- Conclude Midterm Report Presentations
- Something from Why Grow Up (WGU) thru p.165. #5 Nadia B. #6 Jessica Law #7 Alex P
- John Kaag, Sick Souls Healthy Minds: How William James Can Save Your Life (SSHM), Prologue. #5 Hoang T. #6 Emmanuel J. #7 Jonathan D.
- Fantasyland (FL) 40 When the GOP Went Off the Rails
- William James (WJ), Is Life Worth Living? (1897) - in Be Not Afraid: in the Words of William James (BNA, on reserve) #5 Sophia E. #6 Aubree J. #7 Lorelei
WGU -p.165
1. Kant's definition of maturity is what?
- What are some other signs of being grown-up, besides the ability to think for yourself? 123
- Are you good at accepting compromise? Are the adults in your life? 124
- Have you "sifted through your parents' choices about everything"? 125
- Do you "love the world enough to assume responsibility for it?" 126
- Has your educational experience so far broken or furthered your "urge to explore the world"? Do you still "desire to learn"? 127
- Should corporations like Coca-Cola be allowed to have "pouring rights" in public schools? 132
- "You must take your education into your own hands as soon as possible." Did you? How? 140
- Should the age of legal maturity be raised to match the age of brain maturity? 140
- "Minds need at least as much exercise as bodies..." 141 Do you get enough of both forms of exercise? Too much of one or the other? Do you subscribe to Mens sana in corpore sano?
- Do you love books and reading? 143
- Do you agree with Mark Twain?: "A person who won't read has no advantage over a person who can't."
- Are you willing to go a month without internet? Or even a day? 148
- Were Augustine and Rousseau right about travel? 150-51
- Does group travel "preclude real encounters" with a place? 158
- Do you hope to live and work one day in another culture for at least a year? Do you think it will contribute to your maturity? 162-3
2. What is distinctive about "our age" that makes James particularly relevant?
3. What happened on Feb. 6, 2014 that prompted Kaag to write this book?
(See "Is Life Worth Living...)
5. Human history is "one long commentary on" what?
6. A "wider world... unseen by us" may exist, just as our world does for ___.
7. The "deepest thing in our nature," which deals with possibilities rather than finished facts, is a "dumb region of the heart" called (in German) ___.
For the past year, two philosophy professors have been calling around to prominent authors and public intellectuals with an unusual, perhaps heretical, proposal. They have been asking these thinkers if, for a handsome fee, they wouldn’t mind turning themselves into A.I. chatbots.
John Kaag, one of the academics, is a professor at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. He is known for writing books, such as “Hiking With Nietzsche” and “American Philosophy: A Love Story,” that blend philosophy and memoir... (nyt, continues)
Discussion questions:
- Have you ever felt "pulled in too many directions"? 2 How did you respond?
- Do you approach philosophy as a "detached intellectual exercise," an "existential life preserver," or something else?
- Where would you place yourself on the spectrum between "sick soul" and "healthy-minded"? Does that change, over time?
- Can belief that life is worth living become self-fulfilling?
- Do you know any "sick souls"? 3 Or "healthy minds"? 4 Are they the same person?
- Do you agree that believing life to be worth living "will help create the fact"? 5
- Do you like WJ's answer to the question "Is life worth living?" 9
- Is suicide always "the wrong way to exit life"? 10
- Have you ever visited the Harvard campus? What were your impressions?
- Is "maybe" a good answer to the eponymous question of James's essay below?
- Do you like Whitman's poetic expression of "the joy of living"?
- Have you ever been as happy as Rousseau at Annecy?
- Do you agree that nature cannot embody the ultimate "divine" spirit of the universe? What if you remove (or re-define) "divine"? 489
- Do you agree that "sufferings and hardships do not, as a rule, abate the love of life..."? 491
- Does the "purely naturalistic basis" suffice to make life worth living? 494
- Does life feel like a "real fight" to you? 502
*IS LIFE WORTH LIVING? (see the Library of America's terrific William James : Writings 1878-1899... vol.2 is William James : Writings 1902-1910).
