[PHILOSOPHY] Can Taylor Swift actually make you emotional? 😢

betty from Taylor Swift’s album folklore. Perhaps one of Swift’s best examples of storytelling in music. It tells the story of two fictitious characters named James and Betty and their relationship troubles, as Betty discovers that James has cheated on her (gasp!). I’ll be honest, listening to the song definitely makes me feel emotional: it makes me feel sad, angry, and then hopeful (have a listen to see what I mean).

However, philosopher Collin Radford questions whether we can actually feel emotional for James and Betty. He suggests that we could only feel true emotion if we believe that something terrible actually happened to them (i.e., they were real people who were actually going through some messy relationship troubles).

His paradox of fiction and emotion can be summed up with the following propositions:

💡 Things to consider

• Proposition 3: The controversial proposition seems to be (3). The need for (3) is supposedly revealed by the following sort of case. If what we at first believed was a true account of something heart-wrenching turned out to be false, and we are later made aware of this fact, then we would no longer feel the way we once did (though we might well feel something else, such as embarrassment for having been taken in to begin with.) Therefore, Radford argues, “It would seem that I can only be moved by someone’s plight if I believe that something terrible has happened to him. If I do not believe that he has not and is not suffering or whatever, I cannot grieve or be moved to tears”. Do you find his argument for the truth of (3) convincing?

• David Hume: Scottish philosopher David Hume seemingly had a solution. He raises the question of why we enjoy the distressing events that a tragedy presents when we would obviously not enjoy the same events were they to occur in real life (assuming that one is not a sadist of course). In essence, Hume argues that we are moved by artworks like betty, however, it is not that fact by itself that ‘moves’ us but rather by the artfulness with which it is presented. It is only when the sadness is ‘converted’ by artfulness into a kind of pleasure that we enjoy the tragedy in sad stories. Thus, we are being moved by the very art form rather than the fictional characters within it. When I cry listening to betty, it is not because I am sad about the fictional characters and events: I am merely reacting to Taylor Swift’s amazing singing and songwriting. Does this match up with your own experience of listening to music?

• Kendall Walton: Kendall Walton suggests a different way to argue against this paradox. According to him, when we listen to songs like betty, we're actually playing a kind of pretend game. In this game, we make-believe that the events are real, and our emotions during the song are what he calls ‘quasi-emotions’ not genuine feelings. For example, we pretend for a moment that Betty and James are real people and feel a ‘kind-of-sadness’, but not the same ‘genuine sadness’ we might feel when something bad actually happens in our life. Do you think there’s a difference between ‘quasi-emotions’ and genuine emotions? What do we gain from pretending that James and Betty exist?

🔎 Find out more

• Hume, David. “Of Tragedy”. Four Essays. Early Modern Texts, 2008.

• Radford, Colin, and Michael Weston. "How can we be moved by the fate of Anna Karenina?." Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society, Supplementary Volumes 49 (1975): 67-93.

• Walton, Kendall L. "Fearing fictions." The journal of philosophy75.1 (1978): 5-27.

  • Philosophy of Horror YouTube Video: Walton, "Fearing Fictions”

[MEDICINE] Metabolism 🍔

We're about to embark on a thrilling expedition into the captivating world of metabolism – the intricate web of chemical reactions that keep our bodies humming like well-oiled machines. Picture this as a symphony of molecules dancing, transforming, and powering our every move. Let's unravel the mysteries of metabolism and dive into intriguing questions that will spark your scientific curiosity.

Metabolism is like the conductor of an orchestra, coordinating a complex performance of chemical reactions within our cells. It's the process by which our bodies transform nutrients into energy, building blocks for growth, and even waste products. Here's a glimpse into the metabolic symphony:

1. Energy Currency - The Mighty ATP: Imagine a universal energy currency that fuels every cell's activities – that's adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Metabolism extracts energy from nutrients like carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, converting them into ATP for the body's tasks, from muscle contraction to maintaining body temperature.

2. Anabolism and Catabolism - Building and Breaking: Envision metabolism as a two-part dance – anabolism and catabolism. Anabolism constructs complex molecules like proteins and DNA from simpler ones, while catabolism breaks down these molecules to release energy and generate building blocks.

💡 Things to consider

• Metabolic Rate - The Personal Burn Rate: Imagine your body as a metabolism factory, burning calories even when you're at rest. How does your metabolic rate vary based on factors like age, genetics, and activity level? What are some strategies to rev up or regulate your metabolic furnace?

• Hormones and Metabolism - Chemical Messengers: Think of hormones as messengers guiding your metabolic symphony. How do hormones like insulin, thyroid hormones, and adrenaline influence metabolism? How can imbalances in these messengers lead to metabolic disorders?

• Metabolic Flexibility - Adapting to Change: Envision your body as a metabolic chameleon, adapting to different circumstances. How does your body switch between using carbohydrates, fats, and proteins for energy? How does this metabolic flexibility play a role in fasting, exercise, and disease?

