Prompt 5

Jordan Greenwell

Mrs. Wilhelmus/ Mrs. Wagener

AP Language

10 August 2013

Philosophy and Me

                When I first heard that we were having a summer project over Sophie’s World and that it would be focusing on philosophy I got excited.  I’ve had a rough background of philosophy and I wanted to learn more about it.  The way that this book shows the ideas of so many different philosophers at so many different time periods in history is pretty astounding.

                One of the philosophers that I liked because of their idea on simple and complex impressions and ideas was David Hume.  He was born in 1711 and later died in 1776.  I thought that the example Alberto used with the angel, a human figure with wings, was an interesting choice.  Alberto says, “So according to Hume, an ‘angel is a complex idea.  It consists of two different experiences which are not in fact related.”

                A philosopher that I did not agree with was Aristotle.  His ideas on women were very wrong to me and would sometimes come off very smug or presumptuous.  H said that men were greater than women because he thought that women were incomplete.  He talked about how women were not an important part of the reproduction process.  He said that they were just the soil and that the men were the sower.

                For wondering where I reside on the rabbit’s fur, I like to be curious about the things I am involved in and new things that I learn, that I also enjoy.  I like to think of myself as a curious person, but I do not always go the extra step or go out of the way, when sometimes I should.  

Prompt 4

Jordan Greenwell

Mrs. Wilhelmus/ Mrs. Wagener

AP Language

9 August 2013

Kant

                In this chapter of Sophie’s World, Sophie is shown a different outlook on life by Alberto.  Alberto gives Sophie red-tinted glasses to change her perspective of what she sees.  Instead of seeing what she usually sees, she only sees the color red.  Sophie could still make out different objects because the color was of different shades of red, darker colors being a more maroon color, and lighter colors turning to a light pink color.

                Alberto used these glasses to show Sophie that how you see the world around you depends on what glasses you are wearing.  This means that you can’t just assume that the world is red; it just limits what you see.  Alberto says, “So you cannot say the world is red even though you conceive it as being so.”

                I myself wear glasses, well whenever I’m not wearing contacts.  I can tell a huge difference between seeing the world as very blurry or clear.  It helps to see things clearer; because that means fewer injuries from running into things, trust me I have had plenty.

                Besides actual glasses, there can be other things in life that change your sight.  One that comes off my mind is emotion.  I have had lots of moments where emotion makes see and act differently.  Where this happens to me a lot is on the tennis courts.  Now I don’t ever throw or break my racquets, or even say bad words when I get frustrated.  I usually just tell myself how bad I am tennis.  I know that sounds crazy but most tennis players talk and yell at themselves during tennis matches.

Prompt 3

Jordan Greenwell

Mrs. Wilhelmus/ s. Wagener

AP Language

6 August 2013

Middle Ages

                Christianity was booming in the early Middle Ages.  The Roman Empire and the rest of Europe was becoming a Christian nation.  As Christianity became more and more popular, philosophy was starting to become less popular.  This was happening because of the differences in opinions between religion and philosophy.  The only way that philosophy would take a comeback into popularity would be to adapt and agree with what religion was saying.

                Philosophers had to change their ideas because the church could often get angered by their teachings.  As more and more people were becoming Christian, more and more people were becoming angered by what some philosophers were teaching.

                One way that the philosophers were changing their ideas were by merging their ideas with the churches ideas.  St Thomas Aquinas, who lived from 1225 to 1274, Christianized the ideas of Aristotle.  In Sophie’s World it says, “Aquinas believed that there need be no conflict between what philosophy or reason teaches us and what the Christian Revelation or faith teaches us.”  His ideas worked and people were accepting in that philosophy now had similar ideas as the church.

                Another philosopher from the Middle Ages was St. Augustine, who, lived from 354 to 430.  He merged the churches ideas with Plato’s just as Aquinas did with Aristotle’s.  He also had the same success as Aquinas with the society of his age.

               

Prompt 2

Jordan Greenwell

Mrs. Wilhelmus/ Mrs. Wagener

AP Language

5 August 2013

Aristotle’s Views on Women

                During Aristotle’s life women were not given the opportunities that men were.  Most women were uneducated and their role in life was to marry and raise a family while the husband was working.  It was very rare for women to get an education.  Aristotle thought that women were “unfinished”.  His opinion of women in today’s society would not be accepted like they were at his time.  Women’s rights have changed greatly in the past 100 years!

                Aristotle’s views on the women’s role in reproduction were very incorrect.  Aristotle thought, “The women were the soil, receiving and bringing forth the seed, whilst the man was the ‘sower’.”  As we know today, women contribute more to the reproduction process that what Aristotle thought at his time.  When I read this I couldn't help but think about how wrong he was.  Women are a very important part of society today, from running businesses and serving in the government.

                Aristotle also caused the church to change its own opinion of women.  The church took Aristotle’s ideas instead of focusing on what the bible says.  The book even states, “Jesus was no woman hater!”  This surprised me because I wouldn't think that the church would disregard the bible and just pay attention to Aristotle’s opinions.

                I thought that Plato had a more accurate understanding of women.  He thought that they were equal to man and that they could achieve the same things.  Plato’s thoughts would have been more accepted in today’s society.

                Like Plato and Aristotle, most philosophers at this time were men.  Women had it hard because they were not supposed to become educated, only few became educated during that time.  In this book most of the philosophers are men, and it doesn’t surprise me one bit.

Prompt 1

Jordan Greenwell

Mrs. Wilhelmus/ Mrs. Wagener

AP Language

3 August 2013

The Debate of Life

                In the book Sophie’s World the main character, Sophie Amundsen, receives two letters.  They both have one question written on them.  The questions are, “Who are you?” and “Where does the world come from?”  These questions have been some of the most popular and most talked about topics in the world.

                “Who are you?” is a question that most people know the answer to.  I mean how could one possibly not know who they are?  It sounds silly, but it’s a question that has so many different answers.  When people think of whom you are, they are going to have a different opinion than you do about yourself.  The first thing that I would reply to this question would be by replying with my name and my age.  I am Jordan Louis Greenwell and I am 17 years old.  That’s what most people would give out first when they are being asked who they are, next they would most likely go on about where they are from or what they are like.  I was born and raised here in Evansville, Indiana.  I have two older brothers, both in their 30s and both having two kids.  I am a very blessed and happy uncle to my three nieces and one nephew!  When I am not hanging out with family, I enjoy hanging out with friends.  Outside of family and friends, I am a very devoted tennis player.  I spend anywhere from 10-30 hours a week practicing tennis!  I am the number one player for north and currently 3^rd in the city.  That is a rough summary of what I would answer to the question, “Who are you?”

                “Where does the world come from?” is the second question that Sophie was asked.  This question is a much more difficult question than the first.  First of all how would anyone truly know where the world comes from?  No one was there to record what happened.   This question also stirs up the debate between there being a God and there not.  I am a Christian and I believe that there is a God in our universe and that he has always been around.  The way that I believe that he created the world was by the story of god working for six days and resting on the seventh day in the book of Genesis.  For the people that do not believe in a God, the most popular answer would be the Big Bang Theory.  It explains that there was a huge explosion that took place in.  Then, after millions and millions of years the world was created by chance.

                In conclusion, these questions are very complex.  No two people think the same and are very unique.  Everyone will have their different theories, ideas, and opinions.   The only thing that matters though is how you answer these questions.