Plato/Hobbes Reading Strategies Homework – Due Tuesday 9/4/07 for Eta and Theta Blocks. Due Friday 9/5/07 for Epsilon and Zeta Blocks.
Please answer the following questions thoughtfully as it will help me gauge your perspective on the readings we will have for class and determine future readings for the class.
1.What difficulties do you think you will face in reading the excerpts from both Plato’s The Republic and Hobbes’ Leviathan?
2.What are some reading strategies that you know that would help you overcome these difficulties?
3.Make a list of the words that you did not recognize. Look up the definitions in a dictionary and write the definitions out in your own words.
4.Write 5-7 sentences summarizing the readings from both Plato and Hobbes (don’t worry about being right or wrong, take a guess, these readings are on the difficult side).
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36 comments:
Sheryl Soo
Theta
1. The difficulties I think I will face in reading the excerps from both Plato's The Republic and Hobbe's Leviathan are difficulties in understanding their use of words, their metaphors, and their philosophies. I will have to reread some parts of the text many times before actually deciphering its meaning or being able to translate it into words that I can comprehend.
2. I know that if I actually take the time to stop in the middle of the text to clarify a word or phrase that I don't understand, I will be able to read the text better. Also, if I start to build my vocabulary from the text instead of just skipping the words I don't recognize or guess its meanings. Reading slower and repetitively may help me absorb the ideas of the text better.
3. prestige-one's status based on people's opinion
auxiliary-a group of people that supports
impediments-something that prevents another from happening
felicity-happiness
prudence-caution
incommodities-inconvenience
4. The excerpt from Plato's The Republic is talking about how each individual should be accepted and treated the way they deserve to be. If that individual has potential, or as in the text said, is "gold," then that individual should be promoted to be someone in a higher position. If an individual does not have the potential that is expected from him/her, then it is only right to degrade that individual to its rightful position so that it fits. If there is any misplacements, then there will be disorder. The excerpt from Hobbe's Leviathan is talking about how our rights are what takes peace away from us because if we have "a right to every thing," then we are able to do whatever we want with anything and anyone. There is always danger because there is always a weak and a strong. It is natural for us to want things, be safe, and feel proud. What we are capable of doing is what causes all the conflicts that arise.
Heather Tabios
Eta block
The difficulties that I will face in reading Plato's The Republic and Hobbes Leviathan is the words that I don't understand and the way it is written and the point it is trying to make. I will probably have to read it carefully to understand it. The reading strategies that I will use to help myself overcome these difficulties is look up the word and trying to guess on what it means and learning the definition to the word I don't know.
pediments:A wide, low-pitched gable of a building in the Grecian style.
impediments:Obstacle.
precept:Commandment.
destructive:Destruction.
precedent:Legal case.
inclination:Disposition.
incommodities:Inconvenience.
commodious:Convenient.
continual:Regular.
brutish:Cruel.
degenerate:desirable in physical,mental or moral qualities.
thine:possessive case of thou used as a predicate adjective, after a noun.
reckoned:calculation.
machination:act of plotting.
infallible:trustworthy.
prudence:someones own interests.
eloquent:having power of fluent,force and appropriate speech.
delectation:enjoyment.
endeavours:effect something.
contemners:to treat.
I think that Plato/Hobbes reading is about the nature of laws that they made and what it mean and what they do to people. Like what the laws are and what they do if you don't respect them. Its natural laws of mankind and the conditions to the rules.Like the commandments that people have to live by.
John Carreon
Block Epsilon
1)I think when reading Plato’s The Republic and Hobbe’s Leviathan is the way they wrote them. As in their ideas, metaphors, vocabulary, and philosophies I would have to reread some part to get an understanding of what they are saying.
2)I think that I could stop and talk to the text or just try rereading it over and over to see if I understand it better. I also I can look up the words that is unfamiliar to make it easier for to understand.
3)Infallible - absolutely trustworthy or sure
Incommodities - disadvantage
Peradventure - chance, doubt, or uncertainty.
4)The excerpt from Plato’s The Republic it talks about rules and class (working class) as well as where do they belong in the world. Plato think that if a child born from riches and shows sign of worker class the child should be in that class, vice versa, a child of a worker family shows signs of rulers then he should be promoted. If there are people out of place then it can cause chaos or disorder. The excerpt from Hobbe’s Leviathan is saying that if we have the right of doing anything we want what’s stopping us. Things like feeling safe and proud is in our nature and that’s what stops us which is our nature to feel those things. Those thing help humans and it stop people from causing conflicts.
Jessica Wells
Eta
I think the major problem I would have reading these two excerpts would be translating them effectively and correctly into speech I’m a little more used to. The manner of speech is, well, old, and extremely formal. So I might have to re-read a lot of the Leviathan and Republic excerpts for this assignment.
The reading strategies I think will prove most effective for this particular assignment would be to read slowly with patience and to look up the definitions of words that you can’t define yourself. Like I stated above, reading the same passage more than once usually helps me catch things that I didn’t necessarily catch before.
Diffidence-Lack of self-confidence.
Auxiliary- Something additional, or on reserve.
