The Truth

Upon finishing the reading, I couldn't help but try to analyze and conclude what the Truth in Plato's writing could be. It was the analogy of the shadows on the cave walls the was eating at me the most. Aren't we, humans on Earth, the same as those inside the cave, bound with gravity? The universe is so much larger than the space in which we live, and still continues to expand. The shadows on the wall, to me represented, shadows of something detrimental, something real. So is Earth too the shadow of something more exponential? This thought also has a religious connotation concerning both evolution and creation. I mean, to stay correct with the cave analogy, something large but have created those shadows, so in a sense, something larger than ourselves must have created the planet. Humans themselves may even be shadows. The fire in the cave also fits. The fire was only a foreshadowing of the sun, only a taste of what real heat and energy can produce. 

But what is shadow and what is its creator may always be in flux, because once the prisoner escapes he is no longer a shadow, he enlightens himself, and returns to those who still are shadows of a man's possible potential. He has completely switched roles through out the parable. 

Is education the key to reducing your risk of becoming a shadow? Then again Plato did begin book 7 by saying "make an image of our nature in its education and want of education..."

Plato suggests that there are two different worlds; that of the prisoners, watching shadows on the walls of the cave, and that of the animals in the sun. He uses this analogy to distinguish between the educated, enlightened people, and those who haven't seen the light.
It's the assurance of this single truth that bothers me, I think. That those whom he teaches have been so blessed, that they have the duty to teach others about it, to take care of them. There doesn't appear to be any room for other truths, other opinions. No doubt that those who are educated should take an interest in the rest of society, but something about this piece really bothers me, though I can't really decide what it is.

Just finished all the readings...

...and I have to say that it was all extremely interesting. When I read the analogy of the cave it took me a little while to completely understand and appreciate it, but when I woke up this morning (or really this afternoon) and read on sparks notes that it is an analogy for education, it all clicked. I agree with Plato on much of what he wrote. I wish there were a way we could test out his "philosopher king" idea.

The whole relationship between "image" and "reality" reminds me of something that I learned from a documentary; that the brain cannot tell the difference between what it sees in it's environment, and what it imagines in the mind.

Right now a lot of little wonderings are going on in my head about the readings and videos. I'm excited to go to class and learn more on the subject. I'm trying not to make my own judgments yet, I want to be like a sponge, soaking up all the information as unbiasedly as I can before I begin to develop my own solid arguments, thoughts, and beliefs.

Hello!

My name is Sarah Keyes and I am from San Antonio Texas. I am most enthusiastic about painting, oil paint to be specific, and that is the major I plan to go into. I like direct observation and I am inspired most by the world that immediately surrounds me. I am very interested in philosophy and have read a moderately diverse range of philosophers and philosophic literature. A few examples of philosophers I am familiar with are Marcus Aurelius, Plato, Lao-Tzu, Carl Marx, and Machiavelli. I hope to utilize the knowledge I will obtain in this class that are parallel to my beliefs and become more conscientious of the philosophy I am not familiar with.

On the Subject of Philosophy...

I'm not sure if I'm getting ahead of myself here by posting another blog so soon but I figured I'd get this down before I forget to mention it in class tonight. I'd like to share something that I hope people comment on and I figured it was a good way to start off the class.

Last night I was in my dorm room with my roommate looking at the optional readings/watchings/listenings for our previous class period.

"Would you mind" I asked her, "If I played this NPR clip about philosophy?"
"Go for it." She replied (might I add that my roommate is quite accustomed to me subjecting her to listening to various obscure podcasts on topics that might be a bit dry.)

