[Western Philosophy class writing ii]

Do Hyun Lee

Professor Richard Menard

Western Philosophy

31 March 2013

Languages

             Languages are one of the very important factors that make human-beings as human-beings. Through languages people can easily communicate with others with less possibility of misunderstanding by listeners than communicating with body languages. Basic concept of communication via languages is that people should agree and know the terms of languages. It means that people should agree on the substance that each words represents regardless of the fact that the substance is a real existing material or just a simple imagination. For example, one day, one of our ancestors saw things that are sparkling on the night sky, and he just announced to others to call those sparkling things as stars. If other people did not agree on the term “stars,” the “stars” cannot be use as a word. Or a person just imagined a big reptile creature with three heads and wings, and called that creature a dragon, a thing that does not exist in the world. And other people in that era just agreed on this term and used “dragon” as a word that represent a creature with three heads and wings. Languages themselves are just symbols that indicate something, not the essence of substance.

             I do not agree with the point that Parmenides made: words are valuable and meaningful because the words indicate something real. I believe that words do not always need to be meaningful because the words do not indicate something real. To specify, I rather believe that the words recollect and represent memories that each people have on substance. For example, if I say “dragon,” it indicates the dragon that exists in my own memory, a memory that I have through reading an Ancient China myth. But when one in Greece hears a word “dragon,” he will eventually think the dragon that is mentioned in Ancient Greek myth. Like this, although most of people in different countries have and thought about the concept of dragons, each of them have different types of dragons as they earn the concept of dragon in every different references. This fact infers that the words do not represent something real, but they are just a means that brings up a part of memories. The words are symbols, and people create their own symbols base on their memories as they listened to the words.

             Another thing that Parmenides overlooked about the characteristics of languages is that languages change as time pass. In each language, there are some words that extinct and there are some words that are created newly because there are things that are useless and there are things that are created newly. For example, “gay” meant “excited” before, but now it is used as to mean homosexual. According to Parmenides’s logic, gay should not change its meaning and remain to indicate “excitement.” But it is real fact that meaning of gay changed to homosexual and represent homosexual. It is a fact that there is a possibility of change in meanings of words. And it is also a fact that some words’ definitions have changed through history. We can infer from these facts that words do not always represent something real and unchanging because change of the definitions is equal as change of substance by the logic of Parmenides. And if Parmenides really wanted to state that everything does not change, the definitions of the words should not change.

             One limitation of languages is that languages are very different from one another. In other words, there are several different languages that represent same idea or material. Chair, 의자, sillon, and other things represent same material although the languages are different. According to Parmenides, different languages represent same one reality. How can it be? Different languages mean different cultures, and there are various types of chairs in the world divided by different cultures. So the imaginary that comes into people’s mind if they hear “chair” will be different. That’s why Parmenides’s thought is not logical.

[Western Philosophy class writing]

Do Hyun Lee

Professor Richard Menard

Western Philosophy

19 March 2013

Existence of objectivity

             As I read this book, I kept inquiring myself about the existence of objectiveness in real world. People believe science and mathematics are two things that can be told as objective. Two phrases in this book made me doubt about the meaning of objectiveness: Most sciences, have inception, have been connected with some form of false belief, which gave them a fictitious value; the pure mathematician, like the musician, is a free creator of his world of ordered beauty. As Russell and Thomas Kuhn stated, there exist fundamentally hypothesis in science that can never be proved. Also Thomas Kuhn had stated that science is influenced by outer-interests. It is not just base on research but is base on interest of researchers. This means that science movements is kind of change in science paradigm, not objective science development.

            Before going to answer my question on existence of objectiveness, we should be clear on definition of objectiveness. According to Internet, meaning of objective is a state that is not influenced by personal feelings, interpretations, or prejudice; based on facts; unbiased. For people to determine objectivity there should be a definite and clear standard to make distinction between subjectivity and objectivity. It is really hard for people to determine whether something is influenced by personal feelings or not.

