Class topic: Racism, bias, and discrimination Article topic: Toward a Social Psychology of Race and Race Relations for the Twenty-First Century. Reflection After reading the article on the social psychology of race and race relations, I have learned several things. The author starts by conceptualizing race. Understanding the relations between social psychology require a clear understanding of race itself. I believe that race is not based on biological characteristics of an individual but instead, it is socially constructed. The society tends to classify races based on historical contexts. Due to dynamics across the globe, the concept of the multiracial category of race has emerged. The multiracial groups emerge from the migration that results in intermarriages. For instance, a black woman married to a white man will produce a biracial child. If this child is married to an individual from a different race, a multiracial child will be produced. This has been a pressing issue when it comes to race categorization. This is a challenge because such individual does not fit into a particular race category. This calls for research to classify these individuals using other social aspects instead of biological characteristics. I believe the issue of multiracial race classification will result in a major overhaul to the entire process of race categorization. It is clear that the issue of race and ethnicity has a huge impact on categorization. This is because a single race may have many ethnic groups and therefore ethnicity must be used together with race classification. The author identifies a number of theories related to race relations. One of the theories is the social identity theory. I believe this theory still applies to modern society. People continue to classify other easily. Despite the modernization, this theory continues to apply, and it is one of the reasons why racial discrimination persists across the globe. The theory is motivated by issues such as inadequate resources and increased population. This leads to favoritism among individuals of the same race. The author focusses on the United States and discusses how the rapid changes in the race continue to affect racial relations. It is important to note that the social dominance theory continues to encourage unfairness in terms of resource sharing. However, civilization across all races may address the issue of social dominance. After reading the article, I learn that racial diversity has various effects on individuals. It is true to say that racial diversity affects the interaction between individuals. Each of the individual’s opinion about the other race forms the basis of the interaction. As time progresses, the interaction becomes freer and the individuals are able to share their opinions without fear. Moreover, individuals get to understand other races better. Also, racial diversity has an effect on groups. Interracial groups working together tend to solve problems easier. This is becau.

1. Class topic: Racism, bias, and discrimination
Article topic: Toward a Social Psychology of Race and Race
Relations for the Twenty-First Century.
Reflection
After reading the article on the social psychology of race and
race relations, I have learned several things. The author starts
by conceptualizing race. Understanding the relations between
social psychology require a clear understanding of race itself. I
believe that race is not based on biological characteristics of an
individual but instead, it is socially constructed. The society
tends to classify races based on historical contexts. Due to
dynamics across the globe, the concept of the multiracial
category of race has emerged. The multiracial groups emerge
from the migration that results in intermarriages. For instance, a
black woman married to a white man will produce a biracial
child. If this child is married to an individual from a different
race, a multiracial child will be produced. This has been a
pressing issue when it comes to race categorization. This is a
challenge because such individual does not fit into a particular
race category. This calls for research to classify these
individuals using other social aspects instead of biological
characteristics. I believe the issue of multiracial race
classification will result in a major overhaul to the entire
process of race categorization. It is clear that the issue of race
and ethnicity has a huge impact on categorization. This is
because a single race may have many ethnic groups and
therefore ethnicity must be used together with race
classification.
The author identifies a number of theories related to race
relations. One of the theories is the social identity theory. I
believe this theory still applies to modern society. People
continue to classify other easily. Despite the modernization, this
theory continues to apply, and it is one of the reasons why
racial discrimination persists across the globe. The theory is