So we listened to the 'I Believe' segment and discussed it a bit. She then hit me with her view on philosophy (one that is probably pretty common in youth today) and in return, I attempted to understand it and our conversation went something like this:

"I don't really like philosophy."
"Really? Why?"
"It's just so depressing..."
"You mean the whole discussion on the purpose of existence and the "Why are we here?" question?"
"Yeah I just feel like the more you know about things, the more depressed you get so I choose to just not know about things."
"...do you know what philosophy is?"
"Um, not really."
"Well how can you not like it? Philosophy doesn't have to be depressing, although there are some perspectives that are difficult to get excited about and there are some philosophers who are hypocritical, egocentric, and quite frankly depressing but I still find merit in some of their ideas. That's all philosophy is anyway, ideas and thought."
"Well, I don't hate it, I just don't like talking about it. Haha... I don't really like thinking too much either. I know I sound like an idiot but I'd just rather concern myself with my group of friends and my interests and philosophy just isn't apart of that."
"You know that you and your friends wouldn't live the way you do without some influence of somebody else's ideas."
"Oh I don't deny that, I just don't really care."

After I had the discussion with my roommate I read the last chapter of Bertrand Russell's The Problems of Philosophy (which is free on the Kindle if anyone is interested) and the concept of the "uncertainty of philosophy" struck me. I kept finding bits of that passage relating directly to the discussion I had with my roommate and her view of philosophy.

I could be wrong but the same apathetic view of philosophy (as well as other areas of study) is everywhere. When I look at it from an individual point of view I'd like to approach it from a "to each her own" standpoint. Let people think what they want, it's not hurting anybody. Different people have different needs and that fine, right? But when I hear so many kids my age tossing aside something like the study of philosophy, something that is very well the foundation of human livelihood, the uncertainty of philosophy truly makes me sad.

Hello class! My name is Amy Erickson. I am me. I am a girl. There is nothing much to tell. I like things like oil painting, trashpicking, cottagecheeseating, and gunfighting. I am usually pretty nice to new strangers like you all and I've only needed a muzzle one or two times in the past year. I am a recovering coffee addict. Do not invite me out for coffee. I just found a beard hair (that wasn't mine) in the keyboard.
Three things on Western Thought
1. Goal: I want to get an A. Who doesn't? Nobody. We all need A's to stay here on scholarship. This is an obvious goal, and a common one, but it is one of my few goals in here as I am a simple person. I plan to study nightly, read all the reads, write all the writes, and try to impress Ms. Blocksome with my ingenious theorizing brain.*
2. Hope: Someday when I am sitting in a cafe with the company of the erudite, I want to be able to impress one with my (appearingly) intricate knowledge of philosophy. In other words, I hope to be just a percentage more cultured by the end of the semester. The cultured are fun to talk to. I want to be fun to talk to. I want you to talk to me.
3. FEAR: Them longest paper ah eva did write was dun only four pages. This is my confession to all of you and I ask you not to judge me terribly stupid by it. I am afraid of this 8 page paper in the way a small child is afraid of an oncoming barge. It's just very large and I haven't written many papers and I don't know how to expand that far upon anything for 2000 words.

I suppose I should say something in regards to my own personal philosophy. In Zen, a wise man says nothing. I therefore say nothing, for I aspire to be a wise man. I have tried on quite a bit of other philosophies for size but I am too small for all of them. At the end of the day, once the illusion of thoughts has fallen through, all one has is silence and their dinner.
Also.
It is unbelievably cool we get to meet in the Nelson Atkins for three class periods. I love that place so much. I want to work there. I look forward to applying my philsophy homework to an art museum.

Sincerely,
Amy

*the preceding statement and every other statement in my blog was written in a lighthearted, joking manner and I do not actually claim to have ingenuity. This applies to every other statement I write. Don't take me seriously if you cannot hear the tone of my voice. Please and Thank you.

Julie Gonzalez

Hey class!

My name is Julie Francis Enriquez Gonzalez, but Julie works just fine. I'm a first generation Cuban raised in Miami Florida so as you can guess, this is my first winter and my first time seeing snow. I'm most likely going into the painting major next year, but who knows! You can check out some of my artwork at

http://wcis.mdc.edu/nwsaweb/va/alumni/julie_gonzalez/index.php

Enjoy!

I hope this class will expand my mind and challenge my ideas pertaining life and how it should be lived. I would like to use what I have learned in this class as a basis for developing my own solid philosophies. What I learn, I hope to adapt in my art. I don't like being ignorant of the world around me; when I have an opportunity to learn something I take it. The first day of class has me really interested and excited to learn and be challenged.

