Chapter 1; The Garden of Eden; Sophie receives a letter, with only the words Who are you?

printed on it. Initially she disregards the phrase as simple to answer, but as the day pasts she actually finds the seemingly simple question quite difficult to answer. After deeply pondering over this quandary, she starts to ask herself about life and life and death. (These questions and other thoughts that stream through her head as a result of the first letter cause to go check the mailbox again for another letter). Another letter is found saying Where does the world come from? She then asks herself, Where did space come from then? This leads her to answer god, but she then goes deeper to ask, Who created god then? Had he created himself? was the next thought. This leads her to believe that he has always been around. But something always had to have a beginning, she convinces herself... What is it that truly defines a person? Is it physical traits, personality, or how they perceive things? If the book claims it is about mostly philosophical, then why is it that the novel emphasizes details of her life rather than the philosophy? What is the author's goal in asking these philosophical questions to Sophie, and how do they tie into the novel? You can't experience being alive without realizing that you have to die, she thought. But it's just as impossible to realize you have to die without thinking about how incredibly amazing it is to be alive (7). I chose this quotation because it made me realize how precious life is rather than how life is precious and should not be wasted. Some are conservative in how they live life, and live longer, but their life in not enriching in the amount of risks they decide to take. Contrastingly though, others, a much smaller portion decide to achieve more in life by trying to find themselves, thus leveraging themselves significantly more than others in the process. It is not until a person is on their deathbed do they comprehend whether their life was worth living or they just could have done more, or simply they believe they missed out on something they now regret. Chapter 2; The Top Hat; Sophie receives another item in the mail, this time a course in philosophy from the unknown sender. This one defines philosophy, and emphasizes its importance simultaneously. He states by curiosity, and asking question, this enables one to become more knowledgeable about the world surrounding us. After this, the sender proceeds to compare life to the magic trick of the magician pulling the rabbit our of his hat, then aligning this to life itself and discovering the mysteries of the universe. All that is necessary to become a good philosopher, he insists is the faculty of wonder. Is there an afterlife of some form? How is the world created? Grownups took the world for granted. They had let themselves be lulled into the enchanted sleep of their humdrum existence once and for all (21). I chose this quote because it made me take notice of how adults act in the way they view the world. Normally, I view adults as the wiser group which teaches the younger society how to behave. This however, changed my perspective to being that adults are simply teaching children how they should behave, not to question themselves or how they operate. Chapter 3; The Myths; Around 600 BC, myths were the main vehicle for spreading ideas and knowledge. As myths were

begun to be written down however, there came discussions alongside them, eventually questioning their viability. This was mostly due to thinkers noticing how the gods possessed human-like traits, leading them to thus call into question how accurate these myths/stories really were. As a result philosophers now sought other ways of explaining the answers to life's questions. Were there other reasons why philosophers rejected the myths' notions other than what was discussed in the chapter? Why were myths the main way of explaining ideals early on in human history? But a myth was not only an explanation. People also carried out religious ceremonies related to myths. We can imagine how peoples' response to a drought or crop failure would be to enact a drama about the events in the myth (27). I chose this quote because it lead to view the other shortcomings of myths in those periods and also the fragility of them. It did not come to me how something as simple as a crop failure could change how stories, explicit knowledge in that time span, or eventually lead to a total turn around in religion (Hundreds of years later, Christianity). Just imagine how that little incident would have completely rewritten the entire history of mankind! Chapter 4; The Natural Philosophers; Philosophers will not begin their work or quest until they discover or figure out what it is they would like to further learn more about; Sophie receives another letter in the mail. Initially, it refers to the origin of Greek philosophers, how they were beforehand known as natural philosophers due to their concerns towards the natural world and it processes. Three philosophers are discussed, Thales, Parmenides, and Heraclitus. Their main topic of interest was over what the world consisted of. Thales believed that water was the origin of everything in the world. Paramenides, however, believed that everything that was currently in the world was always around and Nothing could become anything other than it was. Heraclitus, probably proposed the most radical of either two, when he suggested that everything was in changing all of the time, in direct conflict with Paramenides' belief. He also believed reason was universal, along with opposites causing the world to continue existing. Can nothing come from something? Can something come from nothing? The only way we accept the transformations we can see with our own eyes- without losing our reason... (42). I chose this quote because this truly how human nature works currently. You could reveal to one person the results of a given survey, and they may not agree with the data, thinking that the study should leans towards the other answer. But until they truly experience an event themselves, say, their life flashing before their eyes, they will not fully accept that statement. Chapter 5; Democritus; Another letter comes! This time it asks a seemingly simple question a child would be able to answer; Why is Lego the most ingenious toy in the world? A philosopher, named Democritus is introduced, who came up with the basic idea of atoms. He thought that throughout nature, items consisted of an infinite amount and combinations of atoms. In addition though, these atoms varied in number/shape and as well as indivisible, immutable, and eternal. Democritus is credited for coming up with the first rudimentary idea of structures making up organisms/other structures. Why did it take so long after Democritus for the idea of atoms to truly become universal or more

