Comments on: Swinging Past the Other End of the Ideological Spectrum on the Way to the Intellectual Gray

By: unattendedbag

unattendedbag — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 03:28:01 +0000

Honestly, I completely feel like most people in my generation don't even know what it truly means to be Democratic/Republican or Liberal/Conservative. I'm glad Sam hit on this topic in lecture because I'm so tired of people sitting around campus having empty arguments about the economy or taxes or healcare or whatever the major issue of the day is. They don't even know all the details and only spout whatever it is that they heard on CNN or the news last night. Few of them have managed to have an original thought. It really became apparent to me in the last presidential election. People voted one way or another for basic reasons like "Look what the Republicans have done to our country in the last 8 years. Let's give the Democrats a chance." What kind of twisted logic is that? Is that really what you're going to base who you vote for off of? I think it's great that our generation has taken an active interest in political issues and has increased voter registration, but what's the point if you're not going to be a positive contribution? Coming out to vote isn't enough. You need to understand what it is that you are really voting for, or else our country is better off without your vote.

By: sjn5014

sjn5014 — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 02:51:30 +0000

Sam’s class was very energetic. He does has that personality that gets the class stirred up even if that is the cause of him bringing everyone to think they are fired up. Though in his defense, most of the classes that I am a part of are much different compared to his, but anyhow I thoroughly enjoyed Sam Richard’s class or lecture on Free Will vs. Determinism. I also find it troubling that he finds the wisdom that he imparts upon us as liquid gold. Consider the other perspectives, truths, and cultures that think differently or have an entire different concept of these two terms. I just want some acknowledgement. There is an attitude of superiority, and he defends that attitude with words, as he has in the past couple of classes at the beginning, but the message hasn’t seemed to change.

Though I find a lot oh honesty and truth in his statements. This class was one of the first instances where someone has so seamlessly laid out the difference between freewill and determinism. It gave me a new perspective on the terms and a better understanding. Also it allowed me to make the decision for myself rather than the media, politicians, my culture, etc…

I am still in some ways mixed as to what I really feel is right, what is just, what is correct in my own mind, when it comes to these ideas of free will and determinism. I mean when thinking about these ideas I also begin to think in a more varied manner. Considering religion, philosophy, my own life. For example, do we even have free will, is there a God who has granted us free will, are there angels without, or has he given us the false hope of free will and in reality has the entire thing (the cosmos) planned out? Let me guess its not that black and white. No shit? That’s what Im trying to get at I believe. Maybe not.

So you can see the types of ramblings that confound my head. I see such unfairness in my own country and other places that I have been. Such grave injustice, it is difficult for me to say that we should not all be equal, that we do not owe others anything, because I have seen so many instances where those who have the liberty to exploit a community/individual will do just that and do with no remorse. It pisses me off, and I seriously wish I could force them to eat feces. That doesn’t work, and making them give back doesn’t work either because in the end it hasn’t changed them or the way they will act when no ones around. So the bottom line is how do we right these injustices when free will provides us with the ability to fulfill our carnal, physical, monetary desires at the expense of others?

By: JustLovingLife

JustLovingLife — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 19:21:09 +0000

Additional Blog # 2
Freedom and determinism. Which one do we choose? A variety people would say that this a trick question. Well in my opinion the answer is quite simple. The best place for anyone to be is right in the middle.
Last Tuesday, Dr. Richards gave a superb lecture about freedom and determinism. It was amazing how he actually made you take into account all the things that occur within your life and how we must process them. For example, I personally am not receiving any help from my parent financially with school. Although we are a middle class family, they still did not have the funds to send me to school. This was an obstacle, but for me it was easy to work around. See even though my parentsdo not have the money to pay for my schooling, does not mean that cannot be here at PennState. I worked around the clock every day. I held two jobs while I was in high school and worked damn hard on my school work so that I could earn scholarships that would be able to pay for my schooling. Now my parents do not have to worry about anything.
As Dr. Richards said, “You may have obstacles that stand in the way of what you want, but it is your choice on how you get around them.” For me, I could not control the fact that my parents did not have the money to send me to school and I still can’t. However, I work hard every day and I am determined to stay and school regardless of any obstacle.
I know people may say well it is hard to do anything when you cannot control some things in your life. Hey, I am not saying that it isn’t hard, but I am saying that the fight is not over. We all have the right to make decisions that can either benefit us or hurt us. It all depends on what decision you make and how much responsibility are you willing to take for your decision. In conjunction with that, we all can say we are determined to do anything, but how are determined are you to stick with what you say you are going to do. Ultimately, the ball is in our courts, but we must decide when to start the game.

