The Things They Carried Philosophy Essay

The Things They Carried Philosophy Es hypothesizeThe Things They Carried is author by storyteller Tim OBrien and addresses fair play through fiction. He has taken the acts of the Vietnam War and told them through a serial publication of stories. The characters listed in the book may actually be true exclusively their actions may not be or not in the dash OBrien tells the stories. He does not write in this book a historic account of the war merely if instead tells us more or less get laids that the sol miscarryrs had. In the chapter How to Tell a War grade (64) OBrien tells us that the justness is fearful and that war is not evermore active the glory or fearlessness of the sol gors. The stories argon more about the soldiers feelings than the actual acts of war.I came to realize cursorily that the book was about what the soldiers carried such as guilty conscience, sadness, mental anguish and self-importance doubt over acts of war and not the actual possessions. I turn o ver people carry burden every day. I carry the guilt over my divorce and the position that I wanted it so spoiltly. I know that I go forth carry that guilt the rest of my deportment even though my life today is much better. Could I engage well-tried harder? Did the divorce truly harm my son in anyway?The Things They Carried was a backbreaking book for me to read and I have to include that reading the book actually has increased my cite for my son who is currently serving in Iraq. Once of my enormousest fears is what he carries home with him afterwards he has completed his mission. I represent that he may experience intimacys liaison that no virtuoso go off image much the like what OBrien wrote about. I am sure his experience is much different than what is indite in OBriens book since we argon not fighting the same hu earthly concern beings body of war. Those men had no choice they had to respond when bodeed upon. My son has chosen to get along of his own fre e will and is actually enjoying his deployment even persuasion wordlessly I worry about him.Human behavior is very freaky especially in the act of war. Soldiers will do things that most human beings would not think of. In the normal routine of our day we do things that are strange. At work we may act a plastered way so we can keep our job. Soldiers do the same thing they act a certain way to stay alive and administer with the issue of war. In the chapter How to Tell a True War Story OBrien explains how war affects the soldiers judgings. They hear voices, music, talking moreover there is nothing there. The soldiers call in fire power and there still is nothing there. The soldiers mind played tricks. The human mind can affect human behavior.Pre-Socratic Greek PhilosophersThalesThales was know as a front Greek philosopher and mathematician and introduced the idea of geometry. He was a successful business man and started his own school of philosophy which taught math and astro nomy. Thales is also known for his musical themes on natural rather than ghostly views for events such as earthquakes. Looked upon as a man of knowledge and wisdom, Thales was named star of the Seven clean Men of Greece.Thales was one of the founders of math and applied geometry but make a name for himself by establishing the need for deductive reasoning and proof for demonstrating a statement. Before Thales, geometry was focused on measuring surfaces and solids. He focused on lines, circles and triangles and is known for the five grassroots theorems of geometry.Besides his involution in geometry and math, he enjoyed astronomy. He is most noted for astronomical observations when he predicted a solar bulk large. It is thought he learned to predict the eclipse while in Babylon where they unplowed detailed records of astronomical events for years. With well kept records, Thales was able to calculate when an eclipse would occur and in what year.Thales believed the earth was jej une and floated on water. Water was the origin of all life and was the one factor needed to grow and nurture all things. He also believed that weird events could be explained by natural events. That an earthquake was sustaind when the earth was rocked by waves.It is thought Thales died well-nigh metre around 546 BC and was the only one of the Seven Wise Men of Greece to be declared wise multiple generation. His philosophy became to be known as the Ionian School of Philosophy (Thales of Miletus, 2005).HeraclitusHeraclitus lived from 540-ca to 480 BC and tried to explain the character of the universe by using logos or reason as the expire to all things, specifically fire. Heraclitus was born in Ephesus and is thought to have renounced his social status, probably king, to his br early(a). He was a solitary man who looked for the truth within himself and his works were similar to the writings of other philosophers.Much of Heraclitus work, On the Nature of the Universe, exists tod ay but the work is difficult to interpret due to the use of abbreviations and expression of writing. The basis of Heraclitus philosophy is the man of appearance, all things are constantly changing. Change is due to the idea that opposites guide all changes such as hot and cold, day and night, good and bad. He also believed that things that are inconsistent through conflict or stress are a type of harmony.Heraclitus thought the cosmos had always existed but did not come to existence at some specific time that fire is the basic substance in the cosmos and all elements are changed because of it. He thought that the human somebody may come to understand the truth of the cosmos even though humans understanding may only be child like.He commanded humans to learn the nature of the universe through the understanding of their own souls and was considered to be one of the first mental philosophers. Heraclitus was one of the first Greek philosophers to focus on the line of work of knowledg e and was the first to note the importance of an understanding of the soul as the beginning to understanding the world (Heraclitus, 2005).EmpedoclesEmpedocles was a philosopher, poet, politician and visionary. He demonstrable a philosophy around 4 elements in the universe and outlined numerate as the various ratios of these elements.Empedocles was born in Sicily to a cockeyed family and named after his grandfather. His sharp intellect allowed him to combine his talents in philosophy, natural history, rime and politics to accomplish prevalent status in his day. He was thought to be the inventor of rhetoric which is used in politics. He was popular because of his support of democracy.His scientific exploration included mysticism but his philosophies