Reflecton Connection 4

I enjoyed reading about Alberto describing the Romantic era to Sophie. The romantic era would have been very fun to live in, especially because of the mind set of a lot of teenagers right now. The romantic era emphasized individuality and freedom, which is emphasized to the extreme now-a-days due to the media, such as modern music and the YOLO epidemic. Aside from that, I liked that the romantics believed that art was the greatest form of human expression. Art is becoming less appreciated as time progresses and I think society as a whole needs to focus less on technology and more back to our roots, including classic art that we could learn from to become more creative as a whole. Another interesting point from the section was Hegel's belief that truth was subjective. I have to disagree with him, I think that something happens and that is objective, but people perceive events differently and that makes truth seem different to others, though indeed it isn't. This can apply to my life all the time, such as when parents try to get their kid in trouble and exaggerate what they believe to be the truth, but it isn't.

Reflection // Connection 3

I was very intrigued while reading this portion, particularly on Hume's philosophies regarding ideas, imagination, etc. He basically divided the things that cross our minds into ideas and impressions, and both can be simple or complex. Impressions are something we take in directly from the world, and then a complex idea could be something like an angel. I liked the idea of this, because if we really boil it down simply, impressions are like the "legos" that build up in our mind to form a structure, or an idea. I disagreed with Hume's position on God, however. He believed that knowledge of god is beyond human reason. While knowing if there is definitely a god may be impossible, I think that humans do have enough power and reason to decide if we think there is one. This really applied to my life because I myself am always constantly torn and I am trying to find my spiritual beliefs regarding the existence of God.

Sophie's World Reflection #2

As Sophie's philosophical studies progress, she is dipping her feet deeper into the pool of knowledge regarding the history of philosophers and their ideas; thus recently she has been exposed to multiple different time periods, such has Hellenism and The Renaissance. The topic of Hellenism was particularly interesting to me for a few reasons. Hellenism was initially captivating to me because the thought of "secret teachings" intriguing, nonetheless regarding how happiness should be achieved by mankind. I really liked the Epicurean point of view because I believe that prolonging a short term benefit for a greater one in the future is worth it. Aside from the in depth meanings that Hellenism entails, Hellenism relates to my life on the broader spectrum because the main idea behind it was breaking down barriers to come together, or syncretism (fusion of the creeds). I liked the idea of this because it is symbolic of what will occur in my life next fall as me and hundreds of thousands of individuals will be fused together at university.

Sophie's World Reflection #1

Reading Sophie’s World at this phase of my life is perfect timing. Like Sophie, I am a girl growing up, going to school, and learning my role in society while also trying to figure out the meaning of life. While Sophie learns from Alberto, her learning process has expanded my mind drastically to so many new ideas. With this very expansion occurring in my mind, I relate to Sophie’s newfound emotions to everyday things and people in her life.  She feels as if day-to-day activities are now child’s play and a waste of time, because why worry about that when she can be analyzing the root of all beings? She also has trouble relating with her mom because she is struggling share the growth she is undergoing with others as if she wants to still seem “normal”. These emotions that Sophie goes through can be related to by any teenager going through a huge transition in their life that has something greater to worry about than petty school drama, and I can relate to that. 

Philosophy In My Life

            As the character Sophie thought to herself from “Sophie’s World”, philosophy is not something you can learn, but something you can learn to think about.  As my studies in this class progress, I too have begun to learn how to think about philosophy. With that, I am able to notice places where philosophy is relevant in my life in places where I never saw it before.

            Of course, the basis of all philosophical reasoning roots from the questions regarding how we are here and where we came from. This question inflicts many thoughts that make me question many aspects of my life thus far, one being my religion. While I have always been raised Christian, in my recent years I have been exposed to many aspects of the Jewish faith and also other various religions. Since taking philosophy, the thought of how we really got here indeed presents conflict with my life-long faith thus far. These conflicts then tie into science classes regarding evolution, biology, and even ecology. The conflict of wondering and never really knowing where we came from is just as Neo was before taking the Red Pill. I know I am living under the Blue Pill, but by studying philosophy I will be able to gain a hold of what I believe in.