Brave New World chapter 1

1. What is the World State's Motto?
Community, Identity, Stability.
2. Please describe Bokanovsky's Process. Why does The Director call it the "major instrument of social stability?"
One egg of one embryo buds into multiple eggs by manipulation of X – ray technology. He says this because he believes that creating these identical people will solve any issue of identity in the society.
3. Why did the doctor wish to keep the Epsilon "embryo below par?"
He wants this because they need to be in an environment where the oxygen will affect its growth into what it is meant to be in society.
4. What does Mr. Foster mean when he says: "We condition them to thrive in heat...that is the secret of happiness of virtue - liking what you've got to do. All conditioning aims at that: making people like their inescapable social destiny."? How does this connect to what is happening in Rack 10?
They are specially creating these people serve certain purposes and functions in society and they make them so that they assume their jobs are what should make them happy. Rack 10 is an example of this because it was conditioning the workers to have a tolerance for certain chemicals so that they could more efficiently work in the environment they were to be assigned to.

Hinduism/ Buddhism Notes

Hinduism
Intro:
Dharma – responsibility to maintain balance, temporal perspective, cosmic balance, maintain connective organization of the cosmos
Brahman – law books, explain Hinduism
Social ranks – fulfill role to achieve moksha, Brahmans are at the top
If one person slacks everyone suffers
Everyone has a place
If you fulfill your place you go to the next level in the cast system
Every small action affects the cosmic balance
No inferiority or superiority just different levels of being
Welfare of the society comes first
Paradoxical – be physical yet transcend it at the same time – contradictory
Society functions as one organism
Upanashas – books: Romyana, story of Ram and Sita
Vedic religion – oldest known religion, written in Sanskrit, in Northern India,
Maha Brata book – has Hinduism ideals, Shiva, Genesh
Gita – stories gods and lord Krishna, Arjuta, dharma duty, responsibility, every action should be godly
Moksha – release/ liberation from all limitations and restrictions, release of karma and samsara, enlightenment, end of cycle, spiritual goal
Society and the world itself are only contingent reality
Cyclical time /infinite space, no beginning or end
Western beliefs are linier/ opposite
You are insignificant – power is an illusion
Yugas – a period from creation to destruction:
- Krita yuga – 1728000 years long
- Ireta yuga – 1296000 years long
- Duapara yuga – 864000 years long
- Kali yuga – 432000 years long, our time, least virtuous time
Increasing decline in virtue
Brahma – creator god, one thousand mahayugas = one day for his life, one complete cycle of all yugas
After 100 Brahma years everything dissolves and starts over
Perush – creator god, sun and moon Brahmans come from head, moon comes from mind, warriors and the sky come from arms, merchants come from stomach, serfs and untouchables and earth come from feet
Similar to Plato but different metaphor
Somsahra – cycles, rebirth, multiple lives
One way of achieving moksha is through yoga
Prakrita – physical stuff
Purusha – inner self
Maya – prevents you from seeing things as they really are
Reconciliations
Alleviate tension between dharma and moksha
Live 4 phases – different for each social level
- Study scriptures
- Marry
- Meditate and reproduce
- Wander begging for food
Work/ knowledge/ devotion
All paths balance out karma, moksha, and dharma
Get both points of view and don’t favor either
Shiva – destroyer god, passion that drives anarchy and chaos, falick
Wife – Parvati
Mahabharata – part of Gita, conversation between Lord Krishna and Arjuna about moksha
Ganesh
Kali
Ram and Sita – Ramayana – Hanuman helps to sure Ram’s brother by bringing Himalayas back with the special healing herb
Brahma – creator
Vishnu – preserver
Brahma/ Vishnu/ Shiva = trinity
Cast system
- Brahmin = priests
- Kinasatiyas = warriors
- Vaisyas = craftsmen
- Svoras = farmers
- Untouchables
Plato’s cave – once you move on you can never come back
Buddhism
Prince Siddharta:
Holy man says he will be a spiritual leader
Father wants him to be a great king so creates special world with three palaces for each season so he can grow up to be a king
One day he hears a sad song of suffering and wants to go outside to discover what it means
So father creates illusion that everyone is happy
But he sees old people and follows them to find leapers
“Does this even happen to kings?”
Death as well
Then discovers compassion
Wants to break out of samshara
Leaves his wife and new born child
Goes and follows hippies
One day he hears a conversation between a musician and his pupil “if the string is too tight it will break, if it is too loose it will not play, need to find a middle ground”
BECOMES BUDDHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (enlightened)
Middle Path – the nobel truths
- Life is suffering
- Suffering is caused by desire
- Desire can be overcome
- Follow the eightfold path
No cast system
No dharma or karma
There is reincarnation
Nirvana – Buddhist enlightenment
Mahayana Buddhism – everyone can obtain Nirvana in one lifetime
Greater vehicle
Zen – Buddhism
Dharma – follow Buddha and don’t get distraction

