Personal Application #4

I feel as though I can relate to some of the emotions Sophie is going through as she learns that she may or may not be a character in someone’s book. The existentialism of this idea has been freaking me out since I read it, and it’s making me question a lot of things. It seems silly to assume that we might also be characters in a book, so I can’t say that that’s my main concern. I do relate to the feeling of wondering what is real, wondering if I’m really in control of anything I do, or if I just have the illusion of control. I really do like to believe that I have some element of control over my life and actions, but at the same time I do know it’s entirely possible that some outside force is controlling my “fate”. As I’ve discussed before, I’m not a huge fan of that idea, since I like to have a firm handle on what I do and the choices I make.

One of the points that Alberto was discussing about the Enlightenment really stuck with me. The idea that once the “masses are enlightened”, society would make great progress. It obviously makes a lot of sense. When all people possess knowledge, the world advances and benefits from the knowledge. It just seems like such common sense that people should be willing to try and move closer to this idea each day. Still, I know this is not the case. The idea is certainly nice, though, that we can inform and take care of society as a whole to create something to benefit that entire whole of society.

Sophie's World Reflection #4

Things just keep getting weirder and weirder in this book. Now that the twist had been revealed, that Sophie is potentially just a character in a book created for Hilde, I don’t know what to think. After investing all this time in the book, I want to believe that she’s more than a character and that somehow her and Alberto are real people truly being manipulated by Hilde’s father. However, I realize that that concept could be even crazier than the concept of them being characters in a story, I wonder how they could been strung along this much by someone in another part of the world, someone neither of them have met before. I have the strange feeling that things are only going to get weirder as time goes on. The sense of urgency suddenly imparted on their lessons almost makes me a bit nervous when I read, it seems like Alberto can’t get through the philosophy course fast enough at this point.

Hilde’s confusion is shared by me, and likely most of the other readers. I can’t imagine why her father decided this was the best way to wish her a happy birthday, it seems awfully complex and a little bit strange to me. It feels eerie, as if there has to be some underlying meaning that we’re still missing. I know there’s plenty left in the story to fill the gaps in my knowledge, but I wish I could have all the answers now, and put my mind at rest. Overall, something just feels a bit “off” with the entire story.

Personal Application #3

Rationalists and empiricists discussed in the past few chapters have gotten me thinking. I don’t think I can personally call myself one or the other exclusively. I don’t believe that we can figure out everything with reason, I believe there has to be some interplay of reason and senses to help us understand our experiences. I do agree with the fact that, if we held no knowledge and were only exposed to the world full of intense sensory experiences, we wouldn’t be able to learn anything about our world, scientifically. We would learn the way it felt to stand in the pouring rain, but never know why it rains. The same thing is true for if we were brought into the world with nothing but our scientific knowledge based on evidence. That leaves no room for emotions or processing of sensory events, something that can be just as important in forming ideas.

            I think there is somewhere to find a happy medium of trusting reason and senses. Of course, common sense is one of the most valuable things a person possesses. It tells us the basic things not to do, and it is, to me, a part of the reasoning abilities we have. Though we have common sense, there are some things we can’t learn through common sense or other reasonable conclusions and concepts we are born understanding, if there are any of those. Sometimes, as they say, you have to put your hand on the hot stove to realize it burns. Though that should probably be seen as something of common sense, people still have to use their senses to experience some things and learn to do (or not do) something.