Up@dawn 2.0

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

The A Team 16-1

I dont see a post from our group so i guess i will make one.

In class we talked about Bertrand Russell. I think the fact that  John Stuart Mills was his godfather is amazing. What are the chances of two great philosophers being so closely linked?  I like Russell, but i find some of his stuff on language a little boring. I find the views of the pragmatist philosophers easier to read. Personally, i do not care for dissecting a sentence to try and find truth or falsifiable words or meaning. If there is no king of France why are we worried if he is bald? What is the point of making up some fictional story about barbers and people needing to be shaved? Why cant someone else shave the barber? A J Ayers Boo! Hooray theory seems like an argument a 5th grader would have. Im sure they both have a lot of good things to say, and maybe i should actually read some of their works and not base everything off of what Nigel Warburton says, but i have not got there yet.

My group split up and did the whole peripatetic thing. I really enjoy that method, i think it will do great in England. We talked about Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir. I thoroughly enjoy Sartre. I love the idea that humans are not born with an essence. Starting from inception humans dont have a job. There is no God that designed us for  a reason, we have a blank slat and we can choose what we want to be. This holds true for many people, but not for everyone. Is it possible for a young girl from Somalia to become an astronaut? Does an Iraqi woman even have the option to go to school to become a doctor? Its possible, but unlikely. Just from our reading it seems that Simone just echoes what Sartre is saying but puts the woman's touch on it.

Damon McCook


8 comments:

  1. Andrew 16-110:26 AM CST

    FQ: What did Paul Fussel mainly study? (Class Structure)
    DQ: Does your class in society really dictate who you are, what you have, and what you act like?

    I still can't believe Hefner made it into a philosophy book...
    with that Hugh Hefner defending the playboy theory.

    http://www.openculture.com/2012/10/hugh_hefner_defends_the_playboy_philosophy_to_william_f_buckley_1966.html

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  2. we talked about humans creating meaning for whatever life is in my journalism class so i believe that goes along with what Sartre was saying about humans not having an essence. human come in to this word creating meaning and deciphering what we see around us finding their purposes but what is ours? what are we "made to do"?

    Who wrote the book "The Second Sex" in 1949?

    Simone De Beauvior

    Do you feel that relationships should be treated as "essential" and Contingent?

    here is a breif history of Simone de Beauvior

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goCOxQiNIOo

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  3. (16-2) It's hard to say whether or not humans have an intended purpose, in contrast to the pen, which is defined by its function.

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  4. Anonymous11:52 AM CST

    I personally found the reading on Sartre and his ideas very interesting. I agree we have the power to make whatever we want out of our lives. No one should control you or dictate your decisions.

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  5. i agree with Sartre but i honestly i do think there are certain times when the decisions u make are dictated by someone else unfortunately.

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  6. Courtney 16-312:10 PM CST

    I agree with you! I think everyone who goes on the trip to England will absolutely love the peripatetic style! Although people may get distracted in a different atmosphere!

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  7. Chelsea 16-112:27 PM CST

    Yes I enjoy walking around and philosophizing rather than being stuck in the classroom.

    FQ: Which philosopher used the Greek myth of Sisyphus to explain "human absurdity" ? ( Albert Camus)

    DQ: Do you agree that life is meaningless but working towards something just as Sisyphus rolling the rock up the mountain is better than not living?

    Link: BBC doc Camus vs. Sartre

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  8. Walking instead of sitting in the classroom allows us to think freely and discuss more topics.

    FQ: Albert Camus used greek myth to explain: human absurdity
    DQ: Is life based off of what class of person you are?

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peripatetic_school

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