Songs of a Vampire

The famous Twilight Saga book series turned movie has an amazing soundtrack. Paramore's song, "Decode" is one of the many songs on the ending credits of the first Twilight move. This song depicts an image that Descartes is trying to explain to his readers that it is easier to believe that our minds and souls exist rather than believing that the physical world exists. On page 17 in Descartes: Meditations on First Philosophy, he says that, "... there is a deceiver of supreme power and cunning who is deliberately and constantly deceiving me." (The "supreme power" can be depicted as the "vampire") This quote goes hand in hand with the first verse in the song "Decode," "How can I decide what's right? When you're clouding up my mind." Also, Descartes goes on to say, "I too undoubtedly exist, if he is deceiving me; and let him deceive me as much as he can, he will never bring it about that I am nothing so long as I think that I am something (pg. 17)." Descartes is trying to explain that though this "supreme power" may try to deceive him anyway possible, it cannot because he believes that he is something, and believing that what he is definitely exists in his mind. In the song "Decode," the first verse goes goes on to say, "I can't win your losing fight all the time. How can I ever own what's mine when you're always taking sides. But you wont take away my pride. No, not this time." This part of the verse further goes on to explain what Descartes meant in his quote stated above as well as "I am, I exist (pg 17). Moreover, when Descartes says, "I am, I exist" and "let him deceive me as much as he can," it is kind of like saying that something may change physically but what you think will always be real. This can be better said through the "Decode" lyrics, "My thoughts you can't decode."

Descartes in the Classroom

On page 12, Descartes begins with saying, “I was struck by the large numbers of falsehoods that I had accepted as true in my childhood, and by the highly doubtful nature of the whole edifice that I had subsequently based on them.” I believe that this statement hits close to home not only for me but many other people as well. For example, grade school taught many of us the same subject for many years, K-12; then by the time we get to college, our professors tell us to completely disregard what we have learned during those years in grade school, especially high school. Last semester I remember writing a paper for my English class, and my professor told me to forget the writing style I learned in high school because it is now completely useless in her class as well as in college because of the standards. Also, that was not the only time that a professor has told me something similar to that. Furthermore, the History taught in grade school could be considered as a glimmer of truth, and in college this “truth” is finally revealed. On page 12, Descartes says that, “[he] realized that it was necessary, once in the course of [his] life, to demolish everything completely and start again right from the foundations if [he] wanted to establish anything at all in the sciences that was stable and likely to last.” This statement definitely correlates with the examples that I have mentioned above. To further explain his theory in this statement, there is a question that needs to be asked. How is that we are able to gain truth other than what is told to us or perceived through our senses? What I have gathered so far is that truth can derive from nature. I figure that nature is pure in all its essence and substance therefore making it most connected to God because God is the pure incorruptible good that has created nature. (pg 14-15). In the end, truth can be found in nature because of its connection to God’s purity. Also, nature in and of itself is never changing…in a way.

My Pop Culture. Aquinas and the Caribbean.

There are many cultures intertwined in America making it quite easy to find many different philosophical viewpoints everywhere and anywhere. I find myself at a point where I cannot just base these philosophical ideas and thoughts of these great philosophers to just American pop culture when in all actuality American pop culture has incorporated many different cultural backgrounds from all over the world into its own kind of “melting pot.” Being a person with a strong Caribbean background, I can relate philosophy to not just American pop culture, but to my culture as well…which I consider to be my complete pop culture. Best of both worlds? I think so!  

There are many Caribbean artists that incorporate many of these philosophical ideas we discuss in class into their work, especially the thoughts and ideas of Thomas Aquinas. In particular, Buju Banton, a reggae singer, integrates Thomas Aquinas’ beliefs on the contemplation of truth and man’s happiness into his song “Till I’m Laid to Rest.” For example, Thomas Aquinas believes that “man’s highest perfection cannot lie in that which link him with lesser things, but rather in what links him to some higher thing… (pg. 272).” Buju Banton believes the same thing when he states in his song, “Some save a bag of riches, yet they die empty hand. Go on saying I’m stupid and laugh all you can. Easier for a caller to go through a needle eye than a rich man to enter a Zion. Take it from I man.” In other words, Buju Banton is saying that materialistic things only last the physical lifetime, so dwelling on these items will do no good because they do not bring you unconditional happiness or a pass into heaven, but a life of an unquenched soul and thirst for salvation. When Buju Banton contemplates on this, it brings him closer to God, for reason and contemplation is man’s activity that separates man from beast which grants man the possibility to understand and love God which leads to an end of true happiness. Also, Buju Banton realizes in his song that he must use the tool that separates man from beast to understand that knowledge helps to bring him closer to enlightenment. He realizes this when he says, “I’m in bondage, living is mess. I’ve got to rise up alleviate the stress. No longer will I expose my weakness, he who seeks knowledge begins with humbleness. Work 7 to 7 but I’m still penniless. All the food upon my table Massa God bless. Holler for the needy and shelter less. Ethiopia awaits me prince and princess.” His weakness that he will no longer expose is pain and pleasure which keeps him bound to the earthly world. Also, rising up against his pain and pleasure (his weakness) will help ease the burden of his ignorance of the Lord. He thanks God for all that has been done for him and prays that God would look out for those who are not as fortunate as him.

