❤Let's celebrate Valentines Day today. Bring shareable treats (and get a bonus base).
LHP
1. What did Machiavelli say a leader needs to have? Do you agree? Is it important to you for our leaders to be reliably honest, with exceptions only for instances of national security and the nation's best interests?
2. Machiavelli's philosophy is described as being "rooted" in what? Does your own experience confirm his appraisal of human nature and what's "realistic"?
3. The idea that leaders should rule by fear is based on what view of human nature? Do you respond more positively to politicians who appeal to pessimism and fear, or to those who appeal to hope?
4. Life outside society would be what, according to Hobbes? Do you think your neighbors would threaten your survival if they could get away with it?
5. What fear influenced Hobbes' writings? Do any particular fears influence your political opinions?
6. Hobbes did not believe in the existence of what? Do you? Why or why not?
HWT
1. How do eastern and western philosophies differ in their approach to things, and what is ma? Which do you find more appealing?
2. An interest in what is much more developed in eastern thought? Do you share it?
3. What is dukkha?
4. What is Sakura?
5. What takes the place of religion in China? Do you know people here who have found religion-substitutes?
6. Chinese thought does not distinguish between natural and ____, focusing on what?
7. What is the famous story of Zhuangzi? What's your reaction to it?
8. The Japanese fascination with robots reflects what traditional view? Are you similarly fascinated?
FL
1. What was Arthur C. Clarke's 3d law regarding technology, and what's its converse?
2. What was the original "alternative medicine" and what is its "upside"?
3. What national craze of the 1830s relied on a "totally bogus extrapolation"?
4. Who was Mary Baker Eddy and what are her followers misleadingly called?
5. Who was Dr. William A. Rockefeller?
6. What did Mark Twain say about history?
7. How was the California Gold Rush an "inflection point" in how Americans thought about reality?
8. What did de Tocqueville say was "the chief or secondary motive in everything Americans do"?
Niccolo Machiavelli (in From Humanism to Hobbes by Quentin Skinner)
Calvin sounds like (Thomas) Hobbes describing the state of nature. Hobbes (the tiger) behaves like Machiavelli's Prince. (And check out Hobbes, Machiavelli & others in Existential Comics...)
4. Life outside society would be what, according to Hobbes? Do you think your neighbors would threaten your survival if they could get away with it?
ReplyDeleteHobbes thought life would be “nasty, brutish, and short” outside of an established society. I think that if there were no governmental order, then it is likely that neighbors would turn against each other, family against family, friend against friend, etc…
https://www.canva.com/design/DAF8VCXMelA/xes8vCk--ip7O2xQ80pPfA/edit?utm_content=DAF8VCXMelA&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton
DeleteYou must have nastier neighbors than I do.
DeleteTo Anonymous, above: when posting addresses, please include a bit of description. It's generally not safe or sound to click blindly.
DeleteLHP 3
ReplyDeleteMachiavelli believed that humans were greedy, unreliable, and dishonest by nature. That is why he believed leaders should rule by fear.
Personally, I respond better to politicians that appeal to hope. I believe a hopeful leader encourages followers by showing that there is something that can be done to fix current problems. These kinds of leaders do not cause people to give up, in thinking that everything is out of their control. For this reason, I am more likely to support a politician who appeals to hope through a vision for a better future than one who appeals to pessimism.
Same.
DeleteLHP 5
ReplyDeleteThe fear that England could descend to anarchy influenced Hobbes’ writings.
The fear of anarchy is very real and is one that influences my political opinions. I fear a world where everyone is so enveloped in their own opinions that we focus more on what divides us than what we have in common. Especially in America, which is a “melting pot” of people and cultures, everyone seems to want to be a part of their own group. There is less of a pull to be a collective, as opposed to other countries.
America used to pride itself on being a melting pot, at least to a greater extent than seems the case now. But the recent anti-immigrant sentiment among some is not new, there have been previous waves of the phenomenon in the past. Some of the loudest voices, ironically, are the direct descendants of immigrants themselves. Did you know, for instance, that the Trump family used to be "Drumpf," before they arrived on these shores?
DeleteHWT 6
ReplyDeleteChinese thought does not distinguish between natural and supernatural. Instead, it focuses on the needs of humans right now.
While I do believe the current needs of humans are important, so is the supernatural. I believe that pondering the supernatural will help us to not only better understand the world around us but also ourselves.