             Then what will be the things that are objective? How about time? Thanks to Albert Einstein, we easily know that time is relative; time changes as the speed of observer change. Not only that reason but also the time is a concept that people made. For convenience of people, they created time as a linear thing that can be easily matched with some incidents. The name of place is very subjective by the similar reason. Long time ago there were just something that people can stand on, and people called those something land. As time pass, people learned that there were lots of people living in different side of lands. For convenience of people, they created specific name for lands, which are called regions and locations. Like this, time and place are two things that are subjective.

             Can the fact be objective? For example, we believe that the war occurred in 25^th of June, 1950 in Korea. Although time and place are very subjective concept, people can claim that something happened. In this case, something is the fact, and people believe that the fact is objective. But I believe that the fact and the concept of object are two very different things because the meaning of objectiveness inherently includes the perception and views of people. This means that people can determine something happened as a fact, but cannot claim that the fact is objective because people have to percept that fact. And I believe this procedure will distort the fact, leading to a conclusion that people should distinguish between fact and objectiveness.

             Another thing that I’ve kept thinking about was subjectivity of languages. The actions of saying languages are very subjective because names for objects are indoctrinated by our ancestors’ values and thoughts. If the new objects or concepts are found, there will be new names and languages for those. So languages are not objective. But some might claim that I am contrasting my own opinion on objectivity as I claimed languages are formed to represent existence things. According to my logic, our ancestors created the word “objective” because it exists. But I believe that our ancestors misunderstood the concept of Intersub-Jektivität, which is mutual subjectivity. I cannot prove it, but I believe that our ancestors were amazed by some common subjectivity that is prevalent in society, a fact that made them to believe the existence of objectivity.

             The belief that I have on toward objectivity is very crucial for me because it infers that people can never find essence of concepts, which are made by people. People will understand or create symbols on concepts with their particular views. Because they have their own ideas and perspectives, people could not discuss on things as a same topic. If people are discussing on different problems, it is hard for them to make practical decisions. But people and academics are working so hard to reach to the clear end. So my motto in academic field is to bring new kind of concept that can be expressed with existing words or languages.

Traffic lights

             Darkness embraced me. Only small room with emptiness stayed in my sight. Alone in the one-room, I assimilated into the loneliness, the feeling that never felt before, the feeling that bloomed as my parents live across the ocean. Only the small bed, the small desk, and the small refrigerator are staying together with me, and 9 square meter area trapping me.

             Typing www.youtube.com, typing Eminem-Mocking bird, I logged into Facebook, watching photos that I took with friends, after the class ended. Friends who were there served out emptiness of family. As I remembered the moment of joy with my friends, as I imaged the moment, the loneliness kept rooting through my body.

             No one to eat with, and nothing to eat except instant foods. Three options for dinner: Going to McDonald’s and ordering Cheese burger set, or cooking instant noodle which can be easily cooked, and going to a restaurant alone. In those three, 3^rd option was hardly done. As usual, I grabbed a burger that I bought during way to the one-room. As usual, a cheese burger.

             It is my night-life after studying APs in private academy.

             Feeling of frustration suddenly swooped me. A result of loneliness and tiresome as I live in a small, limited, suppressing room for a month. Totally isolated from social life. Longing for a freedom, I just grabbed my phone and went outside, where people enjoying their night life with their friends or others. Can’t understand why they are so happy and laughing, or maybe I was just jealous about them. I was alone walking around the town. No one to talk with. No one there to listen to my words.

              Wandering around, I found the playground in front of me. There was no one but me in the playground. Riding a swing, I remembered the days when I was very young child who had a dream to be an artist, but whom failed to achieve it as my parents disagreed. The day when I fought with my parents for my own dream I ran away from the house and cried on a swing. Contrast with my youth, I, as a teenager, do not have specific goal or value that makes me live. My life is like a swinging trapeze that does not have a definite destination and swirling around but somewhat has limited movements.

             “Ah...Can I stop this kind of life? I am sick of this.”

             Tears burst. That night, moon watched me crying under her. I really wanted to escape. Escape from the reality. But I couldn’t. I couldn’t because of the sacrifice that my parents have done to make me exist, as Do Hyun Lee.

