WGU -122 (Not included on Exam 2)
Study Questions
1. "The miracle that saves the world," said Hannah Arendt, is ____.
2. For Kant the most important fact about us is what?
3. What is "the metaphysical wound at the heart of the universe"?
4. How did David Hume dispel "this philosophical melancholy and delirium"?
5. What did Kant say we must take seriously, in order to grow up?
6. What must reason find intolerable about the world?
Discussion Questions
- Is Hannah Arendt's emphasis on natality as important as mortality, in defining the human condition? Would it still be, if we ever achieved natural immortality? 80-81
- Is the US still a proud nation of immigrants, or more like those European nations "struggling with what they regard as the problem of immigration? 81
- Are there ways other than travel to "experience the world as babies do" etc.? 83
- Did your upbringing make it easier or harder for you to trust? 86
- "Once you start asking why, there's no natural place to stop." 88 So why do so many people stop, or else never start?
- How long would we have to live, to see this as Leibniz's "best possible world" 89
- Was Hume right about reason being slave to the passions? 93
- Was Thrasymachus right about justice? 94
- Do you agree with the cliche about socialism? 100
- Is Hume's strategy for dispelling melancholy good? 104
- Has the gap between ought and is narrowed in the world, historically?107
- Was Nietzsche right about stoicism? 113
- Is it childish to expect the world to make sense? 114
- How can philosophy help us grow up? 119
- Do we have a right to happiness? 122
H03
ReplyDeleteDo we have a right to happiness?
Everyone has a right to happiness. Nobody is born undeserving of it, and I don't think it's something you can take away. Yes, if somebody is put in prison for a crime, most worldly pleasures and things of that nature are taken away, but they can still find happiness in small things.
Did your upbringing make it easier or harder for you to trust?
My parents and the way they raised me make it easy to trust others, as they are incredibly trusting and friendly. However, there have been a few events in my life that, because I was raised to trust so easily, I was either taken advantage of or hurt. So those events changed how I looked at other people's intentions.
Is it childish to expect the world to make sense?
If anything, I think it's childish to expect the world not to make sense. Kids have wild imaginations and thoughts, so trying to apply reason to the world around you is killing that childlike awe.
I really like how you explained the third question. I think the whole situation depends on if you want to understand the world. Because if you do, it will never make sense in a way for you to grow from it.
Delete(H03)”Did your upbringing make it easier or harder for you to trust?”
ReplyDeleteMy upbringing made it easier for me to trust. My family was very stable and my parents followed through on what they said they would do.
“Is the US still a proud nation of immigrants, or more like those European nations "struggling with what they regard as the problem of immigration?”
I don’t think so. Trump’s presidency showed us that there is a very large amount of people in this country who do not appreciate the contributions of immigrants in the modern day. The popularity of Trump’s immigration policy showcased how many Americans regard immigration as a problem. Then again, I have lived in a red county in the South all of my life so my view of just how popular Trump’s opinions on immigration were/are may be clouded by that fact.
I agree that immagrants are seen as a problem like those in Europe, but this is not new. The Irish were not given chances for employment and were looked down on when they escaped the potato famine.
DeleteThe notion of being a nation of immigrants does not necessarily mean that it would be inviting to continued immigration. I see the US as a collection of people linked geographically to a place, not as a unified proud nation of immigrants. Alas, the experiment of the American republic continues.
DeleteH03
ReplyDeleteIs it childish to expect the world to make sense? 114
I don’t think it’s childish for people to expect the world to make sense, however it can be overwhelming to sometimes to find sense in a world that has gotten closer to basing itself on nonsense.
How can philosophy help us grow up? 119
One thing about philosophy that could help with people growing up is having conversations that can be uncomfortable for people to grow and mature.
Do we have a right to happiness? 122
I do believe we all have a right to happiness but I feel like happiness can be hard to achieve sometimes.
How can philosophy help us grow up?
ReplyDeletePhilosophy can help you broaden your mind. It can help someone challenge the values and ideas that they are expected to adopt. Philosophy is all about creating your own opinions and ideas and that is a big part of growing up.
Do we have a right to happiness?
Everyone deserves the right to be happy but it is not as easy for some people. Happiness is a very complex thing that is not easy to obtain, especially in the society we live in today. Some people believe happiness is correlated to how difficult or easy someone's life is. I think this can be true sometimes but some of the happiest people I know have been through the hardest times so it can’t be true in all cases.
Did your upbringing make it easier or harder for you to trust?
I’m not sure how my upbringing has influenced this fact, but I’ve noticed that I have very little trust in strangers but once I meet new people, I am very quickly open and trustful with them. The way we interact with people all has to do with our experiences. I am in general a very trusting person and share a lot of vulnerabilities with those I am close with. This is only possible for me because I haven’t ever really been betrayed or had a reason to withhold this openness. This is not true for everyone. Many people have valid reasons to not trust and build walls to protect themselves from getting hurt. These reasons have to do with past experiences.
H3
ReplyDeleteIs it childish to expect the world to make sense?
I do not think it is childish to expect the world to make sense. I don't think anyone aims to live in a world of nonsense, so naturally we want things, including the world, to make sense.
How can philosophy help us grow?
It can challenge our beliefs and expand our knowledge by learning what others think.
Do we have a right to happiness?
I think we do have a right to be happy, but it is something we have to work for.
Did your upbringing make it easier or harder for you to trust?
ReplyDeleteI would say when I was younger, yes or at least it was hard to trust me. I was a very rebellious kid, but now I would say it's been easier to trust the people close to me. When it comes to the natural world there are some things that I find hard to trust because of negativity and skepticism.
Is it childish to expect the world to make sense?