realized? Moreover, nature's blocks had to be eternal- because nothing can come from nothing (45). I chose this quote because it repeats the overall question so far, which is if something can come from nothing. In addition, it further reinforces the notion that something has to come from something. But it also brings back the idea of where did that something come from? It had to some point come from nothing, or a small amount of something was created at some point. Chapter 6; Fate; Fatalism, the notion that a person's destiny is already written, is discussed in the next letter Sophie receives. Fate was an especially important belief during Greek times, where they believed that if something went wrong, it was fate simply taking its course. The Oracle of Delphi was the main source of the revealing of a person's or country's fate, as demonstrated when Greek leaders would come to her for advice before thinking about declaring war on another country. Even what we now call nonsense, such as god making people sick, was considered fact at that time. As Hippocrates began to become more influential, however, he started to question the idea of fate, in the area of health and sickness, for the most part. Then the concept of fate began a gradual decline. Can a person's fate be changed, or is it forever the same ending? What other events led to the decline in the popularity of fatalism? Fatalism in the belief that whatever happens is predestined. We find this belief all over the world, not only throughout history but in our own day as well (54). I chose this quote because it forced me to recall how even the belief of fate, regardless of whether it actually occurs or not, has shaped our lives. In the US, we usually believe that a person can determine their own destiny, no matter the odds set against them. Even then though, we still believe in some form of fate in our own daily lives, such as how a day will go, or what college we will end up attending. This quote also made me rethink instances where fate was said to have occurred. Chapter 7; Socrates; Socrates, a famous philosopher in Athens, did not actually write down a single word of his philosophy, yet he is one of the most well-known philosophers in history. He was able to gain this honor through his differentiability. He did not think about philosophy and claim he knew everything, similar to other philosophers. He asked questions to people and hoped to gain some insight from them in the process. As a matter of fact, is tactics were actually very akin to that of an infant who is always asking Why?. What made Socrates use this method of gaining insight, as compared to how traditional philosophers thought? Why did Socrates never write down a single word of his philosophy? A philosopher knows that in reality he knows little. That is why he constantly strives to achieve true insight... [Socrates] knew that he knew nothing about life and the world (69). I chose this quote because it made me reverse my thinking. Normally, I conceive an intelligent person, in this case, a philosopher, as someone who knows everything, or a lot. But in the case of Socrates, he was intelligent because he knew little. He realized that you don't necessarily require intelligence to be a good thinker, instead you just have to have curiousity and the ability to listen and gain something from it, rather than try to silence opinions or ideas that may go against your grain.

Chapter 8; Athens; A video rather than a letter comes this time. As the video is being played, it talks about the life in Athens and its culture as well. Finally Alberto shows himself to Sophie, and he then proceeds to further discuss how Socrates would wander the streets and ask any person questions about life or philosophy. As a whole though, only Athens is discussed, less so than philosophy itself. Is there any particular reason why Plato would choose those seemingly unimportant questions to Sophie? What particularly is he trying to get her to think more deeply about? The huge marble structure does not have a single straight line; all four sides are slightly curved to make the building appear less heavy. In spite of its colossal dimensions, it gives the impression of lightness (74). Even though this quote has little to do with philosophy, it appealed to me because of it seemingly conflicting nature. It made me think of how something could not be something, yet still be something. I also recollected the something from nothing phrase. If it is nothing, it could not be something, yet somehow it is still something. Chapter 9; Plato; In this chapter, the main focus switches from Socrates to his younger prodigy, Plato. Plato's main concern was the relationship between what was eternal and immutable, but also what was able to 'flow'. Plato thought that everything was ever-evolving, yet he believed that everything was composed of the same basic matter (atoms). He thought everything can change, but there are some restrictions on the type of change, or to visualize this better, a mold. In addition, he thought that we used our senses and reason to evaluate our surroundings. Is everything like a mold and then altered, or are items completely different, but happen to share given traits? Plato believed similarly that all natural phenomena are merely shadows of the eternal forms or ideas (89). I chose this quote because this ideal had not previously crossed my mind. I realize there are general ideas in which we all regard as true, but in detail, we may disagree with, such as deism, for example. I originally held the notion that everything was different in its own way, and just happened to share traits. The best example is diamonds, of how they are all kinds of sizes and shapes, yet once they are cleaned and cut, they can actually look and feel quite similar to each other. Now, my idea has changed to everything being somewhat similar and being a form of offspring of each other. Chapter 10; The Major's Cabin; Sophie learns more about philosophy, which seems to be that of Plato and Aristotle. Questions such as, Which came first, the chicken or the egg?, are asked. But what stands out the most in the chapter, is when she believes she sees a version of herself in the mirror, winking at her. This confuses her, because, through the utilization of reason, that is not possible. Despite this though, she still doesn't believe what she saw. Is there going to be a later use or reference to the girl Sophie thought she saw winking at her in

