The world and its outskirts.

What is the origin of the Universe? Savater tries to explain what the universe is in different ways; he uses quotes from philosophers, deductions, etc. I thought one explanation was really interesting; "But as Bertrand Russell remarked, although every human being has a mother, this does not allow us to suppose that humanity as a whole must also have a mother." That is an extremely radical answer to any person. Today I read in a book an alien telling to a person: "Oh you think like such a human". That is really true! We think in a human way; we saw in the last chapter that humanity had it hard to accept we are not the center of everything. So I would say that the(a?) Universe is a result of our need of belongingess. I'll explain: We have a mother, we have friends, we have family = We belong to our family, we belong to our friends, because they share things with us, so we belong to the universe instead of the universe belonging to us! that's human reasoning, but what about the soooo manyyyyyyyy other things that the universe "has", not all of them have a mother (though some of them do), and we try and try to find a mother for those who appear to lack of her. In conclusion, the Universe COULD not have an origin as the universe is not a human, and we could stop thinking humanly, stop being so selfish-thinking and begin to ACCEPT other kind of relations, which maybe are completely different from ours, and not because of that meaning to be wrong. (like a song: not because you're it does mean I'm wrong)

The world

I really liked this chapter but I also found very interesting stuff like the creation of the world. It is what it impressed me the most. This topic is very interesting for me and I have done some research before of what happened because it’s true we don’t find things just like they. Something or someone has to create everything. I have never seen that something appears just from nowhere. That’s one of the most important questions of the world. Nobody can know exactly what happened because nobody was there to see it. At the beginning of the world there was no life. But I have seen some discovery channel programs that scientist have discovered that I don’t really understood how but billions of years ago, some lightening hit the Earth and created the first living organism it was not composed of even of cells. Then after millions and millions of years that little organism has evolved to a little fish and then it started to evolve in different species and different ones again. Then I don’t know how they got outside the water and started to be able to live outside water. Then that organism evolved into dinosaurs and on and on till we got to this complex human body capable of thinking and able to do whatever his mind lets them. In conclusion, I definitely think that one of the most important ability of the world in order to get what it is today is the ability to evolve.

According to Savater’s Book, our world can be divided, theoretically, into some smaller worlds; starting with our small world where we live the common life including the places and friends, then, the community of the city where you are; continuing with the national and international part, then going on to the planet Earth and the Solar system. Then comes all the others things like the galaxies, systems, stars, black holes, etc. everything included in this immense place whose limits are unknown, and that we call Universe; which is very controversial, because there are many things we don’t know about it, like if it is finite or infinite? I think right now it is quite impossible to know this.
I think it is a very interesting form of dividing the World, and that it is indeed true; because we are conscious of the world closer to us, and not about all the things that have happened, happen, and will happen in other countries; only some of the things because we saw or heard them. It is like the expression “He lives in his own world”, that means he is not conscious of what is happening around him, only what he is thinking.
This was just theoretically, because when we are traveling or moved to live at another place, our small world moves with us, and everything in the scale changes. It would be difficult to move a world don’t you think? So, it is just theoretically.

The World without Humans

In this chapter Savater tried to show us some of the important points about the human being, how it is different to other species, how we interact, and how we live.

Many people argued that we are a special being that create needs. Is to say that the other species try to survive and reproduce only. Mean while humans try to find and create new needs for living better.

To survive in the modern human civilization, humans need to take a part of our childhood in school. That means that humans need to be “trained“to incorporate to our modern human civilization. It is to say, that we need to learn a language, a culture, etc.

One philosopher I found interesting was Picco della Mirandola. He said that we are a “version” of God, which means that we are able to create things and manipulate the nature. I think this is a very good point of view, which goes together with religion, because God said that human were created similarly as him.

Yesterday, I saw a TV show called “The World without Humans”, it shows the people how it would be if for some reason the humans disappear. They said that there would be many viruses, that would kill many animals, and after 1000 years without humans, there would be very little clues of the existence of the human civilization.