Forbear- Withhold.
Peradventure- To take a chance or doubt an action.
Garrison- A body of troops.
Readings greatly contrasted each other in matter of opinion about the origins and purpose of man. Like we discussed in class, the modern and ancient thinkers differed in this way quite a bit. The Plato excerpt kind of glorified the existence of man by talk of gold, metals and God himself. The predetermined destinies of stature being chosen by God did not fit with the way that Hobbes saw society and the individual. He wrote more about the ‘natural lust, competition, diffidence & glory of every human being on the planet.
Ivy Leung
Zeta
1. I think the difficulties that I will face in reading the excerpts from both Plato's The Republic and Hobbes' Leviathan is understanding the metaphor and how theirs views are.
2. I think if I didn't know what a word mean, I would reread the text to see what it actually meant and if there is a phrase/sentence I don't know, then I have to reread the paragraph and the sentence before and after it to see what it actually means.
3. Words I don't recognize:
- machination: crafty schemes/plots
- prudence: regard for own's interest
- diffidence: shyness, self-consciousness
- impediments: obstacle
4. I think both of them are trying to tell about how they view everything and what they think is right, like their laws and philosophies.
Eta Block
1)
I think one of the difficulties i will have to face in reading the excerps from both Plato's The Republic and Hobbe's Leviathan is understanding their use of words. I understood everything else and there were a few parts I have to reread, but I understood everything else.
2)
Writing down the word I do not understand and looking them up. Also rereading a few parts over again and talking to the text. Not guessing the meaning of the word as well will help me.
3)
Auxiliary- A group of people that helps out.
commodious- Convenient
Diffidence- Lack of self-confidence.
4)
The reading of Plato's The Republic is talking about how each people should be treated the way were born into. For example if you were born as a gold child you would have to be put into the higher rank. As for the Hobbe's Leviathan reading it is talking about how men are just men. With them come a few things that you can not change. Whatever a man does isn't their blam. Which is the reason of why there is always a war going on. Their action is to fight and take whatever they want therefore the other person rection to it is to fight for it back. Overall in this reading it is talking about peace and actions of men.
Eta block
1)I think I will have difficulties with understanding the metaphors and the wording to the two text. And i will have a bit of trouble graspign the text meaning at first glance.
2)I know that if a italk to the text i will better understand it. Also if I discuss the text I will be able to better understand the complex meaning of the text. nd if i repeatedly read the text i will better grasp the meaning and evelop my ovn interupation of the text.
3)felicity-happiness
prudence-caution
incommodities-inconvenience
4)Plato is stating that children are borm with certin auras. The auras dertmine the clas the child shall grow into . Weather it be the ruling class, auxiliaries, or the worker clas. That child cannot move from one to another. And froom time to time a lover class will give birth to an upperclass child and vice versua.
Hobbes text states that men are on this world for their ovn satisfaction. the "over awe thiar companions." He stated that man is "every one is at war with every one" And that "Where thare is no common power, there is no law: where no law, no injustice." And that Men spassion for peace is sparked throgh fear. "
David B
Theta
1. I think I will have difficulties understanding some of the words and metaphors that authors are using.
2. Reading the text thoroughly, looking for unknown words, and re-reading the texts if I didn’t understand them well enough will help me to overcome the difficulties.
3. endeavour - attempt/ reach/ achieve
subdue - conquer
incommodities - inconvenience
commodious - convenient
4. Plato is talking about how everybody should be treated the way they should be. for example, he is saying that if a child is "gold" but shows signs of "silver" or "bronze", he should be in those categories: if a child is a son of the kings but he is only good to be a regular worker, then he should be a worker, instead of a being bad king, because the wrong order can cause chaos (which I agree with).
And I think Hobbes is saying that everybody have a right to do anything they want. He is saying that laws are useless because people still lock their doors when they are going to sleep, even though there are armed officers who supposed to protect everybody from thefts.
Adrianna Martinez
Theta Block
1) The challenges I think I will face reading Plato’s The Republic and Hobbes’ Leviathan are understanding the readings because of the language they use, especially Hobbes because through a few parts of the reading I became confused of what he was saying due to the language he used in his writing. I also think I may have trouble understanding the metaphors they use because although I didn’t have much trouble understanding them this time, I think they will get more difficult and harder to understand. Not knowing what some of the words mean will also cause another challenge when it comes to me understanding the readings.
2) A reading strategy that will help me understand the readings are rereading the parts that I don’t understand until I do and using context clues to help me figure out what unknown words mean and if that doesn’t work, I can look them up in a dictionary.
3) Auxiliaries- a person or thing that’s additional or a reserve.
Felicity- happiness.
Manifestly- when something is made clear, understandable or when something is proved.
Confederacy- when people are allied for a certain purpose.
Infallible- absolutely trustworthy or sure.
Wiles- a trick that is used to deceive people.
Subsist- to remain alive.
Dominion- to rule, control.
Trifles- small amount of something.
Incommodities- disadvantage; inconvenience.
Concord- argument
Sovereign- a supreme ruler.
Commodious- spacious, roomy.