And in fact there are supernatural elements (and what I'd call magical thinking) in Chinese culture, as in every culture to some degree.
Delete1. A leader must learn how not to be good. I do not agree. If you are ruling over a society, it is for the greater good of society for them to understand what is happening which will affect them. The exceptions for public safety are applicable if it ends in a good outcome for the populus.
ReplyDelete2. His philosophy should be rooted in what really happens. I do think this is realistic; luck isn’t something that we can control. It deeply affects us and how we overcome bad luck and the choices we make accordingly.
3. If you are feared, you are less likely to have someone betray you. I appeal more to the politicians that dwell on the hopeful aspects of the job.
4. Life outside of society is anarchy with people doing whatever they please without consequences from the law. I think that there would be many who would go out of their way to threaten others survivals if they could without consequence.
LHP 1.) Machiavelli's key idea was that a prince needed to have what he called virtu. This is the Italian word for 'manliness' or 'valor'.
ReplyDeleteLHP 2.) Machiavelli was determined that his philosophy should be rooted in what really happens. Machiavelli uses real-life examples to highlight his philosophy and its importance.
ReplyDeleteLHP 3.) Cynicism. He thought that human beings were unreliable, greedy, and dishonest. He advises that if you are to be a successful ruler, then you need to accept this ideology.
ReplyDeleteLHP 6.) Human souls. Hobbes believed that humans are simply physical beings, which are ultimately complex machines.
ReplyDeleteLHP
ReplyDelete4. Life outside of society would be anarchy according to Hobbes. He believed without society to enforce morality, it would become a survival of the fittest world.
Hobbes believed that a total monarchy was the best form of society because although it would deprive men of liberties it would ensure safety. Hobbes believed a monarchy should be a sort of contract between the citizens and the king in which the monarch gave them security and they served him.
pt.2: My neighbors would not threaten their survival unless theirs was at risk. I do not believe most people are actively malevolent they simply will put their self preservation before others.
DeleteThere actually are many people who will put others' safety ahead of their own "self-preservation"... most parents, for instance. And good neighbors, like Arnold in that Super Bowl commercial.
ReplyDeleteLHP 4. Hobbes said that life outside of society would be short, brutish, nasty, solitary, etc. I feel like in the south, especially in southern neighborhoods like my own, it would be hard for neighbors and friends to turn on one another for the sake of survival. I feel like my neighbors would all pool resources and work together to stay safe as opposed to an every man for himself mindset. But I also know that this isn't the most common circumstance for many people so I'd be interested to hear in other's thoughts on their own neighborhoods.
ReplyDeleteLHP Adriana Ramirez Speis H03
ReplyDelete1. What did Machiavelli say a leader needs to have? Do you agree? Is it important to you for our leaders to be reliably honest, with exceptions only for instances of national security and the nation's best interests?
A leader should be ruthless and valiant, like a lion and a fox. They are willing to do whatever it takes to maintain power and control, even if that meant murder. They needed virtu to improve their luck. I do not believe leaders should be “ruthless” per se, but I do believe they need to be decisive and act quickly in a time of crisis. Yes, it is important for leaders, and anyone else, to be honest. I understand some things should not be shared, like a social security number or private medical records, but for the post part, if you are not doing anything wrong or shameful, why would you keep it a secret?
2. Machiavelli's philosophy is described as being "rooted" in what? Does your own experience confirm his appraisal of human nature and what's "realistic"?
Machiavelli wanted his philosophy to be rooted in reality. He used examples from history that corroborated his philosophy and his concept of virtu. I don’t believe that taking a few examples that you have hand selected to support your idea is an accurate measure of what is realistic. A small sample size already disqualifies it, but it also isn’t random. It is like embarking on a journey to find evidence against God’s existence because you already don’t believe in Him and the first person you speak to is an atheist - of course you’re going to find what you’re looking for.
3. The idea that leaders should rule by fear is based on what view of human nature? Do you respond more positively to politicians who appeal to pessimism and fear, or to those who appeal to hope?
The idea that leaders should rule by fear is based on the view that human nature is to be dishonest and selfish. His view of humans was very similar to that of Saint Augustine, believing that even infants were selfish little sinners. I respond more positively to realism with a dash of hope. The COVID-19 pandemic really instilled this belief. When people are afraid, they need someone they can depend on to reassure them (hope) while telling them the truth (realism). People need to be informed if the situation is bad, but not without offering a solution alongside it.