We are a special race, and even though we make mistakes that other animals do not, we will always be the leading race in the world, even if we are called animals.

Symbolic Animal

This chapter says we are symbolic animals, conventional and representative. This chapter says that we learn those symbols, so it is like we since the very first time that come to this world, start adquiring the representation of all those symbols that are present in our daily lives and also those which aren't. It says that we don't come to the world "knowing" symbols. I think it doesn't apply for everyone, but I recognize it can be generalized. But thats not my point, my point is, why each symbol has it's meaning? or how does each symbol got its own representation? at what time we started giving meanings and associations to symbols? were we animals or humans when this occurred? Maybe is not easy to answer this, but I believe deeply in our minds we have those basis which are fundamental in creating and recognizing symbols, and thats why I think people yes learn symbolism but also we could have a perception that helps us "guess" the meaning of a symbol, like something that comes with the whole package, not just by using it. From ancient times, we have been creating these symbols, people often mind: what does it represent? and they spend years trying to figure out, but what if we concentrate on why were they created? maybe we would understand that we could have made them to help us in the transition of Life, on adaption, and most of all, to preserve our achievements and our race maybe?

The symbolic animal

I really want to talk about this chapter for many different reasons. The most interesting thing while reading this chapter was the three humiliations we have received. These humiliations are about what people believe and then someone proves it the other way. I mean, everyone in the planet believes in something and then one guy comes up with a proven fact which makes the belief incorrect.
The first one is the discovery of Copernicus, Galileo, and Kepler. They said that Earth was not the center of the universe as everybody thought. It is not as majestic and privileged as the people believed in the ancient times. The Earth orbits around the sun as 8 other planets. Then the second one is said by Darwin. He demonstrated that humans are not by God in his own image but stem. He proved that humans are evolved like that because of mutations in our genes and by his theory of "Survival for the fittest" he proved that we evolved from primates. And then the last one was Sigmund Freud, and he transformed our soul or consciousness in something far from transparent influenced by unconscious impulses. For me it is very interesting because it definitely believe in these “Theories” more than what people think. I rather trust in science than anything else because most of the facts are proven. So why should we keep trusting people?
Also I want to say that as science proves it, I believe we’re just animals but in difference to them, we have a complex brain which let us think more than using the instinct as animals.

"The Symbolic Animal"

All of us, which belong to the human species, can also be considered animals. Why not? It is not something offensive; we are only another different species, which have different qualities and capacities. One of the most important, that I agree, is the use of our verbal language, including all the different ones that exist; taught to us by our parents from generation to generation, and that we ameliorate in school.
Even the German modern thinker Ernst Cassirer called us a “Symbolic Animal”, because of this use of language, that he called symbols. Symbols are signs that represent something; the most used are the words and numbers. I agree with his statement, because we are a species of animal, and we do communicate by symbols, that constitute the different languages.
One thing that has not yet a clear answer, only hypotheses, is the origin of these languages. I suppose that it started with the first humans, that made some sounds or drawings to represent things, and with time it was ameliorated, and then evolved into different ancient language. After this, I think it continued to evolve and expand, until these languages that we, humans, use nowadays. There are many doubts surroundings the origin of the languages, and the only thing we can give are hypotheses, nothing more because nobody is sure. Everyone have their own hypothesis on this.

"The Human Machine"

What do you think when you see a person driving like a jerk on the streets? You may say: “What the hell is going on with this guy?” Or “He is surely drunk”, but what do you think when you see a person that could cause a lot of damages. “He is crazy let’s get away from him”, you may say, or “He surely has psychological problems”.

But, have you really thought that human body could be just as a machine, like a car, and what it controls it, is a kind of spirit or should I call it “soul”? It is kind of confusing, right? Because the religion says that the soul separates from the body when we die, so if somebody dies, can another soul use that body? Or the Mexican runner Ana Guevara has the one of the fastest “human machine” on earth?

