I'm reading a book right now called "Democratic Individuality." It's the type of title that makes me want to skim over it quickly under the assumption that I don't know - no, no, that I couldn't know - what the elitist, academic lingo means. I make myself think about it and take a stab at what the title means. Maybe I'm wrong, but my guess is that it's about this: how can we be individuals if our entire democratic system is bent on making us all equal (i.e., the same)?
The question of individuality in democracy is tied to morality. Why? First, remember that morality has to do with proper behavior. Is my behavior proper, good, right? But, it's not simply a person's behavior in the abstract. Instead, proper behavior is only known by looking at it in the context of other people. The connection comes, then, because proper behavior, doing good, and being right, being moral is all in reference to other people. Determining morality means looking at the impact of an individual's actions on other people. So, we see that one person of many in a democratic system must be careful in trying to be an individual, because their actions may be immoral (improper, evil, bad, wrong) with respect to the other people in the system.
Still with me? Okay, good. Here's the real question: is there morality relativity or moral realism?
Moral relativity = morals are subjective, changing, and relative to particular cultures, eras, situations, etc.
Moral realism = morals are absolute, fixed and universal. There is one standard that holds for all people, across all time, and all situations.
I'm not saying whether I think there is relativism or realism (because I don't know!), but here's something to think about. Some say that because we can see changing morals, our morals must be relative. We used to think slavery was fine and dandy. Now we (the American people at-large) generally think slavery is a moral wrong. Our morality has changed = evidence that we have no fixed, absolute morality.
BUT, what if morality is like science. Scientific work establishes universal truths. Gravity. F=MA. The quadratic formula. But, science also continuously overturns "universal truths" when new discoveries are made. We don't say there are no scientific universal truths, or that other scientific universal truths are now wrong, just because we realize that one past "truth" was actually a mistake. What if morality is the same way? What if we make discoveries about what is moral. If that's true, our changing morals wouldn't show unfixed, subjective morality. Our changing morals would show that we are making progress in the field of morality. And, just as in science, a new universal truth does not undermine all truths of science, a new moral (e.g. that men and women are equal, that we shouldn't have slavery, that homosexuality is a-okay) does not undermine all truths of morality.
Think about it. Tell me what you think.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Week's running
Phew - decided to step it up this week and I really felt it!
Saturday - Ran at 7:00 a.m. with Bridget and Judy. They are so fit it was really inspiring! I also learned a new route along the Highline Canal, but with a hilly road interlude. Great stuff, but I was ready to be done by the end. 1:50, probably 14.5 miles.
Sunday - Felt inspired, had the time, and wanted the challenge. There was serious hail mid-afternoon, but it cleared out. I ran up to REI on Cherry Creek Path and then down the Platte path to Santa Fe, and back up Logan. I tried a new little sucker that I bought at the farmers' market instead of a goo package. The sucker was actually Vermont-made pure, hard maple syrup. I saw it and immediately thought, "Huh! That would be a good thing to have for energy on a run, like an all-natural goo-type." Small, easy to carry, didn't melt and tasted delicious. I was really struggling by the end of the run so the little sugar rush helped big time. 1:37, probably 12.5 miles.
Monday - Easy recovery East on Cherry Creek then up through York/back streets. The hill from 6th up to 11th really stretched out my Piriformis and I picked up the pace for the last 15 min home. 1:02, probably 8 miles.
Tuesday - UGH, return of the dreaded track workout. I set myself out to do the first track workout in over a year. Wow, ouch. More on this in another post but here is the quick and dirty. Run through Wash Park to South High dirt track, 3 x mile @ 6:40, with slow 400 jog/active rest in between each, straggle home through Wash Park. Miles ended up being 6:40, 6:41 and 6:50. probably 9 miles total.
Wednesday - Easy shake-out after work through the city. Legs were obviously dead and I was SLOW. 43 min. 5 miles.