By: explrr16

explrr16 — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 05:45:06 +0000

II found it very interesting to see two such different views on why things are the way they are and why people are where they are at in the world. Of course, like with most things, the middle is where it is at. It could also be how somebody views their situation and life. Some people truly believe that social influences are the reason why their lives are the way they are. Others believe that they can do whatever they want and get anywhere as long as they set their minds to it and work at it. So, I guess there really is no one or the other with these two things.

By: Joshuadrewes

Joshuadrewes — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 01:22:00 +0000

Freedom and Determinism was a great lecture. Many people of many different colors have gone from rags to riches but this generally is not the case. In this great country we are told we can be anything we want to be which is a pretty idea to entertain but the truth is life is not fair. This being said people of disadvantaged backgrounds need to stop playing the victim. The playing field is not level and never will be. Obama beat Mccaine like the family mule without playing the race card–hard work pays…talk is cheap. Janet Reno didn't rise to her position using her good looks. If you want something go get it…and if you fail-well the world needs ditch diggers too. Just be happy your living in the US opposed to a third world country where your only options are to prematurely die of AIDS, Malaria, or Starvation.

By: cbd5023

cbd5023 — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 19:42:20 +0000

I found Sam’s lecture on Tuesday to be very mind opening and truly made me think. I agree with Sam’s lecture, that the best place to be is in the middle or the gray area. It forces people in society to not be unaware of many of the issues that are occurring in our society. Sam talked about the fact that we are all faced with obstacles at some point in our lives. Some of us encounter tougher obstacles than others, such as those students who are paying their way through college. However, these obstacles can all be overcome at some degree. I do agree that those who come from wealthier families have a much higher chance of becoming wealthy themselves. However, I also believe that someone coming from a poor background can obtain this wealth as well. Although, they may have to encounter more obstacles and troubles to reach this goal, their hard work and determination will pay off. Life is what you make of it. Although our backgrounds and environment shape who we are today, mobility can be achieved.

By: tgoldwater

tgoldwater — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 20:14:00 +0000

I think Sam’s discussion was just as relative as all of the rest that he gives out. While I understand that the whole concept of freedom vs determinism is somewhat foreign to many of the students in our class, I would not say I consider it so far-fetched.

As college students, many of us are naïve/ignorant to the world that surrounds us. Everyone is so focused on his or her own lives that they fail to consider how or why the world moves around them. Many are content just accepting things the way they are, whether right or wrong because as far as they are concerned, if they are happy than that is all that matters. I would be ignorant to say that I spend all of my time thinking about others and that I am some prince but it disappoints me to see that so many of our peers struggle with this idea. If you take a second to read most of the posts that come through this blog, you will find that the majority of students spend at 60% of their time talking about their own experiences. There is not a problem with this, but I challenge everyone to try and talk more about the concepts we learn in class and how they affect the world instead of just talking about yourself and how the ideas affect you.

Similar to many of the posts above, I like to think that those who put themselves some where in the middle of the argument are best situated. I believe there are too many circumstances depending on the person to truly say that the freedom or determinism is the proper argument. Going back to my earlier comment, it is a lot easier to make a case for either when you are oblivious to what is really happening in our world. Those who are dirt poor and have limited opportunities are likely to argue that they have no chance because of the way the “system” is setup. On the contrary, the rich person is most likely to say that the dirt-poor people are just lazy bums and haven’t worked hard enough to truly reach success. The fact of the matter is that each person is partially right. As humans we tend to rely/look for excuses as to why things are the way they are because it is a lot easier to make judgments than to accept something different from you. Those who take the common ground and realize that there really is no one solution (or reason?) to a problem that affects so many people in a different way are in a better position to find a less aggressive approach. It is then that we can understand each other.