4) In The Republic Plato was saying that all men are not created equal. He says that there are those who are born with gold, silver, bronze or iron in them. Those born with gold are meant to be rulers, those who have silver are reserves, and those with iron and bronze are meant to be farmers and workers. And if you are born with iron or bronze you can’t be a ruler and you have to stay in your ranks. Just as if you are born with silver and gold you shouldn’t be a farmer or worker.
Unlike Plato, Hobbes thinks that all men are created equal. He says that although some men are stronger physically and others mentally they are still equal. That inequality happens when two people want the same thing yet they both can’t have it, and that’s when people fight to become better than others. This is what he calls the condition of man which is the condition of war of everyone vs. everyone. He says that everyone has a right to everything and that the natural right of everyone to everything doesn’t exists or isn’t lived by, which means that nobody will ever be secure no matter how strong or wise they may be.
John Sy
Theta
1. My difficulties will probably be vocabulary and understanding what is going on. It will be hard for me because I am not a very good read and for me to understand a reading will take me a while. I will have to read it more than once.
2. Some strategies would be underlining words that i do not understand and reading over a sentence more than once to fully understand whats going on. Also for the words that I do not understand I will look it up in the dictionary.
3. Auxiliaries- a person or thing that gives aid of any kind; helper
Hath- o hold, possess, or accept in some relation
Infallible- absolutely trustworthy or sure
felicity- the state of being happy
prestige- distinction or reputation attaching to a person
degenerate- to fall below
4. In Plato The Republic, I think they are trying to say that everyone is born different. If you are born as gold you are in the higher class and if you are born as iron or bronze then you are in the lower class. This excerpt is similar to life because there are a lot of differences from higher and lower classes. I didnt really understand where Hobbes was coming from, but i think i had to do with Law and men where supposed to be created equal.
1. I think that the biggest problem with comprehension of the readings will be from lack of context. Neither Plato, nor Hobbes wrote in a way that makes it easy for someone to just drop into the middle of an argument and understand what’s going on.
2. Rereading of the pieces at least a couple times as well as using some deductive logic to put together what is being said should be enough to overcome at least the majority of the issues with lack of context.
3. Diffidence: shyness or modesty as a result of a lack of self-confidence.
4. It seems that The Republic excerpt talks about how everyone has a certain makeup that makes them more suited to a certain task than they are to others. If the child of parents with a higher station is better suited to a lower calling it is their duty to ensure that their children are kept in the proper place for them to be useful. Hobbes’ Leviathan seems more to talk about the way people perceive themselves and others. People are by nature equal but they choose to do different things with what they are given. Different people will do the same things for different reasons though.
Morgan Ashley Chang
Theta Block
1. I think I will encounter a good load of difficulties once we start to read Plato’s The Republic and Hobbes’ Leviathan. For The Republic, and Plato’s writings in general, I feel that my major challenge will be taking the time to take apart the words and find the meaning. I believe that developing the ability to instantly see the symbolism and metaphors in his writings will take time. As for Hobbes and Leviathan, I really see myself struggling with his work. The vocabulary, and structure of writing in Leviathan is quite complex. This makes interpreting any of his work very difficult, which I see myself being challenged by. However, I believe that I’ll still be able to get through the readings as long as I devote more time than I normally would.
2. I think that as far as reading strategies go, as long as I continue to read more and more of Plato’s work, I shall be able to get through it alright. It’s more of an analytical, understanding symbolism issue than it is a vocabulary issue. However, vocabulary IS the issue for Hobbes’ work. Because he uses a lot of “hath” and “endureth”, and Yoda-like rearrangement of words, it is hard for me to get past his first paragraph. I think that if I actually look up words I don’t know, and then translate his older style of writing into simpler language for myself, I will be able to slowly comprehend his work.
3. prudence – caution
Incommodities – inconvenience
Machination – a plot, especially meant for harm
Prudence – the ability to discipline oneself with use of reason
Unto – to
Augmentation – process of making larger, increasing intensity
Diffidence – shyness, reservedness
Peradventure – perhaps
Oft – often
Confound – to bring to ruin, to destroy
Forbear – to do without
4. In The Republic, Plato begins to speak about classes and how people are put into these classes by the quality which they born of. He calls these people people of gold, silver, copper and iron. He doesn’t believe that you must stay within the class that you are born into, but he does believe that when you are born, you are predestined for one class or another, not necessarily the class of your parents. In Hobbes’ Leviathan, he begins to speak about why mankind is the way it is, and the certain “rights” man has. The rights he begins to list out are similar to a Bill of Rights for human nature and behavior. He relates these rights and description of human behavior to his idea that there is a constant war of everyone against everyone else.
1. Both are excerpts, so it may be difficult to understand the context. The Republic, especially, was taken from something much, much longer.
2. Why do the questions on these things unremittingly punish those with a high reading comprehension? In other words, N/A.