This may not be strictly American pop culture, but it is my culture and I cannot forget that. Reflection in all aspects of my life is very important. This is my pop culture, a first generation American with a strong Caribbean background.

The first video is of the song mentioned in this post "Till Im Laid to Rest," and the second video is a song called "No Other Like Jah" by Sizzla, another Caribbean artist who's song incorporates Aquinas's thoughts as well as the past philosophers already studied in this class.

Man's Happiness: Aquinas Edition

In order to truly understand God or at least come as close as we can get to understanding God is through contemplation. This would be the highest good because reason is something that man does not share with any other creatures on this earth. God granted us this ability so that we may be able to always connect with him and be able to gain his presence in our lives when we devote our time in seeking him. Whether we refer to contemplation as reason and/or intellect, it will always serve as our highest and our most “noble honor (pg.272).” Our highest good that we can achieve and our noble honor grants us the ability to connect with God, the highest being. It makes sense to think about everything that has a high purpose (for humans) connects us to the highest being which is God. “Moreover, man’s highest perfection cannot lie in that which links him with lesser things [such as pain and pleasure], but rather in what links him to some higher thing, for the end is better than which is for the sake of the end (pg. 272).”  The end ultimately lies within God which is the where our happiness truly lives. Contemplation of God and reasoning in all its glory helps us to not seek happiness in sensible pleasures. Things that are intelligible are better than sensible because sensible pleasure refers to pleasures that appeal to our five senses. Furthermore, “man’s ultimate end and his happiness lie in his most perfect activity... (pg. 274).” As we contemplate God and come to some understanding of his Being, then we would find our true happiness. This happiness, according to Thomas Aquinas, is our ultimate happiness. Thomas Aquinas believes that “man’s ultimate happiness lies in the contemplation of truth (pg.280).” This “contemplation of truth” is our understanding of God (pg. 280). In other words, our reflection on life and our reasoning behind what we do will bring us into deliverance of knowing God because truth and reasoning is man’s highest purpose, and our highest purpose serves as a router in our search in gaining knowledge of and seeking God.

"My Immortal"



Oh philosophy, you seem to find me everywhere I turn! You constantly catch my attention in everything I do, see, and listen to, especially the concepts of St. Augustine established in his confessions. I wonder if painters, songwriters, actors, etc. purposely relay philosophical messages in their forms of art.

To begin, St. Augustine believes that someone bigger than ourselves can grant us an eternal life. This eternal life, in a sense, leads to immortality. God is the eternal life therefore immortal. As I began to understand this concept of immortality and the eternal life the way St. Augustine explains it, a certain song kept crossing my mind. This song is titled “My Immortal” by Evanescence. “My Immortal” could be interpreted in many ways, but I believe that this song better exemplifies Augustine’s thoughts and concepts of the eternal life, sin, and intrapersonal struggles with more of a focus on the second verse. The second verse of this song seems to be an inner struggle to fight the temptations of sin and not stray away from the path of God.

Second Verse: “You used to captivate me, by your resonating light. Now I’m bound by the life you left behind. Your face it haunts, my once pleasant dream. Your voice it chased away, all the sanity in me.”

In the first sentence, I believe that sin is what she is referring to by being captivated in its resonating light. In other words, sin has beckoned her with a pleasurable temptation. Then in the second sentence, the pleasure from the sin has worn away, so now she has to face the punishment of that sin that has now burden her. In this statement, St. Augustine would sympathize with her by saying, “… by the burdens of this world [sin] I was sweetly weighed down (pg. 189)” Furthermore, the next two sentences in this verse is an intrapersonal struggle between her two wills, flesh and spirit. She realizes that she no longer wants to be chained to this world by the consequences of her sins, yet she does not want to be freed from these earthly temptations just yet. St. Augustine can relate to this as well because he stated, “Give me chastity and continence, but not yet! For I feared that you would hear me quickly, and that quickly you would heal me of that disease of lust [addiction to sin], which I wished to have satisfied rather than extinguished (pg. 194).” Back to the lyrics, the haunting face stands for “Good” and the pleasant dream stands for the pleasurable sin. To better understand this,  the pleasant dream is the temptation of sin that she is yearning for and feels comfortable in its presence, and the haunting face is the “Good” reminding her to not fall into the temporary pleasure of sin. In doing this, God would grant her the chance at an eternal life only if she does not fail in seeking him. Then, the last sentence in the second verse conveys and impression that she has or is really close to losing her battle of “Good.”  The voice suggests that it is sin that has chased away all of the sanity [peace of mind] she has gained from following the path of prosperity. In other words, sin has once again tempted her with temporary pleasure. St. Augustine can also sympathize with the downfall in the second verse be he stated that, “For this very thing did I sigh, bound as I was not by another’s irons but by my own iron will. The enemy had control of my will, and out of it he fashioned a chain and fettered me with it. For in the truth lust is made out of perverse will, and when lust is served, it becomes habit, and when habit is not resisted, it becomes necessity (pg. 188).”