When Mr. Mallock's book with this title appeared some fifteen years ago, the jocose answer that "it depends on the liver" had great currency in the newspapers. The answer which I propose to give to-night cannot be jocose. In the words of one of Shakespeare's prologues,—
"I come no more to make you laugh; things now,
That bear a weighty and a serious brow,
Sad, high, and working, full of state and woe,"—
must be my theme. In the deepest heart of all of us there is a corner in which the ultimate mystery of things works sadly; and I know not what such an association as yours intends, nor what you ask of those whom you invite to address you, unless it be to lead you from the surface-glamour of existence, and for an hour at least to make you heedless to the buzzing and jigging and vibration of small interests and excitements that form the tissue of our ordinary consciousness. Without further explanation or apology, then, I ask you to join me in turning an attention, commonly too unwilling, to the profounder bass-note of life. Let us search the lonely depths for an hour together, and see what answers in the last folds and recesses of things our question may find... (continues)
- Why does anyone give Alex Jones any credibility at all?
- Why do people like Ayn Rand's message that selfishness is a virtue?
- Was Mencken right about the Scopes Trial? 375
Kieran Setiya's Five Questions podcast... Five questions for Setiya in TPM...
Map of William James's Cambridge...
- Do you feel more resentful or grateful to have been "thrown" into the world? 11
- Do you agree with Jennifer Michael Hecht? “None of us can truly know what we mean to other people, and none of us can know what our future self will experience. History and philosophy ask us to remember these mysteries, to look around at friends, family, humanity, at the surprises life brings — the endless possibilities that living offers — and to persevere. There is love and insight to live for, bright moments to cherish, and even the possibility of happiness, and the chance of helping someone else through his or her own troubles. Know that people, through history and today, understand how much courage it takes to stay. Bear witness to the night side of being human and the bravery it entails, and wait for the sun. If we meditate on the record of human wisdom we may find there reason enough to persist and find our way back to happiness. The first step is to consider the arguments and evidence and choose to stay. After that, anything may happen. First, choose to stay.” Stay: A History of Suicide and the Arguments Against It by Jennifer Michael Hecht
- Does Calvinism "set out an impossible task"? 13
- Do you agree with WJ's father about "the point of life"?
- Can there be a constructive, non-violent "moral equivalent of war"? 21
- Do you agree with James about "our national disease"? 22
- Would it be bad if all your wishes "were fulfilled as soon as they arose"? 23
- Was "Mark" right about the three parts of a person? 26
- If there's no "soul" is determinism true? 28
- If humans are animals, do we have no soul? 31
- Were Nietzsche and Buber right about suicide? 34-5
- Are you one of the lucky "once-born"? Does that make you "blind and shallow"? 40
- If we possess free will, would it be wrong to insist on a coercive demonstration that we do? DD 566
- Do you believe you regularly experience opportunities to really choose between alternative futures? Could you decide, for instance, to take an alternate route home from school today? 573
- Are some regrets appropriate and unavoidable? 577
- Does determinism define our universe as one in which it is impossible to close the gap between how things are and how they ought to be? 578
- Which is better, pessimism or subjectivism? 584f.
- Does life lose zest and excitement, if things were foredoomed and settled long ago? 594
LISTEN (11.4.21). The World Series may be over, but "radical evil gets its innings" still (wrote William James in the "Sick Soul" chapter of Varieties of Religious Experience). That's what's really at stake in the free will-determinism debate: whether we'll get ours, and have a shot at amelioration.
Sick Souls, Healthy Minds: How William James Can Save Your Life
by John Kaag (author of American Philosophy: A Love Story and Hiking with Nietzsche)
In 1895, William James, the father of American philosophy, delivered a lecture entitled "Is Life Worth Living?" It was no theoretical question for James, who had contemplated suicide during an existential crisis as a young man a quarter century earlier. Indeed, as John Kaag writes, "James's entire philosophy, from beginning to end, was geared to save a life, his life"--and that's why it just might be able to save yours, too. Sick Souls, Healthy Minds is a compelling introduction to James's life and thought that shows why the founder of pragmatism and empirical psychology--and an inspiration for Alcoholics Anonymous--can still speak so directly and profoundly to anyone struggling to make a life worth living.
Kaag tells how James's experiences as one of what he called the "sick-souled," those who think that life might be meaningless, drove him to articulate an ideal of "healthy-mindedness"--an attitude toward life that is open, active, and hopeful, but also realistic about its risks. In fact, all of James's pragmatism, resting on the idea that truth should be judged by its practical consequences for our lives, is a response to, and possible antidote for, crises of meaning that threaten to undo many of us at one time or another. Along the way, Kaag also movingly describes how his own life has been endlessly enriched by James.
