The End???

Everything that's happening for the final time seems bittersweet...such as the final blog posting for Humanities.  However, this has possibly inspired me to start a random blog of my own...

Well I have to say I was a bit disappointed this week with class...I was soo looking forward to watching The Girl with a Pearl Earring.  However, we instead watched Monty Python and the Holy Grail which I personally found very stupid, pathetic, and slightly idiotic.  I guess it's just not my type of humor...  Oh well, I did find the other movie on YouTube so I look forward to finding a time to watch it after all this homework slows down...  Let's see, my reasoning for the whole Monty Python thing???  Well the scene where they are cutting off limbs and red stuff is gushing out is gross!  The rest of the "funny parts" just seem more stupid...but after talking to several people I guess that's just me...

Well, I guess now is the time I should be going back over all the material that we've read and discussed in order to prepare for the upcoming final...but this class has definitely made me a bit more interested in things in the philosophy realm.  Maybe not all of that stuff is too difficult to understand after all...  Well happy thoughts to everyone else reading this...and although philosophy seems to be good at forcing you to over-analyze, don't become like me, dangerously thinking everything could mean various things... :)

A Reason for Everything

This was another one of those weeks where everything we read or talked about in Humanities seemed to apply to something happening in my own life!  It's also neat to see how some of the philosophers' views actually parallel my own Christian beliefs.

It started with Rousseau's writing...  When reading it, I felt that the main point was that if the world revolved around just one person, everything would be better.  But the addition of others and the idea of relationships complicates everything.  Now, like I've recently experienced, we find ourselves desiring to be noticed, especially by the opposite gender.  In order to do this I am constantly watching myself so that I'm not exposing things that should remain hidden.  We are introduced to the idea of the social contract.  Maybe we wouldn't hear the phrase, "It's not fair!" as much if we had this perspective.  Because by this we are given freedoms, but must be willing to sacrifice some for the good of all.  My view of how "unschooling" would best be helpful would be a lesser version in which students were asked at the beginning what type of things they would be interested in learning.  That way, they are allowed to do some of the choosing, yet they aren't allowed to run wild with their freedom so there is still some guidance.  I do in a way believe that one's surrounding environment impacts their level of sin, but overall I believe that we were all born sinners.

Now to Candide where indeed we are puzzled whether or not the good of the world outweighs the evils.  Because I do lean toward the belief of predestination in which God planned everything before we even came to be, I would agree that everything happens for a reason and in the end, it is the best possible way that it could turn out.  Although something may seem horrible at the time, God will actually use it as something good for someone somewhere.  For me, knowing that God has it all planned out is the most comforting thing and it gets me through the day, but it also can be the most frustrating when you are waiting for certain parts of the plan, like finding Mr. Right, to play out.  Another idea that was interesting to me was that in the case of humans, "All knowledge is believed, but not everything that is believed is known."  However, God is all-knowing so this is not true for God.  I can relate to this though by saying that with my overanalyzing mind, I may believe something means a certain thing, however it is hardly ever known for a fact at the time.
It was also interesting to see the parallels between Candide and the Garden of Eden.  To think, one sin and now look at all the evil in this world.  However, going back to the overarching theme, there is a reason for everything...so hopefully in the end all the good will overshadow the bit of necessary evil...God is in control of this earth that is best for now until we reach heaven, which I believe will be the "Best of All Possible Worlds!"

Are you enlightened yet?

The topic of discussion this week was the period called, "The Enlightenment."  Supposedly this was the point when people based their thinking on reason.  Things were classified with reason, yet they also saw the possibility of progress, perfectibility, and freedom.  I had heard about John Locke's idea of "tabula rasa" in some of my other classes.  However, I'm not sure that I totally believe it, I instead am more apt to believe that everyone is born a sinner.  Also, no one is able to reach the point of perfection.  Why does it always seem that these ideal ideas can never occur in reality?  Another example of this is the social contract.  If only we would all see the benefits of banning together to achieve rights, yet be willing to give up some things for the good of all.  We can't have everything we want, and in the end, that is ultimately best.

