Prompt 5

Lexi Graves

Wilhelmus

Ap Lang.

My Journey Through the Rabbit Hole

I found Sophie's World quite interesting. I learned a lot about different types of philosophy. Being a Christian, I obviously favor the teachings of Jesus and Paul. I also enjoyed Kant's theory of the red-tinted glasses. I disliked Plato's theory of forms along with Darwin's theory of evolution. I don't share the same beliefs as they have, though I found learning about them very interesting. I liked reading this because I am always open to learning and exploring new things.

I liked the chapter on the Garden of Eden. It's basically on the theory of creationism which is the Christian belief of where the world came from. I strongly believe in this theory. My favorite theory that was new to me was Kant's theory of the red-tinted glasses. I found in interesting and very true. Everyone sees the world differently. I found his comparison to everyone wearing different glasses as a great analogy. Everyone is different, and many people have different eyesight. Without my contacts I couldn't see a thing but when I put them in I see everything clearly. Kant used this to show how different personalities see the world in different ways.

I disliked Plato's theory of forms. It says that everyone is just a flaw compared to this ideal being that is what they should be. I don't think he had the right to tell people that they are all basically just mistakes and that they are made up of flaws. I also dislike Darwin's theory of evolution. My biology teacher and I had many disagreements when it came to where the world came from. Darwin's theory says that humans evolved from apes and birds derived from fish. I find this totally unrealistic. He based his views off of small observations that were all microevolution. I believe that microevolution is very real. Its more of adaptation though than it is evolution. People and animals adapt to their surrounding to survive. But I have yet to see a fish get out of the water and fly, which is the macroevolution that Darwin insists upon.

Before reading Sophie's World I had previously learned many more of these philosophical theories than I had realized. We actually discuss many of them in my bible study called the Truth Project. Based off of my previous knowledge I would say that I was about midway through the rabbit's fur but as I continue to learn I am growing closer to the edge. I don't believe that anyone is ever actually on the edge though, because no one can ever know everything. There will always be more to learn. That's what makes it fun!

Prompt 4

Lexi Graves

Wilhelmus

Ap Lang.

Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

Immanuel Kant was a very successful philosopher. Not only was he himself a philosopher, but he was also a philosophy professor. This gave him an advantage because he knew all about the history of philosophy. He could compare his own thoughts to that of the past philosophers, enabling him to see philosophy from all different points of view. This made him an outstanding philosopher and allowed him to answer questions that even he had pondered.

Kant became interested with the way people see the world. His red-tinted glasses experiment was a study of how people see the world. He would have people put on the glasses and ask what they see, the answer was usually that they see everything the same, it was just in red. The fact that they couldn't see the colors of the world showed that their vision was limited. Kant came to the conclusion that everyone sees the same things in the world, it just depends on the type of “glasses” you're wearing. It seems to me that this is similar to the phrase “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” because this shows that one person could see something as the most beautiful thing in the world and another might see it as average because they are wearing different glasses. Their perspective may be different simply because they have different interests and have a different idea of what they think is beautiful. Maybe one person has traveled and seen the world, so a sunset over a mountain top isn't as big of a deal as it is to someone who has never traveled and is seeing it for the first time. Everyone has a different perspective of the world because everyone is different, and wearing their own pair of glasses.

These questions of philosophy apply to my life just in my own home. I see everything so much differently than my family. I am the only one who goes to church in my house so my family doesn't see and experience things the way I do. My mom or sister might see reading the bible as boring, or something they don't have time for, but for me it is a part of my everyday life and a priority to me. Going to church, for my family, is more of an Easter/Christmas kind of thing. But I myself couldn't go a week of missing church because it's where I love to be. My mom tends to see more bad in people than she does good. I choose to see good in people before seeing the bad. We look at people differently and have different perspectives even though we are blood related. We simply lead different lives, so we see things differently, because we are all wearing our own pair of glasses. 

Prompt 3

Lexi Graves

Wilhelmus

Ap Lang.

Religion and Philosophy

Throughout the Middle Ages, Greek philosophy was rapidly increasing in popularity. Meanwhile, Christianity was on the rise in Europe. These two things were forced to meet and clashed harshly. Christians began to immediately shut down the ideas of Greek philosophy. They felt that it questioned their beliefs. Many began to try to find a connection between the two, but it seemed impossible. Christians began to build a wall between themselves and philosophers. This very well may have turned into a war against beliefs, if it weren't for St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas.

St. Augustine was a Christian. Upon learning about Plato's philosophy, he saw no conflicts with his religion. He began explaining all of the ways that his philosophy connected with Christianity. The one part of Plato's theory that I wouldn't be able to connect would be the fact that Plato believed that the world had always existed, contrary to the Christian belief that God created the earth. Augustine explained this by pointing out the fact that God has always existed, and he believed that He always had the idea of the earth in his mind, therefore you could say that the world has always existed. His ideas persuaded many Christians to accept Plato's ideas.

