After reading both essays, Existentialism by Jean-Paul Satare and Stephen Hawking's essay Is Everything Determined?, it is very evident that both authors posed very different central arguments. In Existentialism, Satare's central argument is that existence precedes essence. What this notion means to me is that as we exist as humans-- we are here in full form and as we exist we determine who we are as individuals in society. Satare places a strong emphasis on having our own fate in the palms of our hands. For example, Satare talks about how as an individual he has the choice to marry whomever or even have children. He also points out that as people realize that they control their fate, they hold a deeper responsibility and have a stronger regard for mankind as a whole. On the other hand, in Hawking's essay, Is Everything Determined? he argues that everything is determined when it comes to our fate and we have no control over what truly happens to us. He also applies science to this argument and sheds light on the fact that even though everything is determined, we don't truly know for a fact what things are actually determined. All in all, I agree more with Satare's argument about Existentialism-- I believe that we determine our fate and we as humans have free will to determine what happens to us.

Hawking's vs Sartre

In Stephen Hawking’s essay, Is Everything Determined?, he talks about The Uncertainty Principle in Quantum Mechanics, I believe his central argument has to do with this principle. I conclude that this principle helps us acknowledge the fact that when things are far apart, there is less uncertainty. Hawking’s explains how in in early history everything was closer together, so there was a lot of uncertainty, which showed how there could have been different methods taken in the universe. Hawking’s is telling us that we are limited in the way we should live our lives because everything might be determined, however, we are not aware of what exactly is determined.

            In Jean-Paul Sartre’s essay, Existentialism, he talks about the beliefs of an existentialist. They believe that we should emphasize our freedom and choice. This ties in with his central argument where he believes that that we were born not to give the world a meaning, but to give our own life a meaning. Sartre wants us to live our lives freely, although there are some cons towards our freedom. These cons have to do with our own way of giving our life a meaning when there can be a wrong that creates uncertainty. Sartre believes that we are free to become who we want to be and that those decisions will be what determines your meaning of your life.

            I agree with Jean-Paul Sartre’s essay, Existentialism, because we should be the ones to determine the way we mold our lives. It should be based on the way we use our freedom. It may cause problems, however, it should not mean that we cannot learn from a mistake. Hawking’s allows me to see how we may be limited, but being limited should not mean that we should not mold ourselves the way we want too.

12-5-16

In Jean-Paul Sartre’s story Existentialism, I believe his central argument is that there are two different reasons for existence. These two reasons are the exact opposite of each other. In one case, he says we exist in order to create and find a purpose in life; Sartre calls this “existence before essence.” On the other hand, Jean-Paul Sartre states things are created because they already have a purpose, like technology and machines; Sartre calls this “essence before existence.”  Sartre explains this by comparing human’s and a penknife. The human race had no purpose before we were created, therefore our existence is described as “existence before essence.” A penknife on the other hand was created because people saw a need for it, if there was no need for this item it may not exist; this is the side of “essence before existence.”

In Stephen Hawking’s essay Is Everything Determined, he discusses the question on is everything determined or do we control our destiny. Hawking’s central argument throughout this essay is the point that everything is not pre-determined. Stephen Hawking starts out by saying there are three major difficulties with the statement that everything is pre-determined; it is “presumably compact and elegant in mathematical terms… anything we say about the theory would also be determined… and the idea that we have free will.” Hawking provides evidence to his claim by stating “One cannot base one’s conduct n the idea that everything is determined, because one does not know what has been determined.” Even if everything was already determined, we would still be unaware because we are not sure what has been determined and what has not. Stephen Hawking ends this essay by answering yes to the question he started with, Is Everything Determined, “But it might as well not be, because we can never know what is determined,” because there is no real way of finding out; even if we do find out, it could already be determined.

Author Jean-Paul Sartre of Existentialism, makes it clear that his central argument of his essay is that we as people are defined by our actions and we are also what our actions are.  As well, author Stephen Hawking of Is Everything Determined? makes a central claim that our ties are all due to works of God and that our fate is our so called free will.  Sartre is saying that we need to live with a purpose in life and with sure will.  A quote to prove this is when Sartre states, “Because by the word “will” we generally mean a conscious decision, which is subsequent to what we have already made of ourselves.”  Hawking’s is saying that we as people need to live our lives as whatever happens will happen with God’s work.  He determines our fate and writes our book and we just live it.  I agree with Hawking’s main idea more about how God is the main one in charge and we just live how he wants us to live.

sartre and hawking

Jean Paul Sartre’s essay Existentialism discusses how free humans are to create themselves. Jean Paul Sartre believes that we are not initially born with a purpose, that we have to create our purpose on our own. He believes we are all born with freedom and ability to become anything based on the choices we make in our lives, and these choices are what makes us who we are. He feels this freedom can sometimes be binding, because anything we choose contributes to who we are and the idea that there is no set right or wrong creates uncertainty. Existentialists believe there is no God, or at least God created the universe with no real purpose. They reject destiny or any predetermined will. I agree with some components of

Statre’s argument on freewill, but not fully on the idea of no higher being or God creating the universe without any sort of plan.