One of the most intriguing concepts has to be Adam Smith's idea of the invisible hand.  In a way I can connect this to my religious beliefs that God has his hand in everything.  Do you think this is where Smith got his ideas?  Either way, isn't it interesting how the market tends to work itself out of messes and often works for the best of all (of course this perfect state doesn't exist either...).

The idea of the salon, although I'm not entirely sure what it would be like, seems like a nice idea.  It seems almost like a sophisticated coffee shop full of intellectuals in the midst of deep discussion.  And with the literature of the time, especially Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility, you could sit in an elaborately decorated environment with a good book!

Talking about the rococo style reminds of the gorgeous places in Europe and Spain that I've visited.  Maybe it's just me, but all the gorgeous gold decoration and pastel colors is beautiful in my eyes.  And I love chandeliers!  Although I do agree that in some rooms, it can be a bit much.  I'm not much for the Roman style of architecture, but I like the inside decorations and some of the artwork.  One of my favorite paintings was the one about Cornelia and her children being her treasures.  Instead of seeing it as a feminist statement, I see it more as a step in the direction as women taking their rightful places in society because they shouldn't be seen as property.  However, in a way, although they may not be shocking in this day and age, all the nude paintings seem to be just another way of showing the disrespect shown to women.  (This is my conservative side speaking, but still...I am of the belief that a woman's or person's, for that matter, personality should be of more examining than the outward appearance.)  In the end, as always, periods have good elements, but they can never fully disguise or cover the sinfulness of society.

I Think, Therefore I Am...the Downfalls of Thinking...

So I found it slightly ironic that practically all of this week's readings and discussions concerned the topic of thinking.  I happen to be a pro at over analyzing every little thing that is done and said around me!  So I most definitely agree with the whole idea of "idols of the mind" because the mind is where it all happens.  I have even gotten to the point where I have to write out my feelings just so I can stop thinking about them!  Along with part of the discussion on Monday, I am also a pro at doubting, which is a form of thinking.  Since this all means existence, I should never have to doubt that!  The whole idea of gravity being like the mind and being able to act on matter from a distance also made sense to me.  It seems that everything has connections, it may be distant, but my mind still decides to focus on them.  This can be frustrating or helpful.

I first enjoyed reading Bacon's ideas of truth, death, love, and studies.  For me, the most interesting topic was the one about death and how we all seem to be contemplating it.  (I think this issue was addressed earlier in the semester by another philosopher.)  This seems to tie into the next part we read about the "idols of the mind."  It is so true that we have so many biases built up in our minds.  Oftentimes I find mine are more my individual beliefs rather than those that the culture of man has built up in my mind.  However, overall I think society suffers most from the one of marketplace where words are taken to mean the wrong thing.  Misunderstandings can cause so much chaos and pain in many ways!  If I have one opinion it supposedly affects everything else.  I found it interesting that we are more excited by affirmatives, yet negatives are more forcible.  Everything just seems to culminate to mean that with all the senses getting involved things get even more complicated...such is life I guess!

Well, I wasn't able to listen to Friday's discussion because I went on a concert tour with the college choirs to Douglas and Casper, WY.  So my bit of Humanities for the day was listening to songs from various time periods, including the Renaissance.  However, I did read Pope's essay and felt I was in total agreeance with a lot of things that he mentioned.  It was all about human nature and how our lives are cluttered with so many virtues, some positive and some painful.  Pope is again still contemplating how God fits in with all this and we are now coming to the part where science is brought into play too.  What a great ending too, to ask about what brings happiness and bliss to human nature.  Can we even find it on this earth in the midst of the confusion brought about by the thoughts of our minds?

The Dark Side...

So watched the finale of Hamlet in class on Monday...  I have decided that Shakespeare really doesn't like to leave any characters standing, they must be better off dead!  I felt so bad for Ophelia because she just couldn't stand the depression stemming from her father's death, which made her quite crazy.  I know that when I am disappointed or upset from something I may do strange, unusual things, but I don't think I would ever go to her extreme.  I am almost surprised that Hamlet didn't become even crazier after seeing Ophelia's crazy state, knowing that the love he had for her would probably never be the same.  Well, all I have to say is so much for happy endings in Shakespeare's mind...although if heaven was their destiny then possibly that would make it better.