Eloquent, inspiring, and filled with insight, Sick Souls, Healthy Minds may be the smartest and most important self-help book you'll ever read. g'r
==
By William James
A common opinion prevails that the juice has ages ago been pressed out of the free-will controversy, and that no new champion can do more than warm up stale arguments which everyone has heard. This is a radical mistake. I know of no subject less worn out, or in which inventive genius has a better chance of breaking open new ground--not, perhaps, of forcing a conclusion or of coercing assent, but of deepening our sense of what the issue between the two parties really is, of what the ideas of fate and of free will imply. At our very side almost, in the past few years, we have seen falling in rapid succession from the press works that present the alternative in entirely novel lights. Not to speak of the English disciples of Hegel, such as Green and Bradley; not to speak of Hinton and Hodgson, nor of Hazard here --we see in the writings of Renouvier, Fouillée, and Delbœuf how completely changed and refreshed is the form of all the old disputes. I cannot pretend to vie in originality with any of the masters I have named, and my ambition limits itself to just one little point. If I can make two of the necessarily implied corollaries of determinism clearer to you than they have been made before, I shall have made it possible for you to decide for or against that doctrine with a better understanding of what you are about. And if you prefer not to decide at all, but to remain doubters, you will at least see more plainly what the subject of your hesitation is. I thus disclaim openly on the threshold all pretension to prove to you that the freedom of the will is true. The most I hope is to induce some of you to follow my own example in assuming it true, and acting as if it were true. If it be true, it seems to me that this is involved in the strict logic of the case. Its truth ought not to be forced willy-nilly down our indifferent throats. It ought to be freely espoused by men who can equally well turn their backs upon it. In other words, our first act of freedom, if we are free, ought in all inward propriety to be to affirm that we are free. This should exclude, it seems to me, from the freewill side of the question all hope of a coercive demonstrations,-- a demonstration which I, for one, am perfectly contented to go without.
With thus much understood at the outset, we can advance. But not without one more point understood as well. The arguments I am about to urge all proceed on two suppositions: first, when we make theories about the world and discuss them with one another, we do so in order to attain a conception of things which shall give us subjective satisfaction; and, second, if there be two conceptions, and the one seems to us, on the whole, more rational than the other, we are entitled to suppose that the more rational one is the truer of the two. I hope that you are all willing to make these suppositions with me; for I am afraid that if there be any of you here who are not, they will find little edification in the rest of what I have to say. I cannot stop to argue the point; but I myself believe that all the magnificent achievements of mathematical and physical science--our doctrines of evolution, of uniformity of law, and the rest--proceed from our indomitable desire to cast the world into a more rational shape in our minds than the shape into which it is thrown there by the crude order of our experience. The world has shown itself, to a great extent, plastic to this demand of ours for rationality. How much farther it will show itself plastic no one can say. Our only means of finding out is to try; and I, for one, feel as free to try conceptions of moral as of mechanical or of logical rationality. If a certain formula for expressing the nature of the world violates my moral demand, I shall feel as free to throw it overboard, or at least to doubt it, as if it disappointed my demand for uniformity of sequence, for example; the one demand being, so far as I can see, quite as subjective and emotional as the other is. The principle of causality, for example--what is it but a postulate, an empty name covering simply a demand that the sequence of events shall some day manifest a deeper kind of belonging of one thing with another than the mere arbitrary juxtaposition which now phenomenally appears? It is as much an altar to an unknown god as the one that Saint Paul found at Athens. All our scientific and philosophic ideals are altars to unknown gods. Uniformity is as much so as is free will. If this be admitted, we can debate on even terms. But if anyone pretends that while freedom and variety are, in the first instance, subjective demands, necessity and uniformity are something altogether different, I do not see how we can debate at all...
