Daily Read 8: Essay Aeon | 100 RCs for Practice - CAT PDF Download

Essay 1

Essay Name: Ever more land and labour
By: Sven Beckert, Ulbe Bosma (Edited by Sam Haselby) 

Sometimes, what is most common is most remarkable. For those of us living in a city or suburb, a typical day starts with rising from (cotton) sheets, hopping under the shower for a quick wash with (palm oil-based) soaps, dressing in (cotton) shirts and pants, drinking a hot beverage (coffee or tea) and then eating a (sugary) cereal or jam, perhaps followed by a (soy-fed) processed meat sandwich, wrapped in (fossil-fuel-based) plastic.

Read the full essay here: https://aeon.co/essays/the-capitalist-transformations-of-the-countryside

Summary and Theme

The article explores the profound transformations of rural landscapes under the pressures of capitalist expansion and modernization. It delves into the historical and ongoing changes in the countryside, shaped by the forces of capitalism that drive efficiency, productivity, and profit. The theme revolves around the intersection of economic systems and environmental change, highlighting the complex relationship between human economic activities and the natural world.

Difficult Words

• Enclosures: The process of consolidating and privatizing land, once common or shared, into individual holdings.
• Agrarian: Relating to cultivated land or the cultivation of land.
• Subsistence: The action or fact of maintaining or supporting oneself, especially at a minimal level.
• Proletarianization: The social process whereby people move from being either an employer, unemployed, or self-employed, to being employed as wage labor by an employer.
• Commodification: The transformation of goods, services, ideas, and people into commodities or objects of trade.

Essay 2

Essay Name: Truth is real
By: Crispin Sartwell (Edited by Sam Dresser) 

It is often said, rather casually, that truth is dissolving, that we live in the ‘post-truth era’. 

Read the full essay here: https://aeon.co/essays/truth-is-real-and-philosophers-must-return-their-attention-to-it

Summary and Theme

This essay argues for the importance of truth in philosophy and society, countering the trend of skepticism and relativism that has become prevalent. It suggests that the concept of truth is indispensable for thought, communication, and political debate. The theme focuses on the philosophical and practical significance of truth, urging a return to its study and appreciation in the face of post-truth rhetoric.

Difficult Words

• Aletheia: An ancient Greek word meaning "truth" or "disclosure" in philosophy.
• Pragmatist: Relating to a philosophical approach that assesses the truth of meaning of theories or beliefs in terms of the success of their practical application.
• Deflationary: Pertaining to a theory that challenges the traditional notion of truth, suggesting it is not a substantial property.
• Coherence theories: Philosophical concepts that propose truth consists in the coherence of some set of beliefs or propositions.
• Correspondence theory: A theory that posits the truth or falsehood of a statement is determined by how accurately it describes the facts of reality.

Essay 3

Essay Name: Thriving on Mars
By: Simon Morden (Edited by Nigel Warburton)

Can humans live on Mars? The answer is startlingly simple. Can humans live in Antarctica, where the temperatures regularly fall below -50ºC (-60ºF) and it’s dark for six months of the year?

Read the full essay here: https://aeon.co/essays/what-dangers-must-we-overcome-before-we-can-live-on-mars

Summary and Theme

The article examines the challenges humanity must overcome to establish a sustainable presence on Mars. It discusses the dangers posed by the Martian environment, such as radiation, low gravity, and lack of breathable air, and the technological and physiological hurdles that need to be addressed. The theme is centered on the human endeavor to expand our habitat beyond Earth, confronting the harsh realities of space colonization.

Difficult Words

• Regolith: The layer of unconsolidated rocky material covering bedrock.
• In situ resource utilization (ISRU): The practice of collecting and processing materials found on other planets or moons to replace materials that would otherwise be brought from Earth.
• Hematopoiesis: The formation of blood cellular components.
• Perchlorates: Chemical compounds containing the perchlorate ion, ClO₄⁻, known to be present in Martian soil and toxic to humans.
• Astrobiology: The branch of biology concerned with the study of life on earth and in space, including the search for extraterrestrial life and the conditions necessary for it.