the mirror? Are people born with ideas, or do they gain them from their environment? But surely we have to see things in the world before we can know anything about them (101). I chose this quote because I do not necessarily regard this as valid. Humans do not have to see things to understand them; this is why we possess other senses. We can hear of things, and we can feel things, both of which have actually shown to produce just as much data if not more, than sight alone. Chapter 11; Aristotle; Plato and Aristotle are compared. Aristotle loved to use all of his senses but sight to gain insight. Plato, on the other hand, used reason to gain insight. Aristotle also believed that there were no molds as Plato called them, but instead similarities which objects or animals had in common. Aristotle also classified and sorted ideas, animals, and people into different categories as well. Is mobility the only factor that allows animals to rise above plants? What other traits set us apart from other animals? On the contrary, it is precisely reason, according to Aristotle, that is man's most distinguishing characteristic (108). I chose this quote because it has many viewpoints, opinions, and differences that could confirm or reject this belief. I myself believe that the trait which we possess which sets humans apart is curiosity. Without this, humans would simply have the same capacities or think the same way as any other animals would. This quote though, also brought in the factor of reason. With that ability, we are able to distinguish fact from reality, or learn from our mistakes. Humans cannot be humans without curiosity, yet simultaneously, humans cannot be without the gift of reason. Chapter 12; Hellenism; Hellenism rose from the ashes of Greek culture as Greece, as an empire, began to lose its influence and dominance over the region. As a result, Rome became the new player, which was earlier a part of the Greeks. Hellenism is a result of mobility, the spread of ideas, and borders becoming less of an importance. Thus, Egyptian, Babylonian, Syrian, Persian, Roman, and Greek culture combined into this. Alexandria soon became the center for science, contrasting, Athens, the main location for philosophy. Many groups were forms of Hellenism, in one way or another. There were the Cynics, the Stoics, and the Epicureans. The Cynics and Stoics both shunned material luxury and did not believe that it brought true happiness. The Epicureans, however, believed that material luxury was the reward of life, and thought they should live in as little pain as possible. Does a life without pain mean you have truly lived life? Plotinus believed that the world is a span between two poles (133). I chose this quote because it made me realize that the world, indeed is a span of two different poles. On each side, there are varying opinions. Dark and light, liberal and conservative, as an example. It is a mix of this moderation and balance, though, that we are able to move along. Without these gray areas, the world would be lost in darkness (no pun intended), without guidance, and would be unable to achieve anything at all. Chapter 13; The Postcards; No philosophy talked about in this section.

