Cultural Relativism: A Good or Bad Thing?

I hope that everyone is having an amazing Merry Christmas and very Happy New Year. Can you believe that I have to write a blog entry during my school break? I mean it is LUDICROUS!!!!!! Well, I would like to talk to my audience today about an interesting topic I have recently read about. It is called Cultural Relativism. Cultural Relativism is the principle that an individual human's beliefs and activities should be understood in terms of that individual's own culture. Cultural relativism is the view that no culture is superior to any other culture when comparing systems of morality, law, politics, etc. It's the philosophical notion that all cultural beliefs are equally valid and that truth itself is relative, depending on the cultural environment. The article that we have read also describes the arguments and opposite viewpoint.

In class, one book that we have read connects perfectly with this topic and article.. The book Things Fall Apart. In things fall apart, the author, Chinua Achebe, describes the Igbo tribe in great detail. He does this so the readers understand the culture of the tribe and will be able to understand this topic in the story. When the white settlers come and push there religion and culture on them, some of the Igbo tribe, like Okonkwo, reacts violently to them and others do not really care. Each culture has their own viewpoints of what is right and wrong and that is why they clash. The first Reverend of the white settler's church had the idea of Cultural Relativism. The Reverend wanted everyone to get along, have everyone understand each other's culture, and have them believe that no culture was greater than any other culture. The novel focuses on the chaos that Cultural Relativism affects on the people when it is put into affect; nothing can progress or be accomplish.

A modern aspect that this can connect to is extremist in Islam. These Muslims believe that their religion is the one and only way to be. They believe America to be the Great Satan because of our Democracy and beliefs. In America, if we do not agree with something, we do not go around killing each other these things. With Radical Islamic people, if they disagree with others, they go around bombing everything to make it right. They are not capable of Cultural Relativism because they obviously do not want to understand the other cultures and will only believe that they are always right.

I believe that Cultural Relativism should not be put into play. Not to sound racist, but I do not like believing that all cultures are the same. I believe that you should uphold your culture, take pride in every aspect of it, and believing that it is the best culture in the world and not just some other mediocre culture. Also when you apply Cultural Relativism in your world, nothing will be accomplished or progressed. If you look at history, the way that cultures progress is by becoming better than the one before. For example, the way our military advanced was during the Cold War, where the U.S.A bettered their weapons on the Soviet Union weapons. This is why Cultural Relativism should never be put into affect because it hinders advancement among cultures.

Until next time, remember to buckle up; its the law!

Thank you,

Ryan Sperratore

The Impossible Questions: What is the truth? What is the meaning of life?

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. I know I did. I ate way too much, but anywho……let’s get back to business. I would like to address something that has been pondered on since the dawn of time. Great philosophers all through the ages have asked this question. It is simply, “what is truth?” With truth, other questions come into light like “what is the meaning of life?” These quotes bring up the questions of reality, fate, and truth. These questions have had theological, philosophical, and scientific speculations. It has caused much controversy between religions and other groups. You can see these questions in literature we have read.

Literatures that we have read that apply to this situation are Oedipus and Waiting for Godot. In Oedipus, Oedipus has to face the truth with his fate. No matter what, he will marry his mother and kill his father. The he has to deal with the reality of realizing that he is the one who is causing the plague on the city of Thebes that is killing many people. Then in the play Waiting for Godot, it deals with surrealism of everyday life. In the play, it addresses that a human being's life is totally dependent on chance, and, by extension, time is meaningless; therefore, a human's life is also meaningless, and the realization of this drives humans to rely on nebulous, outside forces, which may be real or not, for order and direction. The basic premise of the play is that chance is the underlying factor behind existence. This is seen when Vladimir mentions the parable of the two thieves in the Bible. This play focuses on the philosophical theory of Existentialism.

When I think of this quote, there is one movie that comes to mind…..The Matrix. Tom Anderson (Neo) is an average computer programmer by day and by night, a hacker known as Neo. Neo has always questioned his reality, but the truth is far beyond his imagination. He has always felt that there was something wrong in the world and that there is a lie that is covering him from the truth. Neo finds himself targeted by the police when he is contacted by Morpheus, a legendary computer hacker. Morpheus meets Neo where he gives him a choice to choose between what is the truth and what is fake. "You take the blue pill – the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill – you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes." Neo chooses the red pill and learns the truth and fate about life.

I believe that intellectual people spend a great deal of time wanting to learn more about life and they ponder on questions like these. I have spent many sleepless nights asking myself, “What is truth?” and “What is the meaning of life?” I can’t come up with a definite answer. Even being a religious person and using what I’ve been told that we live our life for God, I’ve always had a sense of doubt where I wonder if what I believe is true. No one knows for sure what the truth is and what the meaning of life is, but we can always ponder the questions.