...determinism leads us to call our judgments of regret wrong, because they are pessimistic in implying that what is impossible yet ought to be. But how then about the judgments of regret themselves? If they are wrong, other judgments, judgments of approval presumably, ought to be in their place. But as they are necessitated, nothing else can be in their place; and the universe is just what it was before,--namely, a place in which what ought to be appears impossible. We have got one foot out of the pessimistic bog, but the other one sinks all the deeper. We have rescued our actions from the bonds of evil, but our judgments are now held fast. When murders and treacheries cease to be sins, regrets are theoretic absurdities and errors. The theoretic and the active life thus play a kind of see-saw with each other on the ground of evil. The rise of either sends the other down. Murder and treachery cannot be good without regret being bad: regret cannot be good without treachery and murder being bad. Both, however, are supposed to have been foredoomed; so something must be fatally unreasonable, absurd, and wrong in the world. It must be a place of which either sin or error forms a necessary part. From this dilemma there seems at first sight no escape. Are we then so soon to fall back into the pessimism from which we thought we had emerged? And is there no possible way by which we may, with good intellectual consciences, call the cruelties and treacheries, the reluctances and the regrets, all good together?
...
The dilemma of this determinism is one whose left horn is pessimism and whose right horn is subjectivism. In other words, if determinism is to escape pessimism, it must leave off looking at the goods and ills of life in a simple objective way, and regard them as materials, indifferent in themselves, for the production of consciousness, scientific and ethical, in us... (continues)
What are some other signs of being grown-up, besides the ability to think for yourself? 123
ReplyDeleteI believe being grown-up is being able to handle multiple responsibilities. For me being grown-up and being mature are different. When I think of mature, it's when someone can handle a situation well without any jokes or disruption. When I think of grown-up, I think of those scenes in tv shows where an older character sees a younger character performing their chores or doing tasks efficiently as "grown-up."
Have you "sifted through your parents' choices about everything"? 125
I have multiple times such as religion. My parents are Catholic but I was never able to feel anything towards it which eventually caused me to become agnostic. My parents would occasionally say something that I found to be wrong whether its how people should behave, or what roles everybody should have, I tend to disagree with what they say.
Should corporations like Coca-Cola be allowed to have "pouring rights" in public schools? 132
Corporations should not have "pouring rights" in public school because it makes schools an institution prioritized as a business rather than a place to give students education. There are also better ways to get schools to be able to do more educational activities rather than having them serve the interest of corporations that can easily manipulate students to believe what they say for their interest in profit.
In regard to your second comment, I too was raised in a Catholic household, and it led me to not follow my faith closely. I find that interesting that now that we are older you have made peace without God, and I have made peace through God. I find that so cool that we can both come from a similar setting and environment and grow into different religious practices! Thank you for sharing!
DeleteI have had the exact same upbringing with Catholic family, and then eventually becoming agnostic. Growing up and realizing that everything your parents say doesn't have to be the complete truth is kind of mind boggling once you figure that out.
DeleteWith regards to the second response. I have also sifted through my parent's choices. This made me disagree with some of what they believe, and the things they taught us as necessary.
DeletePrologue of SSHM: The comment about William James’ heart not being in it, and for a matter of fact it wasn’t in anything, yet everything rings true for me. When I am in a pit of depression, I find I have no motivation for anything because I can’t manage to do anything for myself, or nothing sounds good or entertaining. In reality most of the time I am not being lazy, but I am overthinking and overdoing until I am forced to rest, which leaves me feeling utterly and completely drained. So, the comment about his heart not being in it but also being in too much at once is such a true and funny thing us humans do. I have done it countless times, yet it seems I can’t change my habit. I get out of it quicker now, but I still always fall.
ReplyDeleteI agree!
DeleteIt is impressive that the human mind is capable of such extremes in the way that you can think of everything and yet feel like you can’t do anything at the same time
SSHM Prologue: The notion that philosophy cannot always save your life, but rather it should always encourage you in one way or another to not be afraid of life. I think this is beautifully written and composed. I will be meditating on this idea as a lover of philosophy more closely, because philosophy has never changed my life in a major, life altering way, but it has provided peace and comfort in difficult times.
ReplyDelete1. What are some other signs of being grown-up, besides the ability to think for yourself?
ReplyDeleteLeaving your parents house, paying your own bills, and having successful intimate relationships.
2. Are you good at making compromises?
I believe I am good at making compromises. It is part of life. Many relationships require compromises: spouses, friends, parents, employers, etc.
3. Do you believe "you must take your education into your own hands as soon as possible?"
1. What are some other signs of being grown-up?...
ReplyDeleteBeing grown up to me means making your own decisions for yourself, working and paying bills, and being able to start a family.
2. "Minds need at least as much exercise as bodies.." Do you get enough of both?...