3. O.K., again, with the assumptions of a poor vocabulary. I concede that ‘incommodities’ is not a common word.
4. It’s difficult to say, but I believe that in the Republic excerpt two people are discussing how to ensure that those of good character and wisdom are kept in or promoted to positions of authority or leadership and those of bad character are demoted or kept out of them. One has suggested that a myth or parable be spread that the gods have chosen specific people for all roles. The other thinks that it’s workable within a few generations. Hobbs is a little more complicated, as well as being longer, but I believe the gist is that… I have no idea. I think that there’s something in there about how laws make men mistrustful and they should be abolished. But really, I have no idea. Moreover, what the hell does that have to do with a giant biblical sea monster?
Aryana
Theta Block
1.What difficulties do you think you will face in reading the excerpts from both Plato’s The Republic and Hobbes’ Leviathan?
-At a glance, Plato's reading seems very simple. I don't think I'll have any trouble with it. From a glance, it looks like Hobbes uses a bit of older English and run-on sentences to make points that could easily be explained in simpler terms. I think I may need to re-read each line or paragraph to make sure I am not misinterpreting him, because the excessive use of commas just from the first paragraph makes it seem like I'll be needing to double check.
2.What are some reading strategies that you know that would help you overcome these difficulties?
-When I don't understand things the first time I read them again, up to three times, and then I move on, to see if context lends to understanding. If the entire text is utterly confusing, I don't really know what to do, because I've never come across that problem before.
3.Make a list of the words that you did not recognize. Look up the definitions in a dictionary and write the definitions out in your own words.
-Diffidence: Shy, lacking in self-confidence.
4.Write 5-7 sentences summarizing the readings from both Plato and Hobbes (don’t worry about being right or wrong, take a guess, these readings are on the difficult side).
-Plato's reading was giving a story to tell; tell everyone they were destined for certain classes. Tell everyone they were born for certain roles. They will not always be born into the roles of their parents, but the sense of destiny will will make them more loyal to each other and their state if the threat of doom is heavy enough upon their heads if they try to shirk their destiny. Hobbes' reading was much longer and much more complicated in its language; but it came down to the idea that all men are equal. He lists the laws of nature and the nature of man and how their natural equality effects them, how they feel a desire to be better or to have more than their neighbor, whom they start on level footing as (even if some characteristics are better than others, Hobbes believes that in general all men even out into the same.)
Yuri Bondarenko
Govt Econ
Mr Koh
Aug 30
Plato/Hobbes Reading Strategies Homework
1. I think the main difficulty for me will be not knowing some words that they used in Plato’s time period that aren’t used anymore and things of that sort. With Hobbes I may have a bit of trouble grasping the concept, although I’m not too worried about this.
2. Using context, talking to the text, and re-reading sections would all be good reading strategies that would help me overcome any difficulties I have reading I think.
3. Delectation – Enjoyment; Diffidence – Hesitating to act; Wile – A trick or a deceiving demeanor.
4. Plato’s Republic talks about how everyone should be treated for who they are, not what they are. If someone is not fit to be in a position of power, they should not be in a position of power. Even if someone is a king, if they are a bad king they should not be allowed to rule. Hobbes talks more about how there will never be a balance in humans because someone will always be stronger than someone else. Likewise someone will always be greedier than someone else and will want to take something from someone weaker.
Derick Dragon
Eta
1.i know that they are older pieces therefore i expect to encounter words and phrases that i do not understand. i have a feeling that i will overanalyze parts of them and become more confused then i should have been. i know that Plato has a real talent of making simple things sound complicated.
2. looking up words, asking a parent who might know. if i take the time to process the text i usually can make sense of it. it doesnt make very much sense to me if i were to read over things i didn't understand.
3. Diffident-distrustful
auxiliary-backup, complementary
4. i find both readings very interesting. i believe that Plato's tale is a clever way to get his message of where people should be in society across. it sounds almost as if he himself does not believe it and that if he were to tell it to people they would be more inclined to do the opposite. at least thats how i interpret it. Hobbes on the other hand delves deep into the very nature of Human beings. he explains the basic interests of people and why they behave the way they do. he mentions how people have adjusted their behaviors towards todays society. he believes that peace is a hollow dream that can never be acheived because in his reasoning war is constant. i find both works very educational.
calvin zhang
theta
1. The difficulties I think that I will have in the readings is that I wont understand what the text is saying or that i will come across vocabulary words that i dont know because its a hard reading.
2. Some reading strategies to overcome these difficulties is to re-read the part that i dont understand until i understand it or keep moving is i dont; for vocabulary words, try to figure out the meaning by what the surrounding sentences are saying.
3.
infallible - not being able to make errors
prudence - to control one's self by using reason
peradventure - possibilities, uncertainty
4. The republic is saying that sometimes, the working class produces a child that doesnt belong in the working class and that child will be moved up in society to not mix up the societal rankings using the metaphor of metals and minerals; more valuable minerals are higher ranks and lower minerals are the lower class. Plato is saying that the class system is natural in human society because classes shouldnt mix or society will be in chaos, so in order to have society run smoothly, the class system is needed. What hobbes is saying is that it is human nature to fight for class and to be in a higher one. There is always danger around us because he states that when one goes to sleep, he needs to lock everything up so no one will invade his home and belongings.