Thursday - Went to Matthew Winter's park for a trail run with friends. Woo-wee. I didn't know what to expect because I'm usually just along for the ride to run whatever distance, at whatever altitude, and whatever speed. I think my legs were still in shock from the whole week of running so this was incredibly tough for me. Also, my running friends kick my butt! Endless energy, friendly boyfriend-girlfriend rivalry ("Oh, he's coming! Let's sprint the last mile back to beat him" - Gah!), great adaptation to altitude, and strong up the mountain. These trails always start high (over 5000) and start with a huge uphill. And by "uphill" I mean "up mountain." Great views of Denver, Red Rocks and beyond. 1:35. 8.5 miles.
Friday - 7:30 a.m. Ran to Wash Park, 2 loops, Back to friend's house. We had baby-stroller and all, but we got excited and a little carried away. Usually it takes my friend 55-58. We did it in 51. Maybe 7?
3:50 p.m. A friend and I rallied big time after a divine lunch at WaterCourse Foods by deciding to go running instead of falling victims to the food-coma nap. 20 min. 2 miles.
Total Weekly Mileage: 66.5
Saturday - Ran at 7:00 a.m. with Bridget and Judy. They are so fit it was really inspiring! I also learned a new route along the Highline Canal, but with a hilly road interlude. Great stuff, but I was ready to be done by the end. 1:50, probably 14.5 miles.
Sunday - Felt inspired, had the time, and wanted the challenge. There was serious hail mid-afternoon, but it cleared out. I ran up to REI on Cherry Creek Path and then down the Platte path to Santa Fe, and back up Logan. I tried a new little sucker that I bought at the farmers' market instead of a goo package. The sucker was actually Vermont-made pure, hard maple syrup. I saw it and immediately thought, "Huh! That would be a good thing to have for energy on a run, like an all-natural goo-type." Small, easy to carry, didn't melt and tasted delicious. I was really struggling by the end of the run so the little sugar rush helped big time. 1:37, probably 12.5 miles.
Monday - Easy recovery East on Cherry Creek then up through York/back streets. The hill from 6th up to 11th really stretched out my Piriformis and I picked up the pace for the last 15 min home. 1:02, probably 8 miles.
Tuesday - UGH, return of the dreaded track workout. I set myself out to do the first track workout in over a year. Wow, ouch. More on this in another post but here is the quick and dirty. Run through Wash Park to South High dirt track, 3 x mile @ 6:40, with slow 400 jog/active rest in between each, straggle home through Wash Park. Miles ended up being 6:40, 6:41 and 6:50. probably 9 miles total.
Wednesday - Easy shake-out after work through the city. Legs were obviously dead and I was SLOW. 43 min. 5 miles.
Thursday - Went to Matthew Winter's park for a trail run with friends. Woo-wee. I didn't know what to expect because I'm usually just along for the ride to run whatever distance, at whatever altitude, and whatever speed. I think my legs were still in shock from the whole week of running so this was incredibly tough for me. Also, my running friends kick my butt! Endless energy, friendly boyfriend-girlfriend rivalry ("Oh, he's coming! Let's sprint the last mile back to beat him" - Gah!), great adaptation to altitude, and strong up the mountain. These trails always start high (over 5000) and start with a huge uphill. And by "uphill" I mean "up mountain." Great views of Denver, Red Rocks and beyond. 1:35. 8.5 miles.
Friday - 7:30 a.m. Ran to Wash Park, 2 loops, Back to friend's house. We had baby-stroller and all, but we got excited and a little carried away. Usually it takes my friend 55-58. We did it in 51. Maybe 7?
3:50 p.m. A friend and I rallied big time after a divine lunch at WaterCourse Foods by deciding to go running instead of falling victims to the food-coma nap. 20 min. 2 miles.
Total Weekly Mileage: 66.5
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
How much is that baby cello in the window?
I went to Denver's First Friday last week at the Santa Fe art district. The galleries are open late with free wine and nibbles. Pretty decent people watching and as close to "culture" as I've found in Denver so far. I saw this cool cello mosaic in one of the galleries. Wow! It was so pretty, but I couldn't help feeling a little badly for the cello (it being all mosaic-ified, stuck with tiles and everything). I mean, the poor baby cello's career is over at just a half-size.
