Aidan: alright let's do this again shall we? We have three new guests today and I think that this should be interesting. Alright guys let's all introduce ourselves
Susan Neiman: Hello, I'm Susan I am looking forward to this conversation to have with all of you today
John Kaag: I am John and it's nice to meet you all
Socrates: Good to meet you all I can assume that all of you know who I am. One thing before we start where are we?
Aidan: Oh yeah I forgot, it is the year 2020 and this is America. Alright, let's start with the first question: What does it mean to grow up?
Susan: Good question I think that growing up is what I simply stated in the book "Growing up means realizing that no time of one's life is the best one and resolving to savor every second of joy within reach. You know each will pass, and you no longer experience that as a betrayal," If you can live your life knowing that bad things are going to happen but it is a part of life while being able to savor the best moments knowing that you will not be perfect is what I think it is all about.
Socrates: I think it means to understand that you know nothing and to go outseek knowledge knowing at the end of the day there is still more to learn you can grow up. For whatever reason, we stop asking questions from when we were kids and then we think we know everything when we get older and do not have the sense to drop our ego and say that they know nothing. If you think you know nothing you can continuously grow if you think you know everything you stop growing and you get lazy.
Aidan: I like your answers. I can agree with both of your statements a lot. I think I agree with Socrates more if you think that you know everything you will end up not improving because you stop finding out how to grow. Alright John, second question what makes life worth living?
John Kaag: Well doesn't that depend on the person you ask? Aidan, what do you think makes life worth living?
Aidan: I do not know to be honest. I think that I am in the process of finding what makes my life worth living. If I had to come up with an answer though it would have to experience that makes life worth living. Learning new things going out to new places I think that are some aspects of life that are worth living. Life is short so why not do what you want to make it worthwhile.
John Kaag: Interesting so what are you trying to become?
Aidan: I don't know how to answer that.
John Kaag: See to me it is that"The self does not lie passively in wait for us to discover it. Selfhood is made in the active, ongoing process, in the German verb werden, 'to become'.” ( with Nietzsche: On Becoming Who You Are). So if you are trying to experience things I think there is someone you want to become right?
Aidan: Yeah there is someone I want to become but I know that just thinking about it will not get me anywhere so I have to be able to tell myself in order to become that person I need to do something right now.
John Kaag: That is all for now. I like what you had to say and offer to this conversation.
Aidan: No problem, Well that is all the question for this one thank you all for your time.
Final Points Excluding Midterm and Final: 40/70
"Socrates: I think it means to understand that you know nothing and to go outseek knowledge..." But Socrates would never just SAY this, he'd elicit it from one of the other interlocutors. He'd meet your questions with his own questions. (Just as you have Kaag doing in the next exchange.) Also, he'd want to know more about 2020 and "America"...
ReplyDelete"in order to become that person I need to do something..." Precisely. No credible philosopher thinks its enough to "just think..."
"Again, remember to include bloggish content--especially embedded links etc."
DeletePlease send me your final points total.
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