Theoretical Physicist Stephen Hawking essay tells another theory. Stephen Hawking believes that there are universal laws that limit freewill. He discusses how day to day, things are uncertain and people act freely. However, on a larger scale history is quite predictable. He also comments how limited we are because of how little we have changed biologically despite all the change in the world. Thus we are stuck with the same biological limits as cave people. For these reasons, he believes we do not have absolute freewill and are some things are predetermined. Perhaps not on a small scale, but on a larger picture, there are events that are bound to happen because of how humans are made and how the universe works.

12/5/16

According to Jean-Paul Sartre, there exists two types of things in the world. Things that exists with no purpose for the sole purpose to make one, such as humans. Or things that have a purpose before existing, such as a man-made machine. He illustrates this argument by describing existence before essence, and essence before existence. Humans by nature exist before having a set purpose, their birth is random with no purpose and therefore existence precedes essence. Humans are known to make things that have a purpose before existing. An example of this are rules that govern humans. They exist for the sole purpose of regulating things, and cannot exist without having this set purpose. A better example of this is man made human products. Humans are always manufacturing stuff, especially engineers. They have a set purpose in mind before creating something. An engineer may want to make a wheelchair that can climb stairs. Purpose happens before creation, therefore essence precedes existence.

In Stephen Hawking’s Is Everything Determined? Hawking explores the idea that the universe and everything in it can be defined through science or mathematics. Everything already exists with a purpose, and is in fact not random at all. This argument contradicts that of Sartre because he claims that humans exist out of random, and have the free will to choose their purpose. Hawking counters that argument by stating that the universe has already predetermined everything which removes any free will that someone could claim to have. Hawking’s arguments intrigues me more and therefore I would have to agree with him. He states “The ultimate objective test of free will would seem to be: Can one predict the behavior of the organism? If one can, then it clearly doesn’t have free will but is predetermined.” All actions can be predicted, especially if statistics are used. I can choose to use my hands to slap you or greet you, however I can not use my hands to combust into flames. The purpose of my hands have been predetermined and can’t be changed regardless of how much free will I claim to have.

Bewilderment

Bewilderment to me means the lack of knowledge or certainty which leads to curiosity and new ideas. To not understand something but to go above and beyond to find out what it means because it's intriguing to you. I think Edward Abbey in The Serpents of Paradise, did an excellent job of showing us the audience the desire he had with the gopher snakes with the intense details and interest he took in them. His perception of the snakes makes the reader feel like we are there with him and we can picture the snakes doing their dance and him being down on the ground with the snakes. Even as his job being a park ranger, he doesn't know everything about all the animals but he knows he should stay away from them but he can't. That what bewilderment is, the curiosity of not understanding something that just leaves you in Awe. We need bewilderment in our lives because it makes us find the answers to our problems. If we always knew everything then we wouldn't constantly be learning and finding out new things. Furthermore, in Bewilderment by Fanny Howe, this complex essay really makes you think of how bewilderment is in everything whether it be politics, poetics, nature, language etc... He manages to bring anything and everything into the concept of bewilderment. He uses phrases or words such as "sudden confrontation" (5), "unlocatable and hidden" (6), and "bewilderment is an enchantment that follows a complete collapse of reference and reconcilability" (15) that gives us more or less what bewilderment is to him. Howe is pretty spot on about his definition of bewilderment and how he connects it to stories, poems and politics. I think certainty is necessary is our lives because something things need to be known and we need to be certain of like the president, the color of the sky or our age. Having no knowledge of ourselves or information would result in us always being lost and never found. If we aren't certain of some things then we would be a disoriented society.

Bewilderment

Bewilderment, a state of uncertain actions for which the cause is not known. It is the product of being uncertain or having a lack of certainty. It is important to not lack this certainty, because if we don't we'll come to regret it later. It doesn't allways have to be a life or death situation like with Edward Abbey in the Serpents of Paradise. It could also be something as simple responding to somebody in the right way. Although not being certain may not cost us our lifes you could lose an opportunity or a relationship so it is important to be certain in all of your decisons because nothing in life is as troubling as regret.

But bewilderment can also be the thing we need to increase our artisic creativity and spark the amazement in our lives that give is hope.

Bewilderment and Certainty
After reading the story "Bewilderment" author Fanny Howe states that "bewilderment is an enchantment that follows the collapse of reference and reconcilability" or in simpler terms the dictionary version "to cause to lose one's sense of where one is." Bewilderment to me, is a state of being confused, or unsure about what is happening in various presented situations. Bewilderment, although seeming a bit frightening, is needed in our lives because if everything was known, exact, identical etc. the world would not be the place it is now, no human would live the same life they are currently living, everything would be permanent and unchangeable. On the other hand, I believe certainty is needed throughout life because without the constant and assuredness that certainty provides our lives would be chaotic and in a state of confusion or "bewilderment" all the time.
Certainty provides security in knowing what is to be or what is to come, it allows us to either enjoy what we know is going to happen or accept the things we cannot change. An example of this could be, in the novel "The Serpents Of Paradise" the author Edward Abbey talks about his first encounter with the snake on his porch, and the thought process and emotions he felt during this experience. He says that he is certain that he cannot kill he snake due to morals, yet also he is in a state of bewilderment as to how he will get the snake to leave his porch or what the snake may do to him if he doesn't kill it, proving that both bewilderment and certainty needed in this situation, without either one he would not have been able to have shared this experience with his readers. On that context, bewilderment and uncertainty are needed in balance because with too much of one, life would either be chaos and confusion or unchangeable and mundane.