LHP Adriana Ramirez Speis H03
ReplyDelete4. Life outside society would be what, according to Hobbes? Do you think your neighbors would threaten your survival if they could get away with it?
Life outside of society, according to Hobbes, would be “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short.” The question reminds me of Gyges’ ring from Plato’s Republic, the foundation for The Lord of the Rings. If given the chance to get away with theft and other crimes for ones own good without the possibility of consequence, people would take it. I believe that philosophers like Hobbes and Machiavelli have too pessimistic of a view of humanity. I truly believe, given the chance, that my neighbors would not try to harm me. Though, this may be a privileged view that someone living in different circumstances would answer quite differently.
5. What fear influenced Hobbes' writings? Do any particular fears influence your political opinions?
The fear of death and anarchy are what inspired Hobbes’ writing. He had survived a possible invasion in childhood and later escaped civil war in his home country. I am sure that there are quite a lot of fears that influence my political opinions. I often feel at war with myself on certain topics such as guns. I was raised shooting shotguns in my backyard but quickly became uncomfortable around firearms, unwilling to touch them, because of the fear of mass shootings. I had horrible nightmares in middle school, most of which involved a shooting at school or a mall and either myself or a loved one dying as a result. Now, as a first responder (EMT), I have respect for what guns can do to save others in harm’s way. I am glad that our police carry firearms and are able to respond to shootings quickly, being properly trained and having the tools readily available to maim a gunman unwilling to surrender. I recently watched this video on YouTube and was blown away by the response and skill of the officers. I am still very wary of guns and will likely never own one myself. I treated a patient last year who had accidentally shot himself in the foot. He was a door dash driver and kept a gun (without safety) in his backpack when he delivered at night for safety. The next day, he forgot the gun was in the back, tossed it down, and a bullet tore through his foot. He was incredibly lucky it did not hit either of his children, his wife, or himself in a more critical location like the head or abdomen. The thing he carried to keep him safe got him sent to the hospital. I could go on and on because this is a topic I am still heavily conflicted by.
6. Hobbes did not believe in the existence of what? Do you? Why or why not?
Hobbes did not believe in the existence of the soul. I do believe we have souls that will live on for eternity with or without God. I believe this because I am a Christian and it is one of our core doctrines. You will live an eternity with or without God, and with a dead fleshly body, that would not be possible without a soul.
LHP Adriana Ramirez Speis H03
ReplyDelete5. This is the video I was referencing:
https://youtube.com/shorts/ZdgjeMuUvjI?si=ZuGWlSxfFmelsJqs
Hannah Ferreira H01 Machiavelli said that a leader needs to have “manliness.” I do not agree. While I do think leaders need to have thick skin, I think above all they need to be humble and honest. I do think it is important to have a leader who is reliably honest in the vast majority of conditions.
ReplyDelete3. The idea that leaders should rule by fear is based on a very cynical view of human nature. I would respond better to politicians who are realistic, rather than delusional hope or unnecessary pessimism.
5. Rockefeller was the co-founder of Standard Oil and was an American businessman.
HWT 3
ReplyDeleteDukkha is a Buddhist term translated as unsatisfactoriness or suffering.
LHP 3
Machiavelli's view of human nature was that they were unreliable, greedy, and dishonest.
I would say that I personally respond more positively to politicians who appeal to hope or have a positive message behind them.
LHP 1 What did Machiavelli say a leader needs to have? Do you agree? Is it important to you for our leaders to be reliably honest, with exceptions only for instances of national security and the nation's best interests? Machiavelli said a leader needs to have virtù, meaning “manliness” or “valour.” The description that the author provides makes sense in that success is divided into chance and choice, meaning that a prepared and valiant leader is more likely to succeed. What is described in this section is something I can understand, but in the previous descriptions of Machiavelli, I don’t agree with acting immorally for the sake of success aka murder, lies, etc. I definitely think leaders should be reliably honest unless there are extreme instances that warrant otherwise.