Next we discussed the art and religion aspects surrounding the reformation.  Again, I enjoy looking at artwork, but I feel that I prefer the simple portraits or the landscape ones versus the depressing or abstract ones.  Mannerism seems to have less rules about how things should look, which could have been especially helpful for artists so that they don't have as many expectations.  I almost think it makes the artwork more exciting and interesting because your eye isn't necessarily drawn to one spot and there is so much going on within the painting.  It is fun to actually have the background design be detailed and show a part of the story.  I am still somewhat surprised that since the church was usually the patron of the artwork that some of this artwork was approved.

While it may have scared the men and it kind of grosses me out, I kind of like that they had the painting of the women overpowering the guy and chopping his head off ("Judith Slaying Holofernes").  And I'm not even close to a feminist!  I think it more just shows that women can be powerful and anything is possible!  I have actually seen some of El Greco's work while I was in Spain, but never really liked the style, it seemed quite bizarre and dark.  I much prefer the happy, family atmosphere portrayed by "The Feast of Saint Nicholas."  With all this gorgeous artwork being produced, it is slightly surprising that it took until this time for the art market to totally flourish.
Next we will be reading some of Bacon's essays and just from looking at the titles they should be quite interesting...it's always interesting to hear people's views on things like death and love!

To Be or Not to Be???

"To be or not to be..."
This phrase seems to be a constant part of the explanation of my life considering plans seem to change so suddenly, good things come to an end, and people betray you...sometimes I'm left wondering Why? or What if? However, I am definitely not to the suicidal point as Hamlet is (my roommate says she would be upset if I got to that low point...).  On the other hand, I would stick with the idea of good old sleep being my escape into dreamland where anything can happen!  Hamlet has so many depressing soliloquies...it makes me feel sorry for the guy, but he does have his weird moments too...like his relationship with his mother or his overall craziness...

When trying to read "Hamlet," I discovered that it seemed to be easier to understand if I read it aloud (even though my roommate made have labeled me as crazy as a result...oh well!)  I really enjoyed this quote that I found: "Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice.  Take each man's censure, but reserve thy judgment."  It seems to be saying that listening is more valuable and often you should keep your opinion to yourself.  On the other side, you should listen to others' advice, but make the ultimate decision on your own.


Then it was decided that it would probably make more sense if we instead watched it...and indeed I think it does...reminds me of how it was easier for me to read Pride and Prejudice after watching the movie.  I think it is because you can see the characters' emotions and actually see their actions take place.  It is then easier to put a personality to the characters and hear the actor's voice even when reading the play itself.  It is a lot like still being able to understand the opera in Austria even though it was completely in German.


The most interesting character to me almost seems to be Ophelia...maybe it's because at first I can relate with her when she has a guy that seems to like her, but she is warned to be careful because he might be the type to hop from girl to girl.  It was funny to read how they described flirting in Old English.  According to my notes, "toy in blood" is translated to flirtation.  I guess maybe they get that idea from the fact that flirting could be described as toying and blood could refer to the blush that it could cause.  But anyways, it is interesting nonetheless...  Now I will eagerly await to see how the actors portray the ending...

Montaigne's Views on Life

Looking at the ideas of Montaigne from his essays and the class discussion that corresponds to this has made me discover even more that I love listening to different philosophical views and thinking how they match up with my own beliefs.  Why not add in some more deep thinking in the midst of my random, connecting-to-everything thoughts in my mind?!?

Wednesday's topic was regret and repentance and whether either was worth one's time.  I was of the opinion that you should regret past wrongs, however, one should not dwell on it because after all, one cannot change the past.  I believe that by regretting the past, you are actually sorry for those actions so this should help you avoid doing them again in the future.  Although I disagree with Montaigne that repentance is a waste of time I found it interesting with his view that you don't see something as it's going to bad when you do it, but only when you are looking back.  I think that is so true because sometimes I find myself looking back and thinking how dumb my actions were, but I must have been blind the moment I did them.  Some other interesting thoughts brought from discussion include the whole idea that someone does not "make" you mad, but you choose to be mad as a result of something.  Also, I had never thought about it before, but it is quite true that we don't see the cause of something until the effect occurs.  Overall, the weirdest topic of the day was that of living the same moments over and over again in life.  I am still puzzled of how this could be....maybe I don't fully understand what it means...  However, when faced with the question of "Would you choose to live your life over again exactly as it was?" I wanted to say no at first....I'd rather fix the mistakes I made.  But then I thought again and do truly believe that all the pain and tough times have molded me into the person I am today...I really don't want to change that at all....  Maybe the blessings do come through pain...