Many people on earth believe that human body can be possessed by another force, it could be positive or negative force, but if that is true, what happens with the original soul? Maybe he decided to take a vacation, because he was very tired, or what?

I think that you should take care of what you have, material or “human” things, and it does not matter what “machine” you have, what really matters is what it has inside.

I

This chapter talks a lot about the different possibilities of our existence. I think it became a mental need to establish who we are, why are here, why do we exist, etc.

Many theories were pictured, and some of them are quite unusual. For example, the theory that says that we are being controlled by some martians or by a superpower and that all of what we see, live everyday and consider as "Life" is nothing but an illusion, makes me think we are just like lab rats, or if we were in a perpetual dream. I prefer not to believe in such ideas, I slightly believe another supposition: There are powerful "People" or "Powers" that somehow influence our DECISIONS in Life, like designing more or less a type of Life, but not yet controlling it fully, I mean, I consider that we are not machines. I believe that there is no perfection, I don't even believe that God is perfect, I think that there are always options. Like we choose things because something/someone motivates us to do it, but at least it is ourselves who decide. I just don't agree that we are controlled by a superpower(maybe ego can't let me accept it), maybe some of my choices are, but what I think, what I feel, what I perceive, I think its just mine, and nobody else's(or at least the sensation of it). I believe in my indivuality, but I don't reject fully the superpower theory as I assume that sometimes several events could be pre-meditated and designed in order to influence decisions(in order to be designed or controlled, there has to be another I that is the responsible of it right? so in that case She/He/It is alone? same as us? how many there are?), order and impact in Life itself.

The meaning of " I "

I really liked this chapter because of so many things. First of all, it explains truths that we will maybe never ask ourselves and which are very interesting to know about. What I really liked the most and what it impressed me the most is the beginning of the chapter when they explain Descartes ideas about humanity. He had two theories, the first one talked about how we might be watching and listening illusions. Maybe we are just dreaming and everything that happens in our lives is just a dream. This can be true because when we dream at night we don’t even know we are dreaming. We feel like we are there. Also, in modern philosophy, this theory has evolved and now it says that we don’t need to be dreaming, we might be just some brains that have our own lives in it. The second theory of Descartes was that we might be just some experiment of a superpower. Maybe just like he said we are just an experiment and controlled by a malignant spirit which only laughs about us and don’t even care of what’s going on. These theories are funny and sometimes sound crazy but they might be correct. We don’t know anything. I really don’t believe in any of these theories but I can’t be sure about anything. Even though they exist or not, like the book said, at least I know one truth. The truth that I EXIST.

I inside, I outside

I read an interesting quote said by the French mathematician and philosopher René Descartes “I think, therefore I am”. I agree somehow with this quote, but I think it is missing some important parts like “I perceive”, “I reason”, and “I feel”, because as humans we don’t just think, but we also perceived the things that surround us and natural phenomena that happen, and then we analyze them; and we feel things.
Maybe this is what Descartes was thinking when he said that quote, the “think” include the perception, reason, and feel part. But we will never know for sure, he was in another époque, where life and thoughts were different.
This quote has been criticized by various philosophers, like the English David Hume, because of the use of “I”. “It thinks” exist, because animals also think, of course not like humans, but they do. Therefore, Descartes quote using “I” was ambiguous, it let us think about it and analyze it. I think that, somehow, this is good because there are many different conclusions and thoughts concerning the quote, and you can see many perspectives, and may agree or not, you learn something.
An hypothesis, an ironic one that surely not everybody will agree, thinking about the époque, is that intelligent and reasonable people that use their brain are really persons, somebody, while dumb people of the time are just there, not meaning a lot. This hypothesis sounds a lot racist, I don’t think it is really true, but one never knows…
Another one, maybe he thought that people that use their brain, an essential part of the body, for thinking can be aware of themselves, others, and things around, so they are kind of sure of their existence, of them in the world.

