Today our group focused on the Doubt quiz and what we all thought of it. A few of us didn't particularly like the quiz because it seemed like the answers were too narrow. There needed to be more options than just yes and no. The book seems to encourage doubt in the reader, and we think the quiz justifies that claim. It doesn't seem fair that the author of the book is the question master, because she has her own beliefs and feelings just as we do. Therefore, why is it okay for her to be right about our religious views just because of our answers to a quiz she wrote? It isn't right for her to be able to define our reality with her feelings. With that said, here are our two questions for the day... 1) When was the earliest recorded doubt? 2) Why should our individual feelings serve as evidence of a definable reality?
(Hopefully I did this right, guys! I tried! :)
For 1/25:
ReplyDeleteFact question- Which ancient civilization believed in an underlying logos, or order to things?
Discussion question- Do you believe in a logos, or in a logic to the way everything happens? Or do you believe in an uncertain fate, that everything is up to the whims of a god?
I'm not sure if we are supposed to answer the posted questions from Monday, but here it goes...
ReplyDelete1) 2,600 years ago
2) I think that our individuals feeling help to define our own personal reality but cannot be used as a definition for that of others as they would have very different dispositions as a result of their own unique experiences. This is, as I see it, one of the flaws with the quiz. If question 10 is only with respect to the individual, then my answer is "yes", but if it applies to the whole of humanity, then it would have to be "no".
Sorry, I tend to get caught up in this kind of stuff. Anyway, here are my questions for Fate vs. Logos:
Fact ?: How does fate differ from logos?
Discussion ?: The shift of focus from fate to logos seemed to take away what little control over their futures people had. Whereas once they could influence the gods whimsical nature and influence the outcome, now they would be but a name in a predetermined, logical story. Why would humanity choose to perceive less control over their lives than more?
Frank, you only have to respond to the discussion question, not the factual question! :)
ReplyDelete-My answer to the discussion question is that our individual feelings cannot define the reality of anyone else other than ourselves. We cannot predict the fate of others through our own feelings. People live different lives and go through different trials and tribulations, so it seems quite unfair to decide a definable reality for someone else. However, I think it is logical to say that it is okay for our feelings to shape our own definable reality.
1/25 Questions:
Fact: Religion had opened the way to the "beyond" for thousands of years, but it was ________ that would demand order in the beyond.
Discussion: Before we our born, are our lives already determined by fate.. or is it logos that determines where we end up in life? If it is fate, then everything such as an education and pursuing our goals would be pointless, right?
To answer the discussion question: I think it is appropriate to refer to Plato's Allegory of the Cave for this. Briefly: There are a group of people who have been prisoners in a cave all of their life, chained so that they could not turn their heads. Behind them was a fire that cast shadows. The only things they saw were the shadows of men and objects moving in front of the fire, so that was REAL for them, not just reflections of reality. They prisoners would think that the person who could guess which shadow would come next would understand the nature of the world, and would praise him.
ReplyDeleteSuppose one prisoner was freed and allowed to gaze upon the fire. He would not recognize what he saw for what it was, being rooted in his original reality.
Thus it is how our experience in life so far creates our perception of reality, and we deny to think of other realities because they confound us.
My answer to the discussion question is: Our individual feelings only define what is reality for us. For I believe ones grasp of reality is directly related to ones knowledge of the world around them. Whatever it is that someone knows to be true is their own reality.
ReplyDeleteAnswer to discussion question:
ReplyDeleteI don't believe that evidence is in any way tied to ideas. It is when people start using ideas and faith as evidence that I start to completely lose interest in what they are talking about. For instance, to say that the bible is true because it is the "word of God" is about as simple-minded as saying that there is no possibility of anything supernatural because I cannot see it with my eyes. So therefore it is my opinion that the only evidence we have is our own individual human experience. We can only base evidence-based opinions on our own realities.
Fact Question: Why is the bathroom the brightest room in the house?
Disc Question: If there is a divine omnipotent being and a heaven/hell, and it knows the future, past, and present... Doesn't it already know who is going to hell from the day they are forced into existence?... Doesn't this make it cruel?
I agree with the statement that our individual feelings only define what is reality for us.
ReplyDeleteA good example would be a person raised in a small Christian (or any other belief system/religion) community their entire life, never really getting a chance to see the rest of the world or hear other opinions. No matter how far-fetched this particular individual's beliefs are, that is what they believe because that is all they know.
I, for example, was born in a small 'Christian town' in the middle of Texas. I attended Sunday school, and the only system of beliefs I ever knew were Christian beliefs. After relocating to Borneo, I experienced an extreme culture shock- there were literally hundreds of religions in such a small area. I learned that there wasn't necessarily one truth, but many... depending on who you are and where you are raised.
Factual Question: What group was responsible for making Persia one of the most powerful empires in the world?
Discussion Question: If one religion is the ultimate truth, what happens when you are raised in a region where this religion is practically unheard of and never get the chance to see the truth? (Example: A muslim man born and raised in a small desert community in Afghanistan never gets to learn of Christianity. By Christian standards- what happens when he dies? Is it really his fault for not believing when he never had the chance to learn?)