Friday brought about the uplifting topic of death, which we learned we should be constantly thinking about.  For me, I guess it would depend what aspect I'm concentrating on whether this would totally depress me or actually bring a bit of hope.  One aspect is scary & worrisome, especially with the pain issue.  On the other hand, as a Christian, I look forward to the end of this life and escaping this horrid life to go to heaven.  It is also interesting to think of death being the only thing that is fully ours....so does our death ultimately show our individuality?  Also, I found the video about Cambridge and Montaigne very interesting.  I was mostly intrigued by the questions he asked in the examination for wisdom versus the usual ones that only test learning...  The question mentioned that I felt would be interesting to hear others responses was, "How do you tell if you are 'in love' or 'infatuated'?"  But it is indeed true that sometimes the people who are the most knowledgeable about facts have the least amount of common sense or life skills.

Well I guess we are now going into the world of Shakespeare & Hamlet!  I'm kind of looking forward to this especially since looking at the character names I have heard references to some of them so maybe now I'll be able to understand them better!

Hello from Europe!!!

Well first of all I was informed by another Humanities student that we still had to blog over mid-term break, which scared me first of all because I was worried that we wouldn't always have internet.  Then I was also worried because we were supposed to have blogged exactly every 7 days according to her.  I was under the impression that we just had to do it once a week, but not necessarily exactly 7 days or less between....so hopefully I've done okay so far....  As for the internet, I have not seen any internet cafes so I am dependent on the hotels and the nice people who let me borrow their laptops!  So to post this blog we shared the cost of 15 Euro internet...yikes!!!!  Then I guess the website comes up in German at first....hmm, this definitely isn't my strongest or second strongest language!!!

But anyways, Europe has been absolutely amazing and breathtaking!!!!  I've loved every moment of it!!!  My favorite part was definitely the castle that me and a couple other girls hiked up to in the city of Salzburg.  It was a long walk, but was definitely worth it to get the magical feeling of being inside a castle with a awe-filling view of the city and the mountains!  Throughout the trip we've seen so many cathedrals and beautifully built buildings.  It always seems I'm looking up at the gorgeous artwork above.  It also seems extra magical and cool singing our songs in the atmospheres of huge churches and cathedrals!  The goosebumps I got didn't just come from the extremely cold temperatures inside the churches!  We also got to go to an opera last night and then saw a choir rehearse at a musical high school today!  Then at supper tonight we even got serenaded with music by a violin and an accordion player....music is everywhere!  Along with the delicious chocolate torte of Vienna that I've gotten to sample twice today....sigh....everything is so delicious!!!!!  Sometimes it seems that everything is better in Europe....except for the air totally ruined by cigarette smoke!!!  If you're wondering where we've been...we've been to Prague, Czech Republic; Cesky Kumlov, Czech Republic; Salzburg, Austria; and Vienna, Austria.

For stuff we've covered in class...there have been a few mentions of Renaissance architecture and that time period.  Even though we didn't see any of the artwork we've looked at in class, I have definitely found that whenever you look at art in person, it is that much more phenomenal!  In the architecture realm, one Renaissance thing pointed out was called some sort of graffiti art on the side of buildings.  It looked like things were tattooed on the side of the building.  There was so much history mentioned too...today, the Black Death was even mentioned when we saw this statue in Vienna.

Well, we're off to our last stop tomorrow....Budapest, Hungary....another castle!!!  Yeah!!!  I'm not sure if I'll really want to come home after all of this!

What is a true Utopia?

