Really Deep Feelings That Are Just Being Talked About

Prompt 15: Leonard relies upon scribbled notes to connect him to his past. He says that eyewitness testimony is worthless: “Memory can change the shape of a room…” Is he right? Do you think our memories are more reliable than his notes? Hume says identity is just a habit we have. Do you think Hume would see Leonard’s condition as any different from our own? Do you agree with Leonard’s statement that we all need mirrors to remind us who we are? In the movie the mirrors were his notes, the photographs, and tattoos. What has he become by relying upon them? What would you become without your own mirrors? How does a view of self that relies upon mirrors fit with Hume’s theory?

In the movie Memento, we have Leonard, Leonard suffers from short term memory loss that occurred after a tragic event. During the movie Leonard carries several photos, telling about his life and his current circumstances, and in one scene he mentions how police do not gather evidence my memories, because people can lie, so they gather facts in order to keep a consistent and truthful story.

Before the film I would have completely agreed with Leonard that memory can change the shape of a room. However after watching this movie is has occurred to me that our memory actual is very important because if one fact is wrong it can lead us astray, just as Leonard was lead astray by the confusion and lack of understanding from his notes. So as a result I think notes can keep a story consistent but I do consider our memories to be more reliable than notes because notes can always have some sort of story and or bias that is contained in them, not that our memory doesn’t but it alines more with a consistent truth. For example, at the end of the film Leonard writes on the back of Teddy’s picture “Don’t trust his lies” and this wasn’t because Teddy was a liar or a bad person, in my opinion he was the most just person within the story, but Leonard didn’t want to believe the stories he had because then Leonard was have to face the reality that he can’t be normal and or move past his wife and her death.

Based on the statement “Identity is …but merely a quality, which we attribute to…” said by Hume in his theory about identity (325-326), I do not believe that Hume would think that Leonard’s state is any different from our own, to the extent that Leonard would have a more severe case of Hume’s condition for everyone. Leonard is always in the same habit, as it is revealed at the end of the movie, Leonard is always in this constant cycle of wanting to kill John G.,

“Do you know how many John G’s there are Leonard, shit, I am a John G”, says Teddy

Teddy in the final minutes of the film reveals to us that Leonard had already killed multiple John G’s before he ended up killing Teddy. Leonard being in the constant cycle of wanting to seek revenge on his wife, even though he has already sought out revenge for the real killer. This is similar to Hume’s explanation for us that we are just in a constant trance of our habits and life itself is just a auto pilot of habit.

When Leonard mentions that we all need mirrors to remember who we are, I do believe that we need mirrors, however all mirrors don’t have to be physical. Mirrors can be our family or our friends who remind us of who we are. Or possibly your religion can be a mirror and can remind you of your purpose, and or self. These mirrors are important because they remind us of why we do things and without them it can lead us from becoming someone we are not.

The idea of Mirrors fit Hume’s theory because it matches with his statement, ” As to causation we may observe that the true idea of the human mind is to consider it as a system of different perceptions or different existences, that are linked together.” (Hume 328). What Hume is telling us is that through these reminders or “systems of different perceptions” we develop these patterns through memory which is our mirrors.

I did not have my mirrors I would be one lost and sad puppy. I have a loud inner critic that is always striving for perfection, when in reality perfection is not attainable. And so one of my major mirror is my faith and I am constantly reminded that there is grace from God, not by anything I’ve done but out of love for his creation “He gave…”

Word Count: 790

What is the process Descartes uses in his search for knowledge? Why doesn’t he stop after the argument that the senses cannot be trusted? How does each stage push his skepticism even further? What does he know by the end of meditation 1?

