connection #5

Learning about the Blank slate theory make me think of many songs that prove that theory to be true , especially for love. Many songs talk about how you can’t truly have any knowledge of love until you’ve felt it. Many songs are very descriptive about how you feel when you’re in love and this is a feeling you can’t truly know until you have experienced love. A song that portrays this well is All The Boys by Keri Hilson. In her songs she talks about how she didn't know what love was until she met the right guy and experienced it.

I also thought of the noble savage theory which can be seen everywhere in music. The noble savage theory is that people start off generally good but are corrupt by their culture and society. A song that came to mind was Heart and Soul by Shwayze. This song talks about how a bad environment can completely change a person from being innocent to being money hungry and bad. This song really shows how people can easily become a product of their environment, which can quickly change them from good to bad. This song goes along perfectly with the noble savage theory.  

Reflection #5

These last few chapters have been really good and kept me thinking. If Sophie and Alberto are truly just the creations of Hilde’s father why do they tell her to rebel or mention how they try to escape? The fact that Alberto is still working on a way to escape still makes me believe that he’s real, because why would Hilde’s father write fort him to say that. Also why would Alberto Knag tell Alberto to suggest that Hilde rebel against her father, so maybe Sophie and Alberto really do exist outside of what Alberto Knag tells them to say and do? But then again when I think about this I realize how ridiculous it is to think that characters in books truly exist and have a mind of their own because they don’t. Characters in books are simply what the author makes them out to be. Characters thoughts and dialogues are what the author writes; they have no substance outside of the book. But maybe I am wrong and maybe Alberto and Sophie will find some way to escape the mind of Alberto Knag. I’m really excited to keep reading and see what happens to Sophie, especially because her birthday party is on the same day that Hilde’s father returns home.

Reflection #4

After reading and discussing Spinoza in class I had lots of wondering thoughts and often pondered his beliefs about God. Even though many considered Spinoza to be a materialist atheist, it seems to me like he very much believed in God. The definition of an atheist is someone who doesn’t believe in any form of God, but Spinoza viewed the whole world as a part of God. I think this is a really interesting belief because as a Christian I believe that God is omnipotent, but this is a whole new way of seeing how God is everywhere. Spinoza also believed in determinism and that God controlled everything through natural laws. This is also a pretty common Christian belief because many Christians believe that God does in fact have control over every aspect of life. Many Christians believe in predestination and that things are already planned a certain way. After talking a closer look and thinking about Spinoza I wonder why people even thought that he was an atheist. He shared many common beliefs with modern Christians today. I think maybe Christians rejected his beliefs and thoughts because he tried to critically read the bible and maybe the Christians were worried that he was “questioning” the word of God and they didn’t like it. But honestly Spinoza had many beliefs of Christians.

Connection #4

Humanism is a philosophy that views humans in a positive light. This philosophy stresses that humans can and should reach great potential. This definition of humanism which was started by Cicero can be directly correlated to the humanistic approach to psychology. The humanistic approach emphasizes that each person has potential. It also says that each person is good and has he power to control/ direct their own future. This approach to psychology is very optimistic and gives a very positive outlook on life to all. The philosophy of humanism was also one that was very positive towards humans.  This is very similar to the humanism philosophy and the beliefs of Cicero. Cicero wanted people to be their very best and out do others. Cicero also believed in doing things for the betterment of the community which can be related to the humanistic view of psychology also. The humanistic view of psychology involves the thought that people can control their future and be in charge of making things in their life better. This means that like Cicero the humanistic view encompasses the idea that you have the ability to change and ultimately better your community and life through your own behaviors. This is how humanism and the humanistic view of psychology connect.

connection #3

After reading about the Semites I made a connection to modern day Christianity especially in my church and Christian experiences.  The Semites considered hearing to be the primary sense. This is still very true today many things in my church revolve around sermons and recitations instead of artwork as it would have in the indo European culture. My pastor is quite easily one of the loudest speakers and all of his sermons are full of energy, also during sermons we do lot’s of reciting of verses aloud and together as a congregation. Also the way that the Semites lived is very similar to what I do today. I pray before meals and every night as a way to talk with God and feel close to Him. I read my bible often because that to helps to strengthen my relationship with God, which is another of the things that the Semites of that time did in order to feel close with God. An area that I think is a mix between both the indo European culture and the Semite culture is mediation, because I know a lot of Christians now like to mediate on the bible verses or just have deep mediation in order to feel close to God, so maybe this is a more modern trait of Christianity. Another thing that corresponds with my beliefs and those of other Christians today is that history is linear and that God can interfere with it whenever, and that history will eventually come to an end on judgment day. This is still a very strong belief within the Christian faith that holds true today. It’s very interesting to see how a belief system can remain the same over thousands of years.

Reflection #3

After reading more of Sophie’s world I have started to come up with my own thoughts on the connection between Hilde and Sophie. I am starting to think that Sophie and Hilde may be the same person in alternate universes. I think this because they have a lot of similarities. They both share the same birthday, both their fathers live very far away, and often times Sophie finds things that Hilde looses. Also Alberto called Sophie Hilde twice which further proves my theory about them. But there are things that make me think that maybe there not the same person. The fact the Hilde’s father keeps saying that he and Sophie will meet each other makes me wonder if may be they are 2 separate people, because I don’t think people from alternate realities can meet each other especially if they are the same person.

Then I was very confused be Alberto’s lesson on the middle ages in which he tell Sophie about people in the past who have similar names and situations to Alberto, Hilde and Sophie. Alberto tells her of the female philosopher named Hildegard, who had a vision where she saw, Sophia, the female side of God, and that the name of Aquinas teacher was the Albert the Great.  This is very confusing and strange to me and I’m not sure what it indicates. I’m just really interested to figure out the strange relationships f this book between Hilde and Sophie, and Alberto and Hilde’s father