ETA 9/3
1. I had absolutely no problem reading from Plato’s: The Republic. It made a lot of sense and I got it immediately without it being longwinded. Hobbes’: The Leviathan was the complete antipode to Plato’s simplicity; it was long winded and used old English that was very hard to comprehend. I eventually got it, but it took me a lot longer to analyze each sentence and extract its meaning, some things were convoluted with old English, which made them confusing.
2. I think that I just have to make sure I read each sentence carefully and make sure that I can penetrate the old English to get the meaning.
3. dif•fi•dence (dĭf'ĭ-dəns, -děns')
n. The quality or state of being diffident; timidity or shyness.
Basically it is just the way that people are wary and conscious of each other and can’t trust each other in the context that Hobbes puts it in.
for•bear1 [fawr-bair] verb,
to refrain or abstain from; desist from.
to keep back; withhold.
Obsolete. to endure.
In the context that Hobbes puts it, I think it means to abstain from doing something even though your natural rights permit you to.
4. Plato is saying that some people should and some shouldn’t be allowed to rule. He is specifically attacking rule by bloodline, because though the parents of an heir to the throne may be exceptional rulers, the kid might be a lousy one, and those kind of people should not be allowed to rule simply because of who their parents are and they should be required to renounce their crown if they are not a good leader. In this same way, children born of common parents who would be good leaders should be allowed to step up and rule because this is what is best for everyone. He also mentioned at the end that making a current generation of people do this would be impossible, but a 2nd or 3rd generation might be able to accept this.
Hobbes says that men are equal. If you took all of the best parts of each person and added them up they would be equal even if one is better in a certain area than the other. Men also have the right to make themselves equal by means feasible with their natural rights. Men also have to govern themselves with natural law which neither constricts nor forces them to do anything to hurt another to become equal. Also society will always strive to balance itself even by violent means, if there is no power to keep men equal, then war will be that power. We also have the right to be safe and confident which also causes conflict.
Ayinde Bell-Stampp
9-2-07
1.I think my difficulties is the vocabulary and understanding the curriculum. Sometimes reading things takes me a very long time to process.. I have to read it more than once maybe even twice.
2.Some stratigies for me is reading it over and over again. I have to underline words, talk to the text, and circle the facts that I think are important to me. If someone around me doesn’t understand the words I don’t know I have to look it up and find out the meaning and how it’s used in the text.
3.Infallible- to trust or be sure about something
prestige- reputation attaching to a person
degenerate- to fall down or below
felicity- being happy
Auxilarie: Person of hospitality
brutish:Cruel.
degenerate:physically satisfied
reckoned:to calculate or put together
4.In Plato The Republic, it is talking about how each individual should be treated how ever they act and come forth. It’s saying if you act the way you do you should deserve to be treated that way.If a person acts different then that’s the they way they are meant to be. If you are a person of gold you are in the higher class and if you are bronze or iron you’re are to be treated lower than others…
Rolando Casella
THETA
1. Difficulties I think I will face in reading the excerps in both Plato's The Republic and Hobbe's Leviathan are difficulties in understanding the use of words, the metaphors, and the philosophies that are talked about. I think I might have to go over more then once to get what the excerps are about.
2. I know that If I stop and take the time to reread it that then I would be able to understand. If I start to build my vocabulary from the text it would give recognition and also know the meaning. I think a better way to absorb the text in the excerpt would actually be to read slowly.
3. Delectation – Enjoyment.
Diffidence – Hesitating to act.
Auxiliary- A group of people that supports.
Impediments- Something that prevents another from happening.
Incommodities- Inconvenience.
4. I believe that in the excerpt Platop's The Republic it talks about how each individuals should go accept each other and treat each other with respect as if it were them being treated the same way. If an individual is "gold," then that individual should be someone in a higher class. If an individual does not have the potential that is expected from them, then it is only right to treat that individual to the right class. If there is any misplacements, then there will be disorder in how things work. The excerpt from Hobbe's Leviathan is talking about how our rights is what takes peace away from us because then if we have the right to do anything to anyone then what do we have? There is always danger because there is always a weak and a strong in the situation. Being able to do anything is whats causes problems.
Sierra Laiafa
Theta
1. The difficulties I believe I will face are that I may struggle to understand the text and maybe the point he is trying to cross. Another difficulty I can see myself passing is maybe the deeper meaning of what the authors trying to convey and make me understand because the manner of the text seems so old and formal. But if the philosophies differ major it will be easier for me to understand because it'll be two separate stories.
2. To overcome my difficulties I will probably have to re-read material and maybe as everyone would probably do and "talk to the text" and if that doesn’t work I will probably just have to ask another peer of mine or an instructor. I would also have to check the dictionary for words that I have no definition of.
3. Auxiliary- a person or thing that gives aid of any kind; helper
commodious:Convenient
Diffidence- Lack of self-confidence
impediment- obstruction
peradventure-chance, doubt
4. "The Republic" is about the value of an individual depending on the rank of your parents. But as the text says if you have "golden parents" you’re most likely to be silver child. It also speaks of what your title will be due to the fact of your ranking. For example if you were born a golden child you were meant to be a leader. If you were silver or bronze you were to be a guardian or Auxiliary. Also it talked about how to place an individual based on his or her background so everybody would fit in correctly. The Leviathan was more so about men being equal and we can do whatever we want whenever we want and he talks about how danger will be present because of weak and strong. Its also helpful because it make us feel the nature of not causing conflict and he says its natural to feel those things.
