Response Blog #5

This book used to be clever, but now it’s kind of dull. I loved the first time Alberto referenced the fact that they were in a book, as it was very clever, but it has diminishing returns. When subtly referenced, it was extremely witty, and it allowed for fanciful mind games. However, it insults my intelligence by making it obvious. When Alberto literally says “next chapter”, I don’t like that. I really like subtle hints or easter eggs, so I can read into the book more and more and ponder whether there’s actually something there. I like little subtle hints, not overt flashing neons signs blaring “irony”. I acknowledge that this book may be written for younger audiences, but I still don’t like its simplicity. I can handle more vague references, I am willing to work harder to understand the whole that the book is saying. I like that kind of book. I don’t want the author to literally hand it to me. In a similar vein, I don’t like the way that the fictional characters are portrayed and handled. There is so much potential here, yet I feel like this was a misplay on the author’s behalf. The author’s attempt comes off as a sort of force-feeding, as he is shoving Winnie the Pooh or Scrooge down my throat. I feel as though a fleeting allusion would be more effective, make the reader wonder what the author meant. I don’t know the proper way to do that would be, but I feel that there was so much wasted potential here. Finally, I’ll end on a positive note. I really like the fact that Hilde goes to the encyclopedia and references what she just read. That is fantastic character building and also supplies the reader with more information.

Connection Blog #4

As we began covering the Enlightenment means of thinking, our class began speaking of mathematics. It upset me that people thought math was only 2+2=4 and simple stuff like that. In reality, math is so much more. Since I am going to do math for the rest of my life, I’m going to go ahead on a rant and prove how math models our reality, and I will argue that higher understanding of math will improve morals and outlook on society. First of all, we will examine the ability to understand reality through math. We know that the earth, through gravity, has an inherent pull on on all objects, with an acceleration of 9.8 meters per second squared. Through calculus, we can integrate that and find that the velocity is equal to 9.8 times time, all that in meters per second. Integrating again, we can find that the position of the velocity is equal to 9.8 multiplied by the time squared, with other variables tossed in. This is obviously quite simplistic, but the general idea is there. We can model quite literally anything in the real world with math, so it does not seem like that much a leap to model things in the subjective world. Say, for example, emotions. There are ups and downs, so we could model them with a sin function, which is a trigonometric wave. This does make sense, as the time between highs and lows can be adjusted graphically. We could also use mathematical functions to determine one’s values, with variables such as role models and upbringing. In fact, we already have a similar function with determining one’s political ideology. We can determine ideology with variables like age, family, race, gender, class, education, and the like.

Response Blog #4

In every book I read, I always like to have a little thought experiment with the reality of the book. When I was younger, I always liked to read at least two books at a time and see how the characters would interact with each other. For example, I would read Artemis Fowl and Harry Potter at the same time, and see how they would interact. Despite imagining Harry Potter committing massive heists, and having Jack and Annie cast spells, I never imagined that those characters would be reading about each other. This is so eloquent, and I admire the way that the author managed this situation. This is the best way to tie together so many loose strands. The author is like a god to the characters, and that really fits together with the philosophy being discussed and the question of whether a deity exists. Throughout the book, there are so many impossible occurrences. Futuristic letters, talking dogs, messages inside a banana, and the sheer improbability of everything in the book, all of these are objectively impossible. Up until this point I thought that the book was just childish, and that I was not the target audience of the book, as Sophie is just thirteen or fourteen. I just turned seventeen. I wasn’t particularly interested in all the silly hijinks or that kind of humor, I just wanted the philosophy. Now, I really enjoy this story, and everything makes sense. Hilde’s father is extremely witty and intelligent, and is able to entertain Hilde with inside jokes and references. This story is just so meta!!

Connection Blog #3

SPOILER ALERT!!!!! In class, we are discussing Inception, so I am going to take this opportunity to discuss The Matrix, Inception, and all forms of non-reality. When I first watched those movies, I was paranoid that this was not real life. I felt every day that things worked out too well, or too orchestrated for this to be real life. I tried so hard to detect what reality was, and it really took a toll on me. Ultimately, I reached one conclusion: reality does not matter. When I rewatch The Matrix, now I root for the Agents, and actively discourage Neo and the rebels. I have decided that life is meaningless, and it is the same amount of meaningless whether you are asleep, awake, in a simulation, or in real life. The only purpose is to enjoy your existence. The people in the Matrix enjoy their meaningless day to day lives, and that is their purpose for living. Under the robot control, they are still enjoying existence. Neo wants to take that away from them. In Inception, Leonardo DiCaprio ultimately ends with his kids, but we are unsure of whether or not it is a dream. It does not matter at all! Cobbes found happiness, and that is all that he is meant to do. I feel that happiness in fiction is far better than unhappiness in reality. That is the reason why books, movies, songs, stories, and all forms of fantasies exist. And the worst part in all of those is the end. We enjoy fiction, alternate scenarios, anything to escape cold brutal reality. And I, for one, would gladly choose a good un-reality than a dreary reality. In a similar vein of Descartes, the only thing that I know is true is that I exist. I do not know if anyone else exists. I could very easily be in a simulation, or dream, or coma, or mind control. It does not matter. I make the most out of my everyday life, regardless of whether it is real or not.

