Existentialism

Today I was challenged with the duty of living my life through the Kantian perspective. In people’s lives, people use each other as a ends daily. However, Immanuel Kant expands on to this thought through the principle of humanity. The principle of humanity states treating human beings to be treated as an ends but never a mere mean. Where mere means stands for using a person as if they were a disposable object (Restrepo, “What Is the Principle of Humanity”). In addition, Immanuel Kant believes a…

Aimless Love Lost in the repition of life, surrounded by the unknowing, unsure, no way-out concept of life. Surrounded by crowds of people, all going somewhere but no one is really going anywhere. Were the streets are crowded with people, faces no one recognizes, but nothing can be heard but silence. People often times wonder why they are even there to begin with, why should they keep trying when everyone else has just given up. Lost and disconnected from the world there is silence, but the…

Can we change our perspective? To everything in life, there is always a negative and a positive perspective. Mindset and time profile are examined in the work of Carol Dweck and Philip Zimbardo can explain our personalities. Mindset of Carol Dweck focused on achievement and success, and Zimbardo’s time theory has shown the concept of time perspective developed by the influence on many facets of our behavior. Carol Dweck’s work on mindset is focused in the two types of mindset, which are…

Camus’, de Beauvoir’s, and Kierkegaard’s ideas about reason, disbelief, relation, and the human are discussed in their books: The Myth of Sisyphus by Camus, Pyphus and Cineas by de Beauvoir, and Fear and Trembling by Kierkegaard. Each author has their own idea on how an individual should approach their life. Camus focuses on the individual and their relationship with the absurd, De Beauvoir addresses the importance of an individual from the perspective of others, and while Kierkegaard described…

Calvin and Hobbs on Significance #6 This cartoon shows the idea of nonconformity. Nonconformity is the concept of standing out and not following the actions or “norms” of other people. Calvin is showing this in the cartoon by yelling out into the universe “I’m significant”. Then the narrative goes on to say that Calvin in just a speck of dust in the big picture. Even though Calvin is something very small in the world, he explains that he is still worth something. I think Calvin is trying to…

It is said that no man is an island, and no man stands alone. Meaning, true human existence cannot prevail positively or productively without the dynamics of society. Yet, this concept is very much two faced. While a man needs to exist in society, cocooning himself in its support and sense of belonging, too much social pressure can lead to the most disastrous endings and as society remains blind of the influences of the world, its ideals destroy humanity. Hence, if one does not conform, they…

One word that would best describe the world and its contents is opportunism. Opportunism is the conscious policy and practice of taking advantage of circumstances – with little regard for principles, or with what the consequences are for others. Opportunism is everywhere; in the environment, in animals, and especially in humans. “The Cage” by Ruth Minsky Sender shows a great theme of opportunism and that people will do anything for their benefit. The author (Riva Minska) writes a memoir…

“I worship individuals for their highest possibilities as individuals, and I loathe humanity, for its failure to live up to these possibilities.” This quote from Ayn Rand, the author of Anthem, displays her philosophy of Objectivism; one must live for their own benefit, their own happiness. Despite this philosophy, the main character in Anthem, Equality 7-2521, does not live for his own self-fulfilment. In his world, rules and controls disallow anyone to be alone with their own thoughts, or to…

In this paper, I will be analyzing and explaining the way that Hobbes and Rousseau’s ideas regarding the national condition of human beings differ. In my exegesis, I will be discussing how in Leviathan (ch. 13), Hobbes takes a stance regarding egoism, the idea that man always acts in their own interest. I will also be discussing the fact that Rousseau is fundamentally opposed to the ideas in which Hobbes presents. Rousseau believes that society taints the fundamental core beliefs of mankind. I…

Lynn Nottage once said, “Just because it’s a unique perspective doesn’t mean it can’t offer something universal.” In my opinion, Ruined is a melodrama that illustrates storytelling by allowing characters to identify themselves as well as teach the audience. Storytelling is an exquisite and diverse tool that can be used in a variety of situations for numerous purposes. One peculiar aspect of Ruined is that there is no clear villain and in that way Ruined resists being a melodrama. However,…