Exam/Final Report info here... [audio files removed, request links if you wish]
1. Reading whose autobiography led young Bertrand Russell to reject God? OR, What did he see as the logical problem with the First Cause Argument?
I for a long time accepted the argument of the First Cause, until one day at the age of eighteen I read _____'s Autobiography, and I there found this sentence: "My father taught me that the question 'Who made me?' cannot be answered, since it immediately suggests the further question `Who made god?'" That very simple sentence showed me, as I still think, the fallacy in the argument of the First Cause. If everything must have a cause, then God must have a cause. If there can be anything without a cause, it may just as well be the world as God, so that there cannot be any validity in that argument. It is exactly of the same nature as the Hindu's view, that the world rested upon an elephant and the elephant rested upon a tortoise; and when they said, "How about the tortoise?" the Indian said, "Suppose we change the subject." The argument is really no better than that. Why I Am Not a Christian
2. The idea of a barber who shaves all who don't shave themselves is a logical ______, a seeming contradiction that is both true and false. Another example of the same thing would be a statement like "This sentence is ___."
3. A.J. Ayer's ______ Principle, stated in his 1936 book Language, Truth and Logic, was part of the movement known as _____ ______.
4. Humans don't have an _____, said Jean Paul Sartre, and are in "bad faith" like the ____ who thinks of himself as completely defined by his work.
5. What was Sartre's frustrating advice to the student who didn't know whether to join the Resistance?
6. When Simone de Beauvoir said women are not born that way, she meant that they tend to accept what?
7. Which Greek myth did Albert Camus use to illustrate human absurdity, as he saw it?
FL
8. What was the message of The Courage to Heal?
AP -119
9. The first big outbreak of what occurred in and around Bakersfield CA in the '80s?
10. Andersen says there's a line extending from flying saucer obsessives to what?
11. What is it important to recognize about David Koresh and the Branch Davidians'?
12. Who is both symptom and cause of conspiracism in America?
12. Who is both symptom and cause of conspiracism in America?
AP -119
13. How did James the medical student differ from James the humanist?
14. How do analytic philosophers tend to understand philosophy?
15. Emerson tied American Transcendentalism to what philosopher and to what class of ideas?
14. How do analytic philosophers tend to understand philosophy?
15. Emerson tied American Transcendentalism to what philosopher and to what class of ideas?
What did Sartre mean by "freedom"? Inquiring minds want to know how any of us can be really free, when we still have payments to make on the fridge. Well, that's the crux of Sartre's "Roads to Freedom." Isn't it, Mrs. P? -"We'll ask him."
"What was Jean-Paul like?"
-"He didn't join in the fun much. Just sat there thinking..."
- “Man is defined as a human being and a woman as a female — whenever she behaves as a human being she is said to imitate the male.”
- “Fathers never have exactly the daughters they want because they invent a notion a them that the daughters have to conform to.”
- “Why one man rather than another? It was odd. You find yourself involved with a fellow for life just because he was the one that you met when you were nineteen.”
- “Self-consciousness is not knowledge but a story one tells about oneself.”
Albert Camus gave us the Existential version of Sisyphus, and the “fundamental question of philosophy”:
“There is but one truly serious philosophical problem and that is suicide. Judging whether life is or is not worth living amounts to answering the fundamental question of philosophy. All the rest — whether or not the world has three dimensions, whether the mind has nine or twelve categories — comes afterwards. These are games; one must first answer.”
 | thinkPhilosophy (@tPhilosophia) |
|
Jean-Paul Sartre: more relevant now than ever | Books | The Guardian: theguardian.com/books/2014/
| |
DQ:
1. Have you ever read a book that changed your mind about something important to you? What would you say to Bertrand Russell and J.S. Mill about the First Cause Argument?
2. Are linguistic paradoxes a philosophical problem, or just an amusing quirk of language?
3. Can you give an example of an unverifiable statement that you consider meaningful?
4. What's your "essence" or specific human nature? Did you construct it, or were you born into it? Can your essence change?
5. What does it mean to say that women are made, not born? Do you have particular ideas about what it means to be a man or a woman? Where did those ideas come from? Are there any professions or occupations you think no women or men should enter?
6. Are there any Sisyphean aspects to your daily life? Do they make you unhappy? Do you imagine you'll someday escape them? How?
| thinkPhilosophy (@tPhilosophia) |
|
"Why Life Is Absurd" Essay that won an Immortality Project Award - NYTimes.com opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/
| |
An old post-
Thursday, April 23, 2015
Oxbridge superstars Bertrand Russell (Cambridge) and A.J. Ayer (Oxford) are the classic 20th century British philosophers on tap in CoPhi today (Russell was actually born in the 1870s and made it to nearly the century mark). We'll squeeze in another Cambridge don, Frank Ramsey, if time allows.
That's a small philosophy pun, PB's Ramsey expert Hugh Mellor is also an expert on time. And it's in marginally bad taste too, given that poor Ramsey's un-Russellian time was tragically short: he lived only to age 26. But as Mellor says, he accomplished far more than most philosophers manage in that fraction of a lifetime, including the "redundancy" theory of truth that (ironically, paradoxically!) implies the gratuity of theories of truth without disavowing truth's centrality to philosophy.
Hugh Mellor on time (he says relax, it’s not tensed”).... Russell @dawn... Russell... Ayer... Logicomix]
So much has been said about Russell, and by him. The truth question was pretty cut-and-dried, he thought, like religion and the pragmatic approach in general.
- There isn’t a practical reason for believing what isn’t true. If it’s true you should believe it, if it isn’t you shouldn't… it’s dishonesty and intellectual treachery to hold a belief because you think it’s useful and not because you think it’s true.
- The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser men so full of doubts.
- And if there were a God, I think it very unlikely that He would have such an uneasy vanity as to be offended by those who doubt His existence.
- Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom.
- Do you think that, if you were granted omnipotence and omniscience and millions of years in which to perfect your world, you could produce nothing better than the Ku Klux Klan or the Fascists? [Why I Am Not a Christian... More Russell]
Clearly, "for Russell there was no chance of God stepping in to save humanity." The concept of an Afterlife is, to anticipate the over-zealotry of A.J. Ayer's indiscriminate philosophical wrecking ball, "nonsense." We must save ourselves. (As Carl Sagan would later say, there's no sign of help coming from anywhere "out there" to rescue us.)
Russell said family friend and "godfather" J.S. Mill provided a satisfactory answer to his own early childhood query, posed by so many of us: "What caused God?" If anything in the universe can exist without a cause, why can't the universe itself?
Having settled the question of God to his own satisfaction, he turned full attention to the philosophy of logic and mathematics, to paradox, to set theory, and other conceptual conundra. If something is false when it's true ("This sentence is false" etc.), then it's back to the drawing board for the logicians. It's not even a close shave. (Yes, that's another marginal philosophy pun- this time alluding to Russell's paradox of the barber who shaves only those who shave themselves.) As for the extent of my own interest in set theory and its ilk, I think young Ramsey said it best: "Suppose a contradiction were to be found in the axioms of set theory. Do you seriously believe that a bridge would fall down?" No I do not.
"How can we talk meaningfully about non-existent things?" That's never really hung me up, nor anyone who appreciates good literature. Either young Russell was not a big reader of fiction, or maybe he thought he had to justify his reading. I'm glad he cared about "the present king of France," but I frankly could care less.
A.J. (“Freddie”) Ayer, with his Verification Principle, loved to detect and discredit nonsense. Good for him, we're choking on it. But he went too far. "Metaphysics" (not to mention "ethics" and "religion") may have been a dirty word, for him, but there's far more sense on earth (let alone in heaven, if a heaven there be) than was dreamt of in his Logical Positivism.
Ayer, by the way, apparently had a Near Death Experience of his own, in his old age. Interesting, in light of his youthful philosophy as exposited in Language, Truth, and Logic, "in every sense" (he admitted while still a relatively young man) "a young man's book, "according to which unverifiable statements are meaningless nonsense.