2. motivated by issues such as inadequate resources and increased
population. This leads to favoritism among individuals of the
same race. The author focusses on the United States and
discusses how the rapid changes in the race continue to affect
racial relations. It is important to note that the social dominance
theory continues to encourage unfairness in terms of resource
sharing. However, civilization across all races may address the
issue of social dominance.
After reading the article, I learn that racial diversity has various
effects on individuals. It is true to say that racial diversity
affects the interaction between individuals. Each of the
individual’s opinion about the other race forms the basis of the
interaction. As time progresses, the interaction becomes freer
and the individuals are able to share their opinions without fear.
Moreover, individuals get to understand other races better.
Also, racial diversity has an effect on groups. Interracial groups
working together tend to solve problems easier. This is because
of generation of various ideas that can be used to solve
problems. Nevertheless, it is crucial to consider the fact that the
effectiveness of group interaction among members of different
races may not be achieved when the minorities are involved.
The issue on the social psychology of race relations continues
to be an important research agenda. There are controversial
issues that need more research. These issues include
Immigration, Multiple identities, reactions to majority-minority
nation status and racism in the modern world. The rapid
modernization has led to more interactivity among different
races and therefore the approach on race related matters should
be based on contemporary issues.
Class topic: Ethnic diversity and social cohesion
Article topic: Ethnic Diversity and Its Effects on Social
Cohesion
Reflection
This paper will look at the sway ethnic diversity affects social

3. cohesion that happens on people and to what extent it can have
adverse effects on the way people react. With the changing
times that are there, immigration is one of the things that has
been taking place from time to time. People are moving from
their countries or places that they have called home for a long
time as they get to new territories. As a result, there is an
integration of people. Due to that, some fear that there is an
erosion of culture because of getting to learn something that is
new. It should, however, be noted that migration and
immigration should not be a course for alarm when it comes to
social cohesion. Migration and other factors like education
should be able to make society more cohesive.
Social cohesion can be defined as a degree to how a person is
connected to another. When it comes to getting connected to a
person, there is no doubt that there are things that make a
person close to the other. It should, however, be noted that a
person may have some things that they consider as being
essential and which should be able to hold them close for them
to have tight cohesion when it comes to their belonging. As the
article says, trust that is social is one thing that can be pivotal
when it comes to having a cohesive society. The way people
collaborate with the other is another mechanism by which a
cohesive society can be built. Ethnic diversity encompasses a
lot of things, and one may say that black and white are a part of
ethnic diversity and at the same time there is a way in which the
different races of people that are there can lead to a difference
in the view of ethnic diversity and how it affects cohesion.
When it comes to ethnic heterogeneity, there is no doubt that
there are things that make a society to hold together or even not
to hold together. The geographic region of a place may be
composed of different features within and which may bring
some troubles within it. Some aspects are synonymous with the
way society is composed of like the similarity that is there
between people and also in the way in which people may
believe in. The studies that have been conducted in the article
says that when it comes to ethnic cohesiveness, there are

4. various factors that are useful and which should play a role
when it comes to the way in which a society is when are
different things that may indicate the way in which an ethnic
Heterogeneity may be composed of. Looking at the United
States, for instance, one gets to realize that society is composed
of a society that is heterogeneous due to the people that are
there. No wonder that several people within the country believe
that it is difficult to bond more.
Different geographical areas may have different people and the
way they are organized. For that reason, there may instances
where it may not be possible to have a people that are cohesive.
Ethnic cohesion should be contributed more by a group of
people that share in the same culture and even in the same
values. Through that, it then becomes easy to bring about ethnic
cohesiveness and which is not deterred by any factor. It should,
however, be noted that in this era when there are many factors
and which make people hold on to their things, it may be
difficult to have a cohesive society.
Class topic: Gender diversity (I)
Article topic: Gender Similarities and Differences
Reflection
There has been a lot of discussions on whether men and women
are similar. The debate has been a big one, and in many
instances, there have been issues coming up trying to prove that
there are similarities and on the other hand discussions that
attempt to show that there are differences. This though paper
will look at the way scholars say of the theories that attempt to
define what gender difference is and the many theories that
have come up trying to define and explain gender differences
between the two sexes. In the many studies that have been
conducted, conclusions are being made that males are similar to
men, but that is not according to the psychological variables
that exist. Despite some studies showing that there are
similarities between the two genders, there also exist some