SIDE NOTE: I can't remember whether connection is with book and reflection is with the class, or if it is the other way around. Sorry.

Reflection Blog #3

I’m really tripped up in the story. Hilde’s father wrote his daughter a message INSIDE a banana. My last response was also about the absurdity of Hilde’s father, and this seems to be rather continuous theme. I ruled out the possibility of Hilde’s father being a god, because that would ruin any philosophical doubt regarding a divine spirit. Another possibility I thought of would be the simple fact that Hilde and her father could not exist. This seems increasingly unlikely, as that would mean that Alberto has the ability to write messages on the inside of a banana, which I doubt. Since we have started watching Inception in class, I am wondering whether you, the nefarious Mr. Wickersham, are plotting all this to work out together. I believe that this entire book is not reality. This leads us to many potential outcomes. The first, and most sinister implication is that Alberto Knox is real, and is giving Sophie mind-altering drugs. I don’t think this is probable, as if it were, we would not be reading this in a public high school. I don’t think you, as a teacher, would encourage us to read a story about an old man getting a 13-year-old girl addicted to drugs. Although Sophie’s mom did already reference drugs…

Nevertheless, we can move past that. There is a possibility that Sophie is taking these drugs herself, and is imagining Alberto Knox. Once again, I think that as a teacher and parent, you would not give us this book. Finally, what I think is the most realistic, is that Sophie is just dreaming the whole thing. The last few lines will be “Sophie woke up with a start. It felt like she had been asleep for years. She raced downstairs and saw her mom making breakfast. Her mom asked if she was ready for school, and she said that she doubted it like Descartes. Her mom just chuckled and said that Sophie had been reading her textbook into the ungodly hours of the morning, and that she’d expect Sophie to know more than Descartes by now.”

SIDE NOTE: I can't remember whether connection is with book and reflection is with the class, or if it is the other way around. Sorry. 

Connection Blog #2

I do recall that Mr. Wickersham said we can write this about anything that we spoke about in class, so I will expand upon something that I said in a discussion monday regarding the existence of a god. Let me begin by stating that these views are not applicable to everyone, and this is only applicable to the information I have, which is mostly Christianity. This discussion revolves around this one sentence: I know there is no God, but I strongly believe in Him. There is a lot to unpack here. First of all I know that there is no God, and this is due to modern day science. The Bible, which is supposed to be the literal word of God, is inaccurate. While it still has morals to live life by (which I will address later), the fact that it states that the world was created in seven days and that Adam and Eve were the first and only humans are factually wrong. While it is certainly understandable that a century-old writing has flaws, it means that either the book is either not the exact word of God, or that God does not exist. It is much harder to prove that God does not exist, but it is just as hard to prove that He does. Religious people say that they intrinsically have a sense that there is a God. I have the same kind of intuition that there is no God. Moving onto the next part of the sentence, I believe in Him. This is where the discussion actually becomes philosophical. Above all else, belief in God justifies my external locus of control. I feel out of control, and that something else dictates my life. A God is a perfect justification, as if good things happen, I can say that it is divine will, and if things go wrong, I can still feel that this is all going along with a deity's plan. I think that religion could still have a positive impact on society, regardless of whether there is a God or not. I’ve seen people who donate their time and money to various charitable causes, in the name of God. In that case, it doesn’t matter whether there actually is a God or not, as long as the concept exists.

Response Blog #2

I think Hilde and her father are not real. In the book, her father is sending letters from the future, on Hilde’s birthday. This is quite implausible. He sends a postcard offering his condolences for Hilde losing several things, all of which are miraculously found by Sophie. That is impossible. All throughout the book, Hilde’s father has tremendous power and seems to have control over everything. There are only two potential explanations: Hilde’s father is a God, or he is not real. I don’t think Hilde’s father is a God, simply because of the nature of the book. The book is about philosophy, and a key pillar of philosophy is whether or not a god even exists. By including a God in his book, the author eliminates a key portion of philosophy from even being discussed. Also, if Hilde’s father is a God, that means Hilde isn’t real or she is a divine figure. If Hilde is real, that means that the author is taking a stance on religion, and would most likely endorse Christianity. Once again, that is not good philosophical discussion. That would leave us with Hilde not existing, which is plausible. If he were a God, Hilde’s father could be using Hilde as a foil for Sophie, or to encourage her somehow. However, one does not have to be a deity in order to create a foil for Sophie, so this by no means proves Hilde’s father’s divinity. I think Hilde’s father is a projection of Alberto Knox, either knowingly or unknowingly. A potential explanation could be something Fight Club-esque. There is a possibility that Alberto could have a split personality of Hilde’s father or Hilde, and assume their identity to write the postcards. This is quite unrealistic, as this is a very heavy subject for the author to attempt to address in this book. I think a more likely scenario is if Alberto knowingly created the two fictional characters all to entertain and educate Sophie. The two characters provide a sense of intrigue and urgency for Sophie. I can say for certain that if I had a mysterious soldier sending me future postcards about Chemistry, I’d pay way more attention in that class.