Old Ayer claimed his premature dalliance with death in no way impinged on his atheism. But an acquaintance reported that “He became so much nicer after he died… not nearly so boastful. He took an interest in other people.” But again, Freddie denied that the experience made him “religious.” [continues here]
- …a sentence is factually significant to any given person, if, and only if, he knows how to verify the proposition which it purports to express — that is, if he knows what observations would lead him, under certain conditions, to accept the proposition as being true, or reject it as being false.
- “Stealing money is wrong” has no factual meaning — that is, expresses no proposition which can be either true or false. It is as if I had written “Stealing money!!
- No moral system can rest solely on authority. [Or as Russell said: nothing externally imposed can be of any value.]
- There is philosophy, which is about conceptual analysis — about the meaning of what we say — and there is all of this … all of life.
And with that last insight the former Wykeham Professor of Logic may at last have hit on a profound truth far beyond formal language and pedantic logic. Ayer's greatest moment, for my money:
One of the last of the many legendary contests won by the British philosopher A. J. Ayer was his encounter with Mike Tyson in 1987... Ayer -- small, frail, slight as a sparrow and then 77 years old -- was entertaining a group of models at a New York party when a girl ran in screaming that her friend was being assaulted in a bedroom. The parties involved turned out to be Tyson and Naomi Campbell. ''Do you know who [the bleep] I am?'' Tyson asked in disbelief when Ayer urged him to desist: ''I'm the heavyweight champion of the world.'' ''And I am the former Wykeham professor of logic,'' Ayer answered politely. ''We are both pre-eminent in our field. I suggest that we talk about this like rational men.'' nyt He might have been inviting another NDE, right then and there! [Ayer’s "Language, Truth & Logic." archive.org/details/Alfred…]
Every moment of life, especially during the Occupation, was an NDE for the French existentialists, Sartre (& Mary Warnock on Sartre), de Beauvoir, and Camus.
Jean-Paul Sartre, his companion Simone de Beauvoir, and their cohort Albert Camus were Resistance fighters as well as French intellectuals. "Paris needed a philosophy that would give to individuals a belief in themselves and their own powers," says Lady W., and that's what JPS and his cohort tried to give them. That’s important to remember, when considering the extremity of some of their statements. They were up against the wall, with Nazis in the parlor. And they’re on tap today in CoPhi.
[Sartre, Camus @dawn... roads to freedom... deB SEP,IEP... "Stand By Your Man: The strange liaison of Sartre and Beauvoir...trees and bridges... Sartre's cat]
Warnock seems to find some of Sartre's terms and concepts puzzling: existence precedes essence, "whatever that means!" But I always thought this was one of Sartre's clearer statements: "if God does not exist there is at least one being whose existence comes before its essence, a being which exists before it can be defined by any conception of it." And we are it.
What did Sartre mean by "freedom"? Inquiring minds want to know how any of us can be really free, when we still have payments to make on the fridge. Well, that's the crux of Sartre's "Roads to Freedom." Isn't it, Mrs. P? -"We'll ask him."
"What was Jean-Paul like?"
-"He didn't join in the fun much. Just sat there thinking..."
[Breaking: guess who's getting back together?!] Got back together...
Some more extreme Gallic/Existential statements:
- “So this is hell. I’d never have believed it. You remember all we were told about the torture-chambers, the fire and brimstone, the “burning marl.” Old wives’ tales!There’s no need for red-hot pokers. HELL IS–OTHER PEOPLE!”
- “Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does. “Life has no meaning a priori … It is up to you to give it a meaning, and value is nothing but the meaning that you choose.”
- “Life has no meaning, the moment you lose the illusion of being eternal.”
- “Words are loaded pistols.”
- “Life begins on the other side of despair.”
- “Nothingness lies coiled in the heart of being – like a worm.”
- “There is no love apart from the deeds of love; no potentiality of love other than that which is manifested in loving; there is no genius other than that which is expressed in works of art.”
- “An individual chooses and makes himself.”
- “If I became a philosopher, if I have so keenly sought this fame for which I’m still waiting, it’s all been to seduce women basically.”
- “It is disgusting — Why must we have bodies?”
- “I carry the weight of the world by myself alone without help, engaged in a world for which I bear the whole responsibility without being able, whatever I do, to tear myself away from this responsibility for an instant.”
- “Life is a useless passion.”
- “There is only one day left, always starting over: It is given to us at dawn and taken away from us at dusk.”
And so it goes. Picture him dropping his verbal cluster-bombs in a dingy Parisian cafe, ringed by his own unfiltered smoke and an adoring cultish audience, all wondering if he and his confreres would live to fight another day. “Useless passion”? Generations of Sartre’s politically (if not metaphysically) free French successors might disagree. But removed from that context, I find these weaponish words hard to love. At least the guy who said hell is other people liked cats.
- “One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman.”
- “She was ready to deny the existence of space and time rather than admit that love might not be eternal.”
- “A man attaches himself to woman — not to enjoy her, but to enjoy himself. ”
- “If you live long enough, you’ll see that every victory turns into a defeat.”
- “I am incapable of conceiving infinity and yet I do not accept finity.”
- “Few tasks are more like the torture of Sisyphus than housework, with its endless repetition: the clean becomes soiled, the soiled is made clean, over and over, day after day.”
- “I am awfully greedy; I want everything from life. I want to be a woman and to be a man, to have many friends and to have loneliness, to work much and write good books, to travel and enjoy myself, to be selfish and to be unselfish… You see, it is difficult to get all which I want. And then when I do not succeed I get mad with anger.”
- “Man is defined as a human being and a woman as a female — whenever she behaves as a human being she is said to imitate the male.”
- “Fathers never have exactly the daughters they want because they invent a notion a them that the daughters have to conform to.”
- “Why one man rather than another? It was odd. You find yourself involved with a fellow for life just because he was the one that you met when you were nineteen.”
- “Self-consciousness is not knowledge but a story one tells about oneself.”
Some stories ring truer than others though, no? De Beauvoir rings truer than Sartre, most of the time, for me. And Albert Camus with his Sisyphean view of life offers the starkest challenge when he says the ultimate question in philosophy is that of suicide. “Should I kill myself, or have a cup of coffee?” More coffee! It makes me happy, and it’s the braver choice. But no room for cream, please.
Camus also said
- “You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life.”
- “There are causes worth dying for, but none worth killing for.”
- “I do not believe in God and I am not an atheist.”
- “Always go too far, because that’s where you’ll find the truth.”
- “Real generosity toward the future lies in giving all to the present.”
Albert Camus gave us the Existential version of Sisyphus, and the “fundamental question of philosophy”:
“There is but one truly serious philosophical problem and that is suicide. Judging whether life is or is not worth living amounts to answering the fundamental question of philosophy. All the rest — whether or not the world has three dimensions, whether the mind has nine or twelve categories — comes afterwards. These are games; one must first answer.”
OK, got it. My answer is yes, of course life is worth living. Living’s not always easy, but there’s usually something to show for your hard work. It can be a source of happiness. (And what does Sisyphus do after hours?)
The next question, having consented to live, is how. Politics is supposed to help with that. But in this perpetual season of political discontent, when the polls say all politicians and parties are uniformly scorned by the populace, there have been moments when many of us have wondered if it’s all worth it. Camus felt the same.
“Every time I hear a political speech or I read those of our leaders, I am horrified at having, for years, heard nothing which sounded human. It is always the same words telling the same lies. And the fact that men accept this, that the people’s anger has not destroyed these hollow clowns, strikes me as proof that men attribute no importance to the way they are governed; that they gamble – yes, gamble – with a whole part of their life and their so called ‘vital interests.”
Politics was supposed to be all about freeing the people to pursue happiness, Mr. Jefferson said. If it’s hard to imagine Sisyphus happy, it may be harder to expect that from our politics these days. But we must keep on pushing.
Theists of all kinds have very largely failed to make their concept of a deity intelligible; and to the extent that they have made it intelligible, they have given us no reason to think that anything answers to it.
The existence of a being having the attributes which define the god of any non-animistic religion cannot be demonstratively proved... [A]ll utterances about the nature of God are nonsensical.
[Much later in life, Ayer had a Near Death Experience and wrote about it in an essay he titled "What I Saw When I Was Dead"...]
My recent experiences have slightly weakened my conviction that my genuine death, which is due fairly soon, will be the end of me, though I continue to hope that it will be. They have not weakened my conviction that there is no God.