             “Should I just abandon my duty over parents? But no I can’t. How can a son ignore his parents’ sacrifice? But then how can I live my life?”

             My life, a production of parents’ interests and sacrifice, is a life of lab rat which is trapped in the puzzle. Nowhere to go, but heading somewhere unknown. Or someone is designing the rat to move somewhere, although the rat doesn’t want to move but want to have time to think.

             Thinking something unknown, people might say it is waste of time, but that’s what I really want. Think about things that are abstract, think about things that seem to have no solutions, think about life, think about academics, think about people, think about love, think about future, think about the world and society, and think about think itself. Those are what I really need and want for this moment and for future. Those are values that I want to pursue. Although I am not sure where these thoughts will lead my life, I am sure that these will lead somewhere I could enjoy my life.

             2:00 a.m. A text message from my sister: Are you living well?

             Answer: Totally, yes.

30 things I like

Thirty things I like

1. Friends

           I really enjoy making friends and playing with them. It is funnier and happier when I talk or play with my friends than staying alone. There are many crazy things that I can do with my friends, a motivation that makes my life joyful and fun.

2. Loneliness

           Mostly I enjoy staying with my friends, but there are some times that I want to be alone thinking. If something frustrating happens to me, I usually stay alone and organize my thoughts. After I spend my time alone, I feel confidence and relief. Also I usually stay alone when I think something weird. I just want to concentrate on my strange thoughts.

3. Independency

           I really enjoy independent life. It means that I really want to have perfect control on my life without interference from outer affects. I just want to be an owner of my life. So I love my current situation, living alone without parents in Korea. But I have to admit the fact that I am too young and un-experienced to fully take over control on my own life. I need some instructions that can lead my life.

4. Liberty/Freedom

           I personally believe that “rules are here to break down.” Well, I can get some advices or instructions that might help my life, but I do not really like restrictions or limitations on my life. I just do not want something to make limitation on my behavior unless it is established with acceptable reasons.

5. Soccer

           Soccer is one of the sports that I like to play with my friends. I play as a goalie and enjoy this position because I have absolute control of defenders in the game. I have power to change formations or tactics. And I feel great satisfaction when I block someone from making a goal.

6. Baseball

           Baseball is also one of the sports that I really enjoy to play. I play as a catcher in our school baseball team, a position which is similar with position goalie in soccer. I have absolute control on pitcher and formation. Although it is very demanding to sit down for hours under hot sultry weather, I love to enjoy my position as a controller of the game.

7. Drawing.

           I really enjoyed drawing since I was elementary school. My dream was an artist when I was elementary school. But I had to give up my dream as my art teacher told me that I do not have color sense which is very important part in art. But I attended 도화지, a drawing club, and enjoying drawings as a hobby.

8. Traveling/ overnight itinerary

           I really enjoy traveling with my friends. I can proudly(?) say that I am the student who went trips the most with my friends in KMLA. I really like to make recollections with my friends. Although there are many events to make reminiscent, I as a person who like liberty prefer to go overnight itinerary with my friends. Not only the preference of liberty but also I love to hear friends’ stories and have frank talks with my friends, and I found out that the mood in late nights of trips is the best mood to have honest talks.

9. Taking photographs

           I said I enjoy making recollections with my friends. So I really want to capture the feeling or sense that moment, not just imagining the moments. I figure out that only photographs can hold and grab the important and joyful moment eternally. I do not want to miss one of important pieces in my life, so I try to take lots of photos.

10. Philosophy

           Philosophy is one of academics that I am recently interested in. It’s embarrassing but I do not know much about philosophy; I can’t even define the term philosophy. But I love to read books and learn ideas and ideologies that predecessor thought about.

11. Books

           I desperately feel the need of learning as I study philosophy. There are so many concepts that I should learn as I study philosophy, and I think the best way to learn about the concepts is reading books. Not only books that are related with philosophy, but also I enjoy literatures because literatures are the best way to experience time era that I’ve never experienced.

12. Politics

           As I learn about histories and philosophies, I desired to learn about politics which is major field in social-science area. Including U.S. government and politics, I am attending Wayne’s comparative politics. I could learn basic structures of political system and political ideologies. Also lectures from Mr. Kim Sung Woo are really great teacher who can lead discussions and make students to think in other perspective.