bewilderment

I think bewilderment means when objects or conditions are in a confused maze or tangled state. I really don't think we need bewilderment in our lives. we can do with out it. It really doesn't happen that too often. In The Serpents of Paradise , Edward Abbey talks about when he was up close on the snake when they were doing there ritual. The male and female gopher snake were intertwining and they were winding and unwinding. Then the snakes seen Edward following them and then they and turn and go after him with there forked tongue's flickering. Edward was paralyzed by wonder, then he came back to his sense and rose back to his knees. This was a bewilderment state because Edward Abbey was in a confused state when the snakes were coming at him. Most people would have been running and screaming away.

Certainty is necessary in our lives because certainty gives you that confidence. In The Serpents of Paradise , Edward Abbey talks about when he caught the gopher snake and he released it in his trailer house for a few days. He let the gopher snake hunt and kill all the mice that were in his house. Then
he went for a walk and he had the gopher snake wrapped around his wrist and waist inside of his button up shirt. And then Edward would leave some of the buttons open so the snake can peak out and look around. Edward Abbey had to be certain that the gopher snake didn't try to attack him. Edward and gopher snake had to have a good bond.

Bewilderment

From reading the two text, a particular term of being "Bewilderment" is going through a process where you are in a state of confusion in a given situation. It can be anything because in "Bewilderment" Howe talks about how the Muslim prayer uses the word "Lord" in their prayer and how it relates to him/her as well because Christians use the same word when they are praying too. That title itself is representative and respectful, so when other religions use this word, you're puzzled as to why they are using the same term as your religion, but yet they practice their religion differently from yours. We all do this and think this whenever we encounter people. Also, we got in that stage when they said the world was coming to an end as people were all confused to how the world could coming to an end due to the Mayans calendar. We need certainty so the world wouldn't be in chaos. Assurance guarantees us a certain outcome and for us to adapt to that situation. Like when the news reporter tells us that there is an 85% chance that it'll rain and we receive that information and become prepared for the outcome by wearing a raincoat or carrying an umbrella, so we won't get rained on. It just gives us time to prepare that something is sure to happen and Bewilderment is necessary because it just makes us curious and wants to find answers to the solution.

I feel as though bewilderment is a state of confusion or uncertainty that causes us as people to question reality. Although bewilderment does cause us to question our realities, it is necessary for people to have a sense of certainty in this world. We need certainty in our lives to keep ourselves sane and to allow us to know something is absolutely true. For example, we know for certain that we need we need  oxygen to live and breath. Without this certainty, our imagination or rather our bewilderment takes over and we come up without various excuses and wild theories about why we can still breath or we even question what it is to breath. Certainty provides this buffer for us to keep ourselves from losing a grasp on reality. Bewilderment is also necessary for the human mind to have. In the essay "Bewilderment" by Fanny Howe, one of the things she talks about the concept of God and the bewilderment and disbelief that surrounds the bible. People question if God is real or not, and those that do believe Him to be real are filled with a bewilderment of sorts, that people say questions logic and fact. But the point here is that it is the bewilderment that surrounds God  brought so many people to God in the first place because that very same bewilderment provided people with a sense of hope and understanding showing just how important and influential one's bewilderment can be.

Certainty and Bewilderment (Team Phoenix) 

After Reading these two essays I created a definition of my own towards Bewilderment and also discovered this definition through many perspectives. Bewilderment is a piece between the certain and uncertain a state where you are unable to think clearly and find yourself being puzzled or confused. Fanny Howe author of Bewilderment provides the reader with a multiplicity of definitions and examples from a wide range from grammar, language, poetry, politics etc. of Bewilderment, but in order to truly comprehend the concept one must be open accept all these different perspectives. Bewilderment is necessary because we are surrounded by so many aspects and instances of it, for example she states "they were un able to handle the complexities of the world or the shock of making a difference" (Howe).  it's a sense of mystification that is likely present in so many of our life scenarios. The reference in her essay to Paradise and how we don't know if it's behind or ahead of us. Helped me connect to the second reading "The serpents in Paradise" by Edward Abbey the writing style he uses is just indescribable the amount of details and imagery truly engages his reader his experience with nature comes with the perks of his job. When he narrates the story of the serpent he demonstrates his appreciation towards nature not only by narrating his experience in a snake's perception almost as though he becomes one. It's captivating the certainty to which he uses to control the situation and share his perceptions. In my view Certainty is equally important to that of bewilderment. Certainty comes hand in hand with moral values and obligations, therefor this connects it to every decision in our daily life.