[A few days later he added:] What I should have said is that my experiences have weakened, not my belief that there is no life after death, but my inflexible attitude towards that belief."
[His wife said] "Freddie became so much nicer after he died… not nearly so boastful. He took an interest in other people."
There is philosophy, which is about conceptual analysis — about the meaning of what we say — and there is all of this … all of life.
[Near death, explained]
Not long before his NDE, Ayer had an improbable run-in with prizefighter Mike Tyson. Ayer -- small, frail, slight as a sparrow and then 77 years old -- was entertaining a group of models at a New York party when a girl ran in screaming that her friend was being assaulted in a bedroom. The parties involved turned out to be Tyson and Naomi Campbell.
''Do you know who [the bleep] I am?'' Tyson asked in disbelief when Ayer urged him to desist: ''I'm the heavyweight champion of the world.'' ''And I am the former Wykeham professor of logic,'' Ayer answered politely. ''We are both pre-eminent in our field. I suggest that we talk about this like rational men.''
"If God does not exist there is at least one being whose existence comes before its essence, a being which exists before it can be defined by any conception of it."
So this is hell. I’d never have believed it. You remember all we were told about the torture-chambers, the fire and brimstone, the “burning marl.” Old wives’ tales!There’s no need for red-hot pokers. HELL IS–OTHER PEOPLE!
Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does. “Life has no meaning a priori … It is up to you to give it a meaning, and value is nothing but the meaning that you choose.
Life has no meaning, the moment you lose the illusion of being eternal.
Words are loaded pistols.
Life begins on the other side of despair.
Nothingness lies coiled in the heart of being – like a worm.
There is no love apart from the deeds of love; no potentiality of love other than that which is manifested in loving; there is no genius other than that which is expressed in works of art.
An individual chooses and makes himself.
If I became a philosopher, if I have so keenly sought this fame for which I’m still waiting, it’s all been to seduce women basically.
It is disgusting — Why must we have bodies?
I carry the weight of the world by myself alone without help, engaged in a world for which I bear the whole responsibility without being able, whatever I do, to tear myself away from this responsibility for an instant.
Life is a useless passion.
There is only one day left, always starting over: It is given to us at dawn and taken away from us at dusk.
Should I kill myself, or have a cup of coffee?
There is but one truly serious philosophical problem and that is suicide. Judging whether life is or is not worth living amounts to answering the fundamental question of philosophy. All the rest — whether or not the world has three dimensions, whether the mind has nine or twelve categories — comes afterwards. These are games; one must first answer.
You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life.
There are causes worth dying for, but none worth killing for.
I do not believe in God and I am not an atheist. [Sounds like (Groucho) Marxism again...]
Always go too far, because that’s where you’ll find the truth.
Real generosity toward the future lies in giving all to the present.
The existence of a being having the attributes which define the god of any non-animistic religion cannot be demonstratively proved... [A]ll utterances about the nature of God are nonsensical.
[Much later in life, Ayer had a Near Death Experience and wrote about it in an essay he titled "What I Saw When I Was Dead"...]
My recent experiences have slightly weakened my conviction that my genuine death, which is due fairly soon, will be the end of me, though I continue to hope that it will be. They have not weakened my conviction that there is no God.
[A few days later he added:] What I should have said is that my experiences have weakened, not my belief that there is no life after death, but my inflexible attitude towards that belief."
[His wife said] "Freddie became so much nicer after he died… not nearly so boastful. He took an interest in other people."
There is philosophy, which is about conceptual analysis — about the meaning of what we say — and there is all of this … all of life.
[Near death, explained]
Not long before his NDE, Ayer had an improbable run-in with prizefighter Mike Tyson. Ayer -- small, frail, slight as a sparrow and then 77 years old -- was entertaining a group of models at a New York party when a girl ran in screaming that her friend was being assaulted in a bedroom. The parties involved turned out to be Tyson and Naomi Campbell.
"If God does not exist there is at least one being whose existence comes before its essence, a being which exists before it can be defined by any conception of it."
So this is hell. I’d never have believed it. You remember all we were told about the torture-chambers, the fire and brimstone, the “burning marl.” Old wives’ tales!There’s no need for red-hot pokers. HELL IS–OTHER PEOPLE!
Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does. “Life has no meaning a priori … It is up to you to give it a meaning, and value is nothing but the meaning that you choose.
Life has no meaning, the moment you lose the illusion of being eternal.
Words are loaded pistols.
Life begins on the other side of despair.
Nothingness lies coiled in the heart of being – like a worm.
There is no love apart from the deeds of love; no potentiality of love other than that which is manifested in loving; there is no genius other than that which is expressed in works of art.
An individual chooses and makes himself.
If I became a philosopher, if I have so keenly sought this fame for which I’m still waiting, it’s all been to seduce women basically.
It is disgusting — Why must we have bodies?
I carry the weight of the world by myself alone without help, engaged in a world for which I bear the whole responsibility without being able, whatever I do, to tear myself away from this responsibility for an instant.
Life is a useless passion.
There is only one day left, always starting over: It is given to us at dawn and taken away from us at dusk.
de Beauvoir:
One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman.
Fathers never have exactly the daughters they want because they invent a notion a them that the daughters have to conform to.
Man is defined as a human being and a woman as a female — whenever she behaves as a human being she is said to imitate the male.
She was ready to deny the existence of space and time rather than admit that love might not be eternal.
A man attaches himself to woman — not to enjoy her, but to enjoy himself.
If you live long enough, you’ll see that every victory turns into a defeat.
I am incapable of conceiving infinity and yet I do not accept finity.
I am awfully greedy; I want everything from life. I want to be a woman and to be a man, to have many friends and to have loneliness, to work much and write good books, to travel and enjoy myself, to be selfish and to be unselfish… You see, it is difficult to get all which I want. And then when I do not succeed I get mad with anger.
Self-consciousness is not knowledge but a story one tells about oneself.
Why one man rather than another? It was odd. You find yourself involved with a fellow for life just because he was the one that you met when you were nineteen.
One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman.
Fathers never have exactly the daughters they want because they invent a notion a them that the daughters have to conform to.
Man is defined as a human being and a woman as a female — whenever she behaves as a human being she is said to imitate the male.
She was ready to deny the existence of space and time rather than admit that love might not be eternal.
A man attaches himself to woman — not to enjoy her, but to enjoy himself.
If you live long enough, you’ll see that every victory turns into a defeat.
I am incapable of conceiving infinity and yet I do not accept finity.
I am awfully greedy; I want everything from life. I want to be a woman and to be a man, to have many friends and to have loneliness, to work much and write good books, to travel and enjoy myself, to be selfish and to be unselfish… You see, it is difficult to get all which I want. And then when I do not succeed I get mad with anger.
Self-consciousness is not knowledge but a story one tells about oneself.
Few tasks are more like the torture of Sisyphus than housework, with its endless repetition: the clean becomes soiled, the soiled is made clean, over and over, day after day.
There is but one truly serious philosophical problem and that is suicide. Judging whether life is or is not worth living amounts to answering the fundamental question of philosophy. All the rest — whether or not the world has three dimensions, whether the mind has nine or twelve categories — comes afterwards. These are games; one must first answer.
You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life.
There are causes worth dying for, but none worth killing for.
I do not believe in God and I am not an atheist. [Sounds like (Groucho) Marxism again...]
Always go too far, because that’s where you’ll find the truth.
Real generosity toward the future lies in giving all to the present.
"Can you give an example of an unverifiable statement that you consider meaningful?"
ReplyDeleteTo me the statement "This too shall pass" is unverifiable because there is nothing to prove that all will be ok at some point but to me it helps to keep me going during my rough patches.
"Are linguistic paradoxes a philosophical problem, or just an amusing quirk of language?"
I think if they are constantly interpreted incorrectly then they could be a problem but for the most part they are an amusing quirk of language.
"Have you ever read a book that changed your mind about something important to you? What would you say to Bertrand Russell and J.S. Mill about the First Cause Argument?"
I think every time I read a book my views on life change just a little bit. The more we take in information the more our minds and opinions evolve. I would say that knowledge is infinite and that we can always expand from what we learn.
