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What is Nature?

Nature as an academic topic appears across a wide range of disciplines, from biology and environmental science to literature, psychology, and philosophy. Students are asked to engage with it because it sits at the intersection of empirical inquiry and humanistic interpretation, making it productively complex. Questions about what is natural—whether in human behavior, literary settings, social structures, or biological systems—invite critical thinking that resists simple answers. The recurring tension between nature and nurture, for example, raises fundamental questions about identity, ability, and the role of environment in shaping individuals, which gives the topic lasting relevance across courses.

The papers collected here reflect a genuinely diverse range of approaches. Some take a comparative angle, setting texts or systems against one another—such as examining electric and hybrid cars versus gas-powered vehicles, or contrasting figures like Gilgamesh and the Monkey King. Others engage in literary analysis, exploring how nature functions in works like Jack London's "To Build a Fire" or Shakespeare's "Othello." Still others approach nature through a psychological or sociological lens, particularly in discussions of major depressive disorder, the nature versus nurture debate, and leadership behavior. Case-study and policy-oriented approaches also appear, touching on issues like the Oregon Death with Dignity Act.

A strong essay on nature begins with a clearly scoped thesis that specifies which dimension of nature is under examination—biological, environmental, thematic, or philosophical. Evidence carries the most weight when it is drawn directly from primary sources, empirical research, or close textual analysis rather than broad generalization. The most common pitfall is treating "nature" as self-explanatory; defining the term precisely within the essay's specific context is essential to maintaining a coherent argument throughout.

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Research Paper Doctorate
Family Law, Gay Marriage, and Equal Protection Rights
What makes a marriage, in the eyes of society and the eyes of the law? As this paper is being written, President George W. Bush has called for a constitutional amendment upholding the idea that marriage is an…
Paper Undergraduate
Plato, Epictetus, and Nietzsche on Desire and Passion
When we discuss how Plato presents the most appropriate human attitude toward bodily appetite and/or passion, it is vital to note that Plato's method of discussing philosophy in dialogue -- as though this were a drama…
Paper Masters
The Hajj: Islamic Pilgrimage to Mecca Explained
This paper examines in a general matter Islam and Pilgrimage. It beings by offering a summary of what Islam is and what pilgrimage means. Then, it examines the various aspects of pilgrimage, including the differentiations between different sects and different cities.
Research Paper Undergraduate
Monstrosity and Anti-Enlightenment in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
An analysis of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. In the analysis that is undertaken, it is posited that the true monster in the novel is Victor Frankenstein more so than his creature. Additionally it is argued that it was Frankenstein's nature that influenced his behavior whereas the Creature was motivated by a lack of nurturing and having to teach himself the ways of the world.
Paper Doctorate
Does Free Will Exist? Six Major Philosophical Views
Does "Free Will" Exist and if so, to What Extent does it Exist? The concept of "Free Will" has been debated by many philosophers over a period of centuries, not only regarding its very existence but also regarding its elements, the extent to which it may or may not exist and its moral implications. Our assigned readings have merely touched on debates that have raged and will probably continue to rage as long as human beings contemplate the "truths" about being. Though an exhaustive review of differing philosophical treatments of "Free Will" would probably take hundreds of pages, this work will briefly examine several major philosophies of "Free Will" and some of their most notable proponents. In reviewing these sources and differing approaches to "Free Will," we can see that philosophers approach the concept of "Free Will" with differing definitions, examining disparate aspects and resulting in somewhat different implications for Morality. It is fortunate that this work does not require a definitive conclusion about the existence and impact of "Free Will," for review of sources from class reading and independent reading reveals that the only definitive conclusion can be that there is no definitive conclusion. It appears that each philosopher in his turn treats Free Will and aspects of Free Will somewhat differently and arrives at unique conclusions. Descartes takes the most extreme position examined, apparently believing that there is Free Will and that it is completely unrestrained and undiminished by divine grace or natural knowledge. Immanuel Kant believed that there is Free Will but it is based solely in the rational aspect of the human being and is known essentially because we rationally know that we have certain incontrovertible duties. Roderick Chisholm believes that there is Free Will but that it is specifically linked to a type of "agent causation" as opposed to transeunt or "event" causation. Peter Van Inwagen believes that there is Free Will but only in a very small set of circumstances illustrated by "a garden of forking paths," some of which are illusions. Daniel M. Wegner believes that there is Free Will but that much of our supposed Free Will or Conscious Will is actually a simplistic illusion created for our benefits by our minds. Finally, Benjamin Libet believes there is Free Will but simultaneously refutes much of the traditional notion of Free Will through experiments indicating that many of our actions precede our will and that our exercise of Free Will primarily resides in controlling commenced actions by "vetoing" them. In sum, without even addressing the work of philosophers who do not believe in the existence of Free Will at all, we see disparate approaches to Free Will, to its nature, to its extent and to its moral implications. Indeed, some of these philosophers themselves decry the "incoherence" of philosophical treatments of "Free Will" while attempting to contribute their own thoughts on a vital philosophical topic that shows no signs of uniform conclusions.
Paper High School
Conversations with Goethe by Eckermann: A Book Review
The German poet, novelist, translator, scientist, dramatist, and instrumentalist, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832)turned out to be the last worldwide mastermind of the West and a ruler of world literature, the writer of Wilhelm Meister,Faust and The Sorrows of Young Werther,. There is not anywhere else that one can meet a more all-pervading, multifaceted, and Private Goethe than in the astonishing Conversations (1836) which was done by Johann Peter Eckermann (1792–1854), a German scholar and writer in addition to Goethe's acquaintance, archivist, and editor.
Paper Masters
Environment, Progress, and Social Equality in the Modern Age
The modern world and all of its technological progress has led to a situation in which many individuals become detached from its reliance on the knowledge of natural systems to provide for themselves and their families. Yet they are entirely dependent on the natural systems that provide things such as food, water, and clean air; it's just that they are rather unaware of how these systems are integrated with their lives. Whereas once individuals had to hunt, gather, farm, or raise livestock for their sustenance, now people can simple just travel to the grocery store and purchase nearly anything they desire.
Research Paper Doctorate
Human Resources as Critical Investments in Organizations
The purpose of this paper is to explore whether or not the human resources (HR) within an organization should be used as critical investments. To support this exploration, the terms "human capital," "human assets" and…
Research Paper Doctorate
John Ciardi: Poetry to Instruct and Delight
John Ciardi was born in Boston in 1916. The child if immigrant parents, he attended college in an era when college education was still considered a privilege rather than an expected part of American life.
Research Paper Doctorate
Trauma: Psychological and Behavioral Effects on Humans
Trauma is considered as 'Mental Agony', distress due to problems internal or personal to the patient's/victim's, undergone by a person during a given period. Even physical or mental distress undergone can also be…