contained the basic laws of physics which included atomic theory. Empedocles followed the Greek philosopher Parmenides in the belief that matter is indestructible. He stated that matter made up all things and the four elements of the universe air, fire, earth and water made up all things harmonise to various ratios of these four elements. Empedocles thought that love and hate controlled how the four elements came unitedly or moved apart.Empedocles introduced the theory of reincarnation because nothing that comes into being can be destroyed only transformed. Later in his life he wrote a poetic piece called On Nature which contained ideas of evolution, the circulation of the blood and atmospheric pressure. He was the first to state the moon could be seen due to the musing of light and thought the moon to be one third the surpass from the earth to the sun.Empedocles made significant contributions to the philosophy of science. He is credited for set up the Italian school of medicine and was known to have a style for self promotion and public relations which is seen in his writings (Empedocles of Acrages, 2005).Apology-Justice and province (i) and Socrates Speaks at his Trial in Plato The Last Days of Socrate sSkillful loudtalker with Speaking the TruthSocrates contrasts being a skilled speaker with verbalise the truth (17b). Today in the media we are subject to a great deal of false advertising. The commercials or print ads are produced and skillfully done. They are colorful, pleasing to the eyes cleaver and more times catch our attention. Americans cut down a great deal of money on these items and many times they are worthless. In the lesson of the toy company advertising a dancing ballerina, it was determined the television commercial through video made the ballerina dance, not the doll itself.Today in politics, Americans are exposed to very skillful speakers running for political office. When they speak of their platforms, what they believe in, many times it is thought to be what we want to hear and not what it ineluctably the truth. Americans are exposed to their cleaver speeches and many times make decisions ground upon those skillful speeches.Many times when a political ra ce is about to end and individuals are expected to vote, the ads and political speeches begin to contain change information and again, this damaging information is skillfully delivered but is not always the truth. We then make a last minute decision base upon this questionable information and find out later it was a bad choice.In Socrates the Apology, Socrates, much like the skillful advertisers, used rhetoric to try on to sway his accusers. He professed to be a plain main who speaks only simple truth yet he uses cleaver rhetoric and uses terminology in such a way as to manipulate them to serve a different purpose. Socrates claims he is not a cleaver speaker but the Apology tells us otherwise (The Interplay of Influence News, Advertising, Politics and the cumulus Media, 2001).Socrates was not unnerved of DeathSocrates continues to tell the accusers that he will not be the formal charges which will destroy him but the prejudicial inflict and slander. He does not fear last bec ause he is concerned about acting right or wrong. Socrates argues that those who fear death show ignorance, that death is a blessing but those who fear it as an evil thing cannot know it to be such. He points out that his wisdom lies in the fact that he is aware that he does not know (29a, b).Socrates thought that man should be evaluating his actions as being right or wrong, just or unjust. This is because the value and justness of our lives count. He also thought that man should not be afraid of death, because we do not know what it is. To be afraid of something we do not know is to assume we know and Socrates felt that was unwise. He was not afraid of death because he realized it is a unruffled sleep and you meet those who have died before you, so how can this be evil?Socrates also thought that man should not stop fighting for what he believes in, even if it leads to death. He felt that he would rather die than give up his philosophical life. Socrates died for a righteous cause, the belief that one should never change their beliefs because of the fear of death. When Socrates declares to the jury, Wherefore, O men of Athens, I say to you, do as Anytus bids or not as Anytus bids, and either straighten out me or not but whatever you do know that I shall never alter my ways, not even if I have to die many times, he is giving up his life as an example for the future generations. He thought that if he died for a great cause it was justified.Once Socrates was found guilty, he insisted that a just person will not allow anything to count against doing the right thing, no matter the cost. If he chose ordinary good instead of the just course of action he would be choosing an action that was not good for him and he refused to do this. He did not propose an alternative to the death penalty.Socrates chose to accept his fate and becomes known as the greatest hero in the history of philosophy. His main concern in life was excellence in moral character of the soul which ha s set the foundation for ethics and philosophy today (Encyclopedia of Ethics, 2001).The Last dustup in the Apology and Socrates Defense perfection and gods play a broad role in the Apology. The last word in Socrates defense is deity (42a) and is placed there on purpose. In addressing the charges against him, charged with believing in other gods and corrupting the youth, Socrates does a good job of making the charges wait ridiculous. When Plato wrote the Apology he emphasizes the importance of the gods in agreement with Socrates wisdom. It was the Oracle of Delphi that proclaims that he is the wisest of the wise (20c) not Socrates. He is not defying the gods but trying to give-up the ghost some truth and meaning. By asking questions he is gaining knowledge and truth which challenges the accuser to think beyond what they have always known.Socrates accusers try to prove him to be an atheist but fail by establishing Socrates teaches men to acknowledge some gods and that he believes in spirits or demigods (26a). This proves Socrates is not guilty of breeding the youth to not believe in gods of any kind but of introducing the youth to other ideas of god. In the defense of Socrates he delivers the argument that he believes in the spirits or demigods which establishes the fact that he has not tainted the minds of the youth with ideas of not believing in God, when he himself believes in gods. Socrates tells us in the Apology that we should strive to be like God if God is considered to be the supreme entity.