Blog #5

Reflection #5

The fact that Sophie and Alberto now realize that they are characters in a book written by Hilde's dad offers many analogies and connections to Fate vs Free Will. One time this was already brought up is when they were talking and heard a knock at the door. They didn't want to open it, but acknowledged that it wouldn't matter what they do in the end, because the Major could do whatever he wants, so they open the door. In this scenario, it seems like they gave in to fate, but in reality they made the choice to get up and open the door. Or were they fated to make that choice no matter what, just like when Alberto seems to be possessed by the Major when he says "Next section!" or "Next chapter!". Another concept in the book introduced by Hegel was that each historical period is special to it's own time, and almost that we evolve as time progresses, establishing new global opinions and ideals. This is seen in history classes, as old traditions and modes of thinking may seem ridiculous in the present, but really, they are only expected for that past period. I feel that this supports the idea that we are more products of our environment than our genes.

Connection #5

The conflict between fate and free will that Alberto and Sophie are experiencing is an idea that I've thought about before, but concluded that it is probably free will that governs our lives. We can think that there is some other being controlling our actions and perhaps our thoughts, but to me, all of my actions are rooted in reason and I find myself in control of what I want to do, and have reasons why I do those things. In the book, Alberto might be confused after he is possessed by the Major, but that just isn't something that I, in the real world, experience. Something else that was presented was Schopenhauer and Kierkegaard's idea that basically concludes life mostly sucks. One of the reasons was that we will always yearn for more than we will ever attain. But this just isn't true, for me, and I would think for most people. We have goals in life, as well as unrealistic dreams and fantasies. But for me, making those goals and living my life the best I can is what gives me happiness and sanctuary. The fact that I am doing the best I can right now and am putting an effort is enough. I don't need to be the president, a billionaire, or be dating Selena Gomez. Being in GSC, one of the leaders on the robotics team, and having good grades is enough for me. I can also acknowledge that for me to reach those unrealistic dreams would require an enormous amount of work, effort, and stress, which after all is done, I don't know that it would be worth it in the end. As long as one is able to appreciate the situation they are in, they won't grieve over the fact that they aren't in a better position.

Blog #4

Reflection #4

In Sophie's World we have read up on both the empiricist and rationalist philosophers and their modes of thinking. For me, this is very satisfying because I have a much more rationalistic way of thinking, and I enjoyed seeing a shift in thinking from answering questions through God and spirituality, to using reason and experience. A big part of this mode of thinking was doubting everything that wasn't real, which I believe Descartes took too far with erasing everything besides the fact that he is thinking, and consequently, real. Even if this world we experience may not be real, it is what we are experiencing and living through, and doubting all of it's relevance will only make living in it more difficult. Basically, whether or not our world is real doesn't matter because its the only thing we have. When we accept our reality as it is, we can begin to figure out answers through reason. However, reason is second to emotion for most people. I admire Hume's revelation of how emotions can impact us, and that emotion is a more primary feeling that our reason. He also criticized Descartes, claiming that not everything can be explained through reason. This is where I find myself between Hume and Descartes, as Hume considered Descartes at fault like me, but perhaps for the wrong reason. I think Hume's thinking that not everything can be explained rationally can actually be countered by later discovered social sciences like psychology or through good enough reasoning. Although, not everything may be explained rationally, much more than Hume and others even in this time period believe can actually be explained through logic.