Naturally, I e-mailed my Diana-the-cellist to tell her all about it and she asked for a picture. So, the next day I biked back there and took a photo. The photo is a bit surreal and unintentionally "creative" because the sunny day made the background behind me reflect in the window almost as strongly as the actual schtuff in front of me.
Oh, and Diana said not to feel badly for baby cello because it probably likes getting all dressed up. And, sure, that makes sense because who doesn't like getting all snazzied up?
P.S. Price tag? $2,500 smacks. Sigh.
Naturally, I e-mailed my Diana-the-cellist to tell her all about it and she asked for a picture. So, the next day I biked back there and took a photo. The photo is a bit surreal and unintentionally "creative" because the sunny day made the background behind me reflect in the window almost as strongly as the actual schtuff in front of me.
Oh, and Diana said not to feel badly for baby cello because it probably likes getting all dressed up. And, sure, that makes sense because who doesn't like getting all snazzied up?
P.S. Price tag? $2,500 smacks. Sigh.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Wait, I'm in law school?
1L year is over. That's first year law school, in nerd-talk legalese. I still can't quite believe I'm even in law school. I've been thinking a lot about it and trying to understand how I fit in (or don't, for that matter). Law school grades are 1 exam, all or nothing, at the end of the semester. I've always struggled with exams, standardized tests, and the traditional evaluation methods in our education system. My struggles and frustrations have only gotten worse as I get older; and, the law school system does not seem to agree with me. As I've wondered before, it makes me ask this question over and over: is something wrong with my brain? This is an analogy my understanding of how my brain processes information in law school. Maybe it's why I struggle to prove I have learned, maybe not. Comments welcome!
For a Cognitive Science class, I once wrote a research paper on pidgin languages, studying an overlapping area of linguistics, psychology, and philosophy. I was interested in seeing if and what part of language is innate human instinct. The traditional view was that 2 languages mashed together to form a third language. ("Mashed" may or may not be the technical term.) But, this isn't true. What happens is that the native population and the immigrant population (e.g. native Haitians and French) simplify their languages so much that essentially they communicate non-verbally and with a shared vocabulary of maybe as little as 400 words. This isn't a "language," but, really, it's getting by with a totality of expressions. The first generation of children born AFTER the immigrants arrive are the ones who "sui generis" create a new language, apart from either the natives' or immigrants' languages. The parents don't teach it to the children, because they don't speak it. The older generation doesn't understand it, because it's communication between the children. So, I learned that the innate part of language are the things that make the children understand each other (syntax, grammatical structures, etc.) The "nature" part of language that is learned or experiential are the sounds and the semantics. Haitian creole sounds a bit like French not because they take words from French, but because the children heard those sounds and plugged them into/used them in the language structure they innately had in their brains. Now, what's really interesting, I think, is that if you look at the grammatical/verbal mistakes that children who speak modern languages that have been socially-evolved over hundreds of years, e.g. English, French, etc., then those mistakes match the grammatical structure of the pidgin languages that children create. What is "wrong" today in language is what is innately "right." So, to me, that means that the hardwired, innate language has changed so much from its natural original state, that now we shun the intuitive and "true" or "universal" part of language.
....
How does this connect to how I feel about law school? Well, what is "wrong" today in law/social functioning is innately "right" in my brain. Where most people just accept the current laws and socially-evolved functioning, I do not. I cannot help but see the world as the originally intuitive way. I don't make assumptions and I can't easily accept or understand the socially-evolved rules by which society lives. So, everything I learn at school is a shock to me. The laws we learn are not intuitive to me. I have to struggle to see what is obvious to other people.
That was admittedly long, and probably confusing, but that's the best I can do to make sense of how I feel right now about law school, grades and that thing inside me I like to call my mushy brain.