Isaac Tapia

Hello my name is isaac my middle name is Eduardo i live here in Kansas City but was born in mexico city. i have lived in kansas city for about ten years, but i am originally from Mexico City. i plan to major in animation or painting. I honestly dont know anything about philosophy so i am am opened to explore ideas!

Heeeeey!

My name is Shelby. It's short for Shelby. You can call me Shelby. I grew up in Burlingame, a small Kansas town about an hour and a half away from KC. I really miss it; this whole livin' in a big city thing is pretty crazy to me.
Next year I'm planning to go into animation. I guess you could say my life's dream is to have my own animated TV series, but I also want to make comics.
I have never taken a philosophy class before, but I'm gonna go at it with an open mind and I hope it'll be an enlightening experience. I'm not too sure about this blog, though, because I'm a bit shy when it comes to discussions and I don't usually take part in them. I'm more of a sit-back-and-listen-to-everyone-else kind of gal. But hey, maybe I just need a little push.

The Lance

Greetings everyone,

I'm Lance T Flores (and yes, some of my friends call me "Lance T Flores") and I am from Colorado Springs, CO. My nationality is Hawaiian, Guamanian, Greek, German, Spanish and Chinese. I was born in Germany due to my dad being in the Army, but have pretty much grown up in Colorado Springs. I am a transfer from Pikes Peak Community College back in Colorado, and transferred in as a junior in graphic design last Fall. So, this is my last semester here at KCAI as I will be graduating in May (assuming I pass). I have a blog of process work from the past year and a half if anyone is interested in my graphic design work or thinking about majoring in it. (lanceflores.blogspot.com) I'm really into vintage things whether it be graphic design posters, containers, matchbooks, or even briefcases. I own lots of things that are random and different, and also a ton of things from Starbucks...where I work.
As for my goals for this class, the obvious one is to pass (passing in my book is at least a B). I have read some philosophers from the Western Thought II class and some from high school, but in general is difficult for me to remember who has what concept. I am hoping that this class, based on the structure, will help me gain a better understanding and possible appreciation about the philosophers. I'm interested to learn about why we see how we do...

Well Hello There!

Hello everyone! My name is Natalie Krause, pleased to meet you all! I am currently a foundation student with the intent of majoring in animation next year. I have always harbored a potent love for animation and all its possibilities, as well as film as a whole. If I could choose any profession, void of obstacles, I would choose to be like Hayao Miyazaki: I would write, direct, and animate my own films. Sadly, the film industry doesn't exactly have an open door, so this dream may likely be proven unrealistic, but I can't seem to give it up. Anywho, I am VERY excited for this class! Philosophy, and all that it entails, fascinates me. I fell in love with Sun Tzu's "The Art of War," and have read it a few times. I have just barely begun Machiavelli's "The Prince," and next in line are Ayn Rand's "The New Left: The Anti-Industrial Revolution" and "For the New Intellectual" (I love Ayn Rand as a writer and a thinker, though I don't exactly agree with her one hundred percent of the time). I am not well-versed in philosophy, and my repertoire of readings is sadly rather thin, but this is something I hope to rectify in this class. And furthering my excitement is knowing there will be numerous opportunities to discuss this soon-to-be deluge of ideas and ideals, exploring their nature and aspects, with all of you. Can't wait to get started!

Hey,

I'm Julian Stropes. I was born and raised in Hutchinson Kansas, so bigger cities and everything that goes with that is pretty new to me.
I like it.
I plan to major in painting, though most of my work is multimedia.

Philosophy has conceptually influenced my work often in the past (last year I did a few works on Heidegger's concept of Dasein and, subsequently, how I really don't like gerunds). Most of my experience with philosophy has to do with recent thinkers (the earliest I've read is a bit of Thomas More) so I'm interested to learn the foundations of their thinking as, so far, I've only had a general knowledge of the subject. I, generally, don't like to apply this sort of thing to my own life as I think beliefs allow the mind to stop functioning by giving it automatic answers – but I do find the subjects interesting and thought-proviking, which I'm all for.

Danielle Hunn-Not related to Attila!