Chapter 14; Two Cultures; The Indo-European culture includes all of the European region, excluding those who speak FinnoUgrian languages though; Greeks and Romans were apart of this culture. Set aside from the others, Jews belonged to the Semitic culture. In the Indo-European culture, they believed in polytheism. Across the Indo-European cultures are clear commonalities if notions and beliefs. To the Indo-Europeans, sight was the most important sense. The Semites had a completely different language and culture although. As an example, Semites believed in monotheism. Hearing was also significant to them. Despite this, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all share a Semitic background. Additionally, Jerusalem is an important religious area for Jews, Christians, and Muslims. To the citizens of Israel, Jesus becomes Messiah- Son of god. According to Jesus, god allows forgiveness to anyone who prays for it. After Jesus had been crucified, Paul spread Christianity and converting himself in the process. If religion did not exist in early times, would cultures have had more, less, or no similarities among each other? In other words, history was seen as an ongoing line (151). I chose this quote because this is precisely how I view history. Although history does have a tendency to repeat itself in some form, it is indeed ongoing. History always comes as time passes, that is how it has and will always continue to be. Moreover, history is not exactly a line, because lines cannot keep on going for an infinite amount of time. Chapter 15; The Middle Ages; The Dark Ages, also known as the Middle Ages, was a period of a thousand years after the fall of the Roman Empire and the Renaissance. In this time, schools, despite being mostly like convents, arises. Universities are founded, with the Middle Ages actually pouring the foundation for more widespread education, rather than the Renaissance. With the fall of the Roman Empire in 400 AD, the region was thrown into the Dark Ages. As a result, the former empire was split culturally into three areas, Roman Catholic, Byzantine, and Arabic. St. Augustine is also discussed. He was an important philosopher whom agreed with Plato's ideas. A noted thinker, St. Aquinas, is also credited with creating a bridge between faith and reason. What would have occurred culturally if the Arabians had not gained control of Spain? There was no great difference between theology and philosophy at that time (177). I chose this quote because I didn't know that was no real difference between those two. I thought that philosophy was reason-based and that theology was science-based, but apparently not. I guess both at that time were reason, scientific, AND also religion based in some form. Chapter 16; The Renaissance; The Renaissance was a period of great scientific achievement. The empirical method was that every investigation of natural phenomenon has to be based on observation, experience, and experiment. Copernicus also discovers/claims that the Earth revolves around the sun, not the opposite. Kepler then further improved on this by saying that planets don't move in exact circles, but ellipses. Newton's laws of motion also come into being. What would have been different had the Renaissance not occurred?

As religion and science could now relate more freely to each other, the way was to open both to new scientific methods and new religious fervor (194). I chose this quote because I at first found it ironic. Usually, it is viewed that science and religion are on opposite sides of the spectrum. Yet, in the Renaissance different opinions actually managed to split both of them far enough apart, that they could actually interlock more. However, as decades would past, there would be increasing clashes, as shown the case of Galileo versus the Catholic church. Chapter 17; The Baroque; The best way to describe the Baroque period would be strife over differences. In this period, it was for the most part between the Catholics and Protestants. Idealistic conflicts involved two philosophies, materialism versus idealism. The view of determinism also comes back, the belief that everything is already planned out for the future. Newton also created what he called the mechanistic world view, which was that it was possible for notions to determine every little change, yet very accurately. What really is an animal? Which is more prevalent currently, materialism or idealism? Perhaps the best remedy against violence would be a short-course in philosophy (218). I chose this quote because this could be hotly debated. Philosophy does not necessarily prevent violence, but it does a miniscule factor of it. Instead, other factors, such as better environments and actual talking rather than violence would produce much better results. Half of forgiveness and moving on from there involves admitting you are wrong to some degree. Chapter 18; Descartes; Descartes was a theologian whom believed that knowledge could only be gained through reason. He was also one of the first to actually organize his ideas into a given philosophy, unlike others before him. He believed, like Plato, that one should never fully trust their senses. Descartes liked o classify and define things as well. For example, he thought that animals were complicated pieces of automation. Why did Descartes believe that a person should never trust their senses? Certain knowledge is only attainable through reason (230). I chose this quote because it illustrates that information does not necessarily come from books, but through reason. Reason is the only crystal-clear method that can give us certainty. People must doubt anything and everything until they are strongly certain that they obtain the knowledge and facts. Additionally, reason provides an ending to knowledge than one might not have necessarily gotten otherwise. Chapter 19; Spinoza; Spinoza believed that Christianity and Judaism were kept around only by dogma and ritual, therefore, he despised it. Spinoza also thought that Natural law was in effect, and that god was able to control everything through that. Spinoza believed that humans had many thoughts which prevented them from from getting true happiness, this including ambition and lust. Can you truly achieve happiness?

