Chapter 5 – The
Philosopher-King: Plato
Plato: “The feeling
of wonder is the touchstone of the philosopher and all philosophy has its
origin in wonder.” (page 131)
This quote perfectly describes how I have been growing and
changing as a result of this class. I
have discovered a love of wonderment, pondering the great questions asked
throughout history. I have seen
philosophers discuss the meaning of life and the wonderment of a possible
higher power. I will admit that I draw a
lot of my strength from these deeper philosophical questions, as I have always
been filled with a great source of wonderment and being able to ponder the big
questions. This quote sticks out to me
because it sums up why people study philosophy in the first place: because we
want to satisfy our sense of being and wonder, to ponder the great questions
and attempt to find meaning in our wonder.
Thomas Reid: “To what
purpose is it for philosophy to decide against common sense in this or any
other matter? The material world is older and of more authority than any
principles of philosophy. It declines
the tribunal of reason and laughs at the artillery of the logician.” (page
137)
This quote sticks out to me because it shows a point of view
so contrary to the modern-day philosophical thought. Though material things have been around for a
long time, and to some large degree, predate modern thought, we have also
always wondered about the things that cannot be analyzed by our five senses, as
described by the ancient sages. To me,
the philosophical questions discussed in the chapters, though not visible to
the naked eye, are still powerful and deserving of respect, even if the
material world seems to spit in the face of the metaphysical world. To me,
philosophy goes to the heart of reason, rather than in direct opposition to
it. The study of philosophy has led me
to ponder things that don’t have a physical form, and my reasoning is right
there along with the philosophers, who do not try to explain the existence of a
bowl, but rather the existence of mankind.
Karl Jaspers: “When
it is a question of thinking in earnest, … there is something in a man that
rebels against the rigors of responsible self-clarification. He does not want to wake up but go on
sleeping.” (page 140)
This quote is potent because it goes to the heart of why
people ignore philosophy. By and large,
humanity doesn’t want to spend time on the metaphysical realm. They would rather ignore it than ponder its
existence. Self-examination is
challenging. I admit that I have had
trouble examining my own life in relation to the philosophy I am studying. Yet, I find myself opening up more and more
to the ideas and history of philosophical thought because it is answering some
of the questions I ponder as both a religious Jew and a member of
humanity. It is a challenge though. Instinctively I want to recoil, to back away
from examining the failures and successes in my personal life, because they are
hard. Yet this quote inspires me to keep
going, to keep examining my life, to not be asleep.
Chapter 6 – The
Naturalist: Aristotle
Joseph Campbell: “There
is perhaps nothing worse than reaching the top of the ladder and discovering
that you’re on the wrong wall.” (page 159)
This quote makes me laugh because it’s so pertinent to my
own daily life. I am prone to hair
brained schemes and barking up the wrong tree.
Such is my failure as a human being.
Nothing is more frustrating to get all riled up about something and
realize that I started off wrong. I have
done this many times in my life. Looking
back over my 35 years, I am hard pressed to call these failures; rather I view
them as attempted successes. My mother
used to say, “that’s an A for effort” when I would do these things. Nothing
soothed my wounds more than hearing that, even if I failed, in the grand scheme
of things, at least I tried.
Aristotle: “A likely
impossibility if always preferable to an unconvincing possibility.” (page
163)
I love this quote because it pertains to my current career path
in life. I got very sick three years ago
and was forced to stop working. I
suffered for a long time with chronic pain and illness, and have only recently
started feeling better. When I decided
that I was well enough to pursue “re-careering” into another field of work, I
was still suffering setbacks. It started
becoming a likely impossibility rather than an unconvincing possibility that I
would be able to get back into the work force. But I still go on, determined that the
impossibility was still more likely than the possibility of me being too sick
to go on.
Zusya: “When I die,
God will not ask me, ‘Why were you not Moses?’ When I die, God will ask me,
‘Why were you not Zusya?’” (page 166)
This is one of my favorite quotes from Jewish theology. I believe firmly in the presence of a higher
power and I also believe that G-d does not ask us to be the best someone else,
but to be the best version of ourselves.