5. differences.
When it comes to evolutionary theories, they try to describe the
differences that are there between the different sexes. This goes
to explain the differences that have been regarded to be there
when it comes to finding who is superior to the other. It has
been determined in several occasions that men are superior in
the way they are made as compared to the women. Women
cannot be able to carry with them heavy objects while the
women, on the other hand, cannot be able to handle the heavy
tasks that are done by the men. However, when it comes at
looking at the sexual orientation, there is with no doubt that
there are various ways in which men and women relate. There
are differences in how women prefer less sexual partners,
whereas the men would want to have many partners.
The evolution theory like the cognitive, social theory and
sociocultural theory also tend to look at the way there are
differences when it comes to women and men. When it comes to
the tasks that are done by both of the genders, no doubt that
men are taken as being strong. These are because the men will
in many instances get involved in hard tasks while the women
will be involved in tasks that are light. This then goes to show
that the two sexes are not similar as they cannot do the same
tasks. It has also been said that various things may bring about
the differences or similarities that lay between female’s males.
For instance, a male student may want to enroll in a school that
teaches heavy subjects and on the other hand, there may be a
female student that may want to enroll in a school that teacher’s
heavy subjects like calculus. That goes to show that there may
be a similarity in the way the brain functions, but at the same
time, there may be a big difference.
There exists very few theories or none at all that try to
communicate of gender differences. What is, however,
significant is that there are differences in the way the two sexes
are as they cannot be able to do the same tasks and at the same
time there is a way in which the society views the differences
that are there already. There are some characteristics in both

6. men and women that can be used to show the differences that
are there between males and females. For instant females tend
to have emotions more than men. A good example is how ladies
tend to react in relationships while the men tend to play it hard.
Interests like in the way men consider football so important to
them while the females consider soap operas as being relevant
to them is the other way in which differences between these two
genders can be put. In conclusion, there is no doubt that there
are similarities and differences between these two genders as
seen above.
Class topic: Gender diversity (II)
Article topic:
1) Guidelines for Psychological Practice With Lesbian, Gay,
and Bisexual Clients
2) Guidelines for Psychological Practice With Transgender and
Gender Nonconforming People
Reflection
Guideline denotes the information put in place to give advice to
people on how to do certain things. In psychology, there are
guidelines that act as a spotlight to psychologists on how to
attend to bisexuals, gay, lesbians, and transgender and gender
nonconforming clients. These categories of people face
discrimination in the society and therefore should be protected.
Psychologists are encouraged to understand the plights of
lesbians, homosexuals and gay. They face the challenge of
living in a heterosexual society. This makes them feel
stigmatized and this affects their lifestyles. It limits their access
to high-quality healthcare since they fear disclosing their
gender identity. In most countries, gay and lesbianism are
illegal to practice and therefore those who practice it fear
disclosing it whenever they visit psychologists. Besides
bisexuals, gays, and lesbians, there are also transgender and
gender nonconforming people who face the same challenges of
stigma and prejudice Stigma manifests itself in various ways

7. such as anti-gay jokes and this increases stress to the affected
individuals. Some people even go farther to tease the bisexuals
that they are two in one and they do not need to look for a
sexual partner. Psychologists are therefore the only source of
their help. They are advised to do research on the history of the
patients who in this case are gays, bisexuals, transgender,
gender nonconforming people and lesbians and strive to
improve their level of safety in the society. Moreover,
psychologists are should understand that gay and lesbianism are
not mental disorders and as such, they should be handled as
normal humans in society. they should extend their efforts to
carrying out a public awareness campaign to reduce prejudice
against the practices in the society.
Moreover, psychologists should understand that in a society,
people, are not similar in characters. People have diverse
characters depending on the environment they are exposed to.
This implies that their likes and dislikes also differ. Hence,
there are people who practice heterosexuality while others
practice homosexuality. This practice of homosexuality also has
to do with innovative minds that exist in society, whereby a
section of people in society is passionate about trying new
things. Some even go to an extent of changing the sex assigned
to them at birth and they are named transgender. On the other
hand, psychologists should convince the bisexuals that their
condition is natural and there is no point of changing their
sexual orientations. In addition, the psychologists should put it
clear that being a bisexual implies the diversity of gender that
God has brought among His people and should not be rejected.
In addition, they should be cautious about their attitudes about
the transgender and gender nonconforming people not to affect
the quality of healthcare they give to them and their relatives.
Furthermore, psychologists should be aware in their practice
that homosexuality and bisexuality have similar sexual intimacy
as those of heterosexuals. They perform sexual intercourse but
the difference is that the homosexuals never give birth. They
also differ in terms of sexual patterns. However, the