Until next time, keep your heart open and love will always find away.

Thank you,

Ryan Sperratore

The Troubled Life of a Great Man!

Happy Halloween to my fellow bloggers out there; I hope everyone has been well since my last address to you. I would like to talk about a great king. His name is Oedipus. When Oedipus was born, a prophecy was made that one day he would kill his father and marry his mother. His parents gave him to a slave to place and leave him on a hill so he would die, but he could not do it. A family adopted little Oedipus and raised him as their own. When he grew up, he heard the prophecy and left for Thebes so it would not come true (he did not know that his biological family lived there). On his way, he killed the Sphinx that would kill people if they got its riddle wrong. When he arrives, he gets into an argument with man and kills him (his true father, King Laos). Then, he becomes king and marries Queen Jocasta (his mother). He soon finds out that the prophecy is true and who he truly is and tears out his eyes. This leads me into my discussion.

I would like to talk about how Oedipus took on the weight of the world and was dealt a bad set of cards for doing such a great job. The city of Thebes was facing a plague. People were dying in such great numbers that there was not enough of the living to ensure that each of the victims was cremated. Oedipus had to deal with this. He took on the weight of the city and took the responsibility for everything that was happening. Oedipus must find the person who is responsible for this curse and he even curses the person to be exiled. After searching for a very long time, Tiresias, a blind prophet, gives Oedipus some bad news. Tiresias tells Oedipus that he is the cursed one. Because he is the one who has cursed the city, Oedipus inflicts pain on himself by cutting out his eyes and exiling himself.

When I think of Oedipus, I can relate him to many modern figures. The main person who comes to mind is Michael Jackson. You are probably thinking, “Wow, this doesn’t fit at all,” but hear me out. Just like Oedipus, Michael Jackson was a man with everything and had a lot of responsibilities of raising children and keeping up in mainstream media, but tragedy soon hit. He was diagnosed with Vitiligo, had problems with drugs, and convicted with child molestation (he was found innocent). In a sense, he was exiled, just like Oedipus.

I personally have a great sense of pity for Oedipus. He was man who had everything, but soon it all went awry. I believe that Oedipus took on to much than he could handle. He carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. He had to deal with a terrible plague, find the person who was cursed, and find his true self. Then, when everything is revealed to him, he takes it badly. I do believe that he had to exile himself, but not inflict that much harm on him. If there is something I have learned from this story, it is to not judge people too harshly and to forgive mistakes that they have made.

Until next time, may the Force be with you.

Thank you,

Ryan Sperratore

Is The Mind More Powerful Than The Body?!?!?

I would like to address my massive audience (of one) today about the wonder, power, and strength of the mind. There are many times when we hear stories about immaculate feats and when the person who accomplishes those feats are asked, “How did you manage to do that;” the answer is always the same, “With the power of my mind and heart.” This leads me to discuss a quote that pertains to the second part of number 13 on The Power of One Socratic Seminar questions. The question is the following: “In what way does Peekay live out the aphorism ‘First with your head, then with your heart’ throughout the rest of the novel?” Our class touched on this topic, but it is something I just cannot get out of my head. I will explain.

This quote is presented in The Power of One, written by Bryce Courtenay. Peekay, a young English boy, meets a boxer named Hoppie who tells him, “First with your head, then with your heart,” after Hoppie’s boxing match. Peekay applies this quote to the rest of his life. When he takes up the hobby of boxing, all of the Africans that he boxes are taller and stronger than he is. He must first win the mental fight and push on with his heart. He also applies this to his academics. He is a very smart kid and he shows this when is at boarding school as has to put up with the Judge and the other Nazi kids as well as his subjects at the Prince of Whales School.

When I think of this quote, there is ultimately one movie (saga) that comes to mind…Rocky. The story of Rocky Balboa is a remarkable story that personifies this quote. The story of a young man from Philly who is determined to make it big in the boxing world. Rocky is known for his come backs. Whenever Rocky seems like he is going to lose, he applies that quote and BOOM!!! He comes back and wins. Just like Peekay, Rocky fights boxers who are bigger than him, such as Mr. T., and Dolph Lundgren. The Italian Stallion conquers all.

I personally believe that this is the greatest quote ever said. I have applied this quote to my life. I believe that this is the way we should live. First, we need to think things through and win the fight with our mind, and then proceed with our heart. Our mind is what makes us strong and our heart is what helps us push through. I challenge you, reader, to apply this to your life and see the affects that it can produce. Just remember: “first with your head, then with your heart.”

Until next time, I bid you adieu.

Thank you,

Ryan Sperratore