All posts by g.delacruz

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Peer Response Post, Weekly Post-Check-In #3

Books Are Not Enough

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My post is in response to Mohammed Uddin’s post that can be found here.

In your post, I found many similar thoughts I had about Emerson’s views shown in “The American Scholar.” You first mention nature and how Emerson believes that nature is essential to man. I also agree with this theory. Nature is the only thing we hold to, when we are born. It is the “first in time and the first in importance of the influences upon the mind (Emerson, page 2).” When we allow nature to take control, we allow ourselves to gain more knowledge that the world holds. Nature has no “beginning [and] there is never an end” instead it follows a “circular power returning into itself (page 2).” Nature is ongoing which is why the knowledge we can gain from it, is boundless. We should allow ourselves to experience nature and gain from what it has to offer. When we don’t use nature, our “minds does not yet possess (page 3)” all that it can attain.

I especially agree with you on Emerson’s similarities to Rousseau and Locke. Rousseau believed that our education comes from “nature, from men, or from other things.” Emerson believes that nature, the past, and action help build an education. They both have an organized and strategic view on education. Like Emerson, Rousseau relied on nature and “freedom, not power (Rousseau 5).” He comes up with the idea that “nature provides for the child’s growth in her own fashion (Rousseau, 6).” While experiencing nature at young age, we allow push ourselves to think more thoroughly and divert from any other influence on our ideas. These are ideas expressed in both Emerson’s and Rousseau’s views.

Locke’s beliefs can be summed up “in one word, from experience (Locke, 5).” He believed in experiencing the world on our own, leaning towards sensations and reflections. Emerson also believed in experiencing and taking action. The world, which lies all around us, holds the key “to unlock [our] thoughts (Emerson, 6).” When we apply ourselves, we are only allowing ourselves to gain more wisdom. Both Locke and Emerson realized that books and teachers aren’t the essentials to learning but rather experience, which also connect to Rousseau’s thoughts on nature.

I agree with everything Uddin expresses in his post. Sometimes we focus on just learning in school, through teachers and books. However, in order to expand our knowledge and gain as much as we can, we must allow nature and experience to take part. Books are not enough.

Through the lens post

Nature, Man and Other things

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In Rousseau’s, Emile, he expresses his belief in achieving an education from “nature, from men, or from other things.” He finds that “the object of our study is man and his environment (2).” Rousseau genuinely believes that we learn by reasoning and experiencing the world for ourselves, freely. In Mary Shelley’s, Frankenstein we also see this theme. Just based off of chapters 11 and 12, we see that the monster is able to speak and interact with humans. In this chapter, the monster explains how he has come to gain an education and it was all from nature, men and other things.

When the monster leaves Frankenstein’s apartment, he learns how to do everything on his own in order to survive. In chapter 11, the monster describes how it was like living free from any type of control. He learns different sensations, “[he] saw, felt, heard, and smelt at the same time; and it was, indeed, a long time before [he] learned to distinguish between the operations of [his] various senses (11).” Rousseau pointed out that nature isn’t in our control, like our bodies when it comes to hunger or feelings. The monster, living on his own realized this when he felt “tormented by hunger and thirst” and satisfied this by “[eating] some berries which [he] found hanging on the trees or lying on the ground (11).”It is also natural to feel tired after a certain amount of time, the monster feels this and learns to “shut [his] eyes” in order to feel better. When you sleep, you also want to be comfortable and warm, which is why he came up with the idea to “cover [himself] with some clothes.” By living in the wilderness, he “[finds] that [he] could wander on at liberty, with no obstacles which [he] could not either surmount or avoid (11).”The monster had the opportunity to wander in nature and experience his surroundings where he learns how to find food to satisfy his hunger, find shelter for protection, and find clothes to warm him.

In chapter 12, the monster explains his experience with humans. While he was in the wilderness, he found a family living in a small cottage. This is where he was able to observe their every move. Everyday the monster watched each person’s reactions and paid “close attention, that [he] might more speedily master the language (12).” One day he witnessed “their unhappiness” and ended up being “deeply affected by it (12).” After a while, he was able to “comprehend and could imitate almost every word that was spoken.” Through men, “[he] also learned the science of letters as it was taught to the stranger, and this opened before [him] a wide field for wonder and delight.” By observing them everyday, he received knowledge that many learn in schools. He received education through man, which completes Rousseau’s theory on education being achieved through nature, men and other things.

The monster had to learn everything on his own, without a parent or guardian guiding him. Rousseau believed that education could be attained through nature, man or other things. In this story, the monster had to use all three to get as far as has gotten. Through nature and experience, the monster learned how to feed himself, clothe himself and protect himself. Through observing this family, he was able to learn how to speak and interact with others. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein proves Rousseau’s theory to be true.

Close Reading Post, Weekly Post Check-In

Education Through Nature

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In Jean Jacques Rousseau’s text, Emile, he comes up with the idea that our education comes from “nature, from men, or from other things.” However, he finds that “the object of our study is man and his environment (2).” He genuinely believes that we learn by reasoning and experiencing the world for ourselves. Rousseau relies on nature and “freedom, not power (5),” with freedom you are able to do whatever you desire. With these beliefs, he follows isolationism and individualism.

Rousseau believes that nature “is wholly beyond our control, things are only partly in our power (1).” He supposes that everything starts with nature and we later use this growth to expand our education, which is from man. After this comes education of things, by experiencing our surroundings. He comes up with the idea that “nature provides for the child’s growth in her own fashion (6),” which is why he keeps Emile isolated. In schools, children must abide by the rules of the school, but if you are isolated you can learn freely. Also, you can learn more than what a teacher tells you. Being educated in school is one “thing” that Rousseau has control over. By being isolated he gets Emile to “use his own reason not that of others (22).”