This week explores the aspects of a Utopia, both through the words of Sir Thomas More and through class discussion.  While reading I found it interesting how structured their schedules were and how they all had a job that they did for the same amount of time each day.  It makes me wondered if this supposed "utopia" could be so structured that it is almost boring.  What in the world is perfect about that?  Their families requirements seem a bit on the extreme side, but at least there is less chance for poverty since everyone is allowed to just take what they need.  I also liked how they described the hospital because it actually sounded like it might not be drudgery to go there!  In the area of dress, I wonder what the distinguishing factor is between those that are married and those that are unmarried.  Also, it is quite fascinating that jewels are only for the children.  Quite opposite of our society where children are not even allowed to touch expensive things!  Isn't it fun though to read about someone else's "utopia" and compare it to what you may imagine?

Then to the class discussion, which went in some interesting directions.  The main part of class was spent discussing whether the individual or society is responsible for a criminal.  I believe that it is society's fault because the environment and things around a person are what shapes his/her beliefs and morals.  In other words I agreed with the statement that society creates conditions to create criminals.  Personally I find this really sad and wonder if there is even a way to stop this from happening any further.  Then we discussed when capital punishment should be used.  I found that I don't really have a strong opinion on this issue.  Maybe it is based upon the fact that I just don't feel right about killing at all.  To end on an interesting note, it's mindboggling to analyze the statement that Dr. Tucker made about pleasure causing pain for someone else....is this absolutely true in every situation?  I guess it probably is, even if it is just a small element....this may in fact make me a bit more wary about everything I choose to do.

Now I will soon be off to Europe...possibly in some of the same areas these Renaissance artists and writers visited...stepping back in time...for a break...possibly a taste of a utopia...or does everyone have a place in their lives that is considered their "utopia?"

Changes of Religion & a Glimpse of Utopia

Well, we didn't end up having as much class this week....in fact only one real day and on Friday I was one of the ten who came to class because I didn't see the e-mail soon enough, but oh well....anyways...
Both classes focused on the Protestant Reformation and the actions of Martin Luther.  This was a time of vast disruption in the church.  Also, the printing press was developed, which assisted in the the furthering of literacy, especially that of the church.  Can you imagine what would have happened if the printing press was never developed???  I also found it interesting to hear such a thing as the dancing craze came about and all from the powers of rye??  That is crazy!

Last of all was all about Martin Luther and his blossoming ideas that were developed.  It was especially interesting for the idea of predestination to reemerge since I had recently had a conversation with a guy on whether predestination or free will is the most accurate.  I think that I believe a combination of both because God is all knowing yet gave us free will yet He knows what we are going to choose.  In the end, I believe that this is a concept we may not fully comprehend on this earth.  Until watching the movie on Friday, I did not fully know the extent of Luther's life.  I don't know what I thought, but I did not know that his parents were so unsupportive and that he started out as a monk in the Catholic church.  It was interesting how they worded that he felt he'd never please either of his fathers, earthly or heavenly.  I am so glad he came to his senses seeing that salvation is achieved just by believing and that he then shared this idea with the world!

As for Utopia, I was really looking forward to reading it, mostly because it is mentioned in the movie "Ever After," which I love!  However, the first book was quite disappointing.  It was confusing and was mostly talking about the downfalls of society.  I am really looking forward to the part describing this utopia because it seems a way to escape the icky realities of this world!
Also, this is the week of our midterm...I'm hoping for the best, but am a bit scared with a few of the broader questions....then it's off to Europe with the choir to see places possibly involved in stuff we are talking about in class! :)

Is Ignorance Bliss???

Besides a little discussion about Renaissance art, specifically Durer, this week's discussion was mostly on Erasmus's Praise of Folly.  His ideas were a big part of Northern or Christian Humanism.  His goal was to reform the church from within.  He went back to the sources of the writings in order to develop his ideas.  I found how Prof. Tucker summed it up, "If you can't have what you desire, desire what you have."  I would actually say this is somewhat how I was brought up or at least strive to be.  My view is that in the end, even the difficult things are somehow blessings from God.

I also found it interesting how big of a deal it was with the translation of "metanoya" to "change of heart."  This demonstrates how difficult it was to get everything accurate and with the same meaning when moving from one language to another.  Sometimes it still seems today that we have troubles with words with multiple meanings.  One little mistake and it could anger someone to an extreme level.