In the end, I can conclude that sin becomes an addiction, somewhat like a drug, and every once in awhile we fall into its comfortable presence of its welcoming arms. Just like the saying, “Once an alcoholic always an alcoholic” serves as an analogy of once a sinner always a sinner. The only way to break this habitual instinct is to serve the Lord one day at a time…baby steps.



Prayer of A True Confessionist...

While reading St. Augustine, I struggled to come up with an idea to write about in this first blog. I knew for sure that I definitely did not want to have that typical blog that only talks about the subject through a bland literary post. I thought, “Why not spice it up and do a confession prayer like St Augustine, but in my own words?”  I only truly understood his concepts when I wrote this prayer for this blog. I feel as if I have come closer to view the window of St. Augustine’s soul through this prayer. I hope you enjoy this!  

Most gracious and heavenly Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus. First and foremost, I come thanking you for all that you have done and continue to do for me. You have always answered my prayers even when I felt that I did not deserve your answers. My soul has yearned for you when my flesh lead me into temptation. My flesh has longed for you when my thoughts were not of you. For “when my soul was withdrawn from thee, a mighty burden of misery weighed me down (Book 4.7).” “Your love is better than life itself (Psalm 63:62).” In knowing this, I confess my deepest and darkest sins to you. I hope through this, I can find rest within the shadow of your wings, for “[my] heart is restless until it rests in you (Book 1.1).” Grant me the ability to seek righteousness and not sin. Help me to call upon you, for there have been times when I did not know you, and instead of calling upon you, I have relied on earthly entities to heal my mind, body, and spirit. “Lord let me seek you by calling upon you, and let me call upon you by believing in you, for you have [now] been preached to [me] (Book 1.1).” Have mercy Lord, on those who have failed to seek your love in this lifetime and those who have not been preached to about your never ending love and compassion, for they will continually be restless in their becoming without your never changing omnipresence, the great I Am. And now Lord, fill the cracks of my corrupted soul with purity, for you are the Incorruptible Good that has made me in an image of your Being.

Amen

The Little Mermaid

Virtue and Excellence can be found anywhere and everywhere throughout pop culture. These characteristics can be found in movies, songs, politics, and even cartoons for children. Aristotle believes that virtue and excellence is what we strive for throughout our entire life. In order to have the kind of virtue and excellence Aristotle refers to, we have to understand that virtue deals more with inner-character (intrapersonal feelings) than just the external body boundaries. For example, Aristotle states three values that can help us to further understand how we can decide if we are truly virtuous and have excellence, "first, if he does them knowingly, secondly if he decides to do them, and decides to them for themselves, and thirdly if he does them from a firm and unchanging disposition (pg 115 sec 1105a31). In this, he is trying to explain that a truly virtuous person does the right thing and the good thing no matter the situation. Whether it is to fight for his country or lie to save someone's life. Okay, so what exactly does this have to do with anything related to the examples of pop culture that was stated earlier? Well, in this case, a certain cartoon for children exemplifies Aristotle's view of a man that is not truly virtuous and of excellence. This cartoon, you may have heard of, is The Little Mermaid television series. The twenty-eight episode "Heroes" depicts Aristotle's view of virtue very well. This episode is basically about a supposed "hero" by the name of Apollo who comes to visit the city of Atlantis to see his friend King Triton. The merpeople hold Apollo in high regards because of the most famous battle he fought in against Ursula (the sea witch). Ariel, the daughter of King Triton, goes on an adventure with Apollo because of all the "accomplishments" he has and the fact that he is "very adventurous, and while on this adventure, Apollo begins to show his true colors. He reveals to Ariel that he did not do any of the things that the merpeople admire and adore him for out of courage but mostly all out of fear. On that note, Apollo would be the model man for Aristotle to explain what a man is that has no virtue or excellence. In the end, Aristotle mostly explains what it means to not be someone of virtue and excellence, and that is why episode twenty-eight of The Little Mermaid television series identifies with Aristotle's ideas on virtue and excellence.

Below are parts of the episode of The Little Mermaid mentioned in the post above. Sorry I couldn't put the actual video up...but links will do! =) 

Part 1 of Episode 5

Part 2 of Episode 5

Part 3 of Episode 5