8. homosexuals and bisexuals do not enjoy the freedom of love
affairs that the heterosexuals have.
Moreover, psychologists are expected to recognize the need to
create an affirmative environment for the bisexuals, gay,
lesbians, transgender and gender nonconforming people in the
society. This is because it is their right to live free of
discrimination in the society.
Class topic: Poverty
Article topic: Moving Beyond Correlations in Assessing the
Consequences of Poverty
Reflection
For long, poverty has been linked to child development
outcomes. It has been linked to childhood, adolescent and
adulthood outcomes from kinds. States of economic deprivation
have in particular been linked the low levels of achievement and
even adulthood behaviors. However, most of these studies are
correlational. This means that they posit that there is a host of
factors that interact under some conditions to bring about some
effects on the life of an individual. These correctional studies,
however, are not warranted at times. This is because of the fact
that individual outcomes at all stages of life are determined by a
myriad of factors. The extent to which an individual would
succeed in their adulthood or would portray a given behavior in
their adolescent is linked to personal experiences which shape
their character and how they interact with the world around
them. Besides that, poverty in itself is also measured by a wider
array of terms. As posted by the authors, measuring it in
economic terms alone requires some clear definitions of the
economic resources as well. Research has always proved that
children from poor backgrounds fall much below the children
from the affluent neighborhoods in terms of acquisition of skills
and even schooling.
The several findings reveal the possible linkage between
poverty and child development. However, it is important to dig

9. deeper and find the possible effects that the life in deprivation
might have on the childhood development and even in
subsequent life. The authors argue that poverty might hinder a
healthy development. While all the empirical effects of poverty
are psychological, it is important to look at how the
environment of poverty might hinder a healthy development of
the brain of children. Among some of the factors that are related
to poverty and might hinder individual development, include
resources and investment as well as family environment and
stress. It is quite agreeable that children from underprivileged
backgrounds face more stressors as compared to affluent
children. This is caused by the neighborhoods that these
children grow as well as economic stress. Apart from that, the
interaction between the parent and the child has some far-
reaching effects on the development of the children. For the
affluent communities, the interaction between children and their
parents is quite productive and this shapes their behavior and
production not only in childhood but also adulthood.
While the correlational studies have posited that poverty works
intrinsically, the authors argue that it shapes the environment
within which the child grows and thereby affecting their
behavior. Much of the attention has been centered on the
intrinsic effects of poverty on the child’s psychological states
and the conclusion has been that poverty affects the child’s
psychological development as well as other ingredients of
productivity such as self-esteem. In order to holistically assess
this issue, it is important to look at some factors inherent in
poverty such as school achievement and attainment. Poverty
greatly diminishes the ability to score higher. This could be
caused by a myriad of factors which include but not limited to
educational resources, investment and culture inherent in
poverty-stricken areas. Even though the research done by the
authors of the article reveals that poverty affects the
developmental environment of children, the extent to which
poverty leads to low levels of achievement and effects
development is not yet certain. The results of the study cannot