13. Ecstasy

           As a human being, I really love ecstasy and tend to follow happiness. There are many ways to fulfill my ecstasy such as satisfying my fundamental desires to sleep or eat. Ecstasy is the basic concept that belies under my life. I pursue ecstasy, and I live to pursue more happiness. And I am not an idiot who abandon greater happiness to get trivial happiness right now.

14. Responsibility toward me

           Responsibility is another value that I think people should always have. Responsibility is a value that I should especially have because I really love freedom. We all know that freedom ensue the responsibility. And I know the fact that I have to be responsible to be independent as possible. So I work hard to become responsible person who takes care about myself.

15. Atheist

           I do not believe God and religion. But I am just aware of the fact that religion has great impact on literatures and philosophy.

16. Math

           It might seem weird that I like mathematics. But before I entered KMLA, I wanted to major physics. Indeed, to solve physics problem I should learn more about math. So I really loved to solve mathematics when I was middle school. Although I changed my profession to philosophy and politics, I still like mathematics

.

17. League of Legends

           Man’s desire.  

18. Criticizing/condemnation

           Indeed, it will be exaggeration that I like condemnation, but I like to ferret out nonsense or contradiction that he or she possesses. Also I like to reveal shame things that someone wants to hide. Or I just express my own thoughts about things that I cannot understand. Because of these behaviors, I earned a nickname called “돌직구.”

19. Frankness/honesty

           I really want people to be honest and frank, and I always want to be honest to myself. I don’t like one being “soft and nice” in front of people but criticize them in the back. I just want people to express their emotion or thoughts frankly, not pretending their behaviors by saying that “it is a manner to do so.”

20. Anton Chigurh

           Anton Chigurh is a character in a film called “No country for old man” who acts as a murderer base on his own standard and belief of human’s life. I love him because I agree with his belief that life is base on luck. He believes that people’s life and death depend on luck, so base on his belief he murders other people. I like distorted hero characters. 

21. Joker

           Joker is another example of “distorted hero” who is described in the film “Dark knight.” Although many people see Joker as a stereotype of a devil, I think he is not different from “Bat man.” Both of them violate law and use violence in a word of justice—in their own perspectives on justice. And I like his belief that “luck” is fair to everyone. 

22. Movies

           I like watching movies as much as reading books. I don’t really like Hollywood style movies but movies that involve distorted hero as a character. I also like watching romance movies which include beautiful actresses.

23. 또래오래(volunteer work)

           This a name of a community service club that I like and proud of being a member of this club. In this club, I teach mentally disable children. I teach them how to write their names, concepts of numbers, and read books for them. I really want to help those kids as much as I can because they are living in very abysmal conditions. When I see even an improvement by those children, I really feel happy and satisfaction.

24. Pretty Girls

           Man’s basic desire. There are many examples such as 이민정, 한가인, and 배수지.

25. Color black

           There are many colors, but I like color black the most. It is one black tone that seems to absorb everything, so I feel confident when I watch something black because it doesn’t disturb my eye sight. Also the color black represents coldness and loneliness which are the values that I prefer.

26. Room 1006

           This is a room where I am going to live for my 3^rd grade in KMLA. My roommates and ho-mates are very good and have great manners to other people. This means that we play when we play, and we can keep our private life. The one bad thing is that it is too high that it takes lots of time to go to 1^st floor.

27. Autumn

           Autumn is the best season among four seasons in my thought. The weather is not so hot and not so cold, but is cool enough which makes me fresh. Also this season is best season for me to play sports.

28. My sister

           I am really proud of my older sister and respect her because she is really hard working woman who has great responsibility on her activities. She won 1^st place in Korea Science Academy and receives scholarship from Samsung. She does not complain about environments around her but only focus on her life and attitude. I believe that she will definitely success in future.

29. Foods

           I like to eat delicious foods. Well, I have to say that eating delicious food is one of important desire for me.

30. Oxford

           I really want to go to Oxford.