For a Cognitive Science class, I once wrote a research paper on pidgin languages, studying an overlapping area of linguistics, psychology, and philosophy. I was interested in seeing if and what part of language is innate human instinct. The traditional view was that 2 languages mashed together to form a third language. ("Mashed" may or may not be the technical term.) But, this isn't true. What happens is that the native population and the immigrant population (e.g. native Haitians and French) simplify their languages so much that essentially they communicate non-verbally and with a shared vocabulary of maybe as little as 400 words. This isn't a "language," but, really, it's getting by with a totality of expressions. The first generation of children born AFTER the immigrants arrive are the ones who "sui generis" create a new language, apart from either the natives' or immigrants' languages. The parents don't teach it to the children, because they don't speak it. The older generation doesn't understand it, because it's communication between the children. So, I learned that the innate part of language are the things that make the children understand each other (syntax, grammatical structures, etc.) The "nature" part of language that is learned or experiential are the sounds and the semantics. Haitian creole sounds a bit like French not because they take words from French, but because the children heard those sounds and plugged them into/used them in the language structure they innately had in their brains. Now, what's really interesting, I think, is that if you look at the grammatical/verbal mistakes that children who speak modern languages that have been socially-evolved over hundreds of years, e.g. English, French, etc., then those mistakes match the grammatical structure of the pidgin languages that children create. What is "wrong" today in language is what is innately "right." So, to me, that means that the hardwired, innate language has changed so much from its natural original state, that now we shun the intuitive and "true" or "universal" part of language.
....
How does this connect to how I feel about law school? Well, what is "wrong" today in law/social functioning is innately "right" in my brain. Where most people just accept the current laws and socially-evolved functioning, I do not. I cannot help but see the world as the originally intuitive way. I don't make assumptions and I can't easily accept or understand the socially-evolved rules by which society lives. So, everything I learn at school is a shock to me. The laws we learn are not intuitive to me. I have to struggle to see what is obvious to other people.
That was admittedly long, and probably confusing, but that's the best I can do to make sense of how I feel right now about law school, grades and that thing inside me I like to call my mushy brain.
Committing to it in Writing
I won't bore you with the details of the last few weeks. I fell off the band-wagon, but I'm getting back on again. This blog might turn into a bit of a running nerd blog. Sorry! After a great long run Saturday with two FIT runners, one of my new resolutions is to suck it up and do the dreaded track workouts. I have done one track workout in the last year. It was a miserable 2 mile time trial that I like to remember as The Death March. After my half-marathon a few weeks ago, I couldn't believe just how sore my hamstring were. Why so sore? No track workouts! All said and done, I was pretty happy with my 1:35. I had done no track workouts in over a year. I hadn't raced in well over a year. I did only one run specifically to train for it, a long trail run six days before. I had just finished first year of lovely grad school (how do those semi-professionals go to school AND train!? Mucho respeto!). So, it's a good starting point...
... because I've decided to run Philly in November. When I decide to run a marathon, I don't do half way. I want to feel prepared and as strong as possible. I'm going for a PR. I want that feeling again of being super fit. I want to be starving every 2 hours on the dot. I want to feel fast. I want to feel as healthy as I've ever felt. Colorado summer and mountains, altitude training, trail runs to slow me down on long runs, farmers market veggie salads, no East coast humidity, and inspiring new training partners -- I'm ready to commit to what it takes:
going to sleep early on Friday nights to get up for Saturday morning long runs
track workouts once a week
tempo runs
paying for essentials (new shoes every 6-8 weeks, massage, post-run recovery shake powder)
finally getting The Stick and a foam roller
eating right
consistency, consistency, consistency
a just do it and "it's-like-brushing-your-teeth" attitude
I can do this! Right?
... because I've decided to run Philly in November. When I decide to run a marathon, I don't do half way. I want to feel prepared and as strong as possible. I'm going for a PR. I want that feeling again of being super fit. I want to be starving every 2 hours on the dot. I want to feel fast. I want to feel as healthy as I've ever felt. Colorado summer and mountains, altitude training, trail runs to slow me down on long runs, farmers market veggie salads, no East coast humidity, and inspiring new training partners -- I'm ready to commit to what it takes:
going to sleep early on Friday nights to get up for Saturday morning long runs
track workouts once a week
tempo runs
paying for essentials (new shoes every 6-8 weeks, massage, post-run recovery shake powder)
finally getting The Stick and a foam roller
eating right
consistency, consistency, consistency
a just do it and "it's-like-brushing-your-teeth" attitude
I can do this! Right?
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