...Reflections upon the nature of identity and the self Reflections upon the nature of Identity and the Self Ernest F Brierre South University Online PHI 2301 Introduction to philosophy Professor Thomas Pieragastini 01/25/2013 Who Am I? We’ve come to realize that this simple question holds more answers than we can possibly think about. Is the nature of Identity the same as the Self? When thinking about identity what are the first things that come through mind? Many great thinkers such as Descartes, Locke or Kant have given us some pretty good insights about the concept of the self. Do we agree and accept it as such? Dr. Rollo May, a psychoanalyst, joins both Descartes and Locke in an attempt to expose to us this complex idea of the self. In his book, Man’s search for himself, he does an exquisite analysis of understanding the knowing of who we are while incorporating the nature of identity with the consciousness of the self. What do we make of Descartes’ affirmation of his concept of existence when he said: “I think, therefor I am”? This has become a very famous quote as the essence of the meaning of it comes from the concept of realization of the self through thinking. This statement seems to be reduced to simply the factual idea of thoughts, yet it surpasses the many answers to the search of knowing and understanding the questions of one mastery concept of his existence. This act of thinking is a conscious one. This fundamental realm of consciousness is a very...
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...Both Viktor Frankl and Martin Luther King Jr. had first hand experience with others brutally taking away part of their humanity, and attempted to correct these wrongdoings in some way. Viktor Frankl attempted to mend his own wounds and the lives of others, mainly after the fact with reflection and management of what they were forced through, while King attempted to actively better his situation by placing himself in harm's way. These differing ways of managing suffering have widely different applications, but both embrace brokenness as a tool that can be used, in combination of community and wholeness, to create meaningful change. Viktor Frankl reflected on the terrible situation of himself and others being forced into concentration camps...
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...1) What ideas made you pause for self-reflection while reading? What did you stop to think about? In Man’s Search For Meaning: I stop every few pages to reflect on, because I was trying to imagine how life was then and how it is now. Frankl and the other people in this book went through hell, and the only thing they had to hold on to was their faith and hope that one day they would see their loved ones once again. On page’s 4 and 5 it mentioned that they had numbers tattooed to their skin and on their close, the authorities were only interested in the captives numbers because if they wanted to make any charges against any of the prisoners all they had to do is look at their number. I could not even start to imagine what they went through and all they had to keep them going was the thought of loved ones and their faith. I could not even being to think about how they were all controlled as well, my husband will tell you good luck in trying to control Joy. I control what I do and when, I do compromise a lot to where I am not controlling everyone. But as I think about it they didn’t have too many choices like we do....
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...him, but it was confiscated by the guards and were thrown away. Frankl was angry but he was not going to let that stop the creation of his book. While Frankl was at the camp he actually learned a lot of things from it and some he considered that changed his life. Frankl bared a lot of pain physically and mentally which only made him a stronger person. As he spent his days and nights in the camp Frankl became more and more fond of daydreaming about his wife, was she ok, or was she still alive. Thinking of her still being alive was a little much for him to bare, but he got through it by thinking as if him and his wife were with each other at the exact moment of him thinking of her. Summary In the book, man’s search for meaning, the author, Viktor Frankl, explains his meaning of life as he displays some of his trials and tribulations he had from his past life. He was born in Vienna, Austria where he also went to further his education in psychology. He started off as a doctor at a psychiatric hospital where he was greatly known for his good work. Frankl loved his family and his life was going so well until the unexpected happened. Dr. Frankl, along with his family, were captured and taken away as a victim to some concentration camps. Frankl and his family arrived at the first concentration camp in Auschwitz where they were separated from one another. He was hurt by the split up and just maintained his self-control. He had brought along some of his prize possessions for his book...