I believe I get enough of both. Your brain thinks every day when you're planning your schedule, doing homework, and even when you are driving or talking to a friend. It is also good toe exercise your brain with a challenge every once in a while. This could be trying something new or doing the harder version of something
3. Have you ever felt "pulled in too many directions?"...
Yes, I have. I just had a plenty of things to do and a lot of expectations from others. I did the most important things and the tedious things first, so I could do the easy things last. I do the easier tasks last so I don't have to think as hard to complete it.
His problem was meaninglessness. I thought the quote, “ This is not to say it will work for everyone. Hell, it’s not
ReplyDeleteeven to say that it will work for me tomorrow.” was very interesting. I feel like I’ve found a very permanent meaning for life. At the same time I am reminded sometimes that things only appear to be meaningless. I guess it depends on where you place your purpose
I believe that our age is categorized primarily by “sick souls”, it may even be encouraged to an extent, maybe even how our age was raised. I do think my upbringing was conditioned to be sick souled.
However, if I were to say which one I am, I would lean more towards healthy mind. More accurately, healthier mind. I find that I still sway in some areas of my life back towards the way I was raised. But there are days in which I’m healthier than yesterday and weeks when I am not.
1. Kant's definition of maturity is what?
ReplyDeleteAccording to Kant maturity can be defined as the ability to use one's understanding without relying on the guidance of others. I somewhat agree with this worldview. When maturing we learn from the world around us. When we finally no longer need to learn from the world that is when we have finally matured.
I agree as well. I think there is always something to gain from people around us in terms of guidance and knowledge, but being able to think for ourselves and reach our own conclusions shows a confidence in our own way of thinking.
DeleteI also partially agree with him. However, I don't think it's possible to reach a point where you cannot learn from those around us. Maturity for me is understanding that you will always be lacking in knowledge no matter how much you think you know.
Delete7. The internet, says Nick Carr, is a machine geared for what?
ReplyDeleteThe internet is something that is geared for efficiency and automation. These values have become incredibly prevalent in modern society. With instant gratification being commonplace everyone wants things as soon as possible. The internet has changed how our minds function.
5. What is the message of Rousseau's Emile?
ReplyDeleteThe message of Rousseau's "Emile" is that humans are inherently good creatures. But this nature is corrupted by society and civilization. I somewhat agree with this philosophy, as children we are innocent creatures. We have not sinned and only know what goes on around us. Therefore we are influenced by the evil of this world and our innocent nature is corrupted.
I agree. Being a child is the purest a person can be before they are corrupted by society. Your knowledge is limited and you are still fascinated by everything around you. When we grow up, the questions become more complex and things we thought natural will no longer be so natural.
DeleteHas your educational experience so far broken or furthered your "urge to explore the world"? Do you still "desire to learn"? 127
ReplyDeleteI don't personally think my educational experience has had a profound impact on my urge to explore the world. As a military kid, my dad worked overseas and often brought back little souvenirs and gifts to give me an idea for what each country was like, so this peaked my interest in travel and other cultures at an early age. My time in grade school didn't exactly give me a great exposure to other nations or peoples, which is why I say my school experience didn't really affect this part of me. But I do feel as though if it weren't for my upbringing and my father's travels, I likely wouldn't be as interested in this kind of stuff today (I'm an international studies and foreign language double major). And I definitely still do desire to learn-- I love learning unique things and fun facts, and it makes me happy when I am able to deeply understand something new.
Do you agree that believing life to be worth living "will help create the fact"? 5
ReplyDeleteYes, I absolutely do agree. I subscribe to the idea that the majority of what makes our lives is not merely WHAT happens to us, but how we REACT to what happens to us-- and a lot of how we feel and live truly just comes down to perspective.
A few years ago, I attended a leadership conference at Georgetown University, and one thing we discussed there was that fear and excitement illicit the SAME physical responses in our bodies-- I mean, think about it: when you're scared, you might be shaking, heart racing, and sweating; when you're excited, you will ALSO probably be shaking, heart racing, and sweating. Ultimately, the only thing that differentiates these two emotions is our MIND and how we perceive a situation. That is the ONLY difference. When we enter a situation, we can choose how we respond and feel, and our mindset will strongly affect the outcome and overall satisfaction will feel with our lives.