In Descartes article his process for the search of knowledge is to strip everything away, everything he knows he wants to get rid of, he wants a drastic change in order to completely switch he view. Descartes also believes that “and it is wiser not to trust entirely to anything by which we have once been deceived”, so essentially he is saying that if something leads you astray once it is automatically considered untrustworthy. After Descartes declares that the senses are untrustworthy we notice that he continues to explain he theories about dreams and how often we can see our dreams as true, ” How often has it happened to me that in the night I dreamt that I found myself in this particular place, that I was dressed and seated near the fire, whilst in reality I was lying undressed in bed!”. So he tries to prove to us that are sense are untrustworthy and even goes on a tangent explaining how he could still me in a dream right now, ” And my astonishment is such from sleep that I am lost in astonishment. And my astonishment is such that it is almost capable of persuading me that I now dream.” Each stage pushes he skepticism further because it seems like every paragraph he is further convincing himself that everything is a lie. He even goes far into the deep end by describing how God is actually deceiving us and is an evil genius who is tricking us all. Descartes by the end of his first mediation convinces himself that he can no longer trust anyone or anything which makes him suggest, ” I shall consider myself as having no hands, no flesh, no blood, nor any senses, yet falsely believing myself to possess all these things; I shall remain obstinately attached to this idea.” I find this quote very interesting because that means he can no longer even trust this theory because he is putting trust in this theory. So according to Descartes by the end of his first mediation we can’t even believe that the air we are breathing right now if even real or the family that we dearly love or the friends we’ve spent our whole lives with…FAKE.

Word Count: 412

In the show Ugly Delicious hosted by the notorious Chef David Chang, Chang takes on the question, what makes a certain food good or authentic. In his episode that explores home cooking his definition of something authentic is when you taste a food and it takes you back to a time or place, or reminds you of someone. While explaining this Chang pulls a clip from the movie Ratatouille where the food critic tries the food and is taken back to his childhood. I feel like Tolstoy would agree that food or food that resembles this kind of experience would be considered art. The individuality or what Tolstoy mentions ,”On the greater or lesser individuality of the feeling transmitted” would be the Chef’s taste, touch, and preference which shows individuality. There is clearness or what Tolstoy says “on the greater or lesser clearness with which the feeling is transmitted” because the food brings the audience, or the person trying the food back to a memory in a very specific way. The sincerity, or how Tolstoy says ” on the greater or lesser force with which the artist himself feels the emotion he transmits”, of food would be the fact that the memory is so specific that it takes the individual back to their personal flashback just as food has done to us at some point. Overall, David Chang and the movie Ratatouille make a great effort to demonstrate thoroughly the ideas of individuality, clearness, and sincerity that Tolstoy would describes as good art. So maybe an In N Out burger can be Good Art?!

Word Count: 264

Tolstoy uses the test of infectiousness, not only as a descriptive measure for what should count as art, but also as a standard for good art (#28-32). What does he mean by this standard? How does he suggest we apply this test to evaluate art? Is this a useful proposal for evaluating the quality of art? If you disagree with this proposal, how would you challenge it?

I think another word Tolstoy could use in replace of the word infectiousness could be influence. What Tolstoy is trying to hammer into us is that art should be moving and it should provoke us to some sort of action, whether good or bad I am not sure. Tolstoy suggest that we one, have a “greater of lesser individuality of the feeling transmitted”, or what he could be saying is that the author has formatted something very original and unique to the artist. Then he goes on to mention that ” greater or lesser clearness with which the feeling is transmitted”, or a sense of skilled presentation should be displayed, or in other words the artist creates something not only unique but well done. Finally he mentions “on the sincerity of the writer on the greater or lesser force with which the artist himself (so sexist) feels the emotion he transmits”, or that based on what you feel should line up with what the artist wanted you to feel. Now Tolstoy doesn’t mean we should feel the same emotions necessarily but should reveal some sort of universal theme. For example, in John Legend’s song All of Me we may not be able to connect to John’s relationship specifically, but we have had that connection of emotion to love and intimacy for someone, and I feel like that song brings us to that. Overall, I do think this is a great way to introduce yourself to art. Furthermore, I do believe that this way of looking at art can lead to the lot of healing for many people. In today’s society, individuals, especially guys, have a hard time communicating emotions in a way that is safe and vulnerable. By being able to see other people able to express themselves through the form of art can show people that there are way to express themselves without going down a slippery slope and can display a connection that will make people say ” I am not alone!”.

Word Count: 334

How does Existenz, the film, fit into Plato’s hierarchical scheme of reality? How does the game, Trancendenz fit?