Jasmin Palencia
1: The difficulties that I think I will face while reading the excerpts would be that I wont understand what they are saying in some sentences. Also keeping my focus on what I am reading because sometimes I read but I don’t listen to the reading.
2: I know that if I keep reading what I am reading I will be able to eventually understand what they mean after a long time. Also re reading the excerpts a couple of times will help me concentrate on it and be able to understand it.
3: Machination: Some kind of plan or plans
Diffidence: feeling less confidence
4: The reading from Plato is about explaining different classes to people. It’s to show that certain people are netter then other people so they have to deal with it. It gives examples of how they will be able to notice the other people and then asks if they will be able to teach the generations to respect the people that are ‘better’ than them. In Hobbes reading it talks about what people act like. He gives examples of what they do and what will happen if we had the perfect society. It also gives examples of actions and reactions of human beings.
Misha Steier
Epsilon
1. I think it will be difficult to maintain any interest in these readings. The ideas presented in these readings are so deeply ingrained in our government and society that they are probably the farthest thing from fresh as possible. The way the writings have been translated also seem rather pedantic and well boring.
2. I could use my pen and highlight the major points they are trying to make. I could also try and keep an open mind and pay careful attention.
3. incommodities-inconvenience
peradventure-doubt and uncertainty
4. Hobbes is saying that the natural state of man is one of constant war. He thinks that human life is "nasty, brutish, and short" and that the only way to establish any sort of peace is fear of death and confidence in the achievement of all goals through non-violent means. He also believes all men are created equal.
Plato believes that some men are born better and some are born worse and should be judged as such and assigned positions in society accordingly.
©Fia.
Zeta
1. Difficulties I think I will face include not understanding old English sentence structures or intricate vocabulary.
2. However when I don’t get it, strategies I have include re-reading and taking my time. I also look definitions of words I don’t know up on dictionary.com.
3. Felicity (happiness), machination (nifty/cunning plot), infallible (cannot fail, trustworthy), bestow (to give or apply), diffidence (being timid, lacking confidence), wiles (trick), augmentation (increase or growth), dominion (authority, ruling control), inclination (a feeling or tendency), incommodity (inconvenience), cardinal (fundamental, important, basic), inference (conclusion).
4. Hobbes talks about a whole lot in The Leviathan. Some thing I could actually wrap my head around was the part where Hobbes describes a man taking a journey and going to sleep. It tells me that man can’t trust a society, even a governed one. And in the short reading out of The Republic by Plato social classes are addressed and discussed. Seems to me that the meaning of the story told to the citizens is that god intended for there to be classes, but also that “the State” will be ruined when there are rulers that are either of low class or low quality (perhaps both… can’t really make out the meaning of that particular sentence). The story is told to the citizen so that they will accept their place in society, probably more intended for rebellious poor/ lower class people to chill.
Felicia
Epsilon
9/4/07
1. I think it is going to be very hard to understand their real meaning behind things. The way they summarize their thinking is hard to fully comprehend. The law of nature might be important but it is hard to read and get into my head. They use too many fo the same word to even get the real meaning behind that one word.
2. One thing that could really help me is highlighting certain words that I know that I can't understand, and go back and get the definitions. Or maybe even highlighting things that stick out and come back so that I can understand the passage better. If I just skip over words then it's going to be hard to really understand everything else i am reading. So the best thing is to find the hard words, and then figure them out later.
3.
Dispositon - where you stand.
Comodious - space.
Peradventure - to doubt or be uncertain.
Sovereign - king , royal.
Dominion - controling.
Pridence - rude.
Diffidence - shy.
Delectation - enjoyment.
Contemners - ?
Auxiliary - additional.
Prophecy - prodicting the future to come.
4. To me there overall messge was to shoe the way our minds work. To show an inside look on how exactly their minds work. Possibly even showing the value of life. How someone giveth and someone taketh away can be a symbol of a judged life. Based on the decisions you make you choose how your life is going to pan-out. Its the small tale of life everlasting. The true meaning behind the meaning of life and how life evoloves.
Jasmine Kamariotis
Epsilon
Sept. 4th, 2007
1. The difficulties that I see by reading the excerpts from Plato and Hobbes is their vocabulary and the style of language depending upon what era they are from. Vocabulary and language as in the words that they use. Because both of these philosophers are so old, there are words that they would normally use that we seldom use anymore.
2. I suppose for the most part I will be spending a lot of the time reading over sentences and paragraphs and trying to connect what I think they are saying to the rest of the text.
3. Auxiliaries- a person who gives aid, help, advise.
Machination- Plans or schemes.
Diffidence- Being timid or shy.
