Prompt 5

  The belief systems and philosophies that I agreed with the most were those of St. Augustine. St. Augustine said that he was 100% Christian but he also agreed and supported a lot of philosophical ideas. I believe this because I am a strong Christian and believe that God created the world and created man. I also believe that it is okay to wonder beyond that. When Sophie receives one of her first few letters asking her where the world came from, it makes her rethink herself, too. 

  

  One of the philosophies that I did not agree with were those on women. The fact that women were viewed lower than men were does not seem right to me. Women were seen only as wives and mothers. There was littler or no importance for women other than these two things. Men held all authority positions and were allowed to make a lot of major decisions that women had no input on. Today, people finally see that women are equal to men. Women today are just as successful as men ever had been. 

  I do not want to think of myself as deep in the rabbits fur but I believe that this is where I would most fit. I am not nearly as curious and thoughtful as philosophers that would be on the "tip of the fur". I think that after reading this book it has opened up my mind more to philosophical ideas.

Prompt 4

  The experiment with the red-tinted glasses left Sophie confused at first. Alberto related these red glasses to the world around Sophie. He uses Kant’s teaching about the ideas of time and space being able to change based on human condition. Although the world is obviously not all red, the glasses are supposed to be showing the world as Sophie sees it and what different things surround her. This example is showing that the way you choose to view things and the attitude you view them with effects how you see all things in life—whether good or bad. Alberto asks Sophie many different questions about Kant’s teachings that are all about the way that she chooses to view things from her perspective. He wants Sophie to see that perspective can change everything. The way she chooses to view a situation can alter the outcome and the way she sees everything from then on out.

 

  I can apply the issues brought up in Kant’s teachings to my own life because I know and I believe that your perspective has a huge impact on situations in your life. I believe that perspective has an effect on your attitude which could make you view situations differently—whether more positively or more negatively. The way that I choose to view different things that happen in my life dictate the outcome. If something bad happens, I can either look at it as something to be upset about or as an opportunity to find the good within it.

 

  Trying to have a more positive perspective when negative things are thrown your way could change your life and the lives of those around you. Your positive perspective could end up influencing others around you to have a better perspective on life, too. The way you view things can completely change them. It is up to you to let a situation change you or for you to change a situation.

Prompt 3

  In this chapter, Sophie learns a lot about St. Augustine “christianizing” old philosophy ideas. Philosophers had always believed that the world had just always been here and there was no such religious thing as a God creating it all. St. Augustine changed all of this as Sophie learns from the mysterious philosopher writing her.

 

  St. Augustine brought Christianity into this part of the world and opened up people’s minds to other ideas about how the world came about. He started teaching not only philosophy but also how religion—Christianity—was seen inside of philosophy.

  St. Augustine obviously was known for believing in philosophy but he also said that he was a Christian. Some people could argue that these two things somewhat cancel out each other. He goes on to explain that religion can only go so far. Some questions have no logical answer and had to be answered based on faith alone, without some fancy philosophical answer, while other questions had logical, thought out, factual answers. St. Augustine’s thoughts and beliefs impacted those around him and started a new way of thinking when it came to philosophy and religion—bringing the two closer than anyone had ever viewed them before. 

Prompt 2

  Aristotle's view on women seemed to go along with the past views of women--being of little importance, whereas Plato's views are seen more today. Women today are seen as pretty much equal to men. Women are more independent than ever before today. The way that Aristotle viewed women was just as having a certain job and not being worth anything beyond that. He saw women as wives and mothers. Womens only importance to some people such as Aristotle was to have children. It was not until way later that women started to be viewed as their own person and not just the wife of their husband. 

  In Gaarder's history, the philosopher that most stood out to me was Plato. Plato believed that women were equal to men. Instead of focusing on how much better men were, Plato chose to think about how both males and females actually acted and studied the way that both of them felt. Plato believed in certain classes of people. These classes were made up of what he believed to be the three most common virtues--wisdom, temperance, and courage. He believed that men and women both were capable of these virtues and could make a difference in the world which helped him see them as equal. 

  In the book, most of the characters that hold some sort of authority are men. In this time period women were not seen nearly as powerful as men were. Aristotle, along with most other philosophers of this time, believed that women were only there to care for their children and their husbands. The fact that most authority holding people were men is kind of disappointing because no one ever had a chance to see what women would have been able to bring to the table. 

  

Prompt 1

  In the first chapter of the book, the main character, Sophie, begins receiving letters from a mysterious person. The letter does not have a returning address and it does not have a stamp either--leaving Sophie with no way of knowing who had sent it to her. The first letter that Sophie receives says nothing except the simple question: who are you? It is not until a few days later that she finds another letter that says: where does the world come from?

  Sophie ponders these questions to no end much like the book caused me to do. When asking myself the question "who are you", I find it kind of hard to just simply come up with an answer. I am a teenager who goes to school and has friends and goals for my life. I wonder about the future and what I will be doing one day. It does not seem like there is much that sets me apart from other people my age but when you really think about it, there is no one else exactly like you. Even if I have the same interests as a lot of my friends and people my age, there is no one exactly like me. 

  Thinking about where the world came from isn't as big of a question to me. Growing up in a Christian family, I have always been taught that God created the world and everything in it. Although the book did make me put more thought into other possibilities of how the world came to be, I still believe that God created everything. It is a very amazing thing to think that one being created all of this world and all of man out of nothing.