Sophie Amundsen realized her ordinary life will never be the same when she begins to receive philosophical lesson from a mystery teacher. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the different life lessons given to Sophie and how the life around us today is completely owed to the early philosophers. Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and many other philosophers, although persecuted for their ideas at the time, had ideas that would revolutionize society and they way they learned about the universe. In addition, the philosopher used short stories or anecdotes in order to help Sophie better understand the complex philosophical questions. I will be examining these and providing information on why he chooses to use these anecdotes and how they apply to …show more content…
Although there is nothing wrong with that, some, like the philosopher, chose a different route. When Sophie receives the first note, it simply asked, “Who are you?” Many may have thrown the note away, but Sophie decided to keep it. She pondered the question for a while, and put some real thought into it. She thought about her appearance; her eyes, her hair, and her frequent dissatisfaction with the way she looked. Other than that, she found it hard the answer the question (pg. 5). I think many struggle with this in general. If you are asked to describe yourself with information other than your physical features, you usually draw a blank. Why is that? Is it possible that too much time is spent carrying out the daily duties, such as work, school, and family that we may not spend enough time on self reflection? Going through the motions of life can keep you occupied, not leaving much room worldly epiphanies. “You cannot find out whether there is a God or whether there is life after death in an encyclopedia. Nor does the encyclopedia tell us how we ought to live. However, reading what other people have believed can help us formulate our own view of life,” (Gaardner, 2007).
2. Heraclitus and the Flow (Pages 35-38)
“All things flow,” according to Heraclitus, simply meaning everything in the universe is in constant change. “We cannot step twice into the same river. When I step into the river for the second time, neither I nor
Education is a life-altering event that involves becoming more open- minded. When one’s horizons are expanded they begin to understand and view more. The process of becoming knowledgeable through education can differ from the individual or situation. The overall experience as well can change the perception. Two passages, “Learning to Read” by Malcom X and “The Allegory of the Cave” by Plato both contain an individual who goes through the path of gaining wisdom. Although both passages contain similarities involving one going through an experience resulting in the enlightenment of education, there are several differences in how the acknowledgement is approached and the type of predicament the individual is in.
In spite of this he still wishes he could work with scholars to invent and to discover. He wishes this above all else although he knows it is against the law to wish to be of another trade. Still, he continues to sneak away and work if only for hours at a time on discovering what man has lost, all the secrets of the unmentionable times that could help further man’s knowladge. His desire to be a scholar is similar to his love for The Golden One, for neither pursuit is socially
In the story by David Quammen you can’t step in the same river twice because the “waters are continually flowing” (Heraclitus). That shows that life is always flowing and that if you make a mistake or something doesn't go your way you have to keep moving forward and you can't go back into the past in mental
Veteran teacher Jess Burnquist’s, “A Teacher’s Appeal: Reverse the New Normal” argues that the necessity for lockdown procedures and society’s passive acceptance of them is “unacceptable.” Using a blunt and shocking narrative and dark sarcastic humour, she delivers a acrimonious critique of society, condemning it for not only robbing her of the opportunity to teach, but imposing the responsibility of protecting her students on to her and her colleagues. Burnquist suggests emergency lockdown drills are reflective of an apathetic country, focused on teaching students to hide and prepare for an intruder, while failing to address the real issue: a society that generates a person—or persons rather—that feel compelled and/or in entitled to walk onto a campus and start slaughtering innocent people. She accuses our country of being desensitized to these massacres, and she suggests lockdown procedures are a submissive acceptance that disregards student anxiety and lost time for core curriculum.
As a child matures, the word “lesson” can hold two different connotations. One meaning denotes a traditional portion of a school day dedicated to a specific subject, such as a biology lesson. This lesson is based on facts that are generally gleaned from a textbook or transmitted by a teacher who has been certified in some way. Another type of lesson is that which helps the recipient either live a life of fuller satisfaction or gain some practical knowledge that can help others, either physically or emotionally. This type of lesson can be passed along by anyone, regardless of age or training. However, quite often, one associates this type of knowledge with those who have lived long enough to absorb such “life lessons.” The novel, Oral History by Lee Smith and the poem, “Fishing Among the Learned” by Nikky Finney take two distinct and separate forms, but each work is separated into individual sections and focuses on an elderly female character who fulfills the role of an all-knowing sage, relying on nature and rituals to teach younger generations the importance of a type of knowledge that cannot be learned in an academic setting.
It is often assumed by historians that Germain may have witnessed many discussions by her father and his friends on topics such as politics and philosophy (Ornes). Perhaps her interest in mathematics began to blossom around this time as well, considering Germain first began her studies around the age of 13. Germain was first motivated to learn more about mathematics after reading about the death of Archimedes in the hands of a Roman soldier. She was moved by the story and decided that she would become a mathematician. However, considering it was extremely taboo during this time period for a woman to even dream of become interested in such an intellectual subject, Germain received an immense amount of resentment from her family. Her parents threatened to take her blankets and heat away from her if she studied mathematics, and so, by the light of a very discrete candle, Germain would be up late at night teaching herself Latin and Greek and studying mathematics from her father’s books (“Sophie Germain”). Indeed, Germain had discovered that being a girl did not mean that she could not study the same things that boys the same age as her were studying, and she did not believe that she was confined to the barriers of society in the realm of
Reading Benjamin Alire Saenz's novel Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe was like discovering a new color: I saw the world in a different way. Saenz put into words what every teenager feels as we attempt figure out our way in the world. The book is a journey of self-discovery for the main character Aristotle, but as I read the book, I found myself discovering aspects about myself as well. My own thoughts and feelings were echoed in Aristotle's mind and it made me feel less alone and out of place.