4. The plato's reading was about how the jobs of society are determined. If you were born with gold in your blood- you were royalty. If you were born with silver, you were an advisor, iron or bronze are farmers and laborers. He says that people with gold bear children with gold but sometimes they bear silver, Sometimes parents with silver could produce a gold child. In those cases children born of a lower status to higher people must work harder and people born of a higher class to lower people must "dumb" themselves down.
For the most part I have no ide what Hobbes was trying to say. i understood the end of the reading where he was talking about how wars are started by 3 factors; competition (or personal gain), diffidence, and glory (the establishment of such gain).
Logan F ZETA 9.4.07
1.
obviously i am supposed to expect something,or i wouldn't be asked about it, but I'm not quite sure what. This Plato guy is a thinker, so i assume that he writes in a very thoughtful and loquacious way. So theres probably some big words that i may not know, or juts a style that seems a bit odd and stumbley to me, so I'de expect something like that.
2.
since I'm doing this blog, and reading this Plato thing @ the same time, I'm on the computer, and instead of having a dictionary, or a thesaurus, i can just look up the words that I don't know. And if i start getting lost, ill just slow down and catch up with my thoughts, or let them catchup, either way.
3.
Pediments:A wide, low-pitched gable of a building in the Grecian style.
Precept:Commandment.
Precedent:Legal case.
Iinclination:Disposition.
Incommodities:Inconvenience.
Commodious:Convenient.
Thine:possessive case of thou used as a predicate adjective, after a noun.
Machination:act of plotting.
Infallible:trustworthy.
Prudence:someones own interests.
Contemners: To Treat
4.Write 5-7 sentences summarizing the readings from both Plato and Hobbes (don’t worry about being right or wrong, take a guess, these readings are on the difficult side).
I read Plato's bit first-
In this Part4 of Book3 Plato says that there are 3 or 4 kinds of people. Those born into greatness, not so greatness, and those in the midst of the two who can really decide wether or not they want to be Great, or not so great. so kinda like social and economic class type stuffs. I think.
This Hobbes fella second-
Hobbes is talking about humans, in their natural state, and natural actions, opposed to those of god, and what he inflicts on the world. stuff about how people are equal, ubt some are more equal than others, and because of that, they compete, and want things, and are willing to fight for them, and not because god told them to, or because god made them that way, but because they are human
SON!
Logan F Zeta 9.4.07 ( second post?)
im not sure if this posted the first time, so im going to do it again just to be safe.
1.
obviously i am supposed to expect something,or i wouldn't be asked about it, but I'm not quite sure what. This Plato guy is a thinker, so i assume that he writes in a very thoughtful and loquacious way. So theres probably some big words that i may not know, or juts a style that seems a bit odd and stumbley to me, so I'de expect something like that.
2.
since I'm doing this blog, and reading this Plato thing @ the same time, I'm on the computer, and instead of having a dictionary, or a thesaurus, i can just look up the words that I don't know. And if i start getting lost, ill just slow down and catch up with my thoughts, or let them catchup, either way.
3.
Pediments:A wide, low-pitched gable of a building in the Grecian style.
Precept:Commandment.
Precedent:Legal case.
Iinclination:Disposition.
Incommodities:Inconvenience.
Commodious:Convenient.
Thine:possessive case of thou used as a predicate adjective, after a noun.
Machination:act of plotting.
Infallible:trustworthy.
Prudence:someones own interests.
Contemners: To Treat
4.Write 5-7 sentences summarizing the readings from both Plato and Hobbes (don’t worry about being right or wrong, take a guess, these readings are on the difficult side).
I read Plato's bit first-
In this Part4 of Book3 Plato says that there are 3 or 4 kinds of people. Those born into greatness, not so greatness, and those in the midst of the two who can really decide wether or not they want to be Great, or not so great. so kinda like social and economic class type stuffs. I think.
This Hobbes fella second-
Hobbes is talking about humans, in their natural state, and natural actions, opposed to those of god, and what he inflicts on the world. stuff about how people are equal, ubt some are more equal than others, and because of that, they compete, and want things, and are willing to fight for them, and not because god told them to, or because god made them that way, but because they are human.
Kaid Alameri
Epsilon
1.When I read Plato’s The Republic and Hobbes the leviathan I had a lot of difficulties understanding their point of both articles. I had trouble understand some of the words they mentioned and they used metaphor a lot which didn’t make sense to me, and at the beginning of the article they talk about something, then when it comes toward the end or they conclusion they talk about something else.
2.i think the best way for me to overcome these difficulties is to focus more, and actually take time reading each page, make connections to the society, AND don't listen to my iPod while I’m reading it because i need to have my full attention to get the meaning of the reading.
3.Dominion: power, rule, or some controlling.
Commodious: somewhere that has a lot of space.
Garrisons: a group of people protect other troop.
Trifles: little of something, or small amount.
Sovereign: a person that has power of authority.
4.I think Plato The Republic was that even though we are all human and we are all the same, still there are rich and poor people in the world and that what makes us different, and how is it easy for people who has rich parents could reach their dreams because they were born like that. Hobbes reading, I think he was trying to say that all men created equally, and all men got same right to do anything, but this right that all human think they got don’t exist or it’s just something invisible. Also he was trying to say that human have different abilities to do curtain stuff, but that should don’t make the conflict between human.