I write about this experience to develop my point that our reality is exactly as we make it. You can choose to believe that life is an awful waste and not worth living, and when you believe this, everything that happens to you will further prove your point that life is mundane and meaningless. Your coffee machine broke this morning, you stubbed your toe, it's colder outside than you'd like it to be, and there was traffic on your way to work-- life MUST be worthless, right? Well, that's how you made it to be! And if you so decide to believe that life IS worth living and DOES have a purpose, this is what will reign true in your life. Your coffee machine at home may have broken, but the Starbucks barista this morning complimented your outfit, so something good came out of it! You stubbed your toe, but the pain went away quickly; it's cold outside, but now you have an opportunity to wear a cute jacket and more greatly appreciate the sun's warmth once it inevitably returns; there was heavy traffic this morning, but you got more time to listen to your favorite playlist.
All this to say that life, as most things are, is just what you make out of it. If you tell yourself life is worth living, even if you don't necessarily believe it at first, and reinforce this idea in your mind through every experience, soon enough, you'll see your life transform before your own eyes. And before you know it, you will slowly start to believe that YES, life IS worth living! It's all about perspective.
McKinsley Slicker 005
ReplyDeleteKant's definition of maturity: For Immanuel Kant, maturity is the ability to think for oneself and act independently, without relying on the guidance of others. He defines maturity as "the ability to use one's own understanding without the guidance of another." Essentially, it’s about being free from dependence on others for decisions and judgment.
Common purpose of education, travel, and work: Education, travel, and work ideally share the common purpose of fostering personal growth and expanding one's understanding of the world. These experiences help individuals develop a broader perspective, become more independent, and improve their ability to navigate life and make informed decisions.
You're not grown-up if you've not rejected what?: According to Kant, you’re not truly grown-up if you’ve not rejected the guidance of others and learned to think for yourself. In other words, maturity involves rejecting blind reliance on external authority figures and cultivating the ability to reason independently.
Does life feel like a "real fight" to you? 502
ReplyDeleteCurrently, no. Even through hardship, I have gotten to a point in my mindset that I no longer feel like life is a "real fight", and I am rather more stoic when I face adversities. Life is definitely hard at times, and as someone who has struggled with times of terrible anxiety and what may even be called depression, I can say that there were times where I felt like I was fighting so hard even just to get out of bed and do the basic tasks of the day. However, through years of personal growth and introspection, bad things just don't seem to bother me anymore-- granted, they still happen, but I am able to feel these strong emotions and face these struggles without feeling like the world is closing in on me over my head.
Have you ever felt "pulled in too many directions"? 2 How did you respond?
ReplyDeleteYes I have felt like I am being pulled in many directions. When I feel like I am being pulled in too many directions I usually try and combat this feeling by taking a step back and focussing on what really matters to me. I ask myself the question of, "if i had 6 months to live, what things would I cut out and what things would I do more of?" Not only does this help narrow down what I have to do, but it allows me to understand what priorities I have at the current moment and what I need to do.
Should corporations like Coca-Cola be allowed to have "pouring rights" in public schools? 132
I believe strongly these companies should absolutely not have rights in these schools. Assuming that our country is already heading in an unhealthy direction with adults, children are the last line of defense to prevent against the overweight epidemic currently exploding in our country. Even today, 20% of children in our country are obese which is totally unacceptable. Schools should be a place for children to learn, not to develop addictions to sugar and highly processed foods. These corporations like Coca-cola, Lays, and other highly processed food big brand companies use high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors, and seed oils to poison the people of the United States. Comparing any foods from the US to European countries exposes the true disgusting chemical gabfest that is in so many foods. Eliminating Coca-cola from schools is just one step closer to saving our children from greedy corporations who only are interested in the money aspect.
Does life feel like a "real fight" to you? 502
Life is always a fight because of how we as humans live. We will always have troubles, always have things we want to do but cannot, and always strive for better. However, this is why I enjoy life so much. The possibility of achieving anything anytime is always a couple decisions away. Because we are able to take control of our own lives and decide what we want for ourselves, we are able to determine our own outcome. I learn from my failures and wake up everyday with a drive to be better. Life, while a constant fight, is the most demanding yet rewarding.
4. Why should languages and music be learned as early as possible?
ReplyDeleteLanguages and music should be learned early because the brain is more adaptable during childhood. Cognitive science suggests that young minds are more plastic, meaning they can absorb complex patterns in speech and sound with greater ease. This makes it easier to develop fluency and proficiency in both areas compared to adults, who generally struggle more with new linguistic structures and musical nuances.