Kevin Hernandez Ovalle HO2
DeleteI understand the meaning and illogic your statement has. Some things are uncertain but that what gives up hope to keep going.
I have read a few books that had a great effect on the way I think. It is surprising how we become informed about things and start to think about things from a different perspective after reading about it.
DeleteSection 9
DeleteI believe if you read "this too shall pass" literally, it's true. Time doesn't stop, and events keep flowing. Rest assured, events will continue to pass, eventually changing, or we'll die. One way or another, this too shall pass.
I agree with Steven, if taken literally, "This to shall pass" is literally going to pass because time never stops. Eventually it will pass and although it may suck and time feels like its going by slowly, it will definitely pass.
DeleteHi Marie, I absolutely agree with you that the saying "This too shall pass" does not gurantee that things will be okay, but thinking about the saying can be quite helpful in situations, and it brings me a more positive outlook on things.
DeleteKevin Hernandez Ovalle HO2
ReplyDeleteAre linguistic paradoxes a philosophical problem, or just an amusing quirk of language?
I personally don’t see paradoxes as phiosphocial problem they just make me think (most of the times real hard) and at the end laugh at the irony of how it contradicts itself,but in some sense is true.
Section 9
DeleteHumans are flawed. Language is a product of our minds, so it is flawed as well and results in these logical loops. Computers can lock up by looping infinitely as well when the language we feed them has some imprecise error.
Language itself has evolved throughout the years and no matter what, because of the sheer complexity and rules to language, one way or another there will be a paradox, because language covers and interprets everything. Because it does so, eventually paradoxes will form from language.
DeleteI agree. Like Steven said, there are many loopholes in the english language and in language in general so there is bound to be paradoxes in linguistics.
DeleteI agree. I think that paradoxes are the result of flaws in language.
DeleteKevin Hernandez Ovalle HO2
ReplyDeleteAre there any Sisyphean aspects to your daily life? Do they make you unhappy? Do you imagine you'll someday escape them? How?
I think the most significant Sisyphean aspect in my daily life is the insecurity I struggle with each day. From the slightest detail about my clothes or how I walk to the obvious acne scars and pimples I have one my face- all these factors contribute to my never ending second-guessing myself. The only factor I think that makes me unhappy is my acne. I know that mostly everyone struggles with it, so I know I’m not the only won, but every time I look into a mirror I am reminded of my defects. I do think one day I will escape from these worries. Not in the aspect of fleeing from my insecurities,but instead overcoming them and just accepting myself for who and how I am. I can also just eat better, let my hormones stabilize, and use acne products and they’ll all go away.
Section 9
DeleteThe greatest Sisyphean aspect of my life would be anxiety. I tend to ruminate on certain problems over and over. This would cause me a good bit of anxiety in the past. Learning to accept the fact that my mind will inevitably churn at times went a long way in coming to terms with it.
Kevin, I too, struggle with insecurity. I truly worry about if things I wear match, or if they look okay (lol). But you're correct that we are who we are and nothing can change that!
DeleteI completely understand where you're coming from. I think a lot of the insecurities we face come from society and the people closest to us. It's best to just begin accepting and appreciating who you are as a person on your own. I know that's easier said than done and I am still working on that myself, but I wish you the best!!
DeleteI think that everyone has experienced an insecurity before. I too struggle with insecurities. I think that the most important thing we can do, like you said, is accepting the way that we look. I think that that is the most important thing that anyone can do even though it may be hard at times.
DeleteKevin Hernandez Ovalle HO2
ReplyDeleteCan you give an example of an unverifiable statement that you consider meaningful?
“I do not aim with my hand; he who aims with his hand has forgotten the face of his father.
I aim with my eye.
I do not shoot with my hand; he who shoots with his hand has forgotten the face of his father.
I shoot with my mind.
I do not kill with my gun; he who kills with his gun has forgotten the face of his father.
I kill with my heart.”
― Stephen King, The Gunslinger
I think the reasons why this is so meaningful to me and unverifiable is because he or she who bears the guy, upon aiming, shooting, or killing, is the only who knows how they truely did “the deed” (their true intention or motive). Also the part about forgetting the face of your father can be limit to Some of us. Their are does that who never knew that father figure in their life or have a bad relationship with heir fathers, so the concept of always remembering the face of your father and honoring them through all your actions can be out of reach for some of us. Also not everyone can remember faces!
This example really illustrates the point. I agree with that if some people have never really lived close to their fathers, honoring them would really be out of reach.
DeleteQuiz questions Links
ReplyDelete1. How do analytic philosophers tend to understand philosophy?
https://www.iep.utm.edu/analytic/
2. Who is both symptom and cause of conspiracism in America?
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2017/12/23/conspiracy-theory-psychology/815121001/
3. What was Sartre's frustrating advice to the student who didn't know whether to join the Resistance?
https://howtobeastoic.wordpress.com/2017/04/04/what-would-a-stoic-do-response-to-jean-paul-sartre/
1030-10
ReplyDeletePosting for Jesse Pohl
Discussion Questions:
1) What's your "essence" or specific human nature? Did you construct it, or were you born into it? Can your essence change?
Caring, motherly, I have no idea. I think a lot of times you are born into it, but environmental situations can alter it.
2) What does it mean to say that women are made, not born? Do you have particular ideas about what it means to be a man or a woman? Where did those ideas come from? Are there any professions or occupations you think no women or men should enter?
Do you mean like a girl who is naive and innocent in a way versus a woman who is wiser in their years and more mature? No, I don’t have particular ideas, a good person to ask would be Mulan. Being a grim reaper is a bad occupation so maybe that is a no- after all it is just an entity and may have a biased judgement being a specific gender and all.
3) Are there any Sisyphean aspects to your daily life? Do they make you unhappy? Do you imagine you'll someday escape them? How?
Yes, and yes, they do make me unhappy. I hope to one day escape them but if I knew how to do it then I would be free from them now.
4) Can you give an example of an unverifiable statement that you consider meaningful?
Hakuna Matata
1030-10
ReplyDeleteCan you give an example of an unverifiable statement that you consider meaningful?
Time heals everything.
Are linguistic paradoxes a philosophical problem, or just an amusing quirk of language?
I don’t think they are a philosophical problem, they are just an amusing quirk of language.
Have you ever read a book that changed your mind about something important to you? What would you say to Bertrand Russell and J.S. Mill about the First Cause Argument?
I haven’t read a book that has changed my mind about something important to me. I agree with Russell and Mill about how there cannot be the first cause. Since it is said that everything needs a cause, God needs a cause, too. This makes the first cause argument a non-sound one.
What's your "essence" or specific human nature? Did you construct it, or were you born into it? Can your essence change?
I think empathy is my specific human nature, I think it is usually constructed by the individual and until something traumatic happens I don't think it changes.
Alt. Quiz Questions:
1. Who gave us the Existential version of Sisyphus, and the “fundamental question of philosophy”:
Albert Camus
2. Who said there's no sign of help coming from anywhere "out there" to rescue us/
Carl Sagan
Alternate quiz questions:
ReplyDelete1) According to Andersen, in the 1980s and 90s, "the Christian focus on" what religious figure "was reviving?"
A: Satan
2) In the early 1980s, what city tragically had two dozen children abducted, helping pave the way for Satanic Panics later in the decade?
A: Atlanta, GA
3) What practice "became the prime tool for unearthing supposed memories of events that had been repressed?
A: Hypnosis
4) Who wrote the book "Answers to 200 of Life's Most Probing Questions" that included many answers about Satan and demons living among us?
A: Pat Robertson
5) What book did Michelle Proby and Lawrence Pazder write about Michelle's supposedly repressed memories?
A: "Michelle Remembers"
6) What reporter "hosted national specials on the satanic crime epidemic two years in a row?"
A: Geraldo Rivera
7) Who hosted the radio talk show "Coast To Coast AM" about conspiracy theories, cryptozoology, paranormal phenomena, and pseudoscience?
A: Art Bell
Section 9
ReplyDeleteAlternate DQ
Is there an evolutionary basis for beliefs in conspiracy theories?