Hindu Deities

Shiva, also known as Rudra is a major Hindu god and one aspect of Trimurti. In the Shaiva tradition of Hinduism, Shiva is seen as the Supreme God. In the Smarta tradition, he is one of the five primary forms of God. Followers of Hinduism who focus their worship upon Shiva are called Shaivites or Shaivas. Shaivism, along with Vaiṣṇava traditions that focus on Vishnu and Śākta traditions that focus on the goddess Devī are three of the most influential denominations in Hinduism. Shiva is usually worshipped in the form of Shiva linga. In images, he is generally represented as immersed in deep meditation or dancing the Tandava upon Maya, the demon of ignorance in his manifestation of Nataraja, the lord of the dance. In some Hindu denominations, Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva represent the three primary aspects of the divine, and are collectively known as the Trimurti. In this school of religious thought, Brahma is the creator, Vishnu is the maintainer or preserver, and Shiva is the destroyer or transformer.

Vishnu is the Supreme God in Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God. He is exalted as the highest God in Hindu sacred texts like the Taittiriya Samhita and the Bhagavad Gita. He is the Guru Kshethram, representing Bṛhaspati, or Jupiter, in the Navagraha, or nine cosmic influences. The Vishnu Sahasranama declares Vishnu as Paramatma and Parameshwara. It describes Vishnu as the All-Pervading essence of all beings, the master of—and beyond—the past, present and future, the creator and destroyer of all existences, one who supports, sustains and governs the Universe and originates and develops all elements within. In the Puranas, Vishnu is described as having the divine color of clouds, four-armed, holding a lotus, mace, conch and chakra. Vishnu is also described in the Bhagavad Gita as having a 'Universal Form' which is beyond the ordinary limits of human perception.

Plato's Republic

Section 1

Thrasymicus – the unjust man uses unjust methods to become better off in life than the just man and have more things so that he is happier (social Darwinism?)

Juvernal: “What I want, I take. Let my might take the place of reasoned argument.”

Plato – the just man is more happy because his sole is more fulfilled

The path of justice: virtue – prudent – good – knowledge – therefore happy

The path of injustice: vice – thoughtless – bad – lack of knowledge – therefore wretched

Section 2

Guardians of a city:

-Philosophical

-Swift

-Spirited

-Strong

Create these guardians through the education of music and gym

What should we read to children?

- stories of the gods partaking in sex and violence is bad and corruptive
- Platonic Forms/ perfect role models are good for children, give them someone positive to look up to
- 382 c: humans cannot be perfect or divine but should try to get as close as possible

Section 3

Separate the strong from the weak and the knowledgeable from the thoughtless through the education system:

Good at academics – become guardians – gold – calculating – superego – judges

Good at gym – become auxiliaries – silver – irrational – id – act off of needs

All the rest – become craftsmen/ farmers – bronze/ iron – spirited – ego – lives in moderation
Marxism: From each according to his own ability, to each according to his own need.

Guardians used wisdom
Philosopher Kings = smallest percent of population

When all three are working together in harmony the city is just

- Guardians, Auxiliaries, and Craftsmen/ Farmers

- Superego, Id, Ego

- Wisdom, Courage, Moderation

Book 4 - 434 C

Lacking these three creates evil

Book 4 - 515 C

Plato’s Cave

The shadows are their reality and their only perception

Group 4 Reflection

1. Our hypothesis for the group was to discover the relationship between the PH levels of different soils in different locations around the beach to the crab populations in the corresponding areas.
2. My experience in gaining and testing evidence was mostly positive. Except for a sun burn and a few lazy partners I enjoyed the process very much and all the instruments functioned without difficulty or mechanical issues.
3. Working in a group of people also went very well. It is true that at some points some of my partners were lazy and another partner and myself were left doing the bulk of the work, but it was only for a short time and I was satisfied with the overall contribution of the other partners.
4. I believe I know that the science I found that day was true because the evidence seemed to logically fit the predictions we had made previously about what would happen, though there is always the possibility it was all just a big lie (though that seems very unlikely).