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...Tuan Nguyen Professor Jeffrey McMahon July 28, 2014 English 1C Drama in Meaning I had a friend who studied with me in elementary to high school; her name was Lan. She was unlike other friends, always controlled by her parents. Because she grew up in a rich family and her parents did not want her to contact other people, she always isolated herself from the collective class. She couldn’t do whatever she wanted, just listened and did the thing that her parents want. With her, there was no goal and purpose in her life anymore. Lan did not care and just blindly did it; she was blind and lied to herself. This girl became frustrated and gradually stepped deeper into the whole of sink and darkness that she was digging up for herself. She couldn’t escape from her darkness because she never tried to escape from it. She only listened to her parents and not listen to herself about what she needed and what she wanted. Lan was not able to live a good life, and she was not being to find her purpose in life. When Lan did the things right, she usually considered that she was good and perfect; she thought that her life was perfect and there was no need to correct or change the way it was. This thought would make her easily become self- satisfied. Lan, who was also not moving or making any changing to adapt to the new situations suddenly come to life, was allowing bad things to come in her life. Moreover, without changing, she would be leaved behind and she would not be able to find...
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...APPROACHES IN LITERARY CRITICISM 1. Moral / Philosophical Approach - Critics believe that the larger purpose of literature is to teach morality and to probe philosophical issues. - Many poets have strong ethical or religious convictions, but the moralist critic usually has a broader interest. Literature has a humanizing or civilizing mission, and the critic values work which furthers that end: promotes tolerance, social justice, sensitivity to individual wishes and talents, etc. 2. Topical/Historical/Biographical - Critics see works as the reflection of an author's life and times (or of the characters' life and times). They believe it is necessary to know about the author and the political, economical, and sociological context of his times in order to truly understand his works. - Poems are placed in their historical context — to explain not only their allusions and particular use of words, but the conventions and expectations of the times. The approach may be evaluative (i.e. the critic may suggest ways of responding to the poem once the perspective is corrected), or may simply use it as historical data. - a poem may be used to illuminate the writer's psychology, or as biographic data. No less than the correspondence, remembered conversations, choice of reading matter, the poem is analyzed for relevance to its author. 3. New Critical Formalist - A formalistic approach to literature, once called New Criticism, involves a close reading of the text. Formalistic...
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...The Original Unity of Man and Woman as found in the Book of Genesis • 23 catecheses from September 5, 1979-April 9, 1980 2) Purity of Heart versus Concupiscence: Catechesis on the Sermon on the Mount • 27 catecheses from April 16 to December 10, 1980 3) St. Paul’s Teaching on the Human Body: Life according to the Spirit • 13 catechesis from December 17, 1980 to May 6, 1981 4) Marriage and celibacy in light of the resurrection of the body • 9 catechesis from November 11, 1981 to February 10, 1982 5) Virginity or celibacy for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven • 14 catecheses from March 10, 1982 to July 21, 1982 6) The sacramentality of marriage based on Ephesians 5:22-33 • 27 catecheses from July 28, 1982 to July 4, 1984 7) Reflections on Humanae Vitae based on the redemption of the body and the sacramentality of marriage • 16 catechesis from July 11, 1984 to November 28, 1984 C. My aim is to summarize accurately and clearly the central themes that the Holy Father examines in each of the sections. This will help those who want to become familiar with the main ideas of the theology of the body to do so rather quickly — in...
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...Who is God? A question that has pervaded mankind since the search for a higher power began. To many different people, the definition of God varies. He was presented to humans long ago, “Early people did not have science to help them find answers. So they had to invent answers for themselves. And they passed their ideas on to their children and grandchildren in the form of stories and legends” (Moskin 22). People have always attempted to translate and interpret who God is. Yet the Bible clearly establishes the relationship between man and God, “Then God said, Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness’…So God created man in His own image; in the image of God he created him; male and female he Created them” (Genesis 1:26-27). Man is the creation of God, and with those words declared from the Gospel, man has tasked themselves with interpreting exactly who God is and who he should be to the people on Earth. In Barbara Kingsolver’s novel, The Poisonwood Bible, Kingsolver uses Nathan Price to represent man’s inaccurate portrayal of God which drives people away from religion and she uses Brother Fowles to refute all men inaccurately portraying God. The search for God and who he is is built through these two men, and the impact of them on others....
