In class we discussed the book Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder. The book is about a fourteen year old girl named Sophie who is like any normal teenager. But that changes once she gets these mysterious letters and lessons in the mail about philosophy. We started reading at the beginning of the week and by Thursday we are already five chapters into it.
The two chapters that were discussed in class today were mainly about philosophers from ancient times who had own thoughts about the world and how and why it's that way. The two chapters go on and on about which one was wrong and who believed in what. It almost seems as if the man or woman who is giving Sophie these lessons is just giving her the facts. And when Sophie is done with each lesson she reflects on it by asking herself questions and trying to make connections with reality.
We discussed that how Sophie reflects on each lesson is helping the reader understand the nature and basics of philosophy. Also the reflections give the readers the understanding that philosophy can't be learned but people can learn how to think philosophically.
I agree that philosophy is a concept that cannot be learned because it isn't just about one thing in the world, it's about everything that has to deal with the world. There are so many questions to be asked about the world and each question can receive all sorts of answers. No answer is correct and no answer is wrong. There are too many answers given, which is why only one won't suffice.
Can something really come from something? How did the world become like this? I can see myself asking these same questions because nobody really knows what stuff in the world comes from. Nobody ever questioned why things were the way they were because that's how they have always been. Nobody truly knows how the world became what it is today.
What we discussed about Sophie's World really got me interested in thinking philosophically because there are so many questions about the world that not only myself, but what most people want to ask.
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