The movie existenz has a great fit into Plato’s hierarchical scheme of reality. In the movie the characters are introduced in what the audience thinks is the physical world, but they characters of the movie are really already involved in a game simulation. So from Plato’s view the characters from the beginning of the film, are in “the cave” or a world which feels like reality. As they continue to play the game, or the audience assuming is the physical world, the characters step into another game world or “another painting of the cave” as Plato would put it. This movie is full of rabbit holes and there is this constant paradox and questions of “Are they in the real world?” As the movie keeps on asking this question, Plato’s cave analogy and thoughts continue to ask us the same question.

As the movie kept pulling away from each game simulation, or what we thought and even the characters thought was the physical world, we are revealed at the end of the movie that what seemed to be the physical world could have been another game simulation, as the character at the end of the movie says, “Tell me the truth are we still in the game.”

It is interesting to notice throughout the film characters constantly touching things and gripping walls, tables, chairs, and other objects with no hesitation of its realness, which later proves to be a dilemma because the characters themselves are not even sure what is real or the game anymore. Just as the movie shows this, Plato’s thesis tells us the same thing. Plato is constantly mentioning how we can’t trust reality because he is unsure of what is real because everything in “the cave”, which he believes we are all in, has become so real to us that we cannot differentiate what is real. Overall this movie did a decent job revealing Plato’s ideas but that still doesn’t mean that this stuff doesn’t make my head throb any less.

Word Count: 353

Is there a parallel between the status of the prisoners in Plato’s cave and the spectators in a cinema? In other words, how are we deceived by movies and other media? Do we mistake fiction for reality? Is it possible that this physical world isn’t reality?

In Plato’s writings about the Allegory in the Cave, he mentions how this physical world we live in today is merely a mirage. How Plato describes this is that all of us are stuck in a cave which is the only true reality we know. He then mentions how we are unable to escape the cave and how we as people are unable to experience this real world or, reality. In fact Plato believes that if someone where to actually encounter this real world they would be rejected by society and be seen as a lunatic. In today’s world, we live in an age where knowledge is at our finger tips and we have the chance to step into other worlds and experience what it might be like through another person’s shoes, through film and cinema. Even though the generation of technology is very useful I believe many people, especially Americans, have fallen into the trap that riches and fame will solve your problems. For example, we see on Instagram the celebrities who are posting picture of themselves living the good life, whether that is at the beach chillin with a mimosa or maybe them showing off their 6 pack abs, like c’mon put some clothes on please. As a result individuals conceive rich and famous people have it easy or their lives are put together. However this is extremely wrong, if we were to take a real look into these famous people’s lives we would find out that they have problems just like the everyday person; they laugh, they cry, they fight, they get frustrated, and they get sad. Unfortunately we don’t see the real side of these individuals which can lead people to believe that chasing after fame and fortune is going to take away their problems, when in reality that is a HUGE lie. This example of today’s world fits perfectly with what Plato is saying because none of us get the full picture; just as the prisoners weren’t able to get the full picture of their own reality. As a result of this it can lead to false conclusions and can keep us from better understanding a more real world. I believe that this physical world is a reality which results in many people chasing something that will not fix their problems.

Word count: 431

Explain the characteristics of a belief that is live, forced, and momentous. Give examples for each. What kind of belief fits all three? Has James found an exception to Clifford’s standard for belief? Do you agree more with Clifford or James?

A hypothesis that is live is one that consists of having relevance and have some appeal or pull towards the audience. An example of this would be if I asked a little boy if he wanted a cookie or ice cream. This would be considered a live hypothesis because: one it is relevant to the boy and two it is appealing and pulling, like who doesn’t want to have cookie or ice cream? A option that is forced would be a question that you couldn’t avoid or a “no standing place outside of the alternative” (James 1). An example of a forced hypothesis would be “either take this cookie or do not”, as you can see there is no escape from the question or its unavoidable either the cookie is taken or it isn’t. A option or hypothesis that is momentous would be a once in a lifetime kind of option. For example, if someone came up to you and asked, ” Do you want to take a free trip to space”, this is a momentous option or hypothesis because it’s not a legit question that you are asked everyday. An example of all three of these hypothesis that James used is religion because either that belief leads too big rewards “even now” as James tells us and it is forced because this is a huge hypothesis you can’t escape because it is either you are or you are not. Lastly this topic of religion would be considered living as well because this question is relevant and has some appeal or interest to all people. James has found an exception for Clifford’s standard of belief because this is based off of his experience which James claims to be a bias of fear and has no prevalence to the real world because people are still going to take risks. I do agree with James in his stance against Clifford’s standard of belief, however I do believe that Clifford’s stance is valid even if it doesn’t stop people there is still some truth involved with Clifford’s message.