7. The internet, says Nick Carr, is a machine geared for what?
According to Nicholas Carr, the internet is a machine geared for distraction. In his book The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains, Carr argues that the internet encourages fragmented thinking, reducing our ability to focus deeply on complex tasks. Instead of fostering deep reading and contemplation, it promotes quick browsing, skimming, and multitasking, which can weaken our capacity for sustained attention.
8. If you don't travel, you're likely to suppose what?
If you don’t travel, you’re likely to suppose that the way things are in your immediate surroundings is the way they are everywhere. Travel exposes individuals to different cultures, customs, and perspectives, challenging the assumption that one's own way of life is universal or superior. This broadens the mind, fostering greater understanding and adaptability.
1. What are some other signs of being grown-up, besides the ability to think for yourself?
ReplyDeleteI feel like to really think of yourself as “grown up”, you need much more than just the ability to choose your actions. With a bigger responsibility, what you do and say will always affect you, and if you fail to be wise or prepared, you may be an adult, but you’re still on the same level as you’ve always been.
WGU:
ReplyDelete1. Kant's definition of maturity is what?
Kant defines maturity as the ability to think for oneself and take responsibility for one’s own decisions. He describes it as “emerging from self-imposed immaturity,” meaning that true adulthood comes from using reason rather than blindly following authority or tradition.
2. Education, travel, and work share what common purpose, ideally?
Education, travel, and work all share the common purpose of expanding our perspectives and helping us engage with the world. Ideally, they teach us to think critically, understand different viewpoints, and take responsibility for shaping our own lives.
3. You're not grown-up if you've not rejected what?
According to Why Grow Up?, you’re not truly grown-up if you haven’t rejected blind dependence on authority. Growing up means questioning societal norms, thinking for yourself, and balancing idealism with the realities of the world.
Do you love books and reading?
ReplyDeleteYes I do love books and reading. I really want o be an author/screenwriter so reading is a big part of my life and career aspirations. I believe reading is one of the most important things a person could do and it's a great way to grow the mind. I think by reading and studying different stories humans can expand their own knowledge and creativity exponentially. I think those who don't read only hurt themselves and close their minds off to all the possibilities the world has to offer. I think reading helps with social skills and social awareness too. It can help with learning empathy and help us understand parts of the world we haven't be introduced to.
Are you willing to go a month without internet? Or even a day?
ReplyDeleteYes I am. Now I'm not saying I wouldn't struggle. I think most people of all ages would. It's very difficult especially nowadays since we've all integrated it so deeply into our lives. But I think after an adjustment period living without the internet can be very beneficial. I think it would take some time, learning how to do things without it but not impossible. I think it could help alleviate my anxiety and maybe even help me reconnect with the people around me.
If humans are animals, do we have no soul?
ReplyDeleteI don't think animals are soulless. I think every living thing has a soul, excluding plants and inaniment objects. But anything with brainwaves or a heartbeat has a soul. I am very much against people saying animals don't have souls. They have their own personalities and quirks which are things that I believe make up our souls. Since humans are animals we also have souls. Our souls are what set us apart from one another. It's what makes us special and animals aren't excluded from that. They have their own special things and just like us they feel.
1. Kant defines maturity as the ability to think independently without relying on others to make decisions for you. He sees it as overcoming self-imposed dependence and having the courage to use your own reasoning.
ReplyDelete2. The message of Rousseau’s Émile is that education should be based on natural development rather than imposed societal structures. He argues that children should learn through experience and curiosity rather than strict instruction, believing that true education fosters independence and moral integrity.
3. Rousseau says that those who do not walk do not truly think. He believed that walking stimulates deep reflection, allowing the mind to wander freely and engage with nature, which he saw as essential for philosophical thought.
Kant's definition of maturity is what? Kant's definition of maturity is explored through his concept of "autonomy" which basically means to be able to act and think independently, rather than relying on someone else and also not conforming to any societal expectations.
ReplyDeleteEducation, travel, and work share what common purpose, ideally? they are all avenues for gaining autonomy and self-development. They help individuals mature by broadening their perspectives.
You're not grown-up if you've not rejected what? the need for external authority. You need to be able to think for yourself, make your own decisions, and act based on reason, not just conformity.