The first part of the book basically focuses on how in all actuality, foolishness is what brings people happiness.  At one point it even goes so far as to say that one must have wisdom in order to be foolish.  In a way, this makes sense because some of the foolish things people do often seem quite foolish.  And sometimes unfairly, it seems the "foolish" people get out of some miserable stuff too.  Another interesting quote that I read said that "speech is the least deceptive mirror of the mind."  Even though I'm not entirely sure what that means, it seems that oftentimes what people say reveals a lot and it is hardest to hide things in speech.

Then we skipped to reading the end of the book (although I may be weird and go back and read the rest...), which again showed specifically how princes seem to be deceitful and foolish in order to get their way.  Although I found it difficult to see, Erasmus is actually against princes acting this way.  He also makes fun of bishops, cardinals, popes, priests, etc. because of the symbols that they wear and how these don't describe the way they act at all.  They are instead only concerned with themselves and are the opposite of what their title means like father & overseer.  He also compares the pious man and the ordinary man by showing how the pious is mostly concerned about his soul while the ordinary is concerned with bodily things.  To sum things up I want to bring up a couple of interesting details I found while reading.  At one point it said that "to shed tears is weak and womanish."  Guess that's me and actually I feel that the expression of emotion should not only be reserved for females.  Then I thought it was interesting how they worded it that blood holds the church together.  I guess if the church in fact is centered around Jesus and his death on the cross, that would be very accurate.  

So now I am left wondering if the act of striving for wisdom is in vain and useless...is foolishness the path to happiness???  Where shall I go from here???

What does it take to be the best prince?

We continued on the journey through "The Prince" to see more of Machiavelli's views on how a prince should be.  In the midst of the issue of whether it is better to be loved or feared, a shocking statement about loss appears.  It says, "men are quicker to forget the death of a father than the loss of a patrimony."  Personally this is so disheartening and can be compared to our materialistic society today.  Why have objects become more important than even loved ones?  I guess this again connects to the idea that people at this time were more concerned about the ends versus the means.  While in some minor senses this might make sense like in order to protect a loved one, a small lie might have to be made.  However, by other examples, it can be seen this can get quite out of hand.

To again address the issue of whether to be feared or loved, I believe that there should be a mix between the two.  One should be feared to such an extent that he/she is respected, but the one in charge should present him/herself in such a way that the subjects admire the person in a loving way.  I can compare this to my belief of God because he should be feared because of all the power he does have to use as he sees fit, however, he is also so full of love and wants what is best for his children.  

One other part in the book that shocked me was the part comparing fortune and women.  It seemed offensive how they said women should be "jogged and beaten" because she will submit better to boldness versus cautiousness.  Obviously, this reveals the time period's view of women.  While I would like a man bold enough to pursue me, I definitely do not feel I need to be controlled to this extent.

We also watched another part of the video about the Medici family.  Wow, does it look like a dangerous family to be in or what?  I found it interesting to hear how they hired an artist to paint undergarments on the Michaelangelo's "The Last Judgement."  This kind of surprises me considering how much of the art at the time contained indecent elements.  Last, in the Scientific Revolution, I found it interesting how they described wine as light held together with something and then used a fish bowl to demonstrate the earth orbiting the sun.  The fish, like people on earth, can still live normally while revolving.  And to finish off the week, a beautiful spring day with cancelled class, so I enjoyed a walk through the slush! :)

How to Be a Prince or Courtier Part 1

The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli is written to be either a manual for princes or a satire about the princes of the time.  I have found the first part of this to be difficult to read and understand because most of it concerns part of the history of the rulers of the time, which I am not very knowledgeable about.

I really enjoyed reading The Book of the Courtier so was really disappointed that we didn't get to discuss it.  Some of them are quite humorous like about playing chess or dancing.  The spelling of many words threw me off...made the read a bit more challenging!  My favorite had to be the one about showing love towards women...especially, "to love better the beawtye of the minde, then of the bodie."  If only guys today would take heed to all these qualifications.  I also think one should be added about gentlemen opening and holding open the doors for all ladies.  I have recently realized how special that little of a thing makes me feel.  When looking at the qualifications for a gentylwoman.  I found the one that read, "Do not lead the poor boys on." to be quite humorous.  Hoping I'm not guilty of that unconsciously, or does the "poor" refer to the guys social class or their emotional state.  I also love how it ends that if all of these are followed, "...the Dream comes alive."  If only, if only...