I guess our instinct to survive? In some cases it may be better to be skeptical and to take things with a grain of salt, because even though something appears one way doesn't mean it can appear another way. We ourselves won't truly know until we discover the ultimate truth behind it, and before we can do that, we must first believe in some type of falsehood or conspiracy.
DeleteSection 6
ReplyDeleteWhat does it mean to say that women are made, not born? Do you have particular ideas about what it means to be a man or a woman? Where did those ideas come from? Are there any professions or occupations you think no women or men should enter?
Women being "made" probably just comes from all of the societal expectations placed upon us. When I was growing up, I was taught how to be a lady, how to walk like a lady, and the kinds of things I should do because I am a "lady." The ideas come from years and years of expectations and social roles. I think it would be really easy to say the same thing about men being made and not born, as well. We may not think about it because it is so ingrained in our daily lives, but men are taught how to act and are socialized on how to be manly, fearless, and strong.
Are there any Sisyphean aspects to your daily life? Do they make you unhappy? Do you imagine you'll someday escape them? How?
I think things like my bills are the most "Sisyphean" parts of my life. They keep coming and coming and I think the only way to get rid of them would be to go completely off the grid. That wouldn't be a bad thing, I think I would like that a lot. It still takes money and supplies to do that, though. So that means more bills and spending more money, and continuing the cycle.
I agree with your statement about how women are "made" by expectations of other people. I think that social media plays a huge role in this too. I think that these ladylike roles are ingrained in us because it has been passed down for so many years
Delete2. Are linguistic paradoxes a philosophical problem, or just an amusing quirk of language?
ReplyDeleteI believe that it poses an amusing quirk of language. Linguistic paradoxes follow us wherever we go, and if we simply see them as a problem, we may never fully understand the magnitude of how language works. We may always blame language for the problems without thinking of how language affects us in a positive way.
3. Can you give an example of an unverifiable statement that you consider meaningful?
I consider the statement, "It's just your frame of mind" meaningful. Although it is unverifiable, it is a statement that we have all had heard before more than likely. A problem or a situation that may have occurred seems to want to destroy our whole world, but if we just look at it in a different way, we may find ourselves changed positively.
4. What's your "essence" or specific human nature? Did you construct it, or were you born into it? Can your essence change?
My essence is that I am always willing to help others. I believe that it was both constructed and born into. We can always change our essence into something else. For example, we can be born with the ability to empathize with others. We can always be suited to become a doctor or counselor, but we can always change it to be what we want it to be. We can use it to become a lawyer or an insurance agent. It all depends on what we may want.
5. What does it mean to say that women are made, not born? Do you have particular ideas about what it means to be a man or a woman? Where did those ideas come from? Are there any professions or occupations you think no women or men should enter?
The dominant ideology states that women should stay at home, be good cooks, and have natural mother instincts. However, there are some women who do not fit into those descriptions. Therefore, if women were born to be that way, we should not have seen the increase of women in the workforce. This leads me to believe that it is all dominant ideology that makes women believe that they should do those things.
Dominant ideology would best answer that question. Society has shaped women to do things like cooking and etc. That's why people back then did not allow women to work because of dominant ideology.
Delete"Its just a frame of mind" is a really good one to suggest. It definitely makes you take a more optimistic look at reality rather than only seeing the negative in a situation.
DeleteAbby Pittman section 6
ReplyDeleteInteresting article I read recently: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/01/smarter-living/stop-asking-kids-what-they-want-to-be-when-they-grow-up.html?fallback=0&recId=1JPNaDq0daXznmTnrLIB6IeUjo4&locked=0&geoContinent=NA&geoRegion=TN&recAlloc=home-desks&geoCountry=US&blockId=home-living-vi&imp_id=740505727&action=click&module=Smarter%20Living&pgtype=Homepage
Are linguistic paradoxes a philosophical problem, or just an amusing quirk of language?
ReplyDeleteA quirk of language, because in theory it is a paradox, but not because of a philosophical way, but because of the rules of language and real world applications overlapping each other.
Can you give an example of an unverifiable statement that you consider meaningful?
ReplyDelete"I think, therefore I am" Just because i think does not mean i exist. And what defines "thinking" it is only our biased notion of it from what we seem to understand, but how do we equate thinking to existing?
What can think that doesn't exist? What is an example of something that can CAN that IS NOT. Meaning that there's nothing that can act that doesn't exist. For something to do something it must be something. To think you must have a conscious mind, and that alone is something that exists.
DeleteThat statement also coincides with the belief that if you say something it will happen. How does the act of speaking or thinking allow for something that's destined to happen or not change? It seems ludicrous to believe that just because you think something, that you are whatever that thing may be. If that were the case would you be able to think your way into possessing different characteristics without actually working to obtain them?
DeleteSection 6
What's your "essence" or specific human nature? Did you construct it, or were you born into it? Can your essence change?
ReplyDeleteEssence is your purpose in life no matter how small, and that purpose is to prolong your bloodline and the human race as a whole. We did not construct, rather we were born into it. Although, it may change "preference" we ultimately want to have kids of our own one day, and hope we will instill our biological genes into our future.
I definitely see where you're coming from and see a lot of validity in your argument. Even though there can be extreme contrasts between human beings and we can differ greatly in our opinions and outlooks, the primal instinct to reproduce is embedded in our biology. This is undeniable. Like you, I think the essence of all humans deals with leaving a legacy in some way or another, and that typically includes creating children.
DeleteSection #6
What does it mean to say that women are made, not born? Do you have particular ideas about what it means to be a man or a woman? Where did those ideas come from? Are there any professions or occupations you think no women or men should enter?
ReplyDeleteIn a way it is true to say women are made, not born. Women want to have kids just as much as us one day. In order to be better suited to finding a mate, women will have to cater to our needs and wants as men. Those needs and wants are what make women desirable, so in a way they are conforming to our standards. But it is just as much so the other way around. Women are attracted in different ways, while men usually base it off looks. So we provide attraction for women in meaningful ways, while women provide attraction and love for men in physical ways. Those ideas came from the idea to grasp which organism is better to have kids, or which one can protect/care for the kids and I. And because of that biological difference, some jobs are not meant to be for women, AKA war. Women are naturally weaker, slower, and pose a threat to its own forces, why? Because men usually fight to protect their families. Men are fighters and defenders. However, if the one you are protecting is on the battlefield, the solider will be irrational. In fact, if she is in immediate danger, the male may go out of harms way just to protect and jeopardize the mission and the lives of his teammates for the preservation of said female.
Are there any Sisyphean aspects to your daily life? Do they make you unhappy? Do you imagine you'll someday escape them? How?
ReplyDeleteYes, some of the simple things as being the best in a game, or being with the one i love MY way. Everyone is different, everyone has feelings, everyone is unique. Even if i can't accomplish something or have it my way, isn't that way makes us human? To always have that dissatisfaction in life, but only to deal with it to better suit our needs and grow in return? Humans we may be, but childish we are also. We are selfish and want things a certain way, but by giving us everything we want and instead make us work for it, it instead makes us better people, to understand the true worth of happiness and joy. Therefore, although momentarily they make me sad, i realize it is for the better that it does, and maybe ill never escape them, and that fines because that means ill always be growing as person.
PHIL 1030-009
ReplyDeleteAlternative Quiz Questions:
1. Who said “There is but one truly serious philosophical problem and that is suicide. Judging whether life is or is not worth living amounts to answering the fundamental question of philosophy. All the rest — whether or not the world has three dimensions, whether the mind has nine or twelve categories — comes afterwards. These are games; one must first answer.”?
2. What is the concept of an Afterlife according to A.J. Ayer?
3. What was Russell’s early childhood query?
4. According to Sartre what is freedom?
5. “You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the ¬________ of _________.”
PHIL 1030-010
ReplyDelete"What does it mean to say that women are made, not born? Do you have particular ideas about what it means to be a man or a woman? Where did those ideas come from? Are there any professions or occupations you think no women or men should enter?"
We, as a society, have come to associate specific things with being a man or a woman - colors, clothing, activities, and many other aspects of our culture and our society have come to be labelled as either masculine or feminine things.
I believe that, as a result, the phrase "women are made" implies that the societal expectations that crop up in every corner of our culture intend to place upon these individuals the burden of conforming - what we have come to label as womanly or feminine, as is the case with manly or masculine, tends to be ideas that we have put names to and subsequently given these very labels.