Knowledge can be the key to freedom or to one’s demise, depending on how one choses to act, but no matter what, gaining knowledge is rarely an easy task. Even for students who have information readily available to them, like Victor Frankenstein at the University of Ingolstadt, are constantly under the arduous task of learning. When learning has to be done by any means necessary or in secret, like Frankenstein’s monster or Fredrick Douglass, the acquisition of knowledge becomes even more daunting and makes the learner even more ardent in their pursuit. Once a person obtains knowledge, they see their surroundings for what they are and become discontent; they realize their potential and take action to change their life, which can be seen through the eyes of Victor Frankenstein, his monster, and Fredrick Douglass.
In this essay, I will be comparing the importance of knowledge in terms of power in The Tempest and Paradise Lost. Adam and Eve are the main characters I will focus on in Paradise Lost, and the main character in The Tempest will be Prospero. During the English Renaissance, knowledge was becoming easier to obtain, and the literature became concerned with telling people about the possible unforeseen dangers of certain types of knowledge. In The Tempest and Paradise Lost, knowledge becomes more important than anything else to the main characters of each story. Also, these two literary works help reinforce the idea that the pursuit of knowledge can have devastating effects. Consequently, both stories end with Adam and Eve of Paradise Lost and Prospero of The Tempest being left to deal with the consequences of their actions.
A perpetual conflict emanating throughout all mankind questions the significance of knowledge to human nature, regarding knowledge’s definition, acquisition, branches, and value. Major role models in the foundation of philosophy - specifically, in this essay, Plato and Aristotle - obsess over the significance of knowledge and its importance to and relationship with the development of human beings and their mindsets. Although Plato’s view on knowledge describes the internal predisposed essence of all Forms and the need for a superior being to extract them from the student, Aristotle’s outlook resides as more reliable and realistic due to his beliefs in the premise of knowledge in the sensation and perception, with continuing development in memory, experience, art and science, and, ultimately, true wisdom.
My Philosophy of Teaching Children Music in the Classroom Music is a part of our everyday lives, we create music through sounds, rhythms, movements, and objects, so it is only logical that we implement music in our classrooms. Music in the classroom is beneficial for all students and it will enhance learning abilities and all forms of development. Music has a positive learning impact on child that will last a life time.
One of the most basic philosophical questions, as well as at the same time being the most complicated, in the novel Sophie’s World is the question, who are we? This question alone is what embarks Sophie, the main character in the novel, on a never ending journey of questions and through the world of philosophy. As it is shown in Sophie’s World, the concepts of philosophy have been in constant change all throughout history, philosophers contradicting one another in a constant battle to achieve greatness, and proceeding in a constant never ending cycle of philosopher contradicting philosopher. Because of this non-stop constant change in philosophy, Democritus, one of the earliest philosophers, would have a
This view was in dialectical opposition to Heraclitus of Ephesus, who argued that the world is in a constant state of flux. Heraclitus argues that there is a problem with people’s attachment to the illusion of permanence. Everything in the world will not stay the same, we can see this from the idea from Heraclitus that ‘it is not possible to step twice into the same river, according to Heraclitus, nor to touch mortal substance twice in any condition’ (Plutarch, 392B). Rivers are bodies of water that continually flows so that every second the water at a point in the river is not the same as it was before. The state of the physical world has never remained the same; mountains move over millions of years, a few billion years ago Earth could not sustain life, and even longer ago there were no solids, no liquids, only gases. Each moment can be said to die and be reborn in the next, so that change occurs every moment and it
As children, we absorb information and learn from experiences that mold us into who we are. Many individuals impact a child’s life, but the most powerful and influential role lies in a devoted teacher, a teacher provides growth to students as a gardener would to a garden of flowers. Each child can bloom into a thriving flower so long as you water their garden with optimism, love, patience, and guidance. Throughout my educational experiences I was lucky enough to have educators who poured their knowledge and optimism into me, and now I would like to reciprocate that back to students who are in the position I was once in. Balancing life and school is hard enough for a student, but a powerful and caring teacher can steer you in the right direction. In this autobiography you will read about my educational background, experiences that influenced my decision to become a teacher, and what I believe the role of a teacher should be in a student’s life.
Through the classes I have taken at Wilmington University and my experiences in the classroom, I have developed a personal teaching philosophy that will be implemented into my future classrooms. I chose the teaching profession because I understand the challenges and responsibilities that come with teaching young minds. Children are our future and I am confident in my ability to help students reach their potential both inside and outside of the classroom.