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Blog#12 Martha Nussbaum

I agree with nussbaum view on the good life being dependent on luck and chance and exposed the possibility of failure in many ways. An example I can give is one day you can have a good day and things will go well when you go to work and then go to school, but the next day you can do the same thing as the day before but    this day adversity hit. Nothing changed for one day to the next it was just luck or random events that was out of the individuals control.      Furthermore what I can add is the philosophical ideas of the Buddha and of the Roman stoics, the idea that everything is impermanence, nothing is static everything is always in flux. With this idea even if we do what we must and play our roll how Marcus Aurelius Would suggest even then luck plays a part in our fate. Even in nature there is a chaotic nature.      In the end expecting this argument doesn’t make me feel differently about the way I value things. I value what I value and altho...

Blog#11 on understanding tragedy

In Aristotle's poetics the six aspects of the tragedy, I believe the way Aristotle lays out the six aspects of tragedy helps people make sense of the way tragedy works and also learn about themselves. Aristotle claims that the plot is the first and most important element in tragedy, its very soul. the plot can be simple or complex they can have catastrophe a change in fortune for the main character. then there is peripeteia which is a reversal in the story, and last, there is anagnorisis where there is recognition or some type of realization. The characters are portrayed for the sake of the plot, not the plot for the character. the third is thought in reference to the theme. fourth is diction which is the word choices and word styles to emphasize a metaphor in the play. The fifth is a musical element to the play and the sixth is a spectacle, The spectacle is last because the spectacle is not the goal it is the appel. the goal of the play for Aristotle is to elicit katharsis for the...

blog#10 Aristotle on tragedy

I believe we feel pity for people in film and tragedy because similar to what Aristotle states that we get some sort of education    of the emotions from watching tragedy or art so we can relate to some degree by watching a film.         I do agree with Aristotle they must be like us for us to feel pity for them. If we feel fear that the person we pity is like us then is reasonable to think that one day that can be us in that position as apposed to someone we don’t see ourselves in or can’t relate with we can’t really pity. 

blog#9 tragedy

Why do we seek out    things that give us a sense of danger and fear, does this explain why we like watching tragedy? In a sense I believe yes we seek danger and things that give us fear because it’s part of our subconscious. The example I can use is the archetype of medusa, Medusa when looked at you turn to stone. She can be a symbol of fear and when we see something we’re scared of we stay stuck in place.     Even in the movie Macbeth can be used as a Metaphor of the unconscious with the three witches prognosticated he will be king and Macbeth going on a drinking lust for power. This can relate to how someone put in a position of power can become paranoid, it happens to all of us at work or in school. I do believe we like watching tragedies because it elicits a response in us of something of sadness that we have repressed weather the fear of death or losing someone we love. It is a cycle and Dichotomy of happiness and sadness.  

blog #8 Martin Luther King

This week I learned that Martin Luther king jr was an activist and pastor who promoted and organized a non-violent protest to end segregation and prejudice and racism. King was influenced by Gandhi and his teaching of nonviolent resistance. Another cool thing I learned this week that I liked was that king studied greek philosophy and spoke of the Greek word agape. Agape is a level of love to have goodwill for all. they say it is a love that God gives to his children. I also learned King's philosophy of the ends justifies the means, he was saying that the man must be as pure as the end. That immoral destructive means can not bring about moral and constructive ends. This weeks discussion have made me think differently about King's philosophy and appreciate his ideas and what he has done for the civil right moment that to want change one does not have to resort to violence.

blog # 7 natural rights

Susan b anthony was a pioneer in pushing women’s rights and the rights for women to vote. She was the President of National women suffrage association. Because of Susan b anthony it paved the way for the nineteenth amendment to the constitution in 1920 giving women the right to vote. She was an advocate of natural rights of every individual born citizen the right to vote. 

blog # 6 satyagraha

Is satyagraha always the right solution, as Gandhi maintained? I believe satyagraha has it place. Going none violence can be a good thing but there are times none violence won’t work. A flip side to  Gandhi is malcom x, he advocated violence by any means necessary. Neither philosophy is better. Just depends when to implement it.