0 is a short video featuring discussions on remaking atheism. The speaker asks those that do not believe in religion to take their most favorite aspects of different religion and piece them together to create something meaningful using culture as the basis rather than scripture. Atheists who do not rely on religion, but on education cannot really learn true morality from education. They cannot receive proper guidance from universities or that sense of communal support that are so often offered within religion.

Education is viewed as being rational, collecting data. The speaker notes that religion regards people as children, needing all the help they can get. This help, this guidance is typically offered through sermons. Sermons are more valuable than the lecture often seen in education. Sermons are meant to help versus lectures that are meant to provide information. Religious mindsets also call for repetition, which is not valued in an education mindset as new information is more important.

The religious world also values time, and makes sure to make it a requirement to pay attention to certain days on the calendar. The secular world does not. The world of religion also emphasizes great oratory. He also mentions that a physical action backs up a philosophical idea in the world of religion, like taking a bath in the Jewish religion. The secular world focuses more on mental actions and not connecting the mind to the body.

He says art is used for art's sake in the secular world whereas in religion, it serves as propaganda, reinforcing certain ideas. Towards the end he recognizes the power of the group versus the individual in religion. Religion creates institutions that pull in big money and possess a lot of power. That is why those in the secular world must learn from religion so they can effectively spread ideas, create power, and change the world.

Family In Why Americans are more alone" they discuss the changing quantity of people alone in America. They begin with the 1950's stating only 22% of the population were single, and 4 million people lived alone, or 9% of the household. This is in stark contrast to now where more than half of the population in America are single and 31 million Americans live alone or 28% of all households. The reason could be that there are more options available and another is an affluent nation can hold that man single households.

The speakers state poorer countries have lower rates of single households with the exception of an affluent nation like Saudi Arabia where virtually no one is alone. Part of the reason why Saudi Arabia differs is because of the lack of independence women have in the country. They do not have the options and capability to make money that women do in America.

That alone creates a need to have someone there, specifically men as the culture in Saudi Arabia forces women to be with men as a means for survival. This goes back to living with people because someone has to versus because they want to. In America, people have options. Women have options. If a woman has had several bad relationships and just wants to live on her own, she can.

The author states people want to move out and live on their own not because they are not connected to society, but because living with someone else may be a worse option. In fact, he states people living on their own have more time to spend with other people and may have a chance to be more connected to society. What it all amounts to is that if someone has an option then, they will take that option.

Why should they suffer trying to maintain a larger household when they can be perfectly happy alone? Education In TEDTalks: Daphne Koller -- What We're Learning from Online Education, the speaker discusses the rising costs of education, a whopping 559% increase since 1985 and the need for higher learning that becomes obstacles in places like South Africa and even America. She discusses the creation of Coursera.com and the availability of free courses from the best institutions and teachers online.

Needless to say, many people quickly signed on with 640,000 students signing up from 190 countries and stats like 14 million video views and 6 million quizzes. People want to learn and these kinds of website provide the tools from which individuals can prepare themselves for a new career or a new experience. She includes examples of people that did well after taking these courses, even qualifying for good paying jobs all through online learning.

Although online courses have been offered on various websites for a long time, learners in courser.com actually receive deadlines, homework, quizzes, and at the end, a certificate that can be presented to a prospective employer.