I learned these things growing up - from the people around me, to my family, and to television, there all seems to be an interconnection between our standards or what we want to be standards for women and men, when in reality, we have come to place those standards on ourselves as we have developed and become more of a civilization. I believe that women and men can surely be whatever they want to be, just as I believe that our societal expectations for what "makes" a man or a woman are only ideas that we have characterized and slapped labels on, and don't carry an inherent value outside of our societal expectations.
Much of what we perceive as inherently feminine or masculine is only what we have come to know as such, and don't actually bear anything that would, naturally, make such a distinction known.
We put a lot of power behind labels, and more often than not, it's for the worse.
010
ReplyDeleteDQ: I think that looking for more meaning in them past just linguistic quirks is not necessary.
I don't know how to define my essence, but I do believe it was crafted through thoughtful choices. I hope I never lose the ability to change it.
DQ: . What does it mean to say that women are made, not born? Do you have particular ideas about what it means to be a man or a woman? Where did those ideas come from? Are there any professions or occupations you think no women or men should enter?
ReplyDeletethe meaning of women are made is because of how they struggle with inequality and sexism, it is still exist in the modern days especially in work places. to be a women or a men you got to be responsible and mature and able to do your part in society.
9
ReplyDelete3. Can you give an example of an unverifiable statement that you consider meaningful?
I consider the statement "everything happens for a reason" meaningful, however it cannot be proven and is unverifiable. For all I know it could not even be true, it's just something I like to believe in and find it meaningful. It helps me let things go, and learn lessons from different things, rather than get upset about them.
I use this statement to myself often. I find comfort in it whenever something isn’t going the way I planned. It is not verifiable, however it definitely is meaningful to me.
Delete#5
I also use this statement all throughout my life. I find it meaningful whenever life seems to drag me down.
DeleteLesley Walker – Section 10
ReplyDeleteMake up essay for 4-April class
I found the quote by Albert Camus to be an important thought on something I think a lot of people struggle with, happiness and finding the meaning of life. Camus said “You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life.” I think that he is exactly right about people spending too much time looking for happiness, rather than actually doing the things that will make them happy. Often times, I think that we can get sucked into the monotony of daily life, with jobs and our adult responsibilities, that we don’t spend enough time doing things for ourselves. We can start to just go through the motions, as a way to make ends, and make other people happy or satisfy a standard we think we need to meet. Likewise, I think that a lot of people work a job simply for the money and benefits, not because it’s something they really enjoy and want to do. This isn’t to say that we shouldn’t sometimes work those jobs, more as stepping stones, but it is sad to think that people can spend their whole lives going through the motions and never really living up to their full potential and living life happily. Happiness is something like a fingerprint, it will be unique to the individual. What makes one person happy is okay to not make someone else happy, so long that it does not hurt others. I think that finding happiness in life is a big part of finding meaning to life, and like happiness, is going to be different from person to person. I don’t believe there is one set “meaning” to life, but rather each person should find and do meaningful things in their life, and by doing that it leads them to being happy. I think that it’s a good parallel to Einstein's quote, stating that “everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” The simple things in life can offer us more than when we over complicate things and take the little things for granted. Living a simple life and taking the time to enjoy the small moments we overpass in daily life can bring joy, especially when we get sucked into that monotony. I think that social medial has a big impact on our views of what happiness means, as far as happiness in relationships, jobs, children, and who we are as a person. I think there are a lot of negative stereotypes that people get pulled into, and there is a lot of comparing of what one life looks like to someone else. Doing this is such a negative trait, but is so normal in today's society where everything is put on social media for others to see. I believe that things on social media are very one sided and only show to good parts of people's lives, rather than what it actually looks like.
Phil-10
ReplyDelete3. Can you give an example of an unverifiable statement that you consider meaningful?
Yes, the existence of god (or gods) is an unverifiable statement because no body knows if a specific entity is responsible for creating life on Earth.
Phil-10
ReplyDelete4. What's your "essence" or specific human nature? Did you construct it, or were you born into it? Can your essence change?
My human nature is to live, ask questions, gain knowledge, have a career, and die. I constructed my human nature. I don't think anybody is born into their specific nature. I may not pursue a different meaning or career, so I can change my essence.
Phil- 10
ReplyDelete6. Are there any Sisyphean aspects to your daily life? Do they make you unhappy? Do you imagine you'll someday escape them? How?
The task of maintaining happiness. It doesn't make me unhappy because it is challenging for me to constantly be happy, but I want to do the things that I would enjoy doing. Someday I want to escape it by thinking realistically instead of being in fantasy.
Section 12
ReplyDeleteDQ: What does it mean to say that women are made, not born? Do you have particular ideas about what it means to be a man or a woman? Where did those ideas come from? Are there any professions or occupations you think no women or men should enter?
I think these ideas come from stereotypes and traditional/religious gender roles. Of course, there are biological differences between men and women, but a lot of what our society views as male and female really have nothing to do with those verifiable differences. Why is cooking viewed as a womanly thing, when there are tons of well respected professional male chefs? Similarly, why are men still expected to be the breadwinners, when more and more women are entering into professional, high paying careers every day? It certainly isn’t bad if one’s personal inclinations match the stereotypes, but it also doesn’t make you any more or less of a man/woman if someone doesn’t. Lastly, I don’t think there are certain jobs a particular gender should never enter, just simply because they are a man or woman. I think that if someone meets the qualifications, can do the job well, and are beneficial to their workplace, then they should have every right to pursue a career in that particular field.
DQ: Can you give an example of an unverifiable statement that you consider meaningful?
An unverifiable statement that I find meaning and comfort in is “everything will be okay.” Even though I have no way of necessarily knowing if everything will turn out okay, I find that it is more productive and useful to have a positive outlook when it comes to things that I have absolutely no control over. A healthy amount of optimistic tends to soften even the worst things in life.
DQ: Are linguistic paradoxes a philosophical problem, or just an amusing quirk of language?
I think they are largely just amusing quirks of our language, but imperfections in language can cause problems philosophically because language is the only way for us to communicate and formulate concepts. I think our words, grammar, etc, potentially have an impact on our ideas and even reasoning patterns.
Hi Heather, I think that our language really does have quirks about it. I always think about how the word familiar have a y sound in it, yet it doesn't have a y anywhere in the word, haha. It can be interesting learning about why that is and what not, but I agree that grammar and the words we use can definitely impact ideas.
ReplyDeleteThe first question we all must answer is whether or not to exist. We answer this question every moment of every day that we struggle on. Whether we realize it or not we have all chosen to continue to exist. Now let’s answer the other existential questios.
ReplyDelete**What's your "essence" or specific human nature? Did you construct it, or were you born into it? Can your essence change?**
ReplyDeleteOh this is a tricky one. I think that we are all born to a certain mold, sort of like a house plan. And that house plan cannot change. However, the decorations within the house, and the furniture, and the paint on the walls... those things can be changed. And that is how I think people are. We are all born with a certain "floor plan", but how we furnish our plan is up to us and also the environment around us.
**What does it mean to say that women are made, not born? Do you have particular ideas about what it means to be a man or a woman? Where did those ideas come from? Are there any professions or occupations you think no women or men should enter?**
ReplyDeleteI do believe that men and women are created different. Our brains are wired differently, our bodies function differently, and even the chromosomes of men are different than the chromosomes of women. I believe in gender roles. I think men were made to provide and protect, and women were made to have children and nurture a family. Of course, I also believe in gender equality, so I think it is totally fine for a woman to do the things men do and that she should get paid the same for doing them, but I just think that for the most part men and woman are better suited for different tasks.
I agree! I think there is something to be said about equal but different roles. Men and women might have different roles, but both are equally important.
DeleteI believe these roles are made up by our society. We are equal. However there are instances where in a family a specific person may not be in the picture. In this case whatever gender it is, if they have kids they often have to take all of the roles, showing a specific gender isn’t made for a specific role. We are taught that since the beginning however if in any case this has to change, either can adapt to whatever role is needed.
Delete#5
Can you give an example of an unverifiable statement that you consider meaningful?