10. be used for generalizations yet and therefore further researches
have to be done.
Class topic: Humanness
Article topic: Dehumanization and Infrahumanization
Reflection
Dehumanization has far reaching effects on individual welfare
as well as the dehumanizer’s behavior with regard to how they
handle the victims. In an attempt to uncover more about this
topic, the authors focus on a number of ways such as looking at
how people are dehumanized with the main focus being the
psychology of the dehumanizers themselves. Apart from that, it
is important to look at the dehumanizers themselves paying a
close attention to the social targets as well as the common
social trait among such individuals. This article also provides a
profiling of the dehumanizers by digging deep into their social
aspects in order to come to a conclusion of why they would see
themselves as more human as compared to others. Besides that,
it is important to take a look at the situations surrounding
dehumanization in order to understand the context within which
people would inevitably get dehumanized or the events leading
up to individual dehumanization. It is undeniable that
dehumanization comes with a number of consequences such as
antisocial behavior and individual moral judgment. As
explained by the authors, dehumanization comes with some
socially detrimental effects on individuals and therefore, there
have to be some strategies to reduce it.
The article resonates with the fact that there are different
motives that make people dehumanize. Factors such as power,
threat, cognitions, motives, and emotions are all summed up as
primary motivates. Typically, dehumanizers are pushed towards
dehumanizing other individuals when they are in pursuit of
power, they perceive a threat from the third parties or when in
an endeavor to reach out to a certain end. People that feel
dehumanized on the other hand would normally have a low self-

11. esteem and this is evident by their antisocial behavior that
comes as a result of dehumanization. In order to humanize
individuals who have been dehumanized, they need to get some
social services that would enable them to overcome the post-
traumatic stress that comes with dehumanization. One of the
solutions proposed by the authors of the article was to promote
a common identity. However, this solution is not quite effective
especially due to the fact that even though there are different
moves towards promoting a common identity through the use of
shared values, there are still some social injustices that
definitely dehumanize the victims.
From the article, it is blatant that dehumanization comes from a
number of psychological processes which include
Infrahumanization. These are the different psychological
perception of the difference between one individual and
another. Even though the authors of the article place this as a
theory, more research ought to be done in order to determine
how an individual’s perception of themselves and others could
make them dehumanize others. The article puts emphasis on the
theories of dehumanization with the aim of bringing to light the
framework leading up to dehumanization as well as the social
consequences. While it is important to take a look at the
theoretical knowledge behind it, it is as well important to focus
on the solutions which can be reduced dehumanization and
clearly, the article does not focus on that. This is evident by the
fact that the solutions only cover a small section of the article
while all the other theoretical studies cover the most parts.
Clearly, there is a need for further research in order to
determine the extent to which dehumanization affects the
victims socially and the extent to which the solutions to it are
effective.
Class topic: Peace
Article topic: War
Reflection

12. War can be studied by looking into the aspects of the recent
researches that have been done on the area. Most often than not,
sociologists focus on the effects of war rather than its causes.
Pretty much, war comes with negative sociological effects, it is
often the work of the sociologist to study the effect and then
come up with the solutions. The author of the article takes a
rather different approach on the issue by divulging into how war
is expedited by the institutional organizations as well as their
effects on such institutions. For quite a long time, sociologists
have contributed little or nothing when it comes to researching
about war and their effects. For the past 200 years, nearly every
country has experienced war. The ripple effects such events
have affected not only the individuals but also the institutions
in the country in general. Even if the results of war are quite
blatant, little has been done when studying it. The author subtly
suggests that this could be one of the reasons why war and other
armed conflicts continue to happen almost inevitably.
The author states that the horrors of war are quite negative and
traumatic and therefore even writes are banned from writing
about them. This is also evident in the current times where
people are discouraged from writing or speaking about the bleak
nature of war and the effects they have on the military
personnel. This is quite shocking bearing in the mind that the
effects war has on participants such as the soldiers is the work
of social workers to solve. However, there is a missing link in
such an approach since they are not in the first place allowed to
dig deep into the causes and effects on war. As cited by the
author, war is often tied down to politics, power, and political
arrangements. This is evident by the interstate wars which are
often motivated by the fight for territories, resources, and even
supremacy. Apart from the interstate wars, there are some other
politically motivated wars which include civil wars. Almost
every nation has been plagued by civil wars. The United States
has experienced some of the worst civil wars globally. Some of
the worst were witnessed right from the mid-1880 wars that
were motivated by the abolition of the slave trade. As indicated

