Protein Structure, Function, and Analysis
Proteins
Formed by amino acids (aa) with an amino group (bases) and a carboxyl group (acid).
The essential aa are synthesized by the body.
AA differ in the structure of side chains (R groups).
Amphoteric character: behave as charged or uncharged particles depending on the pH.
Acid pH
Positive charge
Basic pH
Negative charge
Hybrid or zwitterion ion: dipole with zero charge.
PI (Isoelectric Point)
- aa with zero net charge
- aa > 2 units per PI: net negative charge
- aa < 2 units per PI: net positive charge
- Ethernet
Philosophical Foundations: Aristotle, Descartes, and Locke
Aristotle
Aristotle, a pupil of Plato, spent twenty years at the Academy. He excelled in all areas of knowledge, providing insights that greatly influenced later thought. How can we explain the essence of a particular man with an unchanging, external idea of man? Aristotle proposed a different conception of being: a red apple exists differently than the apple itself. The apple seems more consistent as an independent entity, while the red depends on the apple’s existence. This is Aristotle’s analogy
Read MoreUnderstanding Practical Reason: Concepts and Theories
What is Practical Reason?
The ability to reach practical judgments under a system of rules.
- Consistency
- Coherence
- Grounded
- Empirical truth
- Effectiveness
- Optimization
- Reflexivity
Three Concepts of Practical Reason
The Aristotelian
The Hobbesian
The Kantian
Hobbesian Theory Representatives
Buchanan
Gauthier
Slave Contract Negotiation
Buchanan points out that a slave contract is a negotiation.
Foucault’s Underlying Desire and Power
According to Foucault, desire and power lurk behind every speech.
Kant’s Rationality Concept
Universality
Read MoreHume’s Moral Philosophy: Sentiment, Utility, and Virtue
Hume’s Journey to Moral Philosophy
After the initial reception of his Treatise of Human Nature, David Hume returned to Scotland. He later worked as a tutor and traveled extensively before focusing on revising his earlier work. This led to the Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals, which he considered his finest work.
The Role of Sentiment in Morality
Hume argued that morality is guided by habits rather than reason. The goal is to understand our duties and cultivate virtuous habits. He emphasized
Read MoreHabermas: Communicative Rationality & Ethical Dialogue
Jürgen Habermas
Jürgen Habermas was born in Düsseldorf in 1929. He collaborated with Adorno at the Institute for Social Research in Frankfurt between 1956 and 1959. He devoted himself to teaching and to analyzing the relationship between science and society. Today, he is considered one of the premier global philosophers. In 2003, he received the Prince of Asturias Award. Among his works are Knowledge and Human Interests, Theory of Communicative Action, and The Future of Human Nature.
A New Paradigm
Read MoreJesus: Miracles, Wisdom, and the Path to Certainty
Acquiring Depth in Time
Jesus, following the meetings described above, continued to live like everyone else. He spent time with the 3 or 4 who had impressed him as friends, visiting them and going fishing with them. The trajectory described is situated in space and time, between what we could capture with a look and what could be a glimpse of what is really behind the show. Every type of event is telling.
John 2:1-2 – Miracle at the Wedding at Cana, Water into Wine
In this verse, the disciples doubted
Read MoreMorality, Ethics, and Law: Principles and Challenges
Morality, Ethics, and Law
Another form of regulatory systems addresses imposed groups using coercion, sometimes by force, as legal standards. Those who appeal to moral imperatives, internal, emotional, or rational, follow moral and ethical standards. The separation between systems’ rules is not absolute. Customs have the force of law in many societies, and legal codes are based on morality.
Why Do Good?
Obedience to the law because it is mandated is called “heteronomy.” Obedience to the law from within
Read MoreKantian Ethics and Aristotle’s Hylomorphism
Kantian Moral Imperative
Actions under duty and obligation: To describe an action as moral, it must fulfill conditions for moral distinction. Kant established two types of actions:
- In accordance to duty: Actions that conform to the norm for reasons related to moral consequences, making the imperative hypothetical.
- On duty: Actions that meet the standard solely because of the duty to comply.
Kant’s Categorical Imperative: Moral law distinguishes between the content (what the law says) and the form (how
Read MoreUnderstanding and Managing Stress
Stress
How do daily disorders contribute to stress? Small annoyances and irritations of everyday life cause feelings such as:
Pressure: From internal and external forces, pushing us to intensify efforts and improve performance.
Frustration: Feeling frustrated when something or someone comes between us and our objectives, delays, failures, or lack of resources.
Conflict: Faced with two or more goals, needs, or opportunities.
Types of Conflict:
- Approach-Approach: Attracted by incompatible goals.
- Avoidance-
Descartes and His Philosophical Context
Context: Descartes in the 17th Century
Descartes was a philosopher in the 17th century, a period of instability in Europe due to broken unity and economic challenges. Monarchies faced crises and debt, alongside social antagonisms. However, maritime trade expanded, and England saw colonial and industrial development, boosting the bourgeoisie against the nobility and fostering urban society.
Politically, it was the era of absolutism, asserting divine origin and unlimited power. Yet, the English Revolution
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