Up@dawn 2.0

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

The Nameless 8 (Section 17, Group 1)

Are we still eight people? Seven? I don't know. We need a group name, guys. Come on now.

Today we did not have group discussion. Instead we had a representative from the Peace Corps come to talk to us, which was pretty interesting. Then we discussed Pyrrho and his extreme skepticism, and happiness as defined by Epicurus. I found that personally, after having read about Epicurus, I realized that I agreed with most of his ideas. As far as Pyrrho goes, while I can't relate to skepticism in my daily life quite the way he could, I think that a skeptical approach toward more abstract ideas (for example, "Is this a a dream?" and similar questions, which I believe we'll be discussing more when we get to Wittgenstein) might be interesting to consider.

At the end of class someone mentioned her experiences with homeless people and their happiness. While homelessness is probably not something most of us associate with happiness, by Epicurus' standards you could make a case that there are certainly some homeless people who are content with their lives and material situations.Your thoughts? Thoughts on Pyrrho, Epicurus, and the Peace Corps? Tell us about it in the comments.

Have a good weekend!

16 comments:

  1. unique-section16/group312:58 PM CDT

    i agree alot with what you're saying. Skepticism is not something that i take to extreme measures. im more of a skeptic when it comes to things that are being sold on TV. im always like "hmmm that probably does not work like that." haha. im sure alot of people do the same. so Pyrrho's extreme skepticism is not something i agree with.

    I do agree that with Epicurus that the point of life is to find happiness. also, i do understand what he means when he says don't fear death. for me, its not death that scares me. it's not accomplishing everything that i want and need to do before i die.

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  2. I know I'm a week late on the Allegory of the Cave stuff, but I found this comic today and thought you folks might enjoy it.

    http://www.smbc-comics.com/?id=3110

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  3. The Peace Corps seems like a wonderful program. I think it's a good think we're doing, and I think more people should look into it. We are extremely unaware of the rest of the world and don't realize it. I think it's important that we're aware.
    And i do think someone can be homeless and happy with that lifestyle, which leads to my thoughts on happiness: everyone is different and has a different definition of happiness. If it makes you happy then go for it.
    I lean toward Epicurus's view.
    here is a link of his idea of happiness:
    http://www.pursuit-of-happiness.org/history-of-happiness/epicurus/

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  4. DQ: Who's view of happiness do you believe? and why?

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  5. Kristin Barton (16-3)5:53 PM CDT

    I like Epicurus's views on enjoying life and not worrying about death, but I think he takes his simplistic desires to the extreme. I don't really want to spend my life sitting around just philosophizing all day! There's still a lot to be learned from the way he thought, though.

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  6. Anonymous9:23 PM CDT

    kathryn mills responding here....i'm not quite sure if i believe in an "afterlife" or not. i'dd like to think that there's a "heavenly" place we go to when we die and that we'll be reunited with our loved ones to be in "eternal bliss." But is there really such a place, or is that something that we've conjured ourselves into believing to allow ourselves to simply be more comfortable with the thought of death? Anyone have any personal thoughts or beliefs on this? (just curious)
    I found Dwan Adams, from the peacecorps, to be very interesting and am kind of excited about looking into more information on the programs and services they extend to provide help for others. That's very important to me; i believe helping others is very important, especially in today's society where so many people are only concerned with helping themselves.
    I'm not a pure skeptist, to the point at which Pyrrho was, but in general, i think i'm a very skeptical and questioning person by nature. (maybe that's just the philosopher in me lol, which i think we all have to some extent). I havent found a link to share with you guys yet, but i'm looking into it. Hope everyone's enjoying their weekend and i look forward to seeing you all on monday.

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  7. I thought Pyrrho was just ridiculous! No "sane" person would walk out into the middle of traffic or off a cliff and not realize that its dangerous and they could probably die. The fact that he had other people with him to keep him from dying on a daily basis just confirmed for me that he probably had some sort of mental issues.

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  8. (17.3) I think that the small discussion on homelessness was very thought provoking. As i've learned, to some people it is a choice to be homeless, but for others, it is a hard way of life. I once met a man who came into the small cafe I used to wait tables at. He came in, asked for some water, but said he wasn't going to eat. He looked hungry, so the owner put some meat and three deliciousness into a to-go container and took it out to him. He was very appreciative for the food, and began to tell us that he was indeed homeless and that he had no family left. Even though he was alone in the world and lived in the cold and the heat, he was relatively happy. He smiled, made jokes, and shook our hands. It was a strange experience to see someone with so little, have so much.