There is almost something symbolic in the fact he lived by polishing lenses. A philosopher must help people to see life in a new perspective (245). I chose this quote because this quote is very parallel we all view life. Some like to put on their rose-colored glasses and not see life as it, but what they want it to be. Others prefer to see their life without any obstructions though This is how philosophy can be seen as. How do we want to see life? Through or own eyes or someone else'? Chapter 20; Locke; Locke was an empiricist, or a philosopher of experience. Furthermore, he thought that things we can feel are simple sensations. Locke then sorted qualities into two portions, primary and secondary. Primary was extension, weight, motion, number, etc; Secondary was color, smell, taste, and sound. Locke was also one of the first to promote equal gender rights, and division of powers within the government. Are we born with ideas? Do they directly come from our parents before any knowledge of anything else? Locke believed that it was inherent in human reason to be able to know god exists (262). I chose this quote because this is how human nature is. When humans are not sure if something truly exists, we sometime can make up our own perception or opinion over its validity, just to comfort us more than actually find out. Humans naturally comfort themselves and are always curious, which is one of the most outstanding traits, and that can simultaneously bring us a false sense of security. Chapter 21; Hume; Considered by many philosophers as the most important empiricists, Hume believed that in order for us to visualize something, we had to see parts of it previously. Continuing from that, Hume believed there were two kinds of perceptions, impressions and ideas. He was also known for being agnostic; he thought that the idea of god could never be proved or disproved. Hume created the Law of Causation; this meant that everything that happens, there is a reason or specifically, a cause for it. Moreover, Hume claimed that just one thing may follow another does not mean there is a link between them. Why was Hume one of the most important empiricists? But even in everyday life we use complex ideas without stopping to wonder if they are valid (268). I chose this quote because it is very true in a sense. Humans have a natural tendency to jump to conclusions all the time, without fully reviewing the idea or completely thinking it through. However, I also think that humans tend to simplify ideals in order to better understand someone or something; they make generalized statements often. Chapter 22; Berkeley; Berkeley was an Irish bishop who thought that the new philosophical and scientific movements of the age were threatening Christianity. He also believed that we can exist are those we perceive. However, Berkeley claimed that the question of whether god exists or not can be more easily perceived than that of

humans. Does our world consist of real things? The question is who we are (281). I chose this quote because it is a question humans having been striving to answer since their very origin. Does this question ask who humans are, or as we are as individuals? As individuals, there is no clear way to truly answer how we, even through the eyes and mind of our own selves. As humans we could make generalized statements, but this would be very inaccurate, both in reality and through the thoughts and knowledge of Locke. Chapter 23; Bjerkely Berkeley did not believe that there was such a thing as a material world past the human mind. Aristotle did not think anything that existed in our minds has not been first identified by the senses. He also thought that everything should be split up into different categories and sub sections. Which is more of an unknown- Are humans, psychologically a mystery, or is how we can to be the bigger dilemma? How is it that science and religion can be so far apart, yet share the same origins? In truth. At very rare moments we can experience that we ourselves are that divine mystery (295). I chose this quote because it is a very valid statement. It is not until deep moments of sorrow or happiness do we truly find ourselves also. But this theory introduces another dimension to the conversation; humans being the mystery all on our own. If you were to put the human element into the periodic table, it would be one of the most unstable of elements, in addition to being one of the most magnificent as well. Humans, the same ones that can cure such diseases as polio, can also bring death to millions. Humans themselves are inconsistent, but we must also learn to admire that about ourselves. Chapter 24; the Enlightenment; The Enlightenment consisted of seven ideas: opposition to authority, rationalism, the Enlightenment movement, cultural optimism, the return to nature, natural religion, and human reason. Opposition to authority, the first one, was a belief held by French philosophers after their trips to the much more liberal England. They thought it was best to always remain skeptical about so-called truths, and that everyone should be able to respond to their own questions. Human reason and cultural optimism was another important trait held by the Enlightened, because it unshackled humans, leading them to think and act for themselves, laying down the foundation for individualism later on. The return to nature aspect of the Enlightenment was meant to de-civilize humans, because it was shown that primitive peoples were happier and better off than the civilized cultures. Finally, a man by the name of Condorcet published a book on the rights of women, claiming that they should hold some of the same natural rights as men. After this, a woman named Olympe de Gouges declared that women should have all the same rights as man. Is everything we see the same as what others see? But most of the Enlightenment philosophers thought it was irrational to imagine a world without god (313). I chose this quote because I thought it to be quite contradictory. I would think that for men to