Along with being isolated from other children and the traditional ways of being raised, Rousseau believes in individualism. He is in favor of being free and being independent. He knows that you aren’t guaranteed to live and “present interest… is the motive power (12),” which is why he wants Emile to live as a child while he is a child.” Since Emile is away from others, he is able to act freely and “run, jump, and shout to [his] heart’s content (6).” Emile could say, “his childhood, at least was happy; [they] have robbed him of nothing that nature gave him (14).” Rousseau stressed the importance of experience and believes that “no book but the world” be the “only guide for the first workings of reason (14)” for a child who reads doesn’t “think, he only reads (14).” He believes that freedom and education are directly connected. However, the basics that children come to learn come from school. In schools, whenever you ask questions, most times the answers are directly given to you, Rousseau thinks that children should, “think rather than question (15).” Individualism is a great piece to his theory; he wants people to be free and think on their own rather than rely on others to tell us the answers.

Rousseau was in favor of isolationism and individualism. He thinks that being separated from the world and relying on his own experience are ways to achieve education through nature. He didn’t care if Emile learned slower as other students as long as “what he knows is really his own (22).” The issue with his thoughts however, is that by keeping him away from other children and making him think only on his own, he doesn’t know anything of the “moral relations between man and man (22).” Education should be achieved through nature, experience and man, not just nature.

Free post

Reason vs. Experience

Descartes and Locke both came up with philosophies as to how we can find truth. Descartes leaned towards reason to find truth, while Locke uses evidence and experience.

In Descartes approaches truth with reason. He clarifies that everyone is able to distinguish between truth and fiction. However, people choose the wrong path of thought, which is why he came up with a method. In the first part, he finds himself with “doubts and errors,” in school and ended up leaving “the study of letters and resolved no longer to seek any other science than the knowledge of [himself], or of the great book of the world (Descartes, page 3).” He believed that we should find our own knowledge and not solely depend on what we learn from school and instructors. He even comes up with principal rules of the method two being, “never to accept anything for true which I did not clearly know to be such (Descartes, page 11),” and “to divide each of the difficulties under examination into as many parts as possible, and as might be necessary for its adequate solution (Descartes, page 11).” Along with this he believes that there should be morals and maxims accepted while following this method. He concludes that finding the truth is extremely useful. Descartes focuses on reason, rather than believing what others have to say about it. He is very open-minded, doesn’t leave anything out and makes sure that everything is taken into consideration. Ultimately, he tries to never believe anything, unless he is able to prove it himself through thoughtful reasoning.

Locke on the other hand, tends to focus on experience and evidence to seek truth. He believes that knowledge is not innate. He states that, “children and idiots have not the least apprehension (Locke, page 2)” proving that knowledge isn’t something you’re born with. Locke questions, “Whence has it all the materials of reason and knowledge?” and answers this stating, “in one word, from experience (Locke, page 5).” He continues this thought saying, “experience furnisheth the understanding with ideas (Locke, page 6).” This is one way many gain knowledge and information. Like in lab, we test our thoughts through experimenting and experiencing it for ourselves to get an answer. The outcome of experience can function as evidence.

I feel like both Descartes and Locke had good points. However, I agree more with Descartes’ views. I like knowing the reason behind things and taking everything into account. Before coming up with a final thought, I like to hear and think about everything around the idea. Some things you can’t experience to find the truth, but everyone has a brain and can figure out what is true or not.

Close Reading Post

Successful Dropouts

School can be perceived differently. In both readings, we were able to read the views of two dropouts, on education and school.

In the excerpt, Secrets of a Buccaneer- Scholar, Bach shares his ideas about the meaning of education. He states that, education and school are not the same. Bach writes, that “school can help your education,”(page 1) but you can get an education through other ways too. He relates a story in which, he was asked by “at risk students” questions of how he was able to become so successful, without a high school degree or a college degree. He states “Education is important. School is not” (1). Bach even went as far as to say that homework was in the students’ control and that he “rarely did schoolwork that followed [him] home” (1). He believes that school is not the only place you can get an education, but you can self teach yourselves.

The teacher from the story actually called his speech “dangerous for children to hear” (1). Hearing this, he realizes that it isn’t dangerous for the students, but for the teacher. Bach’s only intention in this speech was to teach the students the difference between education and school. In eighth-grade he encountered something similar, in which his teacher basically told him he wouldn’t succeed if he didn’t graduate high school, but indeed he did and proved her wrong. He educated himself in computers. Bach moves past her comment because he knows that his views are different than others and he can’t convince everyone his views are right or wrong. Bach’s experience won’t always be the same for other students.

Like Bach, Kanye West is a dropout. However, their views on education and school are very different. Bach “[doesn’t] care about school” (2), while West “praises the value of higher education” (Moss, 1). West believes that school and education is one and it is important in real life. He realizes that not everyone can succeed like he did, which is why he thinks taking advantage of school is important. Bach didn’t consider this thought; he believed that like his experience, others could succeed without school. With this realization, West launched a contest in which the winner would receive a great sum of money for school. West later explains why he went to school and all of his answers didn’t have to do with the Math or English, but states that it was for “gym, for lunch, for art” (Moss, 7). He realized that students want to learn about things they’re interested in. West believes that, “this is part of our culture, why not use it to educate” (Moss, 7) which is why he is promoting his business  that puts music-production equipment in schools.

Though Bach and West had different views about school, they both expressed how important it was to enjoy what you’re being educated about. West rapped and worked in the music industry, while Bach taught himself about computers. They’re talented in what they do which brought them both success, however not everyone has talent which is why many need school in order to be educated and succeed in life.