Impromptu notebook variation 1
Immanuel Kant-
The fundamental idea of Kant's “critical philosophy” is human autonomy. He argues that the human understanding is the source of the general laws of nature t4hat structure all our experience; and that human reason gives itself the moral law, which is our basis for belief in God, freedom, and immortality.
The only thing that is good in itself is the “good will.” The will is what drives our actions and grounds the intention of our act.
Friedrich Nietzsche -
that individuals create their own meaning and purpose in a fundamentally meaningless universe, asserting that "existence precedes essence
Aristotle
Aristotle saw happiness not as a passing feeling but as the ultimate goal of life—what he called eudaimonia, often translated as “flourishing.”
Happiness comes from living a life of virtue and fulfilling one’s purpose (function), not just from pleasure or wealth.
Friendship: In Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle argued that true friendship is one of the greatest goods in life. He identified three kinds of friendship: of utility (for advantage), of pleasure (for enjoyment), and of virtue (based on mutual goodness). The last is the highest form, where friends make each other better.
Teamwork & Community:Justice, cooperation, and working toward the common good are essential for both personal happiness and a healthy society.
Perseverance & Determination (Practical Wisdom)
Aristotle emphasized the virtue of phronesis (practical wisdom), which helps people know how to act rightly in difficult situations.
Courage and perseverance were seen as “golden means”—balances between cowardice and recklessness. Success requires steady determination guided by reason.
Living by values is about habit: we become just by doing just acts, courageous by acting courageously.
Aristotle defined justice as giving each person what they deserve, respecting fairness and proportion.
False Dmitry
A long time ago, Russia had a king named Ivan the Terrible. He was the first to call himself Tsar and made Russia very big, but he was also very mean and hurt a lot of people.
After he died, his youngest son Dmitry also died in a strange way. Years later, a runaway monk named Grigory pretended to be Dmitry. Many people believed him, including the Polish nobles, and when the new king Boris died suddenly, Grigory marched into Moscow and became Tsar.
But people didn’t trust him for long, and the nobles killed him less than a year later.
Miroslaw Volf
Volf often writes that true joy comes not from achievement alone but from being reconciled with others
His theology of hope frames perseverance as enduring suffering with trust that renewal is possible. Determination is grounded in faith and vision of a better world.
Values & Virtue: He emphasizes forgiveness, generosity, and grace as central virtues. shaped not only by reason (like Aristotle) but by love and transcendence.
Edison- I have not failed, I have just found 1000 ways that don’t work
Perspective
Value
Hardwork
Determination
Kung Fu Panda
Po learns that happiness comes not from being someone else (like a “perfect warrior”) but from accepting himself. The famous line about the “secret ingredient” in the soup being nothing special drives home that meaning comes from how you live, not from external labels.
Po fails again and again, but his stubbornness and belief in possibility eventually make him succeed. The film makes pers3everance look less like “never falling” and more like “always getting up.”
Master Oogway teaches patience, peace, and balance, showing that real strength is moral as much as physical. Po learns that confidence and humility together define character.
Henrietta Lacks
Diagnosed with cervical cancer in 1951
Lacks' cervical cancer cells, called “HeLa” after the first two letters of her first and last name, are immortal, continuing to divide when most cells would die. This ability to survive through endless generations of cells is what makes them invaluable for scientists conducting experiments on human cells.
First immortal cell line- Helped with polio vaccine and cancer treatments
poor African-American tobacco farmer whose family lived and worked on the same land where her ancestors had been slaves.
Inside Out – about emotions, perseverance through grief, and the value of sadness in growth.