preach philosophy of this new, more scientific nature, that they would believe that a world with god would interfere with their way of thinking. Normally, when you try to argue for one side, you try to disprove the other side or change their opinion. In this situation though, this was not the case. Chapter 25; Kant; Kant thought that senses and reason impacted our opinions to much, in a negative way. Kant also believed that there were other factors that contributed to our views, such as environment. In addition, he thought that space and time were our two forms of intuition. There were additionally two factors that led to knowledge of the world, one perceived through the senses, and the other inside how the mind operates. Is the universe finite or infinite? If one only had the gift of reason, would that make them intelligent? People usually say 'I'll believe it when I see', but don't believe what you see, either (334). I chose this quotation because most of us use this expression, however this expression is untrue and we cannot actually believe what we see due to the belief our senses can often trick us. This clearly illustrates that we truly don't know everything when even in reality we believe we do. Similarly, the world is not actually how we perceive it because we obtain too much unknown knowledge to actually gain the answers to everything. Therefore we must analyze and infer in order to obtain more of an insight to the world around us, because our senses can often misleads us. Chapter 26; Romanticism; Romanticism began in the late eighteenth century and ended in the mid-nineteenth century. Romanticism arose from Germany, and became popular with young university-educated men. Romanticism consisted of the typical liberal arts, music, poetry, and art. In the view of the Romantics, art could only bring them closer to the unexpressible. Romantics also thought that nature was a form of an organism, always developing. Romanticism focused on the worship of the freedom and individual as well. Folk tales and fairy tales were highly valued. Why were artists so valued in this period over others? We went inside ourselves and created a new world (347). I chose this quote because this is how humans typically are. If we are rejected/not accepted in our society, we tend to create our own, whether it be in our mind or with other people. In may ways, this new society or line of thinking can lead to better ideals, and more creativity. Chapter 27; Hegel; Hegel came up with and added on to the philosophies of Romanticism. He thought that truth was open to interpretation, and that all knowledge was human knowledge. Hegel's philosophy was mainly meant to help understand history more than anything else; history, he believed moves towards greater rationality and freedom. Can history always reflect how humans psychologically are? You cannot single out particular thoughts from antiquity, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, or the Enlightenment and say they were wrong (359).

I chose this quote because despite this phrase everyone does it anyway. For example, how many people lived in the times of slavery, and actually owned slaves? Now why is it we go back and say how wrong it was, when it was actually somewhat normal to have slaves. Slavery is wrong, no one can deny that, but simultaneously, who are we judge how things operated in those times, when we ourselvs have our own deep faults as well? We are meant to look back into other events, study them, and learn from them., rather than sit there and criticize them. Chapter 28; Kierkegaard; Kierkegaard thought that the Romantic idealism and Hegel's historism had prevented people' responsibility for their own life. He also criticized Christianity could not make up its mind on what it wanted it to be. He believe that people should be searching for truths (through faith) by themselves, and for themselves as well. To sum it up, Kierkegaard's philosophy was a deep form of individualism in which people should only be looking out for relying solely upon themselves. He believed life was made up of three stages- the aesthetic, ethical, and the religious stage. Do we have to look inside ourselves to truly find the answers to our questions? The most important thing is not what may think is precisely right or wrong. What matters is that you have an opinion at all on what is right or wrong. I chose this quote because it is a valid statement. We all have opinions of some form, and we may disagree over those, but what lays forgotten are those whom have no views whatsoever. It is very hard to debate with people whom have no ideals, because then it makes it harder to convince them how right we are. Chapter 29; Marx; Marx was not only known for his publication of The Communist Manifesto, but also for being a historian, philosopher, sociologist, and an economist. Marx's specialty was into materialism, and through this he demonstrated how materialism and economic factors can rapidly change society and history itself. He identified three bases of society, society's conditions of production, means of production, and mode of production. Conditions of production were the condition of the resources available for the consumption of society. Means of production, which is how a product or good is made. And finally, mode of production which is whom produces or controls production. Marx believed that there was strife between two classes, the working class and the management style class, or simply put, the rich. He thought that eventually there would be a form of revolution which would overthrow the upper class. Did Marx actually prove his theories correct, as a whole? Thus the worker transfers his own labor- and with it, the whole of his life, to the bourgeoisie (393). I chose this quote because it is not fully true to its meaning. When a worker works, it does produce something in which the bourgeoisie class benefits from, but the worker is the one whom only makes the item. They do not have to worry about how the company is running; that is the job of the management. Additionally, the worker is getting compensated for his labor, which he can then use on whatever he likes. All he has to do is come to work, do his job, and return home; he does not take the risk of starting the company, or running it at peak levels.

