In the book The Brother Karamazov, two of the major themes that are discussed in the chapter of Rebellion are the contrasting relationships between naturalism and Christianity in relation to suffering. To better understand the relationship between both of these differing beliefs, it is best understood from the main character’s perspective, who is Ivan. He does not endorse either naturalism or Christianity because he believes that neither of them are the solution to stop the suffering in the society. Also, he believes that they are both equally and morally unjust and lack accountability among its offenders and followers.…
The philosopher Albert Camus paints and bleak picture of the human existence, saying that our lives have no meaning and are, as a consequence absurd, because all our efforts are futile and hopeless. However, if we can accept that choice is intrinsic to a thinking being, then we can admit to ourselves that everything we do, no matter how insignificant, possesses some meaning and it gives our existence purpose. There are two certainties in life deduced by the thinking of Rene Descartes; one is that we are a thinking mind and the other is that we exist. I want to extend this thinking further to include the obligation to choose, find what is sufficient for purpose and meaning and conclude that we have enough in our current conditions.…
The essay written by S.I. Hayakawa “What It Means to Be Creative” went over many aspects that are seen in Van Gogh. Van Gogh was a famous painter from about 1888 to current, seeing as his paintings are still sought after to this very day. He was also famous for cutting off his own ear. Through his letters to his brother Theo he has given us a look into his life, in addition we see the pain and suffering, as well as the joy he went through from day to day. In the Hayakawa essay he named numerous aspects of a creator which you will see Van Gogh follows a number of these examples.…
The existentialist theory emphasizes choice and free will of a person and the individual will determine their own outcomes based on choice. Jean-Paul Sartre was a leading philosopher of existentialism and believed that there are no blueprints to one’s individual life. There is no purpose rather than to find their own purpose and build upon it. We are a product of our choices and we are who we choose to be. We determine our fate which determines our freedom.…
He warns society of the devastating effects of growing up in a toxic environment and how it has continued to plague society throughout history. There is always the choice to give in to our evil nature and hide behind the excuse that our genes leave no choice but if our children are being taught to overcome this evil then it is the responsibility of society as a whole to make that…
In the book “Between the World and Me” by Ta-Nehasi Coates, he presents a unique take on racism in America. However, there are several flaws with his writing. One of these inconsistent themes that Coates includes in his narrative are his people who are not black “those who believe they are white.” Another being his heavy focus on the race of his friend Prince Jones while ignoring the race of the officer who killed him, deeming it unimportant discuss in any detail. And also his filtered view of human suffering only in regards to the black race in America.…
Family, Justice, and Identity A ten-year-old boy who has faced a lifetime of running, hiding and witnessing injustice that his father has created is now being called to testify in court. Will he do as he was taught in order to preserve his family ties, and his father’s innocence? Or will he tell the truth, thereby forever jeopardizing the relationship he has with his father, but potentially ending the fugitive lifestyle that he has grown all too accustomed to? This describes more than the opening scene of “Barn Burning” by William Faulkner, it can be used to describe a more meaningful conflict, the conflict between doing the right thing and maintaining loyalty to one’s family. This short story illustrates that concept as it is being tested…
Critique of Reason Through a Nietzschean Lens Reason has arguably been the driving force behind most popular philosophies since the peak of the Greco-Roman era thousands of years ago. The works of philosophers of reason, like Plato, who Nietzsche fervently critiques, have laid the groundwork for many of his ideological successors to proving reason to be the ultimate goal of all philosophy - a way to explain the unknown world and utilize knowledge as a means to quantify and qualify existence. Reason, no doubt, is critical to philosophical thought; however, it’s reached a point where the questions reason poses overpower intuitive and emotional philosophizing that favors a deeper understanding of oneself, one’s desires, and one’s relationship…
There are two main insights I have found that will help in my final paper which include, the description of how anxiety feels and works and the overall narrative structure of the memoir. The first insight was the description of anxiety, Daniel describes his own feelings of anxiety in great detail and brings in quotes from Kierkegaard, who was a psychologist who studied and was believed to have anxiety. Daniel quotes Kierkegaard as stating “His age, he wrote, “ was a cowardly age,” in which “one does everything possible by way of diversions and…loud-voiced enterprises to keep lonely thoughts away just as in the forests of America they keep away wild beasts by torches, by yells, by the sound of cymbals” (p. e1156). The beginning of this quote feels as if it could be published in 2016, even though it was published in 1844.…
From observing the carvings of both of these men, I would assume that they were rulers of some sort, since an ordinary plebian would probably not have any type of carving made of their physiognomy. It is clear to me with these depictions that the men, with their perfectly symmetrical faces and flawlessly styled hair, were being shown as powerful and ideal leaders. One can presume from such intricately detailed work that the citizens of such a civilization at the very least revered their rulers, if not worshipped them as gods. In the book, Sargon is referred to as the ‘first great warlord’, which in my mind, would mean that the people in charge of carving his face would have been especially heedful of making sure that his image would be preserved…
The Outsiders Essay: Bravery Cautious people live boring un-thrilling lives, and once they have their first taste of bravery. They can’t stop because they enjoy the thrill that comes along with it. “The brave do not live forever, but the cautious do not live at all” The quote shows the life that Johnny Cade lived from S.E Hinton’s The Outsiders. S.E Hinton present the idea that bravery moves people to do dangerous things in the spur of the moment.…
Jean-Paul Sartre, in his plays No Exit and The Respectful Prostitute, demonstrates existentialist concepts, especially those pertaining to people’s relationships with others. One such concept is that of the idea that “hell is other people”, meaning when people judge themselves they reflect on other people 's thoughts and opinions about them. Therefore, if the relationship the person has with the other is bad, then the other person may seem as if they are hell since their objective view of the person causes the person to feel negatively about themselves while they reflect on their own actions. This concept of “hell is other people”, which Sartre coined the term for himself, as well as the concept of the “other” person, or simply just the Other, shows the cyclical…
In his work ( Existentialism is Humanism), Sartre, one of the most influential figures in western philosophy emphasis free will and work from every aspect to prove the absolute freedom of decision of a human beings. Perhaps Sartre was influenced by the historical events of his time, or, perhaps he was defending existentialism as a philosophical perspective. But what matters is that in the end, Sartre puts freedom of choice first and last. To demonstrate or to prove per se this freedom of choice and decision, Sartre utilizes ethos, pathos and logos by using personal stories, using inductive reasoning and employing several analogies.…
“Against the use of nature? Present fears are less than horrible imaginings: My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical, shakes so my single state of man that function is smother’d in surmise; and nothing is but what…
Have you ever been faced with a danger so fierce that your mind became clouded with fear? What are some thoughts you may have if you were in a situation like this? Imagine being trapped in a place with no visible way out, succumbed to intimidating surroundings. In Bram Stoker’s, Dracula, the central idea is fear. Bram Stoker demonstrates this idea by using the literary devices of conflict and point of view.…