One of the most interesting parts of our class discussion on Friday was about gun laws.  Although I have no strong opinion being brought up in a home against the use of guns, yet I also understand the use of them in beneficial ways.  Biggest surprise:  Switzerland's law about owning an automatic weapon.  I thought they were supposed to be neutral...hence why I have always been named Miss. Switzerland in arguments...  I guess it does make sense that if no one is weaker, without a weapon, there are less people who could be put in jeopardy.

I am anxious to see how this idea of it being "safer to be feared than to be loved" will be developed in the chapters to come of the book.  I think it may also be interesting to try to compare our politicians of today and princes/rulers back then.

Renaissance Art

It is so interesting to analyze art and see how it has changed over time.  One thing that I have picked up all week is that the word imitate should be used instead of copy because it is more positive in showing a sign of flattery.  Art is indeed a powerful thing because it can capture the "ideal."  Again we saw the topic of beauty emerge.  I definitely agree that taste depends upon the person...both with like actual people or paintings of anything.  A couple of other things from Monday's lecture that stuck out were the humanistic views.  Using man as a measure of everything is a very interesting and telling of the beliefs at the time.  In the end, to think that paintings allow us to have a God's eye view of situations makes me think twice when looking at anything anymore.

It is definitely weird when pointed out how various more modern things ended up in paintings, even those with a biblical theme.  It is also interesting to see the common occurrence of the triangular shape in paintings.  Personally, when talking about the classical form of people, I do find the face structure for the ladies beautiful, however, I'm finding I don't like seeing the muscle structure, especially with nude things.  But, I guess in some cases I guess this is considered art?  I'm almost having troubles seeing the fine line between what is art and what would be a pornographic painting...  It is also interesting to see that many of the paintings of God or Jesus look similar to those of the Greek god Zeus.  I'm not sure if that should be offensive or not...

Although not totally on topic, I was very intrigued to hear the reasoning as to why priests are not allowed to get married anymore.  I have always thought it didn't make sense because they would be less able to relate to people of the church who were married and possibly have children.  (Personally, it also seems a shame that these good looking guys who are also kind and virtuous should be removed from the category of marriage possibilities...)  But, it makes a bit of sense that the church wouldn't want to lose all their land.

I am looking forward to the upcoming reading of "The Prince."  Hopefully it will prove to be as intriguing as I imagine...

Petrarch & The Dignity of Man

I was intrigued while reading Petrarch's works because they were so revealing about the paths of life and I found myself relating to various things he wrote about.  The humanistic view of ideals is brought up when he is trying to find the perfect climbing companion.  Made me start wondering, "Are our ideals/desires ever totally me?  Or is this even possible?"  When he reached the top of the mountain and began reminiscing, it reminded of me of when I often randomly make a connection with the past over a random thing like a location, an outfit, or even something as strange as rhubarb!  I always look forward to reaching the point as he is saying that I can look back at my struggles and see them as beneficial.  I would like to disagree with him on the fact that humans are the most beautiful thing...I would much rather admire nature because it seems so much more pure and flawless.  Overall, these writings go with the time in discovering that we do not need to move physically closer to God, but instead God is within us.  However, as I got to thinking, according to my religious beliefs, God is not within everyone until they accept him into their lives.  But, He is never far away, if only all people would see the great benefits of allowing God to live within you!

As I read through "On the Dignity of Man," I was interested to see how many biblical references there were.  It is interesting to see how someone tries to connect both philosophy and religion.  I am puzzled though because there were a few biblical reference footnotes for which the verse did not exist...I kind of wonder what that is supposed to mean?!?  The overlying idea is the freedom that man has and the connection that he has with God.  The idea from class that most caused me to think was about the eros form of love being our Soul's desire to return to God.  I have always seen love on earth as being emulated from the love God showers on us, but never in the other light.  Last, I want to bring up one phrase from the reading that really made me think.  It spoke of instances where "it is a gain to lose" and I agreed like when we make mistakes yet we learn from them and end up gaining in the long run.  I am soo enjoying reading all this stuff (although not totally understanding it all...) because it is making me think and apply these principles to my own life!

