Simone Melchior

In the beginning of Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder when I read the questions, “Who are you?” and “Where does the world come from?” I answered to myself the first thoughts that came to mind. When I asked myself, “Who are you?” I simply answered with “Jack Kennedy. I am a 15-year-old student at La Salle College High School and I live in . I did not really put too much thought into my answer, and answered with the surface of who I am. My answer changed by the time I arrived at the end of the…

The distinction between autonomy and dependency is one of great importance in the field of philosophy and in answering the question of what it means to be human. Autonomy is the state of functioning independently, and it is known that the idea of autonomy is central to how human beings are understood. The rules of autonomy state that we can influence our own life and that we are shaped by our own decisions— by who we are and how we live. Therefore, it is difficult to think without any notions of…

racism, secularism, individualism, and sexuality. These themes are seen in several documents. Abbe Sieyes, "The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen”, he defines what a nation is and indicates the rights for citizens. The Second Sex, Simone de Beauvoir, talks about gender, how women are considered secondary, and how society has identified thinks that specify as masculine and feminine. Discourse on Colonialism, Aime Cesaire, tries to describe the impact of colonialism on the…

Sometimes it is easier to blame other for our wrongdoings, than to admit to oneself and taking full responsibility for our own actions. In the book Existentialism and Human Emotions, the author, Jean-Paul Sartre address the statement, “existence precedes essence” and makes two logical conclusions such as freedom and responsibility that ties to the concepts of anguish, forlornness, and despair. The understanding of “existentialism precedes essence” is an awareness that there is no predefined…

A Theoretical Prespective of First Lady Michelle Obama While many men and women alike, perceive the simple participation of females in political aspects of life to be achieving equality, this is simply not the case. Accounting for factors addressing the relation between portrayal and an individual 's behaviour also shape one 's political agency or freedom. This, when considering historical context, is especially true in regards to women in politics. Michelle Obama is not only seen as the First…

Jean-Paul Sartre is known for defending existentialism against challenges and giving further explanation regarding the meanings of existentialism’s claims. After reading the Stephen Colbert interview with GQ, I believe Sartre would promote Colbert’s way of living. Sartre has a very precise outlook on how the human should act and his beliefs are briefly summarized early in his book when he says, “not only is man what he conceives himself to be, but he is also only what he wills himself to be…

De Beauvoir, Simone. "The Second Sex." Anatomy and Destiny. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 117-24. Print. Beauvoir’s text The Second Sex serves as the main focal point for my research. This piece is highly feministic and explores many of the discriminatory aspects that women experienced during the specific time period in which the text is written. Beauvoir’s main criticism is that women are characterized as the Other by society as a whole. Meanwhile, man assumes the role of the Self. Throughout the text…

Anyone in the world can label themselves as being a feminist. If I were to walk up to someone on the street and ask them if they were a feminist, I would either get a yes or no in response. For this reason, simply claiming to be a feminist holds nowhere near as much significance as to why one is a feminist. I myself am a feminist, and the reasons regarding why I allow myself to be considered a feminist is far more meaningful than the label of calling myself a feminist. Therefore, my definition…

Am I a Feminist? As I consider this question I find myself mentally pouring over the course material absorbed in the last fourteen weeks. So much has been revealed, discovered and learned in the area of Women’s Studies. Significantly, the cultural representation of women, properly defining and encompassing the entirety of a woman, the right of women to manage their own bodies, equality in education and career goals, and the need for women to be represented in government, are some major areas in…

philosophy where “existence precedes essence” and one is free to act but must face the consequences of their actions wholly for himself and others. It is this freedom of choice that sets the conditions and situations that one might find themselves in. Simone de Beauvoir in Pyrrhus and Cinéas asserts that the freedoms of others often conflict…