Evan Johnson

AP English 11

Mrs. Wilhelmus

September 5, 2013

The Rabbit’s Fur

            Throughout Sophie’s World, different philosophers and their ideas were brought to light. Each one was from a different time period with different beliefs. These ideas have shaped up modern philosophy and have kept humans questioning everything since they have wondered about things. Throughout the book, there were parts that interested me and those that didn’t for various reasons.

            Starting off, I really enjoyed Kant’s ideas on perspective. In all honesty, I am not really sure why. I just like the fact that if everyone realized his vision about the world, then things would be better. I say this because once people realized everyone comes from a different background, had different experiences, and saw things differently, the world would run smoother. People would be less quick to judge and would be more accepting of others and their ideas. Really, there was no philosopher I really disliked. I liked them all about the same since I could understand where they were coming from and each of them contributed new ideas and thinking to the world.

            Now on to where I am on the rabbit’s fur. I would say I am near the top thanks to this book. Originally I would only ask questions about pressing matters or things that caught my interest. Now, I tend to question and think about so many more issues and events that occur in everyday life.

Evan Johnson

AP English 11

Mrs. Wilhelmus

September 1^st, 2013

Red Glasses Experiment

            In the “Kant” chapter, Sophie is presented with red-tinted glasses. These glasses were used to show what Kant philosophized about the world and its inhabitants. His thought was that everyone had their own unique perspective on everything. He thought this because of a person’s environment and their experiences.

            For Sophie to grasp Kant’s teachings about perspective she had to put on glasses that had a red tint to them. Then, she would look around and see everything she perceived was a different tint of red. This was to show that even though she saw things as red with the glasses, she could not say things are only that way. This was to represent how people can have different perspectives than others.

            I feel like this experiment applies to my life whenever I am talking to someone with a differing view. I must remember not to be judgmental and to remember that they have different experiences than me. It helps me keep an open mind about their opinion and to actually value it. I feel like it can improve relations and communication between me and those who are completely different than me.

Evan Johnson

Mrs. Wilhelmus

AP English Language

2 August 2013

Middle Ages

            The beginning of the Middle Ages saw a great decline in civilizations and the culture that were a part of them. This being said, the Middle Ages was not without its own advances in philosophy and religious ideas. This makes sense as the majority of people during this time were nothing more than peasants. Since they had no way of becoming more than peasants, they relied on their faith and fear of God to get them into heaven, which would be a much better life. Thanks to great philosophers though, people were able to accept the teachings of philosophy while not fearing that it was against God’s wishes.

            During the Middle Ages, the common man was faithful to his god and did not accept any other teachings. This threatened philosophy because the less people you have looking into new ideas, the less likely it will carry on into later generations and time. So, thanks to philosophers of the Middle Ages such as Aquinas and St. Augustine, philosophical ideas were able to carry on since they combined philosophy and Christianity. Combining these ideas allowed the common man to accept philosophical ideas while not fearing the wrath of God. Two things occurred when these ideas were combined. First off, philosophical ideas were able to survive in a world of heavy scrutiny. Secondly, it redefined ideas about religion and how people perceived it.

            Thanks to philosophers, ideas that were part of past cultures were able to survive in a world 

where God’s word was dominant. These philosophers also changed ideas about religion that have 

even carried on to today. That is why philosophers during this time were so important

Evan Johnson

Mrs. Wilhelmus

AP English Language

1 August 2013

Gender Equality

            Until recently, gender equality was almost nonexistent. Women were mainly viewed as just reproductive tools. Only men were allowed to be in positions of power and allowed to make decisions that would change the course of nations. Although there were some places that allowed women to be in power, it is not a good enough reason to keep only men in charge on a global scale. That is why it was important for philosophers to begin thinking differently like Plato had done.

            Although many people will be disgusted with Aristotle’s views on women, I am mainly just saddened that such a brilliant man would have such simple views on women. I think his views on women are also very important. As it mentions in the book, “it shows how wrong things can go when men are allowed to reign supreme in the fields of philosophy and science.” By thinking this way, it shows how wrong Aristotle was and how much the world needs women to improve humans as a whole. In a sense, Aristotle has proven how important women are by looking at his ignorance.

            I think the philosopher that made the most admirable answer to questions about gender would have to be Plato. One can make this inference just from one line alone: “Women, he asserted, have exactly the same powers of reasoning as men, provided they get the same training and are exempt from child rearing and housekeeping.” This makes it obvious that Plato thought women could be just as good as men. I think it is amazing he thought this way since many would disagree with him. I am not surprised that many of the authorities in the past are men since they had complete control for an extremely long time.

Evan Johnson

Mrs. Wilhelmus

AP English Language

1 August 2013

Garden of Eden

            Who are you? Where does the world come from? Although these are just two questions, it can stump almost everyone who tries to answer them. It may even be impossible for some as they are ever changing and do not really know themselves. I usually prefer to not think about who I am as I truly do not know quite yet. I figure I still have a lot of growing up to do and more experiences to go through before I can accurately depict who I am. As for where the world comes from, there are multiple explanations. Some would go the religious route and some would go the scientific. This question brings with it a lot of controversy.

            Now on to about whom I am. I would start off saying that I am just a seventeen year old guy. I am highly introverted which is something I’m not proud of. I like to think of myself as being a good person or I at least aspire to be one. I like to think that I am somewhat educated in both school courses and about the world and what occurs in general. I believe that what I want to be goes along with who I am. I want to be one who is respected and does good for others. I am one who is tolerant of others ideas and beliefs. I want to have a job that makes a difference in the world for the better. I aspire to be something great that will be remembered. Having said this, I fear not achieving my goals and becoming something that is useless and worthless. These are just some of the things that I would say about myself.

            Where does the world come from? This question has haunted me for many years. The reason is this question can go hand in hand with religion and beliefs. This is a hard question for me since I have been trying to think of the answer for this question for so long. When I was younger I would have said without a doubt that it was God’s doing. But, as I have grown and seen new evidence, I have begun to change my mind. I now lean towards the idea that the world was created because of something known as the Big Bang. I know many people will disagree with this idea and that’s alright. I am not asking people to believe what I do as they have free will and can decide for themselves.