Reasoning

Reasoning

Did you know every single human has the ability of reasoning? But, do you know many people use it very little? Yes this is the reality, we are in a world that day with day everything is easier for us, but what does it have to do all this with reason, simply that many answers to the questions of life, can be found by the use of reason.

Since I am in philosophy class, I have encountered many things that I did not care before, but now I am interested in many things, and for me one of the most interesting themes, is reason. From the chapter “The truths of reason”, although I found it kind of confusing, I also found it very interesting and what can I say of it, is that those groups that think that human is not a reliable source of information are extremely in the wrong side, since as we saw in the introduction of the book, wisdom is one of the strong points, which helps us to find the truth, so if humans are not reliable, and the knowledge is only given to one person, then we are deep in the hole, because it is supposed that all humans have the same abilities, the only difference is that not everybody applies it.

“Reason is the glory of human nature, and one of the chief eminences whereby we are raised above the beasts, in this lower world.”

Isaac Watts

The Truths Of Reason

I think reason is very important and useful in our daily life; and the best is that all of us are capable to use it, of course not in the same way, as we all think differently in a point or another; I agree that it help us think and analyze information that we get in different ways. There are many mistakes we do in life just because we don’t think logically, this is why I think that we need to analyze our actions, and that, I think, should be by our reasoning. I know sometimes we don’t care to analyze things further, and I think it is not always that important to do so, if it is not something that interest you, or something that can be useful for your life or work.

When I read something that interests me, I search more information about it, and personally I can say I use reason to analyze the things I just read, to determine first with my own reasoning if it is logic for me, and then I can look for more information to determine if it is true, because sometimes, it can happen that information believed true can be proven wrong. Also, maybe the reasoning about the information that we did is wrong, we can make mistakes, we are human. Reasoning helps us to think by ourselves, analyzing the information we get; it help us to keep thinking, and also have our own ideas about the information we got, and also about other things in life.

TRUTHS

"Your truth? No, Truth;
come seek it with me,
As for yours, you can keep it"
This comes on Savater's book, but what does it really mean???
Savater usually has a lot of point of views or at least shows a lot of point of views, and suddenly he refutates each one of them! Which classification of point of view we belong to? What does people want to believe? why do people believe some things and some other its nearly impossible for us to believe? Well first of all I think we take a belief as guaranteed depending on the argument that sustains that belief. For example, if the argument was: I believe this because a god named quetzalcoatl revealed me in a dream that Humans in fact are a kind of reptile. Well, most of the people would "believe" that I'm crazy because in this time, in this century we appear to have other ways to verify if something is truth or not. The point is that first of all, (In my personal view) some truths change among time, place, etc.(relative) while other don't, secondly, why would a vision like this be revealed to just one person? why can't a GOD give EVERYBODY a vision? Why would this person be so special? Well i don't know if its ego or something but i think that in order to state something we all should get access at least to the REASONS why it is the way it is. Come seek it with me? well yeah, so we both know what you are talking about.

Have anybody already thought about the quantity of question in the world that are unexplainable? In my opinion, I will say that there are so many things in the world that humans had never discovered and will never do it. I think people are discovering each day so many nature marvelous and maybe keep doing it because that’s what science is encharge of but we are so far away of understanding perfectly how everything works and why is everything like it is. I think that for the world to form so many things had happened and species had evolved so much and got very complex that maybe human will never be able to understand even how they perfectly work or how were we exactly got to what we are today. I agree with what Savater said, I think we can learn so many things everyday in our lives. We can learn them from lots of different ways and sources: we can learn it in school, we can learn it from our parents and friends, and we can learn it just because we experience it, or also we can learn it by revelation (what Gods show to us). There are so many different ways so that’s why I agree with Savater but I am the kind of person the tries to get the answer for every question that comes up to my mind but I totally believe that there are so many question that have no answer or maybe they do but we haven’t figured it out yet and we are not even close.