Connection 4

Connection

The questions asked in the book and the ideas discussed are hard for me to have an opinion on. I think most ideas CAN be valid and backed up, and it’s hard to pick certain things over others. The chapter on Locke discusses a blank slate. I think everyone is born with a blank slate in that they have not sinned, but everyone is born different. Some people have the genes for math, some don’t. Some people have photographic memories and some people. There are things that some people are born with and others aren’t. There are also so many different kinds of personalities. But, I don’t exactly understand the concept of Tabula Rasa so I might be looking at this wrong. Also, with Sophie now just a character in Hilde’s book, what if we’re just part of a book? I’d like to think I’m writing my own book and story, but who knows.

Reflection 4

Reflection

I really don’t see why this author didn’t just make this book about a student in a philosophy class, instead of trying to make an interesting plot going along with facts about philosophers and philosophies. I don’t think they tie in with each other and it’s a weird read. And when Hilde got her book with stories from Sophie’s life- that confused me even more. Is Sophie just a fictional character in the book now?! Is Hilde’s life the real life, and these chapters before it were just so we had a background of her gift? Makes no sense to me. Just not my kind of book. I do think reading the interactions between Sophie and Alberto when it comes to philosophers make that point of the book easier to understand. That ‘point’ as in educating readers on philosophies. I understand the concepts and ideas more this way than I think I’d understand them from reading from a textbook.

Connection/Reflection 3

I was taking the BC calc ap, sorry this is late! I think that's a valid excuse!
Reflection
I disagree with a lot of Spinoza's ideas. I don't believe in God, so I don't see God in nature, or God being nature. I also don't think God decides everything we do, but I do see how nature affects what we do. By nature, different people and things can only do so much. But I think his idea of freeing ourselves from feelings to be happy is very off. I think people should react to their feelings and do things their passionate about to be happy. I still think that Sophie's relationship with Alberto is weird. What's the point of dressing up?! Why did he pick her?! It's hard to get through the monologue sections of the book. And it's still weird he calls her Hilde. Haven't quite found the meaning behind that yet. I liked Locke's ideas of simple sensations and complex ideas of things. His primary and secondary qualities were also interesting. They are definitely realistic ideas.

Connection
Reading through the Spinoza chapter, I can't connect much with his thoughts and philosophies. I guess I see his idea of nature controlling what people do in the sense that by nature my arm is connected to my body, there fore I can't take my arm off...but that's extreme. With animals though, by nature they have no thumbs, so it's harder for them to pick things up. They have to learn to pick things up other ways. I don't know if that example completely applies, since the subject is very vast and can be vague. Locke's primary and secondary qualities are seen almost every day though. Music for example, every one can agree on notes or how long a song is, but some people might think it's a great song and others it can hurt their ears. Everyone sees physical things the same, then there are the senses qualities, that differ from everyone.

Connection 2

Like I said in my reflection, this chapter connected to my other classes. Almost all of the people Alberto taught Sophie about, I learned about in my physics class. I knew most of their names and equations already. I don’t think I can relate to Sophie as a person though. She gets so lost in pondering all the philosophical questions of life, how are we, why are we here, and I personally wouldn’t. I’d appreciate someone trying to educate me, but those questions just don’t matter as much to me as they do to her. I don’t think I believe in god, so regarding the ‘where did we come from’ question, I go back to the big bang theory. Why are we here? Do we have a purpose? Sure I think everyone’s life has a purpose, or maybe purposes, but one big purpose to fulfill? Not so much. These questions just don’t matter as much to me as they matter to her. I think they are interesting to discuss and listen to others opinions or ideas, but I’m not hung up on my ‘purpose in life.’

Reflection 2

As I continue to read Sophies World, I still don’t think it’s normal that this philosopher is basically stalking Sophie to teach her life lessons. I understand the book wasn’t written in a way for it to be creepy, but it’s still weird. I don’t understand certain things Alberto does, like calling Sophie “Hilde.” And why does he have so much junk in his house?! It’s all odd to me. What I also don’t get is why Sophie? She’s so young and to ponder all the questions he’s giving her is making her act so weird. For one, she annoys her mom and friends, and is also starting to see things, like the girl winking at her in the mirror.  Reading about her life isn’t as interesting as reading the lessons she’s taught, and I guess that’s the point of the book- to educate, and not tell a story of a little girl and her friends/family. I did like the Renaissance chapter, because I liked reading about all the scientists and their discoveries. They related to my other classes. 

Reflection

Reflection

For my reflection, I want to give my reflection to the quotes/questions given to Sophie in the Socrates chapter. The first question, “Is there such a thing as natural modesty?” Sophie talks about how society sets guidelines for what to feel modest about, and I agree with this. America tells us not to be nude in public, but in some places it’s natural. So is being modest/shy about being nude in public natural, or engrained in us? I believe for the most part, many people are modest or shy about at least one thing, but for what reason? Because society thinks we should be shy about it? Next, was “Wisest is she who knows she does not know.” I think this sentence has a little more depth to it. No one can know everything. So maybe this is saying the people that know there’s more to know are the smartest. I’m not completely sure… I know that I definitely have a lot more to learn. The third sentence was “true insight comes from within.”  Instincts come from within. I think maybe insight comes more from experience and personal opinion. Perceptions will always vary. The last sentence said “He who knows what is right will do right.” I couldn’t disagree more with this. Yes, many people that know what is right do right, but then there are the so many people that do wrong knowing it’s wrong.  

Connections

Connections

Before this class, I never truly pondered the questions we discuss. Yes, I have thought why are we here, where did we come from, how are we here, ect. But not in the depth we talk about it in the class. I went to a private Jewish middle school, and while learning the big bang theory, we were also learning about how God created the world in seven days. I remember questioning my science teacher about which story was right, and she didn’t have an answer. It was hard for me as a little girl to wrap my head around the idea of a God creating the world, so I believed in the science story side of how earth was created. Now at 18, I still am not sure what I believe. The belief of a God is one I just don’t think I have. One being ‘watching over us,’ what does that make humans? Is he/she/it watching over just earth, or the entire solar system? It’s too much to think about and process. I do follow and observe Jewish holidays and traditions, but I’m not quiet sure I think there is God.

I ponder fate and chance a lot as well. Sometimes, if something bad happens to me, I’d like to think it happens for a reason. I don’t believe life is strictly fate or strictly chance. I think there’s some of each. Infinite paths are laid out for us, and our choices/chance leads us down different ones. I also like to think about the purpose of life. I definitely think each person has multiple purposes, not just ONE purpose on earth. I'm not sure yet of any of mine. Maybe I've already fulfilled some purposes.