ReplyDeleteI think the most obvious would be that God is real. This is something that humans have struggled to verify since the beginning of time, but still, religion occupies millions of people's lives around the world.
section 6
DeleteYes, I think this is a prime example. Anything dealing with religion and ontology has no complete way of being verified. This is what makes faith and trust so important, because relying on evidence and confirmation will leave you unsatisfied. Then again, this lack of verification is also what makes these type of theories and beliefs so compelling.
DeleteSection #6
What's your "essence" or specific human nature? Did you construct it, or were you born into it? Can your essence change?
ReplyDeleteI think that's something we construct overtime. I say this because I definitely believe it can change. People have traumatic life events all the time, and often times these events change their outlook on life. I don't think its possible to be born into an exact mold, though our genetics have a role to play in this. That being said, epigenetics from our environment can also shape us and change our essence. Maybe its a little mixture of both.
section 6
I think human nature are qualities and characteristics that we posses naturally and cant change. For example the will to survive, obtain food, and to reproduce. These are all instincts that humans posses at birth. I feel that regardless of the environment you're raised in, your gender, or culture, survival is common among all. These may influence or make it harder to follow through with your nature, but I believe that the characteristics are always there.
DeleteSection 6
I completely agree. Some things are naturally "bred" into us per say, but I dont believe there is a lot of it that is. Personally, character, and actions I believe are all learned and/or chosen. It is not naturally characteristic of us to kill, commit crimes, or even save others and be a change in the world. I believe very few characteristics are of natural derivative.
DeleteCan you give an example of an unverifiable statement that you consider meaningful?
ReplyDelete"It is what it is." There are certain events that will happen no matter how hard you try to avoid them. These events are almost predetermined in nature. Not everything is like this, however some things fall into the concept of determinism. Implying, events are determined by causes external to will. This is meaningful to me because sometimes you just have to accept things for what they are in order to move on. In the end, what could you do to stop it from happening anyways? Applying this to one’s life allows people to not take things too seriously, and to disregard things that end up not being that important.
Section 6
I agreed with everything you said. I think of a job opportunity. You could be the most qualified and did everything you could do to get the job. However, there are other outside factors that prevent you from getting the job. Therefore, it is what it is.
Deletesame i agree with everything you said and also made a similar post to this before having read this one, crazy. having this mindset allows me to move on past events that could have made me unhappy or sad but by applying this i can determine whether or not it really is worth it to get upset or if i can move on and focus on more important things. (section #6)
DeleteCan you give an example of an unverifiable statement that you consider meaningful?
ReplyDelete"what goes around comes around" It is a unverifiable statement because we don't know if things really "come around." We just hope it does. It is meaningful to me because I would like believe that those that do harm/wrong will be wronged by others.
I often here this statement, and it is certainly unverifiable. People use this statement constantly, and that’s what makes it meaningful . To me this relates to karma.
Delete#5
I understand that even though I don't fully believe in karma.
DeleteHave you ever read a book that changed your mind about something important to you? What would you say to Bertrand Russell and J.S. Mill about the First Cause Argument?
ReplyDeleteI always change my mindset a tiny bit every time I read a book, as it makes me see the world through a different set of eyes. I would say that knowledge is infinite and there is always more to learn.
section 5
I often change my mindset after reading a book as well. Books make me view things differently through someone else’s perspective. I think also it makes me feel as if I am doing something good for myself too. After reading a book i want to keep reading more and more mainly because I like the feeling of enjoying something while at the same time learning. It makes me feel better especially since i’m often on social media, it makes me feel more productive with my time.
Delete#5
Can you give an example of an unverifiable statement that you consider meaningful?
ReplyDelete"This too shall pass" is a good example of this, I use this all the time yet its never definite that the bad occurrence will actually end.
Section 5
What's your "essence" or specific human nature? Did you construct it, or were you born into it? Can your essence change?
ReplyDeleteMy specific human nature is that I am persistent. I do not think we are completely born into our human nature, I think throughout our life that is developed. Since it develops, I do think it can change.
I agree that we are formed into our human nature through life experiences. I think that it would be pretty naive to think that we are not able to grow and develop our "essence" over time.
DeleteAgreed, and well said. I also believe all of us are shaped out of experience and growth. I'm not really a believer in our ways coming natural, I think we learn those was by watching and observing as time goes.
DeleteHave you ever read a book that changed your mind about something important to you?
ReplyDeleteI dont recall having this happen but this could also be from the fact that i dont read as often as i should. But i have gone to peoples lectures and heard things that have changed my mind about things.
I think that people can pick up important information in sources other than books. Watching lectures and reading news articles are examples of great sources for information.
DeleteHave you ever read a book that changed your mind about something important to you? What would you say to Bertrand Russell and J.S. Mill about the First Cause Argument?
ReplyDeleteA particular book that I have read the changed my mind is "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill. This book changed how I thought about being successful in business in terms on monetary success. As far as the First Cause argument, I believe in a higher power that is more than each individual. Therefore, I do not support their First Cause argument.
What's your "essence" or specific human nature? Did you construct it, or were you born into it? Can your essence change?
ReplyDeleteif i had to sum up my essence in one word i would say skeptical. i would say that i was partly born skeptical as well as that i constructed this view as i grew up. i believe anyone's essence can change, all you have to do is learn to appreciate another perspective over the world and life. (section #6)
Are there any Sisyphean aspects to your daily life? Do they make you unhappy? Do you imagine you'll someday escape them? How?
ReplyDeleteI guess mine would be worry, or fear. I constantly have something to worry about even if it has nothing to do with me. I surround myself with constantly stressful environments, but it is if my own making. To a certain degree, of course it makes me unhappy. Sometimes I really do just want to experience that "completely stress free" day. However, I do not let it overtake me. Some day I hope to kick it to the curb, but I got it from my parents, so I doubt it will ever "go away". Maybe just get it more under control.
Section #6
I would have to agree. I feel like everyone worries about something at some point in there life and there is no escape. Everyone has something important to them and they don't want it or them to get hurt/destroyed. Best to try not to think about it too much, and try and accept life as is I guess, and take it day by day.
DeleteSec 5
Are there any Sisyphean aspects to your daily life? Do they make you unhappy? Do you imagine you'll someday escape them? How?
ReplyDeletei feel like life itself can be seen as a Sisyphean task. if one does not know of the reason for there existence it can seem endless and mundane to them. a way to overcome this feeling is to try something new everyday and eventually something you have passion for will come across and you will see what your purpose is. (section #6)
I agree with that because when I get overwhelmed I will always try to find a new and creative way to get around it.
DeleteSection 11
In response to question 5, I think what it means when people say that women are made and not born is talking about how when women are born, they are only babies and as they grow older they are taught how to live womanly by the women in their lives, if any. This could go back to women being homemakers and living to take care of their house, their children, and their husbands. They were taught how to cook, clean, raise children, and how to be a wife thus they were being made into the woman that they were instead of being born that way.
ReplyDeletesection 5
What does it mean to say that women are made, not born? Do you have particular ideas about what it means to be a man or a woman? Where did those ideas come from? Are there any professions or occupations you think no women or men should enter?
ReplyDeleteThis debate has been around for forever. Women are so-called made because they were not "born" by christ as men were. Eve was made upon by Adam's rib, however, it also says that Adam was made from ash and dust by Christ. To me it is kind of hard to say that Eve was made and Adam was not, for they were both "made" of a called material. I don't believe there are any certain ways to be a man or a woman, I think being who you are expresses enough. With that being said, though, I grew up in a small Baptist hometown. I don't want to play and blame-game but I feel we all have different sets, values, and beliefs from where we come from. I do not agree with LGBT views. I could never hate someone or dislike someone for their sexuality, but I'm also not going to curb what I believe in to make anyone happy. I will always support my friends as people though, there is no reason not to. I also believe if there is anything a man can do, that a woman can do. It really doesnt bother me on the "women should be doing this, men should be doing that". No. Do whatever makes you happy.
Section #6
Can you give an example of an unverifiable statement that you consider meaningful?
