December Blog: Cultural Relativism

The main problem people have with Cultural Relativism is it all depends on where you were raised and your culture.  Every culture has its own customs, religion, food, etc., but when we get into the argument of what is morally right and wrong is when problems arise with Cultural Relativism.  Its hard for people to accept something that is morally right or wrong in their culture, when that same idea is the complete opposite in another culture.  The difference between what to do with their dead fathers in the Greek and the Callatian cultures shows their opinions of what is right and what is wrong.
Even in today's world we see things that are not socially acceptable to us, but may be in another culture in another part of the world.  Even between people in the same society can have different opinions on what is morally right and wrong.  For example in our society many people believe that abortion is morally wrong, yet many other people in our same society believe it is something that should be a choice and it is acceptable if the mother chooses to do so.  The difference between what is right and wrong is a major issue in Cultural Relativism, but it is also present in individuals of the same society.  Personally I believe that each persons idea of right and wrong is strongly influenced by their culture and the society they live in, but also by their parents or whoever raised them.

November Blog: Loyalty or Authority?

Question 4 of the Hamlet Socratic Seminar questions asks if Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are true friends of Hamlet?  Even though Hamlet entrusted Rosencrantz and Guildestern with the duty of protecting his secret about his plot of revenge,since he thought he could trust the loyalty of his best friends, they still gave him up when questioned by the king.  However the authority of the king may have been too much for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to handle.  In everyday life we are entrusted daily with secrets from our friends.  Loyalty and trust go along with keeping these secrets, however in a time of questioning by an extremely strong authority figure, a king in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's case, even the most true and loyal friend could be intimidated into revealing the truth.
We also tend to reveal friends' secrets to authority figures if we know they could be in danger or that they are in the wrong.  However in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's case it was clear that the king wanted information in order to hinder Hamlet, not protect him.  I would have called Rosencrantz and Guildenstern true friends of Hamlet if they revealed his secret in order to protect him.  Personally if a friend of mine was in danger I would reveal anything in order to save them, however this is not the case with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.  They were well aware of Hamlet's intentions and the situation which drove his actions, or lack of.  They knew that the king was highly suspected of killing Hamlet's father and they still revealed Hamlet's intentions.
Whether it be in loyalty of the king or in fear of the king they still are in a gray area when it comes to deciding if they are true friends of Hamlet.  Revealing the secrets of a close friend could put anyone in the gray area of being a true friend.  Yet I believe it all depends on the secret and the situation in which it is reveal to decided if that person was in the right or the wrong.  If I had told a friend to keep a secret that could potentially put me in danger and they did NOT tell an authority figure I would question if they were true friends.  It all depends on the situation, but in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's case they put there friend in danger by revealing his secret.

Fate in Today's Society

In today's society we are constantly thinking about whether or not we are in control of our lives or if it is all up to fate.  Oedipus is continuously at battle with fate and the fact that his whole life is already predestined.  I would like to think that I do have some type of control over my life and I feel that's the thought process of most people.  However the idea that a higher power controls our lives is more of a religious idea.  Since today's society is less religious than that of Oedipus's, people lean more towards the chaos theory, nothing is controlling their decisions and nothing happens for a reason. 
For those who do believe in fate they could argue that since they don't have control over their lives they aren't going to fight it, on the other hand they could try to change their fate and believe that they have control over their lives.  People who don't believe in fate could have similar views, either that they are in total control of what happens to them or that since there is no meaning of life and we're not here for any special reason they are going to do whatever they want.  Personally I think that we are here for a reason.  That's what separates us from animals the curiosity of what we're doing. 
I feel that if we were just here according to the chaos theory than we wouldn't have the question of what is the meaning of life and are we in control of what happens to us.  I also tend to notice that people who claim that there is no meaning of life and just don't care aren't motivated to live their lives to the fullest and people who do believe that we are here for some reason try to live each day fully and are more likely to be successful in life.  I also notice ,and this is just a personal observation, that the people who do believe in a reason for living have some form a religion.  And those people who have a religion just tend to be more motivated because they have something to live for and those who just don't have faith in anything appear to be miserable and aren't motivated in living life.  I just would like to think that I am in control of what happens to my life but I also hope we are here for a reason.

September Blog: What is beauty?

What is art? The definition of art is, "the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance."  Question 62 of The Power of One Socratic Seminar questions asks how the protagonists of each book deals with artistry.  For Peekay, Howard Roark, and the narrator of Invisible Man art is a huge part of their lives.  However each one of these characters has a different way of expressing or producing their artwork.  In today's society we are told what is supposed to be beautiful and what is supposed to be ill-favored.  Teenagers and young adults, especially girls, have to try and live up to that impossible standard of "perfection".  Isn't beauty supposed to be in the eye of the beholder?  Artwork is meant to be something that is beautful or follows "aesthetic principles".  However, as shown in each of these books, the protagonists express their artwork in completely different ways.  Howark Roark believed that his architecture was far superior to that of his time.  Whether or not Roark actually believed his work was beautiful was unclear, but I think that he obviously acknowledged that it was some form of artwork since he would do anything to construct his buildings and artwork according to his plans.  Peekay's form of artwork was boxing.  In today's world, sports are commonly viewed as art. As previously explained, many people face the challenge of not being able to  live up to being that "perfect" athlete/artist.  Boxing was clearly Peekay's strength.  He was an exceptional boxer and he was even taught that boxing was a dance and was supposed to be beautiful. The narrator in Invisible Man had a form of artwork that was also all his own and may not be even be viewed as art. This artform was delivering speeches. Like Peekay and Roark, he was excpetional in his field. Through these speeches, he expressed himself and his ideas. In all three of these books, each artist was passionate about their artwork because it was something they loved to do and would try their best at for personal success.  That's the problem with today's society.  We are told what we should look like, excel in, or even how to act.  We are viewed as weird or strange if we are good at or enjoy doing something that the media hasn't approved.  People are so different and have different understandings of what is right or wrong or what is beautiful and should be considered artistry.  Everyone has something that they are passionate about and that is their artwork.  Whether another person consideres it to be beautiful or not does not  matter to a true artist.