Humanism

Monday's class was centered around the concept of "renaissance" and one of the main topics of this time, humanism.  I was most surprised to hear so much about God and how much religion played a part in these times.  Even the philosophers’ ideas seemed to be connected to God and were not very far from what I believe as a Christian.  Plato’s ideas were very fascinating about the two worlds.  The statement was made that, “Ideals are more real than matter.”  This really got me to thinking, especially since I often feel people are telling me that my standards for people, especially when looking for a spouse in the future, are too lofty and not attainable.  While there will never be a “perfect” person, just going with the first person, no matter their qualities is not giving the world very much of a chance to what else might be out there.  I feel this idea is in fact encouraging us to shoot for the best.   I also felt that the three concept line-up shows the importance of God/religion in all that we do.

                Now try to answer the question that was proposed at the end of class, “How can we reconcile art with the three concept pattern of humanism?”…  I agree with Plato that art is not as good as the real thing, but I also see the benefits of it.  There are many things that because of living situations and geography, a person may never see them unless it is in the form of some sort of art.  I would say that art could be described by the three concepts of humanism.  It is good, is most often truthful of how the object/subject looks in reality, and it is most often considered to have beauty, at least by some people.  Also, I think the whole idea of focusing on the ideal applies to art because an artist is able to create the subject to look better than the common type you might come across in everyday life.  Looking forward to discussing Petrarch’s writing, which I am currently reading through.

My First Ever Blog Post

                I think what I am most excited about this class is getting to create a blog for the class since this will be my first ever blog!!!

After class on Wednesday, I became quite excited about this class.  I am especially looking forward to reading Utopia and The Prince.  I also enjoy the aspect of analyzing art and learning what the meaning behind it is.  Overall, it will be interesting to see how culture and people’s thoughts have changed over time.  When it was stated that one of the main philosophical questions we would be looking at is, “What is beauty?” I was intrigued.  If I just answer that question without thinking too deeply I would say that I often connect beauty to nature and would say that it is something that brings joy and a smile.  It is something that puts you in a sense of awe, especially when you focus on the One who created it!

                Our first reading was Boccaccio’s “The Decameron.”  I felt it gave a good perspective on what was going on during that period and how it caused various changes in society.  You can see that religion played a big part in society since that was the first thing they looked to for the cause of the plague.  This in turn could have caused people to turn away from religion as a result.  Just as we do today, different people turned to different ways to avoid the awfulness of the plague such as music, drinking, using flowers for a better smell and comfort, and fleeing.  People seemed to lose compassion and become very self-centered.  It is so sad to read the part about families becoming like strangers.  Maybe this same issue exists today since we often have troubles getting younger generations to care for the older generations.  Then the next part makes me wonder, is this where modesty began to become obsolete?  Although in this case it was only for medical reasons it makes me wonder.  The last topic is how death was dealt with as a result of the plague.  Since family had been really important along with spirituality I can imagine it was difficult when they were told they would no longer always get to have last rites performed by the priest or an individual burial.  I was kind of surprised at still using burying the dead and coffins, I thought I had heard that they just burned the bodies because it was more sanitary and then they did not have the disease still having the possibility to be transmitted.  This definitely was a crippling, devastating event in history.

                Friday’s class was mostly based around the effects of the Black Plague on society.  I cannot even imagine the grossness this disease caused.  When people have just a small cold and are constantly sniffling and coughing I feel contaminated.  But then I put myself in the shoes of those people, with the saliva being filled with specks of blood and sometimes vomit of blood.  Disgusting!!!  The stench would be unbearable and I am sure it was impossible to keep things very clean.  I found it interesting the concepts that they thought would prevent or lessen the plague.  How in the world would beating yourself up help prevent something, even if you saw it as confessing to God???  I would think the blood produced as a result would just give the disease an easier way to transfer from person to person.  On the other hand, the pope’s idea of being surrounded by fire to ward off the disease actually could make a bit more sense.  After thinking through it, it makes sense that the whole ordeal would lead to more of a feel of individualism.  People began only caring about themselves and their own well-being.  You had to fight for yourself and sometimes abandon your loved ones if you wanted to live.  Just like today, people seem more concerned about their own success versus the well-being of others too.