ReplyDeletea statement that i always tell myself is "it is what it is". i find it very meaningful to me because it assures me that whatever it is that im going through its not the end of the world. whatever happens just happens and to not let it affect me in a negative way. it also encourages me to try better, that is, although i didnt get it this time, i'll get 'em next time. (section #6)
Very interesting way of looking at things. I think it's good to take things with a grain of salt and not let things affect you too much, but you got to make sure your learning from your experiences and not just shoving them to the side. Learn and grow from your past.
DeleteSec 5
4. What's your "essence" or specific human nature? Did you construct it, or were you born into it? Can your essence change?
ReplyDeleteIf i had to sum up my general lifestyle I would stay it has generally been Stoic. I have always been very reserved and measured in my responses. This served me well throughout my military career and through a custody battle so far. My essence can change but it is dependent on where I am, I am always much more relaxed around those that I consider family.
That was well put and a great way of going through life.
Deletevery well thought out and a good way to be! Being reserved and calm minded helps you reason better than if you were angry or rushing through things. Glad it has worked out well for you!
DeleteSec 5
Pau Khai
ReplyDelete1.Reading whose autobiography led young Bertrand Russell to reject God? OR, What did he see as the logical problem with the First Cause Argument?
A: John Stewart. Just like Aristotle's thought
2. The idea of a barber who shaves all who don't shave themselves is a logical ______, a seeming contradiction that is both true and false. Another example of the same thing would be a statement like "This sentence is ___."
A: paradox, false
3. A.J. Ayer's ______ Principle, stated in his 1936 book Language, Truth and Logic, was part of the movement known as _____ ______.
A: verification, logical positivism
4. Humans don't have an _____, said Jean Paul Sartre, and are in "bad faith" like the ____ who thinks of himself as completely defined by his work.
A: essence, waiter
3. Can you give an example of an unverifiable statement that you consider meaningful?
ReplyDeleteI do not think I can come up with anything in my personal life. But usually if I can not see the evidence behind something, it will not hold any ground for me.
6
I think that's a wise approach to life. It can be really easy to fall into things blindly or just be lazy and not take the time to analyze the information in front of you. I know I've been guilty of both of those things, but more and more I'm seeing how crucial it is to do your own research and look at things objectively.
DeleteSection #6
What's your "essence" or specific human nature? Did you construct it, or were you born into it? Can your essence change?
ReplyDeleteI am a very high strung person and have been really working on trying to be more relaxed. I think I have been doing pretty well with it. The essence can easily change based on environment.
6
For Tuesday 4/21/20
DeleteThe 2020 Fantasyland connection 10:46 AM CDT
Earth Day 10:50 AM CDT
Bad roommate 11:04 AM CDT
Arendt and Popper in bricks 11:08 AM CDT
For Thursday 4/21/20
Exam and Final Report 5:14 PM CDT
Earth Day 12:55 AM CDT
DQ X 2 1:03 AM CDT, 1:08 AM CDT
What's your "essence" or specific human nature? Did you construct it, or were you born into it? Can your essence change?
ReplyDeleteMy essence on specific human nature is to be open minded put yourself in others shoes to get their perspective. No I wasn't born into it was a learning experience. It can be changed but I chose not for it to be.
Section 11
What's your "essence" or specific human nature? Did you construct it, or were you born into it? Can your essence change?
ReplyDeleteI think your essence is that like personality of someone. I think that it is always a part of you. I don't think you can be born into it, unless were talking about the environment in which you were born and grow up. Then I believe that has an affect on it.
Sec 5
Are linguistic paradoxes a philosophical problem, or just an amusing quirk of language?
ReplyDeleteI think linguistic paradoxes are just a quirk of language because they generally only work for specific languages.
section 5
Are there any Sisyphean aspects to your daily life?
ReplyDeleteSchool is probably a Sisyphean aspect of my life, however it is comforting to know I will have a break in the summer.
What's your "essence" or specific human nature?
ReplyDeleteI think someones essence is their personality.
Can you give an example of an unverifiable statement that you consider meaningful?
ReplyDeleteScience and metaphysics contain the best examples of unverifiable statements that are still meaningful. The entire foundation of science deals with the observation and hypothesization of things that can't yet be verified directly. For example, there is the consequential idea of dark matter. Due to an unperceivable
force, scientists theorize that dark matter makes up over 70% of the matter content in the universe. This substance cannot yet be verified, but the importance of the concept is monumental.
Section #6
What does it mean to say that women are made, not born? Do you have particular ideas about what it means to be a man or a woman? Where did those ideas come from? Are there any professions or occupations you think no women or men should enter?
ReplyDeleteMy initial interpretation is that it takes time, development, and awareness to become a woman. Being born female doesn't automatically make you a woman, because being a woman requires maturity and wisdom. I think the same applies to becoming a man. In my opinion, you can have lived half of your life and still not embody the characteristics of a man or woman, because your behavior and viewpoint remains juvenile and self-centered. I think the main characteristics that make someone a man or a woman are relatively the same. For me, becoming a man or a woman requires selflessness, insight, discipline, courage, and compassion. The people who I look to for advice and consider role-models all embody these things in some way. I think as long as you have the right intentions and a comprehensive understanding then you should be able to enter any profession/occupation you wish.
Section #6
Sec. 11
ReplyDeleteLH 31-33
1. Reading whose autobiography led young Bertrand Russell to reject God? OR, What did he see as the logical problem with the First Cause Argument?
2. The idea of a barber who shaves all who don't shave themselves is a logical ______, a seeming contradiction that is both true and false. Another example of the same thing would be a statement like "This sentence is ___."
3. A.J. Ayer's ______ Principle, stated in his 1936 book Language, Truth and Logic, was part of the movement known as _____ ______.
4. Humans don't have an _____, said Jean Paul Sartre, and are in "bad faith" like the ____ who thinks of himself as completely defined by his work.
5. What was Sartre's frustrating advice to the student who didn't know whether to join the Resistance?
6. When Simone de Beauvoir said women are not born that way, she meant that they tend to accept what?
7. Which Greek myth did Albert Camus use to illustrate human absurdity, as he saw it?
1.John Stuart Mill
2.Paradox; false
3.Verification; logical positivism
4.Essence; waiter
5.He told the student that he was free and that he should choose for himself.
6.Women tend to accept men’s views of what a woman is.
7.Greek myth of Sisyphus
Sec. 11
ReplyDeleteFL 37-39
8. What was the message of The Courage to Heal?
9. The first big outbreak of what occurred in and around Bakersfield CA in the '80s?
10. Andersen says there's a line extending from flying saucer obsessives to what?
11. What is it important to recognize about David Koresh and the Branch Davidians'?
12. Who is both symptom and cause of conspiracism in America?
8.if you felt bad about yourself and your life but couldn’t figure out why, it was probably because you were molested or raped and had repressed those crippling memories
9.satanic ritual abuse
10.9/11 truthers to Donald Trump
11.his church was a long-standing subgroup of a 150-year-old Protestant denomination that is one of the twenty largest churches in America, with six thousand U.S. congregations
12.Alex Jones
Sec. 11
ReplyDeleteWhat's your "essence" or specific human nature? Did you construct it, or were you born into it? Can your essence change?
I take it that this question is basically asking what my purpose is. So, my essence is to contribute to the reconstruction of this earth before I die. That is, make history before I depart from this planet. I believe everyone was born into their essence. I believe that when every human was born God had a plan for them; however, it is up to us to follow the path set for us. I do believe that your essence can change, but that is solely the result of free will decisions.
Sec. 11
ReplyDeleteWhat does it mean to say that women are made, not born? Do you have particular ideas about what it means to be a man or a woman? Where did those ideas come from? Are there any professions or occupations you think no women or men should enter?
I believe this statement means that femininity is a state of mind that is earned and not necessarily gender. If that is the meaning, I totally disagree. Men and women are both born sexes that define humanity. For me, being a man is extreme is total masculinity. I was raised with the idea that men are the leaders of humanity, heads of families, and the mass breadwinners, and women are the homemakers, mothers of the planet, and peacemakers. Therefore, neither one is earned. These are roles assigned at birth. New age, millennial thinking has developed the idea of loose femininity and masculinity, which, in my opinion, disgraces humanity. I believe both genders are capable of doing the jobs of the opposite gender; however, I don’t think that translates as women doing things that are un-lady like and men doing feminine things.