Daniel Kong
Episilon
1.I didnt face much difficulties reading the two passages. However, it did take me a few times to reread what the passage was because I did not immediately understand what Plato and Hobbes' was talking about.
2.The strategy I used would be to write down what I dont know and then used the context of the passage to try to extract the meaning of it. IF that had not worked I would have gone home and asked my parents for help. If that didnt work as well, I would have looked on the internet for other people's insight into these passages.
3.Incommodities: Something that is inconvenient
diffidence: Self doubt
4.In Plato's parable, he is saying that everyone has their place in the world determined by what their parents are. It is similar to the caste system of Hinduism, I believe. Plato, also, says that everyone must work for the greater community. Hobbes, however, says that man, naturally, wants to look out for himself and no one else. In this he says that man views everyone as the enemy and constantly undermines them so that he can reap the benefits.
Jasmine Martinez
Epsilon Block
1.The difficulties that I will face/faced when reading the excerpts from both Plato's The Republic and Hobbes' Leviathan was understanding what they were saying. The language that they used was very confusing to me and I had a hard time reading it. I think that all the metaphors that were in the readings, especially Plato's were very hard to grasp and interpert what they were saying.
2. I think that some reading strategies that I know would help me overcome these difficulties would be re-reading, highlighting vocabulary that I don't understand and looking up what they mean. Something that I'm not sure if its a good strategy but that I use often is asking people to help me interpert and understand what is being said in the reading, just breaking it down and translating sentance by sentance.
3. -auxiliaries: necessities
-manifestly: the ingredients that make up a person
-hath: to have
-infallible: can't fail
-prudence: to be non invasive
-endeavours: your future encounters
4. The excerpt from Plato's The Republic is talking about how everyone is equal. I think it means that everyone is born into a certain class for a reason, and they can either embrace that or try to change it if they can. Hobbes' Leviathan is talking about human beings and how their are different types of people in the world. It talks about how in the end what it all comes down to is that everyone is the same, but people just don't see it like that. It also shows that people don't have to be physicaly strong to win a war, that how smart they are counts too.
Julian MacDonnell
ZETA
1.The difficulties I will face are of two things; One, I will have trouble trying to translate the text so that they make sense for the modern time where as I will have no time in understanding the context for it's own time. Two, I might have trouble reading it as well because upon scanning the pages, there are certain sentences in their that use words in ways I never saw before, so I expect a bit of difficulty there.
2.One strategy is to translate certain parts of the text so that it helps me to understand the rest of that section, or the story in whole. Another simple strategy would be to take one sentence at a time and read it through several times till I get a feeling for what is trying to get passed on. Another for after reading would be to talk to others that have read the same passage and see what we all came up with.
3.Diffidence: Self Doubt
Incommodities: Something that is inconvenient – Inconvenience
4.I believe that Plato's “The Republic” talks about how it isn't impossible for people to change where they are in the world, no matter where they are born into. If you are born into what he calls the gold/ rulers, it is possible for you to go down to silver status. You are still human after all. The same applies to the silver and bronze that if they do things right/ wrong they can move up, stay where they are or move down a class. As of to Hobbes's “The Leviathan,” I feel he talked about how we are all equal and that we are very susceptible to self doubt/ diffidence. Another notion he brings up is how humans work; first they have competition, soon after is the self doubt followed by glory. Another system he brings up is how humans use violence such as wars for self gain, safety and their reputation.
1.the difficulties i think that i alone will face will be the words are for along time ago in which, meaning that this is written the way people used to speak which we do not do anymore. so the text will not be easibly understood.and as a group this could also be a problem, but the biggest difficultys for a group will be understanding what the writers thoughts where during writing this. like why does he think about men this way and why don't people still think of humans as the same way as they did when this was written.
2.some strategies that i can use are that when i have a problem i can always look it up online or i can ask someone else if they understand this. if not i will just be confused and probably have to ask Mr. Koh next time i see him.
3.precedent : Legal case
continual : normal
delectation : to enjoy something
4.the stories of Plato and Hobbs are mostly about how rich and poor people are different. this is just about class differences. what Plato says is that children are all born with either bronze iron silver of gold and unless they are born with gold they cant be royalty or ever be in power otherwise there kingdom will fall. Hobbs is talking about how different yet alike man is and also about the class differences, from poor and rich.
Isabel Pedraja
Zeta
1. Most difficulties I will have in reading these excerpts understanding their true meaning and 'decoding' the old english that it is written in.
2. A few reading strategies that would help me are reading slowly, underlying words I don't understand, and trying my best to concentrate while i'm reading otherwise I won't understand a thing and might have to read it over.
3.infallible: not being able to make errors
prudence: to control one's self by using reason
peradventure: possibilities, uncertainty
4.While Plato's story described how one's economic stature is already chosen before birth by God; while Hobbes discussed how humans are naturally equal, envious, cocky, and competitive and that this is true for everyone on earth. I wasn't able to finish Hobbes' reading but this is what I got from the first page.
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