So far in this class, the direction Mr. McCarthy has taken in teaching it has been spot on. It's not a class where you listen to lectures, take notes, and have a quiz on something you tried to memorize right before you walked into the classroom. It's an engaging and open discussion that doesn't involve busy work (i.e. answering questions out of a book that are obvious). It allows you to think for yourself.
I'm glad I didn't get World Lit as my English this year now because I'm sure it would not be engaging. After experiencing Scotese's Brit Lit class last year, I don't think I would've been able to deal with a class he teaches that's tougher. I'm not saying that I'm glad that Philosophy is easy because it's not. Instead of looking for answers in a book, I'm looking for answers within myself. Sounds easy, but sometimes I just can't seem to form an opinion. Everyone makes such great points that I honestly don't know how to add to a discussion sometimes. I would feel like I'm saying something obvious that doesn't make people think. Then again, the purpose of the class is to not try to one-up somebody else. But I at least want my comment to mean something.
Almost everything said in class makes me think. A prodding question, a legitimate argument, a different point of view, etc. It's so different from any other class I've had. Philosophy is not a place where different answers or opinions are trivialized. Everyone is on equal ground, no matter what. No one is completely wrong and no one is completely right. In this class, there are no bad or wrong answers. There are only opinions.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Frankl-y Speaking
Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl has become one of the most interesting books I've read. There are many books out there that tell about the Holocaust, but the way Frankl tells his story is unique. Not only does he tell his personal story, he explains the emotions that all the prisoners faced while they were imprisoned in the concentration camps.
The line "The best of us did not return" was a line that stood out to me because it not only stated that the ones who survived weren't the most honest people (or they had to learn how to be indecent to survive), it also stated that the best traits in humans didn't survive. If you were a man who was honest and just, your food and clothes were more than likely stolen from you and you died sooner as a result of that. The ones who survived probably forgot everything about being an honest and just person and only knew of thievery, lying, and deceit.
"An abnormal reaction to an abnormal situation is normal" was another line that stood out to me. It's a paradox because something can't be abnormal and normal at the same time, yet it can. It's saying that acting uncommonly to something that is uncommon is fine because you have not experienced it yet. If you act like everything is fine during an abnormal situation, that's abnormal because you wouldn't act normally to something abnormal.
The book is very good so far and I'm hoping the second part is just as informative and interesting as the first.
The line "The best of us did not return" was a line that stood out to me because it not only stated that the ones who survived weren't the most honest people (or they had to learn how to be indecent to survive), it also stated that the best traits in humans didn't survive. If you were a man who was honest and just, your food and clothes were more than likely stolen from you and you died sooner as a result of that. The ones who survived probably forgot everything about being an honest and just person and only knew of thievery, lying, and deceit.
"An abnormal reaction to an abnormal situation is normal" was another line that stood out to me. It's a paradox because something can't be abnormal and normal at the same time, yet it can. It's saying that acting uncommonly to something that is uncommon is fine because you have not experienced it yet. If you act like everything is fine during an abnormal situation, that's abnormal because you wouldn't act normally to something abnormal.
The book is very good so far and I'm hoping the second part is just as informative and interesting as the first.
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Our Stranger Meaning
Meaning- What is meant by something; something that one wishes to convey, especially by language.
Ironically, the definition of meaning is not that simple. Instead, it is just as confusing as the following question: What gives your life meaning?
To be honest, I'm not entirely sure how to answer this. I don't believe that my existence stands for nothing, but I don't feel like I'm the most important person in the world and that I give meaning to everyone else's lives. I would have to say that everyone's life has meaning to someone or something, whether it's big or small.
The whole meaning of life seems to be strictly personal. You may feel like you don't mean anything to anyone, but someone may feel like you are the most meaningful person in their life. The life of a politician from Serbia may not have any meaning to me, but it means something to the residents of Serbia. You may think, "Well, what's the meaning of laws or governments if we're all going to die anyway and the Earth will be destroyed in a few billion years?" I think you shouldn't worry about something that will have absolutely no impact on you. Yes, we are all going to die someday, but that doesn't mean you get to be wild and crazy just because you feel like your life doesn't matter. Those laws are there for a reason: to protect everyone, INCLUDING yourself.
Everything has some type of meaning. It may not mean anything to you, but it has meaning to someone or something in the grander scheme of things.
Ironically, the definition of meaning is not that simple. Instead, it is just as confusing as the following question: What gives your life meaning?
To be honest, I'm not entirely sure how to answer this. I don't believe that my existence stands for nothing, but I don't feel like I'm the most important person in the world and that I give meaning to everyone else's lives. I would have to say that everyone's life has meaning to someone or something, whether it's big or small.
The whole meaning of life seems to be strictly personal. You may feel like you don't mean anything to anyone, but someone may feel like you are the most meaningful person in their life. The life of a politician from Serbia may not have any meaning to me, but it means something to the residents of Serbia. You may think, "Well, what's the meaning of laws or governments if we're all going to die anyway and the Earth will be destroyed in a few billion years?" I think you shouldn't worry about something that will have absolutely no impact on you. Yes, we are all going to die someday, but that doesn't mean you get to be wild and crazy just because you feel like your life doesn't matter. Those laws are there for a reason: to protect everyone, INCLUDING yourself.
Everything has some type of meaning. It may not mean anything to you, but it has meaning to someone or something in the grander scheme of things.
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