Hi guys! My name is Danielle Hunn and I'm from St. Louis, Missouri. I recently transferred to KCAI last fall from a small four year university outside of St. Louis and I love it here so far. I'm currently in the Foundation program, but I hope to major in either Graphic Design or Printmaking. I was raised Catholic but have completely abandoned the religion in recent years. Nowadays, I would consider myself an atheist. Removing Catholicism from my life has made me a happier, more positive person.

As far as Western Thought I goes, I'm hoping this class will help rid me of my fear of philosophy! I also hope that I will learn about alternative ways of thinking and why certain people think the way they do and be able to apply all of those things to my own life. Hopefully all of us will have a great (as well as successful) semester!

1/25/11

I'm Jenny Hayden. I grew up in Lee's Summit, which is a suburb of Kansas City. My plan for the rest of my schooling here at KCAI is to double major in painting and art history. I'm really looking forward to a painting cubicle next year. I currently work at urban outfitters, so if you come in I'll most likely be there at the door to greet you. It's a truly difficult task. I took western thought II last semester and I hope western thought I goes just as smoothly as it did before. In this class I hope to gain the knowledge to have intelligent conversations with others about philosophy. In addition, I hope the readings become more easy for me to understand and for one of the philosophies to influence my art conceptually.

Hullo.

Well first of all, my name is Evander Camorlinga, I'm 19, Hispanic, and I was born in Burbank, California. I lived there for up to five years, but then something went terribly wrong. My mother and father decided to get a divorce so of course I had to move with my mom to Tulsa, Oklahoma where I currently live. It's an alright place, I don't hate it like other people do, it's where I grew up, and I learned to like it. I want to double major in Illustration, and Painting. I took Western thought II last semester, and I didn't seem to like it. Maybe I just didn't understand the readings, or maybe it just didn't catch my interest. I don't really know. But of course I'll give everything a chance. Hopefully this semester will go better. I hope to like this class. Maybe I'll learn to like it. I certainly do like the people in it. And it seemed fun on the first day. I also want to be able to understand the readings. Some of these philosophers just don't make any sense to me. Maybe I just don't like to think. Hmm. Well, I hope I do well in the discussions, and class participation seeing as I always do bad on those type of things. I would really like a good grade since I didn't do so well last semester. I know I'll be trying reallllly hard to get a good one. I hope to find that philosophy isn't really that bad, but who knows. We'll see how everything goes. Hopefully it works out, and learn a couple of things.

Day 1

My name is Drew Linne, and I was born and raised in Oak Park, Illinois, which is the first suburb to the west of Chicago. I grew up with my older brother and sister (who just got engaged last week! Yay!!) and we had a dog named Augie since I was a year old. But she died a few years ago and now we have a new dog named Radley who is on Prozac. Hurray for medication! I come from a family of artists: my dad is a graphic designer, my mom owned a ceramics studio for several years and now teaches preschool art classes, my sister is an elementary school art teacher, and my brother just graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a degree in film. As for myself, I've been interested in animation for as long as I can remember, although I wasn't always considering it for a career. But in the past several years I've kinda gotten obsessed, I watch a ridiculous number of movies and read tons of books to fuel my inspiration, and I've finally started with some experimenting on my own. I can't wait for next year when I will actually be majoring in it!

Ok so, my goals for this semester are... well, for one, I want to do better in the class than I did last semester in Western Thought II (like writing my papers ahead of time, and actually remembering the days we have labs). I also want to bring a little more to the table when it comes to discussions, and I'm going to try really hard to get through ALL of the readings and try to find a way of seeing things in a more interesting light. But we'll just have to see what happens.

This is Kirsten...

Hey, my name is Kirsten. I grew up in the middle of nowhere, (rural Wisconsin), on a dairy farm, and moved to Milwaukee when I was twelve. Wisconsin is known for cheese and beer, so I guess I grew up somewhere in the center of that.
I am an atheist with pagan influences, and attended a Catholic high school for four years. Because of this, I have a strong interest in religious philosophy. My hope for this class is to become interested in Western philosophy, because I work my best when I am inspired and passionate about what I am doing. I don't have much previous interest in Western thought, though I have read the classics, and spent a semester studying Shakespeare. The trick may be for me to be convinced of the importance philosophy; I have always concentrated on moral values, and not cared so much about the methods through which these are displayed.