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...Why Choose to Go On Living? Even in the most terrible conditions imaginable, suffering is not meaningless, and one can choose to endure circumstance through discovering purpose. The idea that anyone could have survived the brutal conditions endured within the concentration camps during the holocaust is somewhat inconceivable, and yet, we have first-hand accounts from survivors of what took place within these prisons. Throughout the writings and memoirs of these individuals we discover the nuances and underpinnings of what camp life was like. In the book, Man’s Search for Meaning, Psychologist Victor Frankl describes his experiences in the Nazi death camps and implies that his wife symbolizes love and purpose. This essay will give four instances...
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...THEORIES ON THE ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF LANGUAGE Research Report for WR227 Jeremy Byrd Winter Term, 2013 Table of Contents Introduction 3 The Emergence of Language 3 The Theories of Johann Gottfried Herder 4 Pre-Language 4 Sound and Language 5 Theory of Divine Inspiration 5 Criticism of Herder's Work 6 The Gestural Theory 6 Motor Activity and Language 7 The Mirror Neuron System Theory 7 Theory of Sound Symbolism 8 Synesthesia 8 Discontinuity Theories 9 Summary 9 Works Cited 10 Introduction The origin of human language is a mystery which has baffled scholars and scientists for thousands of years. It can only be speculated how language began and evolved; the lack of direct evidence suggesting that it is perhaps a riddle that cannot be solved (Deacon 7). Yet this has not stopped many various theories from emerging over the years, speculations ranging from wild guesses to educated, scientific deductions. According to prominent linguist Eric Heinz Lenneberg, theories surrounding the origin of language are categorized into two main groups: continuity theories and discontinuity theories (Hill 134). Continuity theories hold that language was formed through a long process of evolution. Discontinuity theories are based on the belief that language is too complex to have evolved out of natural systems and is the result of a significant evolutionary jump which took place relatively abruptly. On the side of continuity theories...
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...Manis English Comp II Tues/Thurs 11:00 May 9, 2012 Research Paper Imagine A World without Imagination Thesis: In the poem “Love Calls Us to the Things of This World”, Richard Wilbur illustrates the fact that life is nearly unbearable without the use of imagination. Essay Map: The bleak and depressive theme of this poem exposes the poet’s struggles with finding meaning in his own life, reflects the stability of an objective view of reality rather than a subjective view, and provides an excellent example of the tricks that the right brain is capable of playing on the mind as a whole. I. Wilbur’s Search for Meaning in Life Is Reflected by His Writings A. The poem is written in a style that is quite unusual compared to Wilbur’s other literary works. B. The only positive outlook on life is found while the speaker is still asleep. C. He uses such harsh words as “rape” and “gallows” to make a point about the brutality of everyday life. D. His mixed feelings about life itself are exposed by absurd juxtapositions like “bitter/love” and “thieves/nuns”. E. He is able to find meaning by embracing his imagination as a part of life, and living according to that reality. II. Achieving an Objective View of Reality is a Healthy Practice A. Objective reality, or objectivity, is defined by the World English Dictionary as a worldview existing independently of perception or an individual’s conceptions. B. An objective view of reality is healthier...
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...THE THEOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF RUDOLF BULTMANN one briefly explain the theological of a man whose diversified writings first book How the present decade? Is it extend fromahissignificance review ina 1908 to possible for short essay to disclose fundamental unity in topics which range from source criticism, the history of religion, literary criticism, classical philology, technical exegesis, Gnostic studies, existential philosophy, and hermeneutics to the Gifford Lectures, the theological essay, popular and literate dialogue about the Church, demythologizing, and the relation of the New Testament to daily life?3 If the theological significance is judged in terms of intellectual climate, moral force, and scholarly style or by the more tangible but subtle influence on several generations of scholars, then the theological significance seems almost as elusive as it is palpable. Fortunately, diversity of form and subject is more apparent than real. The theological atmosphere and problematic shaped by Bultmann may be traced to concepts and procedures available to any critical reader. While it is quite correct to note, as did Hans Jonas on the Feiertag celebrated in honor of Bultmann in Marburg, November 16,1976, that it is impossible to separate the man from his writings, for he lived as he wrote,4 we are not here primarily concerned with Bultmann's personal psychological integrity, striking as it is. It may, however, be accurate to say that this escalating unity of life and work...
