Sophie's World Reflection #1

So far, the novel Sophie's World has captured my attention and helped to teach me exactly in the way it was intended to. The wording is simple enough to follow along and understand the deep, philosophical concepts that are being explained. I feel as though I'm learning with Sophie. As she discovers more about herself and the basics of philosophy, I do too. 

The chapter discussing fate is one that caught my attention especially. I’ve always had a hard time deciding between fate and free will, and tend to lean towards free will. To me, the concept of fatalism doesn’t sit well. I don’t think that everything to happen is predestined. In my mind, there has to be an element of choice in life. People are not controlled by whatever has been decided. If there is something determined for everyone’s life, to me, it seems that there’s room to change the story. 

Later on in the novel, a particularly interesting statement is made in a letter to Sophie. “Wisest is she who knows she does not know”. This is a concept I’ve always agreed with. For a person to be able to understand as much as they can, they have to acknowledge that there are things in the world that they don’t know. A person who knows little but assumes they know everything cannot be taught a thing. However, a person who understands the limited nature of their knowledge can be taught anything, they are more open to learning and understanding their world. 

This novel, so far, has been incredibly useful in reinforcing concepts we’ve already discussed in class. It has also taught me more about many different philosophers and their beliefs, while being enjoyable at the same time.