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  9. Factual- Who were the two writers that helped spread Stoic? (Marcus Tullius Cicero & Lucius Annaeus Seneca)
    Discussion- Do you worry on things you can not change?
    Comment- Looks like I missed an interesting day! We had a visitor?
    Link- My link for this section is that I am needing to learn letting things go that I can not handle or control that are going on in my personal and work life right now.
    group1 (17)

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  10. Here is my factual question of the post: what is the name of the biography of Ralph Waldo Emerson written by Robert D. Richardson Jr.? The answer will be given later but for now do you (the reader) agree with Peirce that all thoughts come from doubt? Speaking of doubt ... Pyrrho and Epicurus had some interesting views on life and death. Which leads me to my link its to this book series called The Island. Basically its about this guy named William Hill who goes to an island he and his father went to fish to die because a disease is killing people all over the world. It is split into five parts and brings up the question: where would you go to die.

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  11. oh and the answer to my factual question is Emerson: A Mind on Fire.

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  12. (Taylor Reed- Group 1 Sec 17)
    I enjoyed hearing the guest speak on the Peace Corps. It is imperative for my major that I join the Peace Corps after graduation. I'm yearning for a culture shock, which I feel is truly one of the greatest experiences you could have in life. For my factual question, I'd like to use something from the text Little History of Philosophy: Who said "Death is not an event in life"? I like that particular quote because it helps me come to terms with my own mortality, thus helping me to not focus so much on my death. If I can come to terms with the idea that there is no way of knowing what happens after death, then I can focus on other aspects of life and provide myself with a better existence full of experiences. Removing the focus on death allows one to focus on something that is more present and obvious: life. If I can focus on my life and make sure I fill it with enough experiences then I will be comfortable in the process of my death. I like the ideas of Epicurus, who taught that there should be no fear of death. I personally believe that there is nothing to be experienced once the process of dying is completed. I cannot be aware of my own death, because in my death there is no life to question it or experience it. Total oblivion is not something to be feared because there was a time before our life that we did not exist. As for Pyrrho, I think he was a little extreme with his skepticism. It is important to remain skeptical of everything in life, but you should never take it to an extreme in which you doubt that a car will hit you when you cross a street during busy traffic. As for my discussion question, I'd like to ask how you would live your life knowing there was no afterlife, and why? Many people seem to think that those who don't believe in an afterlife (eternal reward or punishment) have no hope or morals. I have to completely disagree with this notion because I have nothing but hope for all the experiences that I will enjoy during my lifetime and I would never want to deprive someone else of their life experiences. I'm ending this post with a link to an interesting article on the 'Trolley Problem'. It poses the question "is it wrong to kill one person in order to save others?"
    http://healthland.time.com/2011/12/05/would-you-kill-one-person-to-save-five-new-research-on-a-classic-debate/

    (factual question answer: Ludwig Wittgenstein)

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  13. Hey! I'm from Section 17 group 3, and I guess I'm here to crash your philoso-party.

    Personally, I agree the most with Epicurus, seeing as (like you mentioned in the original post) his views lined up the most with my personal beliefs. As a Christian, I don't care about when I die. It's not something that I actively worry about, since I'm of the belief that I will kind of "fall asleep" here and wake up somewhere else, without all that death and dying nonsense inbetween.

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  14. I have always heard about the Peace Corps but never actually talked with someone who knew anything about it. Definitely something worth hearing about! If I ever get the opportunity to do anything like that I would love it!

    DQ: How did Aquinas fit his ideas in with other philosophers while being a Christian himself??

    FQ: How did Epictetus view teaching philosophy? (A: as a way of life)

    Link: "When what you hear and what you see don't match, trust your eyes."

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  15. Good afternoon ! Just thought i'd stop through and throw my two cents in ! To a certain extent i agree that a simple life is a happy life, however a too simple of a life could, in my opinion actually be more stressful. Think about it.. As a homeless person you dont have to worry about bills or anything of that sort, which would be great but what about food, shelter (that protects from serious weather conditions) heath issues and things of that nature. I mean not knowing where your next meal is coming from can be stressful right? Being cold isn't pleasurable.. not to me at least..

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  16. Monday in class, we decided that our group presentation will be on The Wizard of Oz and Philosophy. As far as that, we didn't discuss anything.
    DQ: How do you expect The Wizard of Oz and Philosophy is going to relate the book/movie to philosophy?

    amazon link:
    http://www.amazon.com/The-Wizard-Oz-Philosophy-Popular/dp/0812696573

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