1

My name is Miranda Bertucci. From the last name it's not hard to decipher that I'm Italian. My mom's side is Venetian and my Dad is Sicilian. My family came to New Orleans in the 1920's and we've been there ever since. I grew up in a suburb outside the city, but commuted 45 minutes everyday to school where I first began to study photography. I'm very passionate about the analog world and developing processes. If I could live in a darkroom I would.
After school, I want to travel and photograph, and hopefully curate along the way.
At first, I thought philosophy was completely foreign to me, but the more discussion opened up in class, I realized how familiar I was with political and modern philosophy, I've just never sat down and read the text. Those sneaky high school teachers. So that is my first expectation. To have some hands on materials to look at and study. My second is to find more tangible reasons for why I believe in what I do. I want to find philosophers with similar thoughts and research what makes them tick. I've always hated people telling me what I should think or do and I've never had sound rebuttals for why. Thirdly, I want to open my mind up to more ideas. Growing up I lived in a small suburb and travelled further to a small city. Every around me fed off one another, so new opinions were rare to find. With this I hope to further develop critical thinking and analytical skills.

Cheers to a new semester!

Introduction

My name is Rhianna James, I was born and raised in Kansas City Missouri. I enjoy participating in local art shows and various galleries through my painting, although my true passion and major is animation. School is everything to me, I'm eager to get things rolling. I'm constantly feeling the need to stay busy.
Starting from Western Thought II, I felt that the readings from Marx and Freud overwhelmed me with hypocrisy. Later on, Soren Kierkegaard's thoughts on philosophers renewed my interest in Western Thought and what I could apply to my own life. I hope to find that kind of straightforwardness from readings in this class as well. Kierkegaard's belief that philosophers over-analyzed theory, yet never lived true in their ideas, stuck with me.
Coming into this class, I have many opinions and ideas concerning creation, politics, and religion, but feel like I don't have a true grasp or ground to my reasons for thinking. I would like to better identify my self-direction and personal belief systems to a legitimacy. I'd like to gain an actual knowledge of philosophers and early beliefs.
After this class, I'd like to come out of it with some degree of change or new aspect to the way I personally view life, the meaning and point of existence is always intriguing. More practical, it would just be nice to hold an intellectual conversation concerning philosophy and express my own beliefs with an actual understanding and context of the subject.

Call me Kayla Snyder

I'm from Warrensburg, Missouri, roughly a forty five minute drive east from here. I'm going to major in animation, but I'd like to draw comic books and do illustrations on the side. Mayhaps. I'm a little anxious about the class because I tend to be a little uncomfortable around people I don't know well, but hopefully I'll be able to participate and discuss my beliefs and ideas confidently. What I really want out of this class is to become more cultured in different beliefs and ideas, even if only restrained to western ideas. It's my goal that these ideas will make me more conscious of the world around me. Secondly, I'd really like to enjoy this blogging idea. Right now, I'm a little nervous and unsure about it, but I hope as the semester continues that fruitful discussions can be held and I can learn from my fellow peers. Hmm, lastly I'd simply like to learn from everyone. The class seemed interesting and I'd like to hear what other people have to say. I might get to see another side of an argument I hadn't known before.

Here's to the first blog post of many to come.

My Name is Jordan Hauser

I'm from Louisville, Kentucky; 8 hours directly east of Kansas City and home to the Kentucky Derby. I will most likely end up as a Painting major next year. I am very excited about this class and I'm pretty excited about this blog as well. What I would like to get out of this class... well, my interest in philosophy is deep and unwavering but I have a lot to learn and am more than willing so my number one goal is of course to to further my knowledge of early western philosophy. Number two: perhaps, as a result of being further learned in the subject, to be one step closer to developing a philosophy that I would live by (or rather "think" by) although I realize that my personal philosophy will never really stop developing. Lastly, I hope this blog will really cultivate some awesome discussions and perspectives. Three cheers for a new semester!