Word Count: 343

Cliffords Claim:

1. All beliefs influence action in some way
2. Action based on unjustified beliefs causes harm directly
3. Actions based on unjustified beliefs promote credulity (which results in broad social ills)
4. C: Therefore, it is always wrong to hold unjustified beliefs

I believe that this argument shows validity in the sense that the premises or the claims about belief all lead to that fact that their is doubt in all beliefs of humans; this connection is logical. I also believe that this argument does have soundness as well. All the premises are true in the sense that all people do have beliefs or in a sense thoughts and opinions. People are not fully control, if so I think we would not consider them a person, and also no belief can be certain based on the fact that we are not in full control. Therefore, we must assume that there is some form of doubt whether thought or actually spoken. I believe Clifford’s argument shows practical significance at least in our world today. For example when Clifford mentions, “It is true that this duty is a hard one, and the doubt which comes out of it is often a very bitter thing. It leaves us bare and powerless where we thought that we were safe and strong. To know all about anything is to know how to deal with it under all circumstances.” (Clifford 5). This is a perfect example of the COVID-19 situation going on right now. So many people feeling a sense of powerlessness and uncertainty which leaves many bitter and a sense of feeling insecure and scared.

Another example I see in my life is every time I drive to school low on gas, I have some belief that I will get to school with gas left in my car. Fortunately, I have not run out of gas on my way to school…yet. Although I have made it, there is always some doubt or possibility that I will not make it to school, which is what Clifford mentions in his excerpt.

From looking at Cliffords arguments he does not appear to have any fallacies within his stances. I feel that Cliffords arguments are very sound due to the fact that it can easy see this is the lives of humans today. For example with politics, religion, and sports all these are very different but people do put lots of belief in such things. We can be certain of this because if someone really believes in a political party they will vote, maybe even put a sticker on their car. In addition with religion, if people truly believe in their religion we see that their lives are transformed by those beliefs and they are compelled to even sacrifice things that people might see as a BIG DEAL. Lastly with sports, we see the belief of sports in such a way that people will spend thousands of dollars to ditch the comfort of their couch to watch their favorite teams live and in person…talk about belief!

Word Count: 504

Not having water can give you a headache.

Advil helps relieve headaches.

Advil can replace water.

Slippery Slope:

If you don’t do this homework assignment you wont be prepared for the test. If you don’t prepare for the test, you will fail the test. If you fail the test, you will fail the class. If you fail the class, you parents will kick you out. If your parents kick you out you will be homeless. If your homeless you end up in a ditch

Straw Man:

Parent: “You can not play video games until your room is not cleaned up”

Child: “You don’t love me”

Tu Quoque:

Smoker: You shouldn’t smoke its terrible for your lungs (coughs) (take a hit)

Individual Listening: well if its so terrible why do you still smoke?

Non-sequitur:

Since I am hiring this man today I am giving him pay, since I am paying him that means I am giving him life because without money he cannot buy food and without food he will die.

False Dichotomy:

So did you smoke weed this morning or this afternoon?

Argument from ignorance:

Since the I didn’t see you eat your vegetables, you did not eat them.

Red Herring:

Cute Girl: Hey do you like me?

Boy: (blushes) that movie was soo good!

Fallacies of choice:

Red Herring:

New Employee: So will their be dental in my new plan?

Business: We think dental is very important! Just as we do 401k! If you take this new plan the 401k is included which we know you will really like.

Argument from ignorance:

Since you can’t prove that you can juggle at this second, I have to assume you can’t juggle.

Word Count: 328

Valid argument:

1. Clifford is a dog
2. Dogs are not red
3. Clifford is not red

Sound Argument:

1. Spongebob is a sea creature
2. Sea Creatures lives in the sea
3. Spongebob lives in the sea

Weak Inductive Argument:

1. I have never turned in a late assignment
2. Since I have never turned in a late assignment
3. Therefore, I will never turn in a late assignment

Strong Inductive Argument:

1. All men will die
2. I am a man
3. Therefore, I will die

Word Count: 76