Juan Sebastian Marquez

Burt Stout
01/10/12
Hum 2220
Word Count: 509
Out-of Class Assignment I
Nuclear Ideas Looking Back for the Future
When I first saw the book Nuclear Ideas Looking Back for the Future I thought it was going to
be full of pictures and written in a form similar to that of a history book; where events are taught in a
chronological manner and where it is mostly full of stories. Yet, as I read on, the content of the book
seems to be more like a list of ideas which have made their way onto the mind of the writer, and are out
on text serving the purpose to make the reader think. As stated on the preface, this book was meant to
be a list of important thoughts, and though they might not be understood by the reader at the time, this
book is meant to be re-read with the advancement of time and the maturation of the mind
This book appears to me like a resilient mind where one idea brings another, and another, a
never ending cycle. This book was meant to make the reader analyze certain ideas. Likewise, with that
purpose creating new ideas came if, voluntarily or not as a side cart. The format, content and purpose of
this textbook is much like the humanities, and in my opinion maybe better than plain history because by
knowing which ideas led the great civilizations before us we are better able to understand what their
cultures gave us, unlike history which is written with prejudice and influenced by those who tell it. That
purpose was clearly reached with just the first sentence, which in my case, made me go online and look
for the definition of etymology, and think about the many words which are a combination of different
roots and different tongues.
So far into my reading it looks as if all of the ideas in the textbook are connected in some way to
the humanities. One which caught my attention was that God provides what man seeks I really liked
this idea and the connection to the state of mankind because, not only was the writer kind enough to
soften this ideas blow by adding those three sentences above it. But it is so true. We as man are always

Juan Sebastian Marquez

Burt Stout
01/10/12
Hum 2220
Word Count: 509
in a constant struggle to feel as part of something, to find the purpose to our lives, and to find some kind
of guidance, and religion facilitates these answers to those who seek them. For example, Christianity
places Christ as the guide and center of the universe, it encourages followers to attend weekly meetings
where members of the audience can form bonds with other members and integrate, and it gives them a
destiny in life and after death.
In a way these Nuclear Ideas are all interconnected as thoughts which are fluent and have an
organization of a chronological kind. Yet, as a child mind that grows and evolves trough its existence it
sometimes goes back to analyze old ideas which are worth re-thinking in order to connect and create
new ones.