Connection #4

Now, I see reason as one of the biggest parts of my life. It is constantly at the forefront of my mind, and when I say this I don't just mean that I have good decision making, but reason is so important to me. Some of my friends and I talk about topics similar to what a philosopher may converse about, and usually we come to our conclusions through reasoning and logic, but also take into account actual events and experiences. Connecting it back to Sophie's World, this feels like taking the best of both worlds from the rationalist, who use logic, and the empiricists, who use experiences and real-world facts. This is another reason it felt so good to learn about the shift from spiritual thinking to rational thinking.
My friends and I have also talked about the unreasonableness of people, and how so many issues could be solved if people used reason more. A lot more of those problems, or evil in general, comes down to a lack of empathy, greed, or having been raised in an environment that made you hold evil qualities. However, when you think about it reason can overcome all of these. A lack of empathy creates a more hostile/unforgiving attitude towards someone, and reason may conclude that if everyone had sufficient empathy and cared enough, the world wouldn't have those negative attitudes, or maybe hold much more positive modes of thinking. Also, when it comes to greed, it gets a little bit unclear since greed has no definite line. But using reason, one can determine when they hold an abundant amount of wealth/power/resources, and can decide that there are others that could use that excess. This in turn creates more overall happiness. For one who grew up in an environment harboring negative qualities, it may be hard for them to see the error of their ways, and sometimes they are just ignorant to their wrongdoings. But if they are able to see the logic against their actions, they can realize a need for change in their lives.
I've talked a lot about reason, but empiricism also has had a huge impact on society. The importance of statistics and facts to research studies are a crucial component in the scientific community. An even further impact of science is the development of the empirical scientific method, which is now taught widely in schools across America. The impact the rationalists and empiricists have left on today's society, is clear to see (or observe!).

Blog #3

Reflection #3

In the Baroque period, two phrases were popular. "Carpe diem", seize the day, and "memento mori", remember that one day you must die. To me, these are similar but can be interpreted differently. Carpe diem seems to be an inspiring quote, motivating each person to take their life into their own hands and do what they want to do with it. Memento mori, however can accomplish this by encouraging taking risks, because eventually you will die and your choices won't matter. But memento mori can also highlight the fact that one day everyone dies for the purpose of discouraging ambition and motivation because of the futility. An interesting concept of the Baroque period was the general theme of conflict/contrast, and more specifically, how it applied to dreaming and reality. The old Chinese sage Chuang-tzu said that he had once dreamed he was a butterfly, but know he doesn't know if he is a person that dreamed of being a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming that he is a human. While we dream, it feels as if everything makes sense despite the confusion we make them out to be when we wake up. This reality we are in could simply be a dream that makes sense, and in actual reality it may be that we wake up looking back on this "dream" with confusion, perhaps as butterflies.

Connection #3

A thought experiment that I think of relating to carpe diem and memento mori is when people ask if a glass of half filled of water is half empty or half full. The two mottoes are very similar, just like the amount of water there is no matter how you look at it. However, the difference comes when we interpret what these phrases mean, whether they are meant to be pessimistic or encouraging. Personally, I like to look at the water experiment dependent on the situation. If the glass started out empty, and was filled halfway, then it is half full. But if the glass was full and emptied to the halfway point, then it is half empty. I find Chuang-tzu's dream dilemma very interesting, because it incites thought about what dreams are, and it makes it even more interesting when science can't explain dreams, and the possibility exists, our dreams might be an entirely different reality we experience but then forget. Or maybe we even experience it as a third person entity, not fully understanding everything but just going with it until we wake up. And right now we could be experiencing this reality in first person, but a third person, other consciousness is witnessing all of our lives in what seems like a night's worth of sleep.

Blog #2

Reflection #2

Again, in the book Sophie’s World I find the storyline of Sophie and Alberto Knox almost unnecessary, and the book so far seems like it’s a philosophy textbook in the guise of a novel with a relevant story. Maybe this is what it’s trying to be, and offering relief in between lessons whilst displaying how a teenager reflects upon philosophy. Early in the sections we read the book teaches about the Hellenistic Philosophies, and the one I find most interesting was the branch of Epicureanism. These philosophers saw the aim of life as trying to experience the most pleasure, including sensory enjoyment from drinking and eating, but also happiness from relationships like friends or a significant other. They weighed the possible enjoyment of things between long and short term happiness, and thought about the consequences or side effects that could lessen your overall happiness. Compared to the other Hellenistic Philosophies, this one also seems like the best to believe (keeping in mind that everyone thinks differently). I feel that this encompasses the good part of Cynicism, where happiness is found beyond material possessions, because the Epicurean’s focus on happiness/enjoyment includes immaterial things, like relationships. I agree with Stoicism’s ideals, that you should learn to endure pain, but following Epicureanism, you would constantly be putting yourself in the best overall position for your pleasure. Due to this you would likely deal with the least pain, but it is still important to deal with it. Skepticism seems like the worst way to live, because it seems like putting blind faith in destiny will work out, when in reality there are people who end up in dire circumstances (in poverty, homeless, hungry, dead) because they aren’t concerned about their future. With Epicureanism, one would be concerned with their long term happiness and hopefully stray from being in dire situations.