13. by the author, such wars are fueled by legitimacy. Cultural
frames as well as collective reasoning. In some continents such
as Africa, civil wars are fueled by the scramble for resources
such as oil, gold, and diamond. Sociologists deem that these
wars are caused by poverty.
In the work of the author, war has a number of causes which
include cultural, institutional and even domestic aspects of the
societies. Typically, wars are caused by the struggle for rights
among the different members of the community and states. The
welfare states that came about as a result of war have gotten
many citizens involved in the war. Due to the fact that
sociologists focus on culture, legitimization, political and
organizational effects of war, most of the studies that have been
done in the area focus on the effects if war rather than their
causes. However, for approaches that focus on theories and
processes leading up to the war, they remain some of the most
invaluable sources of knowledge in explaining the possible
social effects of war. Rather than just focusing on the effects of
war, it is important to focus on future researches on specific
causes of war. Analyzing and documenting the causes of war in
itself is invaluable since it enables social workers to implement
strategies to prevent its occurrence in the future. As suggested
by the writer, it is important to take a look at the country’s
institutions so as to ensure that the bureaucracy in them do not
cause war. Political sociologists have to focus more on trying to
identify whether there is a causal relationship between war and
other aspects such institutions, interstate supremacy, and even
social injustices.
Class topic: Contact
Article topic: Intergroup Contact as a Tool for Reducing,
Resolving, and Preventing Intergroup Conflict
Reflection
Intergroup conflict denotes the competition for authority
between two or more groups in the society over resources,

14. power or influence or values. Conflict is part and parcel of life
in all human races.
First and foremost, it is important to look into the factors that
contribute to intergroup conflict in the society. The first one is
competition for resources. In a society where there are many
people of different cultures and social status, they tend to share
resources. The moment their population grows, the resources
become scarce and people scramble for the resources. This leads
to chaos and violence outbreak, sometimes extending to inter-
tribal clashes. Land for settlement, farming, and grazing is the
most common cause of intergroup conflict in a society.
Secondly, prejudice, orchestrated by the tribal lines is another
factor. This is usually seen during political campaigns where
politicians incite their community against other communities for
political gain. People end up insulting each other via the social
media and at times, communities are involved in a fight to an
extent of massive killings and destruction of property.
Intergroup conflict is, therefore, a serious phenomenon that
threatens the unity of the people in a society.
However, intergroup conflict can be reduced by improving
intergroup contact. There is an idea that people belonging to a
certain clan and are from a common ancestor should always stay
in a certain region. This idea is good, but it has a negative
impact on social interactions. This is because people only
socialize within the confines of their clans and beyond that,
they view other clans as competitors for resources. Therefore,
intergroup contact will help solve the hatred that exists among
communities by organizing social events such as sports and
intermarriages. This will not only promote peace, but also
development in among the groups. Moreover, it will help to
reduce intergroup anxiety that normally exists when people of
different communities meet and the perception that a certain
community is hostile or associated with bad traits would
disappear once there is social contact.
Generally, conflict prevention begins with an individual. One
should understand that he or is not right all the time. Once this