I would say yes because this world isn't perfect so the idea that the world should make sense is hard to perceive. There's so much of the world that we still don't understand, whether in regards to society, nature, or the future. There's so much unknown that I find it hard to believe that the world makes sense.
Do we have a right to happiness?
Everyone has a right to happiness, it just depends on how you achieve it. Happiness is different for everyone so being able to grasp it is very important to understand. It isn't something that is super easy to materialize, but something that takes time to evolve.
H03
Is it childish to expect the world to make sense?
ReplyDeleteKind of like wishful thinking. There's plenty of things that don't make sense, but I think deep down everyone wants comprehension. That's important to all of us.
Once you start asking why, there's no natural place to stop." 88 So why do so many people stop, or else never start?
People are afraid of change and leaving their comfort zone, even if the change could be helpful and might help you escape something that could hurt you in the long run. I see this a lot at the gym. I've become very dedicated to going to the gym, but for many people it's hard to take up this kind of lifestyle. It requires leaving your comfort zone at first, so it's difficult and many people stop.
(H03) Hopefully finishing presentations now so I can stop posting this :)
ReplyDeleteThe Cynic movement generally sees itself as a shortcut to virtue. The general values of Cynicism are that living in tune with nature and experiencing a life outside the constraints, expectations, and conventions of society is the ideal way to live a good life. A life filled with value made up by relations or physical objects is not virtuous, but rather the lack thereof and living with the hardships of nature allows one to rise. Diogenes is one such Philosopher that exemplified these views, living in a tub with only the clothing on his back. Known as a dog due to his shameless cynical behaviour, or Diogenes of Sinope, he brought much discussion directly to other philosophers, and his exemplified free use of speech regardless of consequence set him apart from his peers and other people in society in general. I also discuss David Hume, and his relative connections to our lesson through the sense of self, as well as his commitment to feelings and self over rationality and fact, and distaste to political/religious discourse, and show the contrast though both have been considered cynics.
--GENERALLY: Cynicism is to deconstruct the values and conventions of society and why they would or would not apply or matter--
Questions:
Would you choose to live as a sceptic in the methodology of Diogenes, and if so, what would your reasoning be to do so?
Do you thing Diogenes was right in his more aggressive or straightforward speaking, or do you think that obscuring your whole thoughts or truths is better?
Do you see yourself as a sceptic? Either way, are there aspects of Diogenes’ skepticism that you can identify or agree with?
If you were called a dog by others, would you choose to own the name or see it as derogatory and attempt to be rid of it?
Do you see Hume as a sceptic? Would he be, in the same way as Diogenes is? Which do you agree with more?
Sources used:
https://iep.utm.edu/cynics/
https://www.etymonline.com/word/cynic
https://www.yourdictionary.com/dogmatic
https://pantheon.world/profile/person/Diogenes/
https://www.existentialcomics.com/comic/219
https://medium.com/@amereattempt1/the-story-of-diogenes-and-alexander-the-great-e59f85971f3f
https://www.laphamsquarterly.org/animals/miscellany/plato-and-diogenes-debate-featherless-bipeds
https://pantheon.world/profile/person/David_Hume/
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/hume/
H2
ReplyDeleteDid your upbringing make it easier or harder for you to trust?
Personally, my upbringing made it easier to trust other individuals. My parents were very open with my sibling and me, so we felt more comfortable trusting the words and teachings of our parents. Also, I spent a considerable portion of my childhood in the hospital, so I was typically surrounded by many trustworthy nurses and doctors who were there to help and assist me.
Is it childish to expect the world to make sense?
I do not think it’s necessarily childish, more so hopeful thinking or unawareness. Throughout life, many individuals do not experience the world fully and everything that comes along with it. For instance, in school we’re taught skills that help us academically, but do not truly prepare us for the outside world or life prior to school. Additionally, we are always encouraged to “follow our dreams,” which can be a good thing, but are never taught how much work, dedication, or even the challenges that come along with that dream.
Do we have a right to happiness?
Absolutely. Everyone deserves the right to be happy. However, acquiring happiness is not always the easiest thing for people to accomplish. Happiness is a state of mind, therefore it takes time to develop and one’s level of happiness may differ from another’s. Ultimately, as long as what makes a person happy does not demoralize, discriminate, or oppress other people, then I believe it is deserving.
H01
DeleteI agree that many people deserve the right to be happy, but does that right extend to those in the prison system? To the former murderers, theives, etc.? If so, should we give them a chance to leave prison and experience life.
I don't think it is childish to expect the world to make sense. The world can make sense to people in different ways, so it really depends on the situation.
DeleteH01
ReplyDeleteHow can philosophy help us grow up?
Yes, looking at our thoughts and our actions can help us improve as people and mature.
Do we have a right to happiness?
ReplyDeleteI think everyone does have a right to happiness. It's somewhat up to a person to decide if they want to be happy, but also things like depression can make it very difficult to see life as a positive thing.
Does philosophy help us grow up?
Philosophy helps us grow by making us think about important questions about life.
Do we have a right to happiness?
ReplyDeleteEvery person has a right to happiness and they have the right to choose whether or not they want to be happy by affiliating themselves with things and people who make them happy.
How can philosophy help us grow up?
Philosophy makes us think outside the box and look at the bigger picture. This helps us grow and mature as a person.
Did your upbringing make it easier or harder to trust?
I grew up in an area that was not considered necessarily safe. My elementary school had a metal detector that each student had to walk through to make sure no weapons were being brought into school, which still happened on a normal basis. My parents told me not to trust anyone that I didn't know, so that just made me be aware of my surroundings even more. I wouldn't necessarily say that my upbringing made me not trust everyone as easy, but definitely being a woman in this day and age makes it harder for me.