By: crm5184

crm5184 — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 05:58:39 +0000

[continued!] And as for the idea of happiness that Sam talked about the other day and meb5337 ended their response with, I think its sad that even one person in the class would choose money over happiness! Life will be bumpy and some people's paths will be much worse than others, but its definitely not about the "riches" waiting for you at the end of your road, its about how you get there…and if you an live up to your potential, work hard, and do something you truly care about and end up finding true happiness in it which is pretty rare these days, than that's worth so much more than any amount of money in the world.

By: crm5184

crm5184 — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 05:57:20 +0000

I absolutely love what meb5337 said, and I think it's so great because it applies so much to that "bigger picture" in life and not simply to a sociology 119 assignment. In today's world, we absolutely love to analyze things- and I mean, that's great and it's one of the reasons we're such an advanced society- we're always seeking to see things differently and explain what we see and why its that way. But sometimes I think in nitpicking at little things we definitely are missing the bigger picture. No two people in the world have the same life story and the same exact backgrounds, whether black, white, rich, poor, from single or two parent homes, etc we're all completely unique. And every single day we wake up we're faced with the decision to either make the best of everything we do or don't have or to sit back and slide by and use our disadvantages as excuses to not work as hard as we can and be everything we can. We don't all have the same traits or resources- unfortunately we weren't all born with the brain of Einstein and even for those who were, not all of them were born into a family with parents that care or the resources to send them to the best schools to foster their intelligence and talents. But it's a decision the individual has to make to either work ten times harder to live up to their full potential and do great things in life or to say drop out of school, become a drug dealer, and never use the brain they were given. It's definitely not fair that some people have to work so much harder to get to the same exact place as someone who's never had to work hard a day in their lives, but I think we've all heard the expression enough times by now- "life isn't fair!" We're all given the talents and knacks and inclinations to do something in our lives, it's up to us to make it happen.

By: yesec9

yesec9 — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 03:26:52 +0000

I was raised in a so-to-speak Democratic household that believes full well that the government should be there to correct for the factors and forces that cause inequality. For example, they say things like "It's inconceivable that 1/6th of the population is not covered by health insurance," often repeating the very words Democratic politicians speak. Now my opinion on this is that we must be wary of letting our politicians sign a massive new costly bill into law, given our government's track record (on both sides of the aisle, and at all levels including local, state, and federal) in terms of making false promises. For example, the housing debacle and Fannie/Freddie are a shining example of this. They have now morphed into the largest holders of defaulted and junk mortgages from the housing bubble. I have become very skeptical of politicians thinking they can engage in social engineering. More often than not, they have the ability to cause huge problems down the road.

I, like many others, am being forced to the middle and being alienated by partisan politics. Neither side can explain the whole story. The way it seems today, the Democrats have focused all of their efforts at expanding government on the front of fostering equality, and the Republicans have focused all of their efforts at expanding government on the front of fostering security and order. Both are expansions of government and both serve to diminish liberty. Instead, the two parties could be focused on setting our country on the right track by focusing on the liberty issues: being more tolerant of peoples' personal life choices such as gay marriage and drug use (Democrats), and creating a more business-friendly economic environment and making the tax code simpler (Republicans). In addition, since we are broke as a nation, the time has come to pay back our debts, most likely through higher taxes (Yes, it will suck and yes, it will probably be necessary) and rebuilding our personal savings.

This all might make me a libertarian, though I do diverge in some policy areas.

As for the health care issue, it is a huge mess, and government involvement at many levels is partly to blame. The subsidies for industrial monoculture crops as well as the subsidized oil transportation distribution system creates artificially cheap high-calorie (obesity inducing) foods. There are many other factors. But the way I see it, there are so many unintended consequences in politics that creating massive new legislation in the age of Wall Street-level corporate influence in politics, is much more dangerous to the American people than the perceived terrorist threat.