Connection #2

In my life, I feel that I follow a way of life similar to the epicureans, but with the biggest focus on achieving the most possible happiness. The biggest criticisms of the Epicureans were that they were perceived to be lazy partygoers, but I put a much higher focus on attaining long terms happiness, because I think that working and suffering now (in school) will pay off in my future (beyond college) and result in greater happiness than if I slacked off now. This ideology is something I’m actually constantly and consistently aware and conscious of. Really, this can apply to almost any decision, and is indeed prevalent in my decision making for my choices that affect my future. One example is when I was choosing my classes for this year. I decided to take Speech and Computer Tech over summer so that I could take more electives during the actual school, lessening my stress and allowing me to take more classes oriented towards my career (engineering and engineering electives). Another example is when I’m thinking of extracurriculars and time management. I do GSC and robotics, which both require a significant commitment, and I’m happy with the amount of freetime I have. But I also acknowledge that when I join a recreational soccer team, where it only has a once per week commitment, I can do that without straining myself because it’s fun and something I like to do. At this point it seems like being conscious of this ideology is almost redundant in decision making, since one would always try to make the “best decision” and consequently, that would likely result in the most overall happiness. I guess it just makes me super-aware of my everyday decision making as well as planning for the future.

Blog #1

Reflection #1

The book Sophie's World explores the history of philosophy in an interesting way. It explores it through the plot of a man sending a girl, Sophie, anonymous letters that each hold a lesson in philosophy. Personally, I'm not sure if this story line is completely necessary to teach about the history of philosophy. Perhaps the purpose of it is to show the thoughts of a young person being exposed to these philosophical ideas. Personally, I think that there is a significant amount of details that take away from the actual philosophy part of the book. However on the topic of the philosophies presented, to me it seems very satisfying that there is a whole subject on asking questions about our world and existence, likely because I enjoy philosophy but don't have many opportunities to explore it outside of my own mind. One area I've never thought about were what the natural philosophers explored, how our natural world worked, what we were made out of, and what makes up everything. I found Democritus's theory of the atom very intelligent, especially when considering his environment and lack of available scientific knowledge. Its also interesting to realize the effect Greek culture had on philosophy, like the mythology used to answer questions and instances where superstition was the accepted reason for sickness. 

Connection #1

I mentioned that I haven't thought about the questions on our natural world, and that in ancient Greece they used superstition to explain our world. These two are probably related, since there was a cause to find answers involving reason rather than mythology. But in today's world, to the average student, science can explain what makes up our world and what exactly we are made of. Biology is an entire subject based on living things and the things that make them up, including organ systems and cells. The book also talked about fate and explaining our world through superstition. Some ancient Greeks believed that sickness was a punishment of the gods, but in today's world we can explain sickness through likely causes such as bacteria or infections. Yet when it comes to fate, many people today still believe in fate and destiny. There are two constants between the present and past that might explain why this belief is still alive. The first one is that religion is still a big part of culture and there are numerous beliefs where fate, God's plan, and higher beings in control exist. The second constant is the fact that there is nothing to disprove the belief of fate/destiny, granted there is no way to prove it either but that just leaves it up to each person to think and decide for themselves. Perhaps culture and tradition have a huge part in that, especially from environmental and family pressures/influences.