In Sophie's World, Jostein Gaarder teaches philosophy and it explains basic philosophical ideas better than any other reading book or textbook that I have ever read. The many philosophical lessons of the diversified thinkers of their own time were dexterously understood. The author has a wonderful knack for finding the heart of a concept and placing it on display. For example, he metamorphoses Democritus' atoms into Lego bricks and in a stroke makes the classical conception of the atom dexterously attainable. He relates all the abstract concepts about the world and what is real with straightforward everyday things that everyone can relate to which makes this whole philosophy course manageable. ''The best way of approaching philosophy is to ask a few philosophical questions: How was the world created? Is there any will or meaning behind what happens? Is there a life after death? How can we answer these questions? And most important, how ought we to live?'' (Gaarder, Jostein 15). As time befalls, Sophie begins acquiring more correspondence, this time addressed to a girl named Hilde, but really it seems as though it were to be written in Sophie's name. Some of the correspondence comes as postcards. All are from the faraway Hilde's father, who seems to be boundless and celestial and intent on fluttering up Sophie's life. As the philosophy lessons come and go Hilde's world and Sophie's World seem to converge and merge more and more until the Grand and Mysterious Revelation that is at the center of Sophie's "World" finally makes the scene. Steadily she comes into possession of either a white envelope containing flabbergasted questions or a brown envelope containing type written papers disciplining her about what philosophy is and un... ... middle of paper ... ...der, Jostein 60) "everything that exists had always existed" (Gaarder, Jostein 29) "Because all created things are limited, that which comes before and after them must be boundless" (Gaarder, Jostein 34) "all things are full of gods" (Gaarder, Jostein 28) ''I’ll believe it when I see it.'' (Gaarder, Jostein 34) ''Our world is only one of a myriad of worlds that evolve and dissolve in something called the boundless'' (Gaarder, Josetin 34) ''Everything is in constant flux and movement, nothing is abiding''(Gaarder,36) “to know what is right and do it right” (Gaarder, Jostein 60) ''The best way of approaching philosophy is to ask a few philosophical questions: How was the world created? Is there any will or meaning behind what happens? Is there a life after death? How can we answer these questions? And most important, how ought we to live?'' (Gaarder, Jostein 15)
She’s just so weak. If she would stand up for herself, no one would bother her. It’s her own fault that people pick on her, she needs to toughen up. “Shape of a Girl” by Joan MacLeod, introduces us to a group of girls trying to “fit in” in their own culture, “school.” This story goes into detail about what girls will do to feel accepted and powerful, and the way they deal with everyday occurrences in their “world.” Most of the story is through the eyes of one particular character, we learn about her inner struggles and how she deals with her own morals. This story uses verisimilitude, and irony to help us understand the strife of children just wanting to fit in and feel normal in schools today.
The book Revealing the Invisible was written by Sherry Marx, a formal teacher, who went in-depth to explore the racist beliefs of white female teacher education students. The book began with Marx talking about pre service teachers that focused on English-language learning school children (ELLs). During this course she discovered just how low the expectations her students had for ELLs students. Throughout her interviews she will explore more beliefs of white females and their thoughts about race, racism, whiteness, and the children they tutored.
The relation this world as described above holds with Dasein, is in that the world provides
Inside Toyland, written by Christine L. Williams, is a look into toy stores and the race, class, and gender issues. Williams worked about six weeks at two toy stores, Diamond Toys and Toy Warehouse, long enough to be able to detect patterns in store operations and the interactions between the workers and the costumers. She wanted to attempt to describe and analyze the rules that govern giant toy stores. Her main goal was to understand how shopping was socially organized and how it might be transformed to enhance the lives of workers. During the twentieth century, toy stores became bigger and helped suburbanization and deregulation. Specialty toy stores existed but sold mainly to adults, not to children. Men used to be the workers at toy stores until it changed and became feminized, racially mixed, part time, and temporary. As box stores came and conquered the land, toy stores started catering to children and offering larger selections at low prices. The box stores became powerful in the flip-flop of the power going from manufacturers to the retailers. Now, the retail giants determine what they will sell and at what price they will sell it.
This assertion that the truth exists beyond the realm of earthly understanding is echoed in Father Forbes' final words to Theron, which reverberate like the sound of the door slammed in the minister's face: "The truth is always relative, Mr. Ware..." (Frederic 326).
Everything is larger than life; not real but hyperreal, leading us into the imaginary worlds of
"The way to find the 'real' world is not merely to measure and observe what is
The situation is much complicated by the contradictory interpretations of metaphysics, or the first philosophy, dialectics, natural theology, transcendental philosophy, such as "the science of realities laying behind appearances" (Plato); "the science of being as such" (Aristotle); "the study of change; of events or processes" (Whitehead); what "concerns with the whole of reality" (Peirce).
is absolutely nothing in the world, no sky, no earth, no minds, no bodies." Then he goes on to say that
"Nor is it divisible, since it is all alike; nor is there more here and less there, which would prevent it from holding together, but it is full of what is. So it is all continuous, for what is clings close to what is."
...s made a mistake and "this sudden illumination (or epiphany) assures us that order and purpose do exist in the universe, even if we cannot fathom the exact nature of that order and purpose"(Markos 39).
As time advanced so did thought, and slowly more and more complex ideas regarding the purpose of life emerged. All of the earliest civilizations had great thinkers who tried to unravel the mysteries of life. Like most religions, philosophy became something composed of multiple interpretations. Philosophers pondered the most important life questions, each taking their own stance, and providing numerous significant realizations.
Many philosophers’ goals is to figure out if we do truly we exits and if we do why do we exist? Some agree that if we have the ability to question our existence then we must exist, or else we couldn’t question it. So once we have determined that we do in fact exist we must find out why we do. Is there a reason or a goal to our existence? Do the gods affect people on earth or care about as much as humans think? And what lies after death and should it be fears? Many Philosophes try and come to a conclusion, one of those was Epicurus.
...irm once again, that even in our ideas of creation, there are universal elements that help remind us of our similarities as human beings.