ReplyDeleteLHP 2 Machiavelli's philosophy is described as being "rooted" in what? Does your own experience confirm his appraisal of human nature and what's “realistic"? It is described as being rooted in “what really happens” and he uses examples from real life. Despite the perceived “success” of the leaders who Machiavelli cites, it was achieved through ruthless and violent behavior, which I don’t think is worthy of praise. Certainly, there are other, more moral, ways of achieving success as a leader. I don’t think such calculated violence is realistic at all - it’s inhumane.
ReplyDeleteLHP 3. The idea that leaders should rule by fear is based on what view of human nature? Do you respond more positively to politicians who appeal to pessimism and fear, or to those who appeal to hope? It is based on cynicism, which is a low view of human nature, viewing humans as “unreliable, greedy, and dishonest.” I respond more positively to politicians who appeal to hope because it is more positive and to me, a sign of a good leader.
ReplyDelete- Ani Heng H01
DeleteLHP
ReplyDelete1. What did Machiavelli say a leader needs to have? Do you agree? Is it important to you for our leaders to be reliably honest, with exceptions only for instances of national security and the nation's best interests?
He said a leader needs to have virtu, which can be translated as manliness. I agree, but I think it would be more appropriate to call it "having some grit" rather than manliness, as manliness can have overly masculine undertones. I think it is important for our leaders to be reliably honest, with exceptions only for instances of national security and the nation's best interests. It is important so the people that they govern do not dissolve into a full blown panic when there still is very limited information about a situation.
2. Machiavelli's philosophy is described as being "rooted" in what? Does your own experience confirm his appraisal of human nature and what's "realistic"?
His philosophy is rooted in reality. I'm not too sure of my own experience confirms this. However, I do think it is realistic to say that a big part of life is about how we overcome the bad luck that we can not control.
3. The idea that leaders should rule by fear is based on what view of human nature? Do you respond more positively to politicians who appeal to pessimism and fear, or to those who appeal to hope?
ReplyDeleteThe idea that leaders should rule by fear is based on cynicism. I respond more positively to hopeful politicians, as I find that negative and worried politicians tend to make me more anxious about the state of the world.
4. Life outside society would be what, according to Hobbes? Do you think your neighbors would threaten your survival if they could get away with it?
According to Hobbes, life would be "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short." I think that they would only threaten my survival is they could get immense gain from it.
5. What fear influenced Hobbes' writings? Do any particular fears influence your political opinions?
ReplyDeleteSocial and political chaos influenced his writings. The fear of being harmed influences my political opinions (ex. guns/gun laws).
6. Hobbes did not believe in the existence of what? Do you? Why or why not?
Hobbes did not believe in souls. I personally do. This is because as a Christian, I feel a strong disconnect with the desires of my soul and my flesh of the world (e.i. sin).
Jaylin Moore - H01
ReplyDeleteHobbes did not believe in the existence of the soul. The idea of the soul is actually something I've been thinking about a lot lately. I'm not ready to fully commit myself one way or another, but if the soul does exist, I'd like to think that it's similar to how Lucretius describes it in De rerum natura. The concept of the soul as being composed of "atoms" and dying with the body has resonated with me every since the first time I heard it. Honestly, I find the idea quite comforting.
H02 - LHP 4
ReplyDeleteHobbes believed that life would be awful and short outside of society. I believe that my neighbors would threaten my survival if it meant they and their family could live another day.
Tessa Wallace H03
ReplyDelete2. Machiavelli’s philosophy is described as being rooted in what really happens. I think that he had some very odd philosophies about what it takes to be a good leader. I also think that he is not wrong in his ides of how humane are naturally. I think that we all are born with sin and have a chance to do the right things, but some people don’t always do that.
4. Hobbes says that life outside of society would be pretty much anarchy and miserable. I think that some people would threaten other survival if they got away with it. I think that if it came down to it most would look out for themselves first. We have seen basic things as elections tear families apart. So, I think that if it came down to your survival that most would choose themselves first.
5. The thing that influence his writing is the fear that England could have easily descended into anarchy. I think that one of the things that influences my political opinions is the fear of losing my freedom of religion. This is a big thing in my life, and I am extremely happy that I can praise freely but it is something that I fear in the world today.
6. Hobbes did not believe in the existence of souls. I do believe in the existence of souls. I think that we all have souls, and this is because we are the only animal on this planet that has the ability to tell right from wrong. I think that we have a complex way of existing and that we are different than other things because we were made in the image of God. I think this is just one of the reasons we have souls.