St. Thomas Aquinas basically did the same with Aristotle's philosophy. He did not see Christianity and philosophy as a threat to each other. He revealed that Aristotle's view on religion had not been complete. Aquinas believed that this was because he had no true knowledge of Christianity. Aristotle even had a hypothesis stating that he believed that there was some greater being or god. He didn't identify it as the God of Christianity, but Aquinas believed that since he never said otherwise, it could very well have been. His beliefs were also spread and Christians soon accepted Aristotle's philosophy.

I think that if it hadn't been for Augustine and Aquinas that there would've been a huge battle between Christians and philosophers. The connections that they made were very impressive and I'm sure it took some critical thinking. Their conclusions on how it connects are logical and I believe it saved us a lot of trouble debating about who was right and who was wrong. They kind of made a compromise so that everyone could accept it. They may have even brought some philosophers to Christianity in that way. I think it had a good outcome and made a positive impact on the way people think today. 

Prompt 2

Lexi Graves

Wilhelmus

Ap Lang.

Battle of the Sexes

The way that men look at women, is mostly just unfair and unflattering. So many men see women as an object, a sex appeal, simply a being created for their own personal use. Women are treated unfairly more times than not. Even in today's world, where women are said to be “equal,” they still aren't treated like it. It almost seems like no matter how hard we work and how much we fight for our rights, women will never actually be considered equal.

I find Aristotle's view on women very offensive. He considers us as “unfinished men.” To me, thats a completely and totally unacceptable statement. If we were meant to be men, God would have made us men. Instead, God took part of man, to create a woman to be company for the man. Not to be a slave, and not as an incomplete being. Without woman, there would be no man. Women make men. You need women, in order for men to keep existing. I do not think that Aristotle's views are very rational and they are quite unappealing. It's upsetting that his views were so well known and widely spread. He contributed greatly to the way women are still treated today as unequal.

It's interesting that Aristotle thought like so many other men did an still do. But his mentor, Plato, thought highly of women. Plato believed that if women were given the same opportunities and education as men, they would be just as capable and as likely to succeed. Its comforting to know that in the midst of all the sexist men, especially at his point in time, he was still able to see the positive in women. He recognized women as equal, when no one else did. He also gave hope for the female future. I find that very admirable.

I'm not quite as offended by the fact that most of the authorities in the novel are men. The fact that there are women pulled into it, was simply a pleasant surprise. In the times that most of this takes place, men always had the authority, that's just the way it was. I'm proud that women are acknowledged to an extent for their hard work and their part in society. I only hope that someday, women will be treated equally and with respect, rather than looked at like a slave or a piece of meat. We are all still human. And men couldn't live without us, so I think they should start acting like it. 

Prompt 1

Lexi Graves

Wilhelmus

Ap Lang.

The Garden of Eden

Who am I? I suppose there is no right or wrong answer to this. However, it is something to ponder on when telling people. I mean, who am I, really? Many people spend their whole life searching to find themselves. Everyone wants to be confident in who they are. Most people build their identity off of their own interests. They find things like sports, goals, talents, and bury themselves into whatever they decide is who they are. You may find that some people even base who they are off of people around them, and who they love. Finding yourself, can be a lifelong journey if you let it.

So, who am I? I found my identity as a child, when I hadn't even quite realized it yet. Each day, I find myself more and more. My identity is firm in Jesus Christ. I wasn't raised that way unlike so many others, which I what makes it great. I got to learn on my own and share it with my family and friends as I went. I know who I am, because I have faith that I was designed for a purpose. I may not know what that purpose is yet, but I work towards it everyday by being the best I can be. I have centered my lifestyle around my faith in God and each day, it proves to be worth while. I strive each day to be who He wants me to be, I don't live to impress anyone else.

When you ponder deeply on the question of who you are, you begin to wonder where you came from. This leads to the question, where does the world come from? This is a huge controversial debate that has no end. Everyone seems to have their own theory on where the world came from. No one will ever agree on one answer. The arguments could go on and on and never make any progress. There is no law on where the world came from. No one has enough fact to prove their theory to be true. That's where faith comes into play, every single theory has to have faith to fill the gaps that haven't been explained. I guess you could say that this question, is where religion comes from.

I believe in creationism. The story of the Garden of Eden isn't just a story. To me, it's fact. I don't see how or why anyone could come up with all of the stories in the bible, just for the fun of it. Even more so how could someones made-up stories line up so well with life we live today and even some physical findings. I firmly believe that the story of how the earth was created my God, is 100% true. I also think its beautiful. The fact that He would create us, in His likeness, knowing our future mistakes but loving us anyways, is the greatest love story of all time. Its great to know that I was created for a reason, not just by accident.

I could wonder for the rest of my life if what I believe is true. I could spend my whole life searching for answers, only to be right back where I started. Instead, I choose to stand strong in what I believe. I refuse to question it because I'm sure of who I am and where I came from. I know in my heart that God created me and gave me a purpose. I only live to be who He has called me to be. I know I make mistakes, but I thank God for His grace and for giving me a life worth living. I'm proud of who I am, and where I came from.