Prompt #5

Elizabeth Piatt

Mrs. Wilhemus

AP English Language

1 August 2013

The Tip of the Rabbit's Fur

            There are many philosophers that I have found to be very interesting.  They each have their own unique beliefs and theories.  One theory I agree with is Heraclitus’s theory that everything changes.  He said that one “cannot step twice into the same river.”  I believe that this is true because the river can never be entirely the same.  Organisms in the river have cells that are changing at all times, and the water in the river is constantly flowing.  As a result of the organisms changing and the water moving, a river you step into one day will not be the same the next day.

            One theory I do not agree with is Parmenides’ theory that nothing can change.  He believed that everything that exists now has always existed.  I do not agree with him because I believe that all creatures on earth are able to change.  Evolution is a theory that disproves Heraclitus’ belief. Throughout time, humans and animals have evolved and developed to what they are now.

            I like to think that I reside on the tip of the rabbit’s fur.  I have always asked myself questions that philosophers also ask themselves.  Where does the world come from? If God created the world, who created God?  These impossible questions are what keeps philosophers asking themselves more questions that keep them residing of the tip of the rabbit’s fur instead of falling deeper and deeper into the fur.

Prompt #4

Elizabeth Piatt

Mrs. Wilhelmus

AP English Language

30 July 2013

Red-Tinted Glasses

            The red-tinted glass experiment is a visual way to explain Immanuel Kant’s theory about how one’s reasoning affects how one see’s the world compared to others. Before Sophie put on the red- tinted glasses everything around her looked as it always had. After Sophie put on the red-tinted glasses the world around her looked the same except for one difference. The colors she saw before were altered by the glasses to look like shades of pink and red, but the world around her stayed the same.

            I found the red-tinted glasses experiment very interesting. It is a simple way to show how two different people can see the same world but in different ways. The questions of perspective apply to my life because I always wondered if other people see the world differently than I do. Kant says that we can not know exactly what the world is like ‘in itself’ but only what it looks like in our minds or others. “We can only know how things ‘appear’ to us,” (page 324). This statement raises many philosophical questions. How can the world look different to me than to others? I often ask myself this question because it is interesting to think about how others might see the world differently and why.

            The red-tinted gasses experiment was very interesting to me. It is a way to show how the world is different in everyone’s eyes even if we don’t know it. The idea of seeing the world through someone else’s eyes is truly enlightening. 

Prompt #3

Elizabeth Piatt

Mrs. Wilhelmus

AP English Language

28 July 2013

Medieval Thinkers and Ancient Philosophy

            In the Middle Ages, Plato and Aristotle’s views and theories from ancient philosophy were still in effect.  St. Augustine and Aquinas Christianized the ancient philosophers’ beliefs to relate to the spread of Christianity. This resulted in a broad understanding of the ties between philosophy and Christianity.

            St. Augustine believed that people have a divine soul, but said that “there is an insurmountable barrier between God and the world” (page 174). He also believed that people have a free will, but that God already knows which path we will take in our lives before we decide.

            St. Thomas Aquinas believed that philosophy and Christianity had the same theories and reasons. He said that they often say the same thing, so that if one believes something with their own reasoning, it is not against the Church.

Aquinas Christianized Aristotle’s theories and St. Augustine Christianized Plato’s theories. This resulted in a better understanding of how alike the views are between philosophy and Christianity. The Christianization of Aristotle and Plato’s theories and beliefs showed people how medieval philosophy and ancient philosophy are connected through Christianity.

Prompt #2

Elizabeth Piatt

Mrs. Wilhelmus

AP English Language

26 July 2013

Gender Rights

            Aristotle was known as Europe’s first great biologist. Many people agreed with his theories about animals, but not as many agreed with his views on women. Aristotle believed that a woman is an “unfinished man” and all of a child's characteristics come from its father. I was shocked when I read Aristotle’s views on women, and I do not agree with him.

            Plato provided more admirable answers to questions about gender. Plato said that women should not be the only ones to take care of children and the housekeeping. They also needed an education and other responsibilities. He believed that women have “exactly the same powers of reasoning as men” (pg 92). He also believed that an ideal state needs women just as much as it needs men. This shows that in Plato’s ideal state, men and women had equal rights and freedoms.

            I believe that Gaarder made a vast majority of the authorities in the novel men to emphasize how many philosophers viewed men above women. When Plato and Aristotle were alive, there were more men authorities than women authorities. Gaarder made the authorities in the novel male as a reference to how genders were viewed in the past.

Prompt #1

Elizabeth Piatt

Mrs. Wilhelmus

AP English Language

24 July 2013

Philosophical Questions

            “Who are you?” and “Where does the world come from?” are two questions that I would not give much thought to a year ago. I would simply answer, “I am Elizabeth Piatt,” and “The world has existed since the beginning of time.” After reading Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder, I realize that these questions are the foundation for philosophical studies.

            “Who are you?” The answer is not only based on name or physical appearance. It is also defining who you are to the world. You are a human, an intelligent species. Humans have brains, unique minds, and a purpose in life.

            “Where does the world come from?” This question can be answered based on religion, personal beliefs, creation stories, or a combination. Many religions believe that there is a higher power, God or multiple gods, who created the world. Others may have their own personal theories. Various Native American tribes tell creation stories as a way to explain where the world comes from and why.

            After reading Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder, my answers to these questions have changed and now relate to philosophical studies.  “Who are you?” I am Elizabeth Piatt. I belong to an intelligent species known as humans. “Where does the world come from?” The world has existed since the creation of the universe.