This blog post takes a deep dive into the literary world of Franz Kafka, exploring his works that grappled with life and art, alienation and existence. Franz Kafka was reluctant to publish his works during his lifetime. He only reluctantly published some of his writings at the request of publishers. However, the published works barely sold, met with public misunderstanding. The works...
What is the meaning of life and death learned from The Death of Ivan Ilyich?
In this blog post, I aim to deeply reflect on the essence of life and death through Leo Tolstoy’s ‘The Death of Ivan Ilyich’. I’ve wondered what I would do today if I knew I would die tomorrow. I worried about my parents. I should tell them I love them and thank them. The rest of my family and friends would be sad too. But the most pitiable person was me. Since I am the one who...
The Metamorphosis (What is the contradiction of capitalism?)
In ‘The Metamorphosis’, Gregor’s transformation is not merely a tragedy. It explores how it reveals human alienation and the contradictions within family relationships within the capitalist system. Franz Kafka: A Brief Introduction Franz Kafka was born in 1883 in Prague, then the capital of Bohemia within the Austro-Hungarian Empire, as the eldest son of a middle-class Jewish family...
The Metamorphosis (A Masterpiece that Uncovers the Absurdity and Anxiety of Human Existence)
“The Metamorphosis” is Franz Kafka’s masterpiece, which delves into the absurdity and anxiety of human existence. It profoundly illuminates alienation, loss of identity, and conflict with family through the story of a man transformed into a grotesque insect. Franz Kafka Franz Kafka was born in 1883 in Prague, Czech Republic, as the eldest son of a middle-class Jewish family. At the...
Can Kin Selection Theory Explain Altruistic Behavior Through Shared Genes?
This blog post explores whether shared genes can explain an individual’s altruistic behavior through kin selection theory, examining its limitations and issues. Introduction Richard Dawkins’ book ‘The Selfish Gene’ argues that all living beings, including humans, act according to how they are pre-programmed by their genes. Dawkins explains that individuals fulfill the task of...
Can Karl Raimund Popper’s Falsifiability Define Science?
This blog post explores whether Karl Raimund Popper’s theory of falsifiability can serve as a valid criterion for distinguishing science from non-science. Inductive reasoning is the process of deriving general conclusions from specific instances. This process has limitations because it draws conclusions from incomplete information. Its justification is based on the principle of...
Why did noble love become tragic in Goethe’s ‘Urfaust’?
This blog post examines how noble love, through Goethe’s ‘Urfaust’, reveals human frailty and moral limitations, leading to tragedy. When people think of love, they often imagine a sublime and beautiful, yet simultaneously fiery and passionate emotion. This conception of love seems to be a common image that arises in people’s consciousness across cultures and throughout history...
Is the claim that unverified hypotheses can still be science valid?
In this blog post, we will examine the essence of science through an observational lens and deeply explore the relationship between intelligent design and evolution—a relationship difficult to define solely by the criteria of verification and falsification. Historically, certain books have profoundly shaken human thought. One such book is Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species...
The Selfish Gene (How is the balance maintained between parasitic and non-parasitic species?)
This blog post explores how parasitic and non-parasitic species coexist in equilibrium, based on Richard Dawkins’ The Selfish Gene and using ESS theory. In his book The Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins rejects the species-based concept predominantly used in the scientific community and educational systems when discussing biological evolution. Instead, he views the living system centered...
The Selfish Gene (Richard Dawkins’ Theory of Kin Selection: Is It Perfect?)
This paper critically analyzes Richard Dawkins’ The Selfish Gene, exploring whether his theory of kin selection can fully explain evolutionary behavior. Introduction Richard Dawkins introduced a new paradigm regarding the nature of genes to the biological community through his 1976 publication, The Selfish Gene. His theory, as the title suggests, is simple: “The primary goal of a...