Qualia

When I learned about Parmenides in class for the first time, I did not understand what good his theory provided. After all, his conclusion that all we can state about the existence of anything is that “it is” is not practical in any sense. Unlike Plato’s Theory of Forms or Aristotle’s Four Causes, “it is” led me nowhere. Until today. It struck to me that applying Parmenides’ theory to our struggles in life could possibly help us emotionally overcome those difficulties. One of the emotional struggles I am having now…read more

According to the ancient Greek philosophy, logos, thumos, and epithumia are the three components that make up a human mind. I felt like the sun had shined upon me when I learned about this concept, because it helped me understand one of my greatest weakness: procrastination. I have a serious problem with epithumia. Whenever I know I should study for that midterm exam or finish that assignment, I suddenly get an irresistible urge to grab a snack, play iPhone games, go jogging, or just go to sleep. I understand the…read more

I was on my way to UBC today on the #84 bus when I saw two conflicting and controversial acts by a woman and my bus driver. As you know, the #84 bus around 8:30am is usually packed with people who do not want to be late to class. Naturally, there is a long line at the bus stops because some busses are just too full to take them on, and leave the passengers for later busses to come. The lady that I saw was at the very end of…read more