does language shape reality or is it merely a way of communication?
what is reality?..It is nothing but the way things actually exist. Our own perceptions of the surrounding is reality according to us. For example when I look around this room I see the television, the paintings and the table. According to me the paintings are beautiful, but maybe according to you the paintings are ugly. So, the way I look at my surroundings is my own judgment of it. This is the way I perceive the reality around me. Unless I knew language how would I know the term “beautiful” and hence I cannot pass a judgment of my own. Edward Sapir said even though we live in the objective world we all have use language as a medium of expression. Also, unconsciously the “real world” is built upon the language we use. According to him it is an illusion to imagine how one can adjust to reality without us
Language is just a medium of communication. We may formulate in our minds but ultimately we are using language to express our thoughts which is communication. How does communication work? When one says something the other person hears it, dissects the sentence in his or her mind and then acts accordingly. For example, if I am talking to you at this moment, you may not realize it but in your mind each sentence is broken down and understood. When I says this is a table. You can understand it because you visualize a table in your mind.
Therefore I believe that we are like painters who shape reality based language and our mind is the medium and canvas on which reality takes shape. and we portray this painting by showing it to others. in other words communicating with others.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
identity status and psychological well being
this topic relates to my EE topic in psych which talks about the psychological factors that cause juvenile crime. so while researching i came across 3 with this interesting thing. it was said that if teenagers report a greater similarity between their ideal self( what they hoped to become) and their real self are less likely to commit a crime. whereas teenagers who lack this similarity are said to be stuck in a foreclosure and are more likely to commit a crime.
what does this similarity between the ideal self and the real self do to our psychological well being?..when our ideal self agrees with our real self we tend to have a higher self esteem. for example, if my ideal self wants to be a doctor and my real self is working towards becoming one and is doing well.then i can be more confident. whereas if my ideal self wants to be a doctor and my real self is doing extremely bad in biology at college level, then my confidence level can drop.
but does this difference in the self show the instability in ones identity? am i two different people while wanting to be a doctor and doing badly in biology?if that is so then ones identity is constantly reformulating. it exists differently in different situations.
well..i completely disagree. i believe that our identity exists the way we want it to exist. it takes shape on the basis of what we believe. if the teenager believed that he or she is a doctor then he is. if he believes he should commit a crime then he can be known as a juvenile delinquent. .
what does this similarity between the ideal self and the real self do to our psychological well being?..when our ideal self agrees with our real self we tend to have a higher self esteem. for example, if my ideal self wants to be a doctor and my real self is working towards becoming one and is doing well.then i can be more confident. whereas if my ideal self wants to be a doctor and my real self is doing extremely bad in biology at college level, then my confidence level can drop.
but does this difference in the self show the instability in ones identity? am i two different people while wanting to be a doctor and doing badly in biology?if that is so then ones identity is constantly reformulating. it exists differently in different situations.
well..i completely disagree. i believe that our identity exists the way we want it to exist. it takes shape on the basis of what we believe. if the teenager believed that he or she is a doctor then he is. if he believes he should commit a crime then he can be known as a juvenile delinquent. .
I think, therefore I see
once when i went home i had the usual talk with my mom. it was regarding work and like at MUWCI in general. she said" you are the one who decides what happens in your life. you choose things that are best for you, you see what i best for you and you hear what is best for you. so if you believe you can do well you will."..this went on forever...
anyway..after the talk i was wondering if i choose everything i see, what is the reason behind that choice. do my thoughts make me choose or does my choice make me think.
i believe that we think therefore we see.. our mind operates in a certain way. We develop patterns of thought that shape what we see or perceive and thus what we think, as well as how we will choose to think about new information that comes our way.we hold on to the pattern of thinking. when we see different things in our life our mind fills in the gaps between our experiences following the same chain of thought. it connects our thoughts and experiences in such way as to keep them as consistent and uniform as possible with what we already thought.
hence we see what we want. we develop beliefs that are consistent with what is already in our mind.anything that does not connect goes unnoticed.
hence, we think and then see.
anