Last call for presentations, today and Thursday. Exam 2: Apr 29, a week from today. Audio review: Part 2... Part 1 (recorded in November: don't be confused)... Part 3
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- SSHM ch6 Wonder and Hope #5 Grace A. #6 Samantha J. #7John D
- Setiya 6-7 Absurdity, Hope #5 Nadia Jones #6 Patrick S #7 Koathar
- QE XIII Now what? #5 Valencia B. #6 Kal Ingram. #7 Caitlyn W.; Zach S. (or *below)
24 Final report presentations conclude
- TRB (on reserve) chapter on Thoreau
- TRB (on reserve) chapter on James
Setiya, L is H
- The question of absurdity is about what? 148
- Why isn't "42" a good answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything? 151-2
- What did Samuel Scheffler say about "the afterlife"? What's "the Alvy Singer problem"? 161-3
- What does Rebecca Solnit say about the relation between hope and action? 175
- What did Seamus Heaney say about the relation between hope and history? 182
Part 2... Part 1
Remember to open your AUTHOR invitations before they expire.
Final report blogpost
OPEN YOUR EMAIL AUTHOR INVITATION, then look for the NEW POST tab in the upper right on our blogsite (do NOT create a new blog, post your final report on our site)... The topic should complement, clarify, and elaborate on some central aspect of your final presentation. Share and defend your own view(s), if you have any. Try to imagine what your best critic would say, and how you'd respond. Address one or more of your discussion questions.... Aim for a minimum of 1,000 words... Include relevant links (at least half a dozen or so), video & textual embeds (a couple), and photos (one or two): let me know if you need instruction on how to do it... When referencing texts we've read in the course, cite page #s and abbreviations (LHP=Little History of Philosophy, LH=Life is Hard, SSHM-Sick Souls Healthy Minds, WGU=Why Grow Up, F=Fantasyland)... Make sure your post has formatted correctly. If not, use the Clear Formatting command in the toolbar in the upper right, above, to fix it... You can continue to edit and revise until the final draft is due...
How to prepare for an exam: RELAX, says WJ
If you want really to do your best in an examination, fling away the book the day before, say to yourself, “I won’t waste another minute on this miserable thing, and I don’t care an iota whether I succeed or not.” Say this sincerely, and feel it; and go out and play, or go to bed and sleep, and I am sure the results next day will encourage you to use the method permanently. --William James, “Gospel of Relaxation"
If you’ve been up all night cramming, in other words, good luck. You’ll need it. But if you’ve been diligent, have steeped yourself in the subject all semester long, and either went out to play or to an early bed the night before, your luck will be the residue of design. You’ll do fine. Relax. But don’t try too hard to relax. It is needless to say that that is not the way to do it. The way to do it, paradoxical as it may seem, is genuinely not to care whether you are doing it or not. Care later. On exam day just show up and do your best.
I think the sign stating how life is worth living was put up in the first place because 1) it is a tall bridge which unfortunately falls victim to suicides and 2) it is a simple truth that many people forget in everyday life. I know when times are hard, I forget that life is a gift and that I only have this one life to call my own. This gets lost in the hours of working nonstop or even with the media and news constantly discussing how we are on the brink of self-destruction. I think this sign was supposed to spread the message that life is worth all the bad. Life is so precious and even in the hardest days of our lives it is still a gift. Maybe a gift we didn’t sign up for or want, but we were given it, and it is our responsibility to cherish it. So maybe the sign didn’t save a lot of people, but I would like to say it gave people a spark, a reminder, and above all else hope that things will get better.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you. As humans we almost get stuck in the "rat race" that is life with everyone else around us. We forget to value our own person especially in an era where we have easy access to other people's "lives" on social media. I think it gives us a false perception on how we are never supposed to have bad moments because we see everyone else's good moments. I think in total, we have to find joy in the hardships to make the highs of our lives even better. If we can't even do this as humans, we will always live in a state of self-deprecation.
DeleteLiving the idea that life is *maybe* worth living is fascinating to me. I often take the notion that even in the worst days of my life I am thankful to be alive, and I believe life is always worth living. I have to remember that not everyone shares that notion. Maybe I feel this way because of my religious values and not everyone will share those, but I find it heartbreaking that people will come to the conclusion that their life is not worth living.
ReplyDeleteWhile it may be a generalized statement, I do think the main reason why some people who don't see value in living life is because of the fact that they do not have any goals set for themselves or a found purpose in life yet. For many people, including myself who are religious, I can find purpose not only through my faith, but through self-prescribed goals I set for myself with the intention of finishing. This not only gives me something to look forward to, but also motivates me every day to get out of bed and view the world from a positive lens.
Delete“Nature loves to hide, and humans love to seek” I love this quote, because nature and science are beyond human comprehension 90% of the time. I think as humans we have the natural curiosity to seek and try to find answers to things nature reveals to us. The quote is so simple, but so impactful because nature does hide from human understanding, but we always seek for answers even if we don’t know what they look like.
ReplyDeleteI agree it’s fascinating to think about all the things that we as humans have not figured out yet about mother nature. Not just that, but they are many cures and different species that we have yet been discovered and it’s crazy to think about because of how many years we’ve been here, but if you look deep into it The Earth has been far much longer, and not even just earth but outside of it contain millions of possibilities.
Delete1. The Question of Absurdity (p. 148)
ReplyDeleteSetiya discusses the philosophical concept of the "absurd," which arises when humans seek inherent meaning in a universe that appears indifferent or meaningless. This tension between our desire for purpose and the universe's apparent lack of it is central to the question of absurdity.
2. Why "42" Isn't a Good Answer (pp. 151–152)
In The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, the supercomputer Deep Thought determines that the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything is "42." However, the actual question is unknown, rendering the answer meaningless. This illustrates that without understanding the question, an answer lacks significance.
3. Samuel Scheffler's View on "the Afterlife"
Samuel Scheffler, in his book Death and the Afterlife, argues that our belief in a collective "afterlife"—the continuation of humanity after our individual deaths—is crucial for finding meaning in life. He suggests that if humanity were to end shortly after our own deaths, many of our activities would lose their significance. This perspective emphasizes the importance of the belief in a shared future for ascribing value to our actions
McKinsley Slicker 005
I agree with your answer for The second one.
DeleteEven though we see machines as something that holds great knowledge, they are still built by humans and if we don’t have the capability to answer or understand that question ourselves, we cannot expect a man-made thing to know for us.
What did Samuel Scheffler say about "the afterlife"? he believes it is important for finding meaning in life. A lot of our day to day activities would lose their significance if humanity were to end quickly after our death.
ReplyDeleteWhat does Rebecca Solnit say about the relation between hope and action? Hope is a starting point for action. It's not about knowing things will turn out well, but about believing it's possible they could—and acting on that possibility.
What did Seamus Heaney say about the relation between hope and history? History is often discouraging. It tells us about oppression, failure, and injustice—reasons not to hope. Hope is an act of defiance. Even though history gives us every reason to give up, hope persists.
What did Seamus Heaney say about the relation between hope and history
ReplyDeleteHenry suggests that history often tells us to temper out hope. That there is a chance significant change does not happen within our lifetime. Henry also acknowledges that on occasion a profound shift can occur. This shift brings hope to the course of history and inspires others
What does Rebecca Solnit say about the relation between hope and action?
ReplyDeleteShe emphasizes that hope and action are deeply inertwined. Her belief is that you can't have hope without action, but you can't have action without hope. The concept of hope is not about being optimistic, but about recognizing possibilities and taking actions to change. Hope takes a lot of discipline and effort, but with it we can change the world.
The question of absurdity is about what?
ReplyDeleteThe question of absurdity revolves around the conflict between humanity's desire for meaning and purpose in life, and the apparent indifference and absurdity of the universe. The human desire for meaning is in conflict with the fact that the universe is ultimately indifferent to human existence.