Philosophy [Long as shit entry]
Jan. 31st, 2006 03:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
themegalooI should almost certainly be doing my HW for tomorrow, but instead I’m finding that I absolutely must reflect here about my philosophy class.
Which was a rather morbid class today since we were talking a lot about death and turning family members in for murder- whether or not we would on the latter. Interesting conversation.
At any rate, it was the death one that was rather interesting to me. We’ve been talking about The Apology [Plato, Death of Socrates] since basically the second day of class. One of the things Socrates says is that to fear death is to think yourself wiser than you are because how are you to know that death is something to be feared? To fear anything, by that right, is rather silly because we don’t know for certain that it will turn out badly. By rights, we don’t know anything for certain, so why fear it? We certainly don’t know for certain the sun will rise tomorrow, but why lose sleep over it?
As the class goes on, I end up with this odd look on my face for whatever reason. So the prof asks why [he’s pretty cool like that]. So is tart talking about maybe it’s not so much the fear that matters, but not caring so much about being afraid. I said that I know I’m afraid of a lot of things, I’m afraid of rejection, of not being accepted. But at the same time, I can’t let that fear run me and stop me from believing in the things I do, stop me from caring. He asked for an example, I said gay rights was something important to me that I know not everyone agrees with.
So he asked if I were surrounded by people who were going to kill me if I didn’t renounce that, but would spare me if I did—Would I renounce my convictions? I don’t see how I could. Naturally, I don’t want to die. But could I honestly go back on something I believe in so strongly? No. I don’t even see that as a choice. Hell, I’d do anything physically possible not to die, talk them out of it, run, fight, whatever. But to give up what I believe, now that would be a great loss.
Would human rights be something so terrible to die for? My classmates didn’t seem to really get it. When I said that dropping my beliefs wasn’t really a choice, one guy had to point out that really, it was still an option. My retort was that you’d have to be a wimpy coward for that.
I’m not a strong person; I’m a mousey, scared person most of the time. But no one has the right to demand your life in exchange for your beliefs. Or to injure you for them, insult you, etc. Those things I believe most strongly in are those I will not back down for. Not now, not ever.
I still see everyone as the same, all as people. How could I stand down and say I don’t care about hate crime, don’t care about a kid being tormented about being gay, don’t care about someone struggling with their gender identity, don’t care about someone of a different religion trying to get by as a minority without constant taunts. Maybe not everyone sees it, but these things do happen. They could happen to so many of the people I hold dear, they could happen to me.
I may be weak, but they’re my convictions. Maybe if I did die for them, nothing would be accomplished. But maybe one person would see things a little differently.
Socrates didn’t want to die, but he wouldn’t back down and stop being who he was, doing what he did. Never would he stop asking questions. So he died for them, but not without a damn good argument.
That’s really something to learn- don’t let go. Ever.
Which was a rather morbid class today since we were talking a lot about death and turning family members in for murder- whether or not we would on the latter. Interesting conversation.
At any rate, it was the death one that was rather interesting to me. We’ve been talking about The Apology [Plato, Death of Socrates] since basically the second day of class. One of the things Socrates says is that to fear death is to think yourself wiser than you are because how are you to know that death is something to be feared? To fear anything, by that right, is rather silly because we don’t know for certain that it will turn out badly. By rights, we don’t know anything for certain, so why fear it? We certainly don’t know for certain the sun will rise tomorrow, but why lose sleep over it?
As the class goes on, I end up with this odd look on my face for whatever reason. So the prof asks why [he’s pretty cool like that]. So is tart talking about maybe it’s not so much the fear that matters, but not caring so much about being afraid. I said that I know I’m afraid of a lot of things, I’m afraid of rejection, of not being accepted. But at the same time, I can’t let that fear run me and stop me from believing in the things I do, stop me from caring. He asked for an example, I said gay rights was something important to me that I know not everyone agrees with.
So he asked if I were surrounded by people who were going to kill me if I didn’t renounce that, but would spare me if I did—Would I renounce my convictions? I don’t see how I could. Naturally, I don’t want to die. But could I honestly go back on something I believe in so strongly? No. I don’t even see that as a choice. Hell, I’d do anything physically possible not to die, talk them out of it, run, fight, whatever. But to give up what I believe, now that would be a great loss.
Would human rights be something so terrible to die for? My classmates didn’t seem to really get it. When I said that dropping my beliefs wasn’t really a choice, one guy had to point out that really, it was still an option. My retort was that you’d have to be a wimpy coward for that.
I’m not a strong person; I’m a mousey, scared person most of the time. But no one has the right to demand your life in exchange for your beliefs. Or to injure you for them, insult you, etc. Those things I believe most strongly in are those I will not back down for. Not now, not ever.
I still see everyone as the same, all as people. How could I stand down and say I don’t care about hate crime, don’t care about a kid being tormented about being gay, don’t care about someone struggling with their gender identity, don’t care about someone of a different religion trying to get by as a minority without constant taunts. Maybe not everyone sees it, but these things do happen. They could happen to so many of the people I hold dear, they could happen to me.
I may be weak, but they’re my convictions. Maybe if I did die for them, nothing would be accomplished. But maybe one person would see things a little differently.
Socrates didn’t want to die, but he wouldn’t back down and stop being who he was, doing what he did. Never would he stop asking questions. So he died for them, but not without a damn good argument.
That’s really something to learn- don’t let go. Ever.
