Response to Statment 5

I do not believe that I am the same person now as I was when I was 5 years old. I believe that a person is defined by the choices they make, the values they have, and their views of the world. The way that I identify myself now and the way I identify with the world has changed dramatically in the last 13 years. Experience changes people. It changes their perception of the world and it had the ability to change a person's values. With 13 years of experience, how is it even possible for a person NOT to change? How I defined myself when I was 5 years old is very different than how I define myself now. The opportunities I have since I was 5 have been innumerable and they have changed my values as a whole. In addition, the way humans are biologically composed is designed so that we mature over time. The way that we are CAPABLE of thinking about the world changes. There is no real physical way that we can stay completely the same absent of a mental disorder. Children around the age of 5 are interested in themselves and the way that the world can help them. Over time, as the brain matures, we become capable of thinking about others and the way that our decisions impact the world around us. I did not posess this ability when I was 5 years old and I use this daily. Weighing my own decisions and choices had become a large part of my daily life and I could not do that when I was 5.

Philosophical Question: First Thoughts

After reviewing the information we have gone over in class, I think I am going to do a question along the lines of "Do we as humans have complete control over the development of our emotions and our perceptions of the world, or are we biologically predisposed to feel and act certain ways?" I developed this idea from our in class discussions of existentialism. I think that it is an interesting view of the world and I, for the most part, agree with the arguments posed by existentialism. The ideas surrounding this theory say that we are not naturally predisposed to act in any certain way but rather develop ourselves based on our own experiences. Jean-Paul Sartre is a famous existentialist that I think will provide good reference for my paper. He said, "Every existing thing is born without reason, prolongs itself out of weakness, and dies by chance." This is something I would like to explore futher in my paper.