It’s not a game of “Keeping up with the pious” but to affect humanity on
a scale more fitting for our own place in society. As a religious Jew, I have encountered many
people who claim to be perfect, and yet fail constantly. “Lashon Hara” (Evil Tongue) is a big problem
among religious Jews, and Jewish tradition teaches us that “The power of death
and life” is in the power of the tongue” which reminds us that one wrong word
has a damaging effect on other people.
And yet, many religious Jews don’t adhere to this, which can be a huge
problem in our community. At the end of
the day, G-d won’t ask me if I’ve been a good Chaya; G-d will ask if I’ve been
a good Kathleen.
William James: “The
hell to be endured hereafter, of which theology tells us, is no worse than the
hell we make for ourselves in this world by habitually fashioning our
characters in the wrong way.” (page 175)
As a child, my mother always told me that Hell was not a
fire and brimstone kind of place, but rather a personal hell that you only went
to if you felt unworthy of the higher power.
This quote supports the idea that the hell we make for ourselves is
always worse than any hell that theology describes. In the past, I had very toxic relationships
with very toxic people, and surrounded myself with a kind of hell like none
other. I was a gossip and a bully. I’m not proud of that time in my life. As I got older though, and I was tired of
being in a toxic environment, I started to let go of those people and their
toxic lives, so that I could live a life in the light of G-d. I will never forget that time of my life
because there’s no way a compassionate G-d would punish me worse than I could
punish myself. As a former boyfriend
once told me, “Forgiving yourself is always harder than forgiving someone
else.” I know that to be true.
Chapter Seven – The
Stoics: Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius
Diogenes Laertius:
“Being asked what is the difference between a wise man and the unwise, Aristippus
said, ‘Strip them both and send them among strangers and you will know.’”
(page 188)
In a Jewish burial, people are dressed only in a white
garment known as a Kittel. You’re not
buried with any jewelry, material items, or fine clothing because one does not
take things with us into the afterlife; only our character and good deeds. This quote stands out because it reaffirms
this concept for me. When you are sent
out among strangers wearing nothing but your good deeds and character, it is
easy to tell who is fair and just, and who is not, just based on how they speak
and to whom to they keep as company. As
with the quote I chose above, I chose this one because it speaks clearly to the
heart of this theological message that nothing earthly matters, only strong
character and good deeds.
Epicurus: “Thus every
pleasure is a good by reason of its having a nature akin to our own, but not
every pleasure is desirable.” (page 190)
I like this quote because it speaks to the idea that
pleasures feel good, even if they are not always good natured. I didn’t feel shame in being a bully or a
toxic person when I was in that mindset.
I felt that this was not a character flaw. I only came to know shame for these acts when
I came to understand that not everything that feels good IS good. Sometimes, things that feel good are bad,
like cheating, being a bully, and having relationships with toxic people. Sometimes, things that are good are
uncomfortable (like apologizing for past misdeeds). At the end of the day, you must choose what
is good over what is pleasurable because just feeling good doesn’t mean that
it’s beneficial.
Seneca: “Just as the
rays of the sun do indeed warm the earth but remain at the source of their
radiation, so a great and holy soul is lowered to earth to give us a nearer
knowledge of the divine…” (page 200)
In my many travels in the world, I have met a great number
of holy people. I have found holiness
and prophecy in the most minute places, with people who are often overlooked by
society. All of these encounters felt
like warm rays of sunshine in an otherwise black world. G-d sits just far enough away that we can’t
analyze them with our five senses, but we feel their presence like warm rays of
sunshine. I believe G-d to be the center
of all things wonderful, and a source of endless love. When I meet godly people, I feel surrounded
by radiating warmth and joy. Nothing brings me closer to the divine than to
meet someone who radiates G-d’s love.
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Grade: 10/10
Professor Comments: In Chapter 5, Plato presents his famous "Allegory of the Cave." Several questions are posed by Plato’s work. Each student in a Philosophy class, needs to be aware of this classic allegory, and answer these questions.
• "Does a story like the "ALLEGORY OF THE CAVE" help us determine who is enlightened and who is deluded?"
• "Do you believe in levels of reality?"
• "Do you believe in enlightenment?"
• "Why or why not?"
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