🔎 Find out more

• openstax - 6.1 Energy and Metabolism

• Britannica - Metabolism

[LANGUAGES] Primo Levi: If This is a Man 🧍‍♂️

Primo Levi was born in Northern Italy to a Jewish family. He trained as a chemist at university; however, because of the racial segregation laws in Italy, he struggled to find a job after graduation. After the German occupation of Northern Italy, he joined the resistance, for which he was arrested and later deported to Auschwitz. He spent 11 months there before the camp was liberated. He wrote Se questo è un uomo (If this is a man), which recalls his time there. This is one of the most important post-war works of Italian literature. Published in 1947, it was one of the first books written by a Holocaust survivor to openly talk about the experience.

💡 Things to consider

• Language: the camp contains people from all over Europe, who speak a wide variety of languages. Levi doesn’t speak Yiddish, German or Hungarian which are the main languages of the camp – this often leads to an inability to communicate properly with others and him feeling isolated. In one part of the book, Levi calls the camp a ‘new Babel’, referencing the story of the Tower of Babel from the Bible, due to the sheer number of languages spoken. A new language has to be formed for everyone to communicate, made up of words from dozens of different languages. In one chapter, he is with a French prisoner and feels the urge to translate Dante’s works into French to share his heritage. Levi says recalling Dante makes him feel connected to his heritage and also helps him recall his humanity. Being able to keep hold of his native language is a form of resistance. How important is language in retaining identity? Why does Levi refer to Biblical stories to describe the camp?

• Dehumanisation: throughout the book, Levi introduces the reader to the different stages of dehumanisation and the varying effects it has on different prisoners. Upon arrival at Auschwitz, the prisoners had their personal belongings removed, their heads shaved, and numbers tattooed on their arms. Levi notes that any reminder of their free lives is gone, the prisoners have had their entire humanity removed, including their names, and they have no thoughts of their own. In one chapter, Levi recalls trying to drink from an icicle when a German guard takes it away from him, in defence of his behaviour the guard says ‘there is no why here.’ Levi acknowledges slowly becoming dehumanised, however, comes to regain his humanity when an older prisoner informs him he should keep washing. This act of resistance is a way to keep his dignity and his humanity.

• Genre and Tone: there is a big debate surrounding the genre of the book because it doesn’t conform to many genres. It is autobiographical as it is an account of his life. However, certain episodes and chapters read more like essays, based around a certain theme rather than chronology. The final chapter of the book is written in the style of a diary, recounting the last 10 days before liberation, contrasting the ‘essay’ style found in the other chapters. The book opens with a poem whose tone contrasts greatly with the rest of the book – it is extremely damning and fuelled with emotion. His style of writing at times is more scientific, focusing more on the details of what took place instead of his emotions, which he accredited to his profession. This gives it a calm, sober tone, and leaves the reader able to judge the events by themselves with no influence from the author. Does this inability to place the book in one genre contribute to its popularity? Does the calm tone Levi adopts make the book more damning?

🔎 Find out more

• https://theconversation.com/70-years-on-primo-levis-if-this-is-a-man-is-still-a-powerful-reminder-of-what-it-means-to-be-human-76704

[BIOLOGY] Build-a-Baby 👶

Genetic modification, often called genetic engineering, is biology's superhero signature move. Picture scientists tweaking the genetic code of living beings to, in a sense, pick their superpowers. They can basically do whatever they want, changing eye colour, height, to personality traits. It’s truly amazing.

Here's the lowdown.

First, scientists pinpoint the gene they want to modify – genes being like individual recipes in the biological cookbook, dictating various physical and mental traits. Using high-tech molecular tools, like CRISPR, they snip out the old instructions and seamlessly insert the new ones.

💡 Things to consider

• CRISPR: CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) technology is a revolutionary gene-editing tool that enables precise modification of DNA in living organisms.

  It utilises a unique system found in bacteria to target specific genes, allowing scientists to edit, add, or remove genetic material with unprecedented accuracy.

• Designer Babies?: Designer babies, a term that ignites both fascination and controversy, describe infants whose genetic composition is deliberately altered to embody specific traits chosen by their parents. Maybe they want an athletic kid, an intelligent one, and so on. Rooted in genetic engineering and assisted reproductive technologies, this concept has surged with recent advancements. Imagine those sci-fi films where parents craft their ideal children, choosing traits like intelligence and eye color. Well, designer babies bring this idea closer to reality. It involves manipulating a baby's DNA to influence characteristics. Though seemingly futuristic, this notion has quietly progressed for decades, posing ethical and societal problems along the way.

• Playing God?: Designing babies raises tricky questions about what's fair and right. When we choose specific traits, it could impact how we value differences in people. Some worry this might lead to unintended problems and health issues. There's also concern that treating babies like customizable products could be a bit, well, not so great. So, the ethical side of creating designer babies is a real head-scratcher, making us think hard about the choices we make.

🔎 Find out more

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