The Anthropos Family

The Anthropos Family The Anthropos Family The Anthropos Family By Mark Nichol The Greek noun anthropos, meaning â€Å"male human being† or â€Å"man,† is the root of some familiar and not-so-familiar English words, which are listed and defined below. The best known of these are likely anthropology, which literally means â€Å"the study of humans† and refers to just that- especially in a cultural and social context (and, in a distinct theological sense, to their nature and origin)- and philanthropy (literally, â€Å"love for man†) which pertains generally to promoting the welfare of humans but usually is employed in contexts in which funding or gifts is provided for humanitarian purposes (or for cultural enrichment). The adjectival forms are anthropological and philanthropic, respectively, and those who practice such endeavors are anthropologists and philanthropists. A misanthrope, meanwhile, is unlikely to undertake either one pursuit; a misanthropic person (who practices misanthropy) has contempt or hatred for humans. Apanthropy, meanwhile, refers to the love of solitude or an aversion to human interaction. Anthropic means â€Å"relating to humans or to their time on Earth†; the term is part of the phrase â€Å"anthropic principle,† which refers to the belief that the universe, from the subatomic level to the scale of galaxies, was designed with humans in mind, though the conditions that make human life possible also make all known life-forms possible. (This is also known as the strong anthropic principle, to distinguish it from the weak anthropic principle, which reasons that this idea was able to be formulated only because a life-friendly universe allows sentient minds to observe and reflect on it.) The phenomenon of ascribing human attributes or forms to nonhumans, whether animals, gods, or objects, or to nature, is anthropomorphism (literally, â€Å"the idea of human form†). Cartoon characters who display human characteristics, therefore, are anthropomorphic. Anthropathy (literally, â€Å"human feelings†), meanwhile, is a related concept: that divine beings have emotions. An anthropoid is a primate that more or less resembles a human being, though the term has also been used pejoratively to describe people of inferior breeding or intelligence. On a related note, pithecanthropus (â€Å"ape man†) is the label for one of two extinct anthropoid species. Zoanthropy is a mental disorder in which a person believes that he or she has become an animal and behaves like one; lycanthropy originally referred to a delusion that one is a wolf, though it usually is associated with werewolf folklore. Anthropophagy (â€Å"man eating†) is a fancy synonym for cannibalism. (One who practices cannibalism is anthropophagous.) Anthropolatry is deification or worship of a human. By contrast, psilanthropism (â€Å"the idea of being a mere human†) is a rejection of the divinity of Jesus. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:10 Rules for Writing Numbers and Numerals34 Writing Tips That Will Make You a Better Writer10 Functions of the Comma

The Most Current Changes in GCSE English Syllabus to Keep in Mind

The Most Current Changes in GCSE English Syllabus to Keep in Mind The Most Current Changes in GCSE English Syllabus to Keep in Mind Wondering what the fuss around GCSE 2015 changes is all about? Sit comfortably and prepare to read an article as we’re going to explain all the new features for you. Why do you need to take the trouble at all? Well, if you are a student planning to pass GCSE English, pay attention because these changes will have a great effect on both exam process and grading (in case you worry about your results). 1.   New Grading System The most notable change is transfer from A-C marks to 1-9 points with 1 being the lowest, and 9 – the highest. Moreover, the Department of Education limited the number of people who can get the best card to 20% of those who receive 7 and higher. So, if you counted on the top score, you’ll have to press harder. What does it mean for you? Nobody can predict the exact results, but the teachers are worried that the students will get worse grades because of the variation (for example, you could do fine and receive a C while, right now, your â€Å"fine† will be also graded as â€Å"worse fine† (4) or â€Å"better fine† (5). 2.   Only New Texts for Reading Comprehension The easy life has ended. Now during the examination you will get only texts that you haven’t seen before because the purpose of the test is to evaluate you reading comprehension skills, not a good memory of info your teacher told you about the excerpt you previously had analysed. 3.   More and Longer Exams Enjoyed a one-time, two-hour test? Prepare to miss it as according to the new implementations there will be 2 exams, two-hour long each. But the silver lining is that you will get more time on reading and writing tasks ☠º 4.   No Counting of Speaking and Listening Speaking and listening were counted before into the overall grade. But after the changes they will be assessed separately without having any impact on the final result. Generally, students do better at speaking and listening than at other tests, thus, improving the grade. But now, in GCSE near the main score, there will be just â€Å"Pass†, â€Å"Merit† or â€Å"Distinction† (evaluation markers for speaking and listening) that won’t be taken into account. 5.   Taking Exams Only Once There won’t be any controlled assessments or courseworks during the preparation course. There will be only one evaluation session at the end that will fully rely on the exam results. Yeah, it implies that you will have to go above and beyond to do your best because you have only one chance (in an epic case scenario, in real life you can just start all over again and take another exam). See? These are major changes that have been totally worth your 5 minutes to read this article. In case you’re asking yourself why all this is happening, we have a theory that the Department of Education wants to raise the standards in order to make students more competitive on the internal as well as international job market. But we’ll see what comes out of it. Good luck!