Chapter 30; Darwin; Darwin was best known as a biologist and natural scientist, but also for his publications which rocked both the scientific and religious order of the time. He believed vegetables and animals were all descendents of another through evolution (which was the result of natural speciation). Moreover, he thought those best adapted to their surroundings would be likely to survive. Darwin said it is unknown how life truly began, but he knows that it all started with DNA. Finally, Darwin suggests that history shows that we have all clearly evolved from one another. At what moment does life begin? Did life on Earth come from nothing? You could say that life is just one big lottery in which only the winning numbers are visible (416). I chose this quote because it intertwines with Darwin's beliefs. In this situation, life is compared to a lottery ticket. This can be compared to Darwin's view of survival of the fittest in which only the strongest survive, yet being of somewhat random odds. Thus the ones one best suited to their environment will eventually be eliminated, having the strongest remaining. Chapter 31; Freud; Sigmund Freud was an Austrian psychologist, whom specialized in psychoanalysis. Through his studies, he came to the conclusion that human actions are due to suppressed mental thoughts. Freud also believed in two areas the unconscious, which held suppressed thoughts and conscious, which was like a tape recorder and could play back any previous thoughts/feelings. Moreover, he thought people experienced parapraxes, or slips of the tongue, which could serve as an entry way into the person's mind. What made Freud's theories become so well known in the 20s, yet lose most of their iron-clad status in the 30s? According to psychologists today, what would happen if those suppressed thoughts would released? A dream is, after all, a little work of art, and there are new dreams every night (436). I chose this quote because I never thought of dreams being akin to art. Usually I refer to dreams being somewhat random, yet have a meaning deep within. But, a dream, being similar to art is surreal. It can be whatever you would like it to be, but still being relevant in one way or another. This quote alone helped me to comprehend how Freud believed that deciphering a person's dreams could actually be key to understanding their suppressed thoughts. Chapter 32; Our Own Time; Existentialism is a collective term for philosophy that helps find man's point of departure. A German philosopher named Nietzsche believed that Christianity had become too idealistic, and that life kept this in check. Jean-Paul Satre believed in atheistic existentialism and that existentialists begin with nothing but humanity itself. He also thought that it was useless to search for the meaning of life because humans themselves have nothing. A nihilist is someone who thinks nothing means anything and anything is allowed. Why do some believe women are subjects merely meant for them? What made absurdism come into popularity?

Satre believed that life must have meaning...But it is we ourselves who must create this meaning in our own lives. To exist is to create your own life (452). I chose this quote because it shows the importance of life. The minute we are born, we ourselves have to decide what to do with ourselves. Once we make that decision though, this is when meaning comes into our lives. However, it is still our personal responsibility that we must choose the road that we desire to take. Will it be the path less trodden or the road more traveled? Chapter 33: The Garden Party No major philosophy is discussed in this chapter. Why is it beneficial for one to learn more about Philosophy? It's never wrong for a real philosopher to ask questions (471). I chose this quote because it demonstrates how one must ask questions in order to discover and acquire more knowledge. By asking questions, it enables one to get a better understanding of life. Although we do not always have the answers to all the questions we ask, by asking these questions it allows us to make future discovers and inferences. In conclusion, it is important to conclude that although we might not always come across answers, by asking questions we are able to gain a better understanding and meaning to life. Chapter 34: Counterpoint Sophie and Albert are seeing Hilde's real world through another world. Otherwise, no real philosophy is discussed. How do you know if you have lived a fulfilled life? But still, isn't it better to have had a life never to have really lived? (497). I chose this quote because this is a question in which we never truly be able to answer ourselves until we are on our deathbed, thereupon we can do nothing to reverse course. This will cause us to appreciate our lives more and make it more fulfilling. If we don't take risks, what do we have to live for, and later reminisce upon? Chapter 35: The Big Bang A long time ago, all substances of the galaxy were in one small area. This then caused gravity to produce intense heat, which then proceeded to cause an explosion. This explosion came to be known as the Big Bang. Will there ever be any proof of the origin of the universe? We are a spark from the great fire that was ignited many billions of years ago. I chose this quote because it seems to me Gaarder concluded the novel in a rather odd way. She chose to end the book by demonstrating how everything is inter-correlated in some way or another, and that in we have all evolved from each other. This quotation was a superb way to sum and tie up the loose knots and meanings of the entire novel.