15. attitude is accepted, people will start having open minds that
appreciate other people`s ideas. This would extend to other
clans and subsequently to the neighboring tribes. And the result
is harmony and peaceful coexistence. Parents should be at the
forefront in giving good upbringings to their children,
sensitizing them that their conflict can never solve a problem,
instead, it promotes chaos and negative ethnicity in the society.
It is important to remember that, the genocide that occurred in
Rwanda began as intergroup conflict.
From this, we can learn that conflict has never impacted
positively. Instead, the end result is poverty and famine because
businesses cannot thrive in chaos. In addition, countries such as
Israel, Palestine have been involved in major conflicts that
began as minor intergroup conflicts. These countries to date
still experience wars and rumors of wars. Therefore, cessation
from conflicts is the first step in bringing peace among the
countries involved in conflicts. This can be conducted through
dialogue between the conflicting parties. Dialogue has worked
in other countries such as Kenya and Sudan.
In conclusion, intergroup conflict is a major issue affecting the
current society we live in. politicians and terrorists are the
major contributors to the intergroup conflict. Unless a serious
campaign is conducted to preach the negative impacts of
intergroup conflict, many serious wars are likely to be rampant
in the near future. Civil wars like those witnessed in Israel-Gaza
are just but a few examples of the impacts of intergroup
conflicts.
Class topic: Origins of Diversity
Article topic: Darwin’s Influence on Modern Thought
Reflection
The human mind is the most powerful tool in the entire world.
Our thoughts determine our actions which in return determine
the kind of people that we are. Despite thoughts being this
important, man is not an independent thinker. We pick on the
minds of other great people before us. As a result, the great

16. thinker in history like Darwin has far reaching impact on our
modern thought process. These thoughts are expressed in books
and other historical works. When we interact with these
materials, we are shaped to think in a particular direction.
Darwin is among the greatest thinkers in the world whose ideas
have shaped the modern thought.
The mind helps the human being to interpret the world around
him or her. The human thought is a reflection of the
environment. Our view of the world is greatly influenced by
other people’s view. For instance, reading books or watching
videos determine how we interpret the stimuli that we interact
with in our everyday life. The current perception of the world is
as a result of the great piece of works done in the 21st Century
by the people like Charles Darwin. He led an ideological
revolution that has lived well beyond his time. Darwin, being
the father of evolution, is the father of evolutionary biology, the
modern zeitgeist and philosophy of science. Looking at the
evolutionary biology, one would be right to say that Darwin has
influenced our thought much more than we can imagine. This is
because there is no way one can explain the variation in species,
and the genetic characteristics of plants and animals without
mentioning the work of this great scientist.
I think Darwin looked at the world differently from the people
of his era. The ideas he expressed in his works seem to resonate
more with someone of the modern era. His thinking pattern is
relevant in the modern era because of the challenges we face
and the nature of our environment. Unlike the men of his time,
Darwin refused to understand everything in the religious
context. His theory of evolution and natural selection was a
shift from the emphasis on the supernatural phenomenon which
was a familiar pattern for the scientists of his time. Darwin
based his theory on materialistic principles. This is the
foundation of the modern thought. In the modern world, man
has resorted to seek for answers from science and technology.
This is contrary to the time that Darwin lived where man sought
answers from religion.

17. In my opinion, Darwin was a representation of a modern man
who believes that the answers are present in the human mind.
The modern man believes that the cosmos is the sources of
infinite intelligence that man can tap on by using the power of
his mind. For instance, people like Michael Faraday used this
source of intelligence to discover powerful forces like
electricity and electromagnetism. These are discoveries that
have shaped our world. I think Darwin was an example of the
power of imagination. He talked about abstract ideas which
scientists would work on later to create medical procedures that
are useful to the world population.
Lastly, Darwin was greatly impacted the modern thought. This
is because he chose to think beyond the people of this time.
Instead of accepting the world around him as it was, he decided
to adopt a different thought pattern. The world population owes
this man for his revolutionary thought that has guided many
scientific innovations in the fields of biology, sociology and
human health. It is as a result of Darwin that we appreciate the
fact that we are all unique from each other. Our appreciation of
individual uniqueness has resulted in how we relate with each
other.