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...Reflection Paper Shannon B. Payton Liberty University Introduction This paper is about reflecting on what was covered in Theology 104. There are many Christians who understand that God loves us and wants the best for His children. There are many subjects, videos, and extracted material that has been read or discussed over the span of four weeks which has given me a better understanding of the Bible and Christianity. My reflection for this paper I have chosen two topics that I have chosen to address for this paper. First, topic I have chosen will be Grace and secondly I will be focusing on Love. Grace Theological definition of “grace” as many scholar s of the bible will define this word as the unmerited favor of God toward man. Grace can also be defined as like forgiveness, repentance, regeneration and salvation to mean something as broad as describing the whole of God’s activity towards man or as narrow as describing one segment of activity (Baker’s Evangelical Bible Dictionary). Often times many would attribute grace toward s how women carry themselves and even in the bible grace can be defined through many scripture as action of one who are in high position. Biblical Foundation The first time Grace has been in mentioned was in Genesis chapter 8 because of Noah obedience to God and God was tired or as the bible scholar would state grieved by man’s wickedness and caused God to erase mankind. In all this, Noah found favor with God. Here the word favor and grace...
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...“knowledge” reoccurred many times throughout Frankenstein and forced the reader to understand the definition of it. According to Webster’s Dictionary, knowledge is defined as “Knowledge: n. Understanding gained by actual experience; range of information; clear perception of truth; something learned and kept in the mind.” The word knowledge is very simple, but has different meanings to all of us. Knowledge is the tool we use in making proper judgement. Knowledge is an extremely powerful thing and it must be used wisely and properly. Carelessly using knowledge can cause terrible consequences. The novel, Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, is a novel that has many comparisons of powers in life. It pertains to many themes in society today. Frankenstein contrasts science, technology, life and death, and most importantly knowledge and ignorance. It shows the consequences of knowledge in both negative and positive ways. In Frankenstein, three characters searched for one thing - knowledge. Unfortunately the results of their search differed from what they had anticipated. Walton, blinded by ambition, believed that search for knowledge on the route to the North Pole would bring fame to his name, but he quickly learned that he ended up only with the danger to the lives of his crew. Frankenstein, driven by passion and inability to accept his own limitations, learned that the passion for knowledge harmd his judgment, and the results of his actions lead to unthinkable consequences. The...
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...He is able to discover and explain the laws of nature which lead them to formulate theories. A Philosopher does none of the above-mentioned activities. Instead he asks himself questions like: “what is the law of nature?” “What is a scientific theory?” He explains the role of deduction in science. Philosophy is unlike science, pure verbal, analytical, and reflective. Then how can a scientist be a philosopher? Discussion: * What is philosophy? * Remote from the usual human interest and quite beyond normal comprehension. * Extremely complex intellectual activity. * A form of Inquiry – a process of analysis, criticism, interpretation and speculation. (Singer – 1990) * The search for the ultimate, conducted by reason, in order to satisfy man’s curiosity about himself and the universe. * Why study philosophy? * Makes a man think – think about the basic foundations of: * His beliefs * Outlook in life * His knowledge * It is from our human needs and immediate concerns * What is philosophy of science? * Set forth principles more basic and comprehensive than the conclusions of individual sciences. * Proved a positive role in ordering ways of students conceive of science, both as process and product. * Serve as appropriate introduction to scientific method * What are the different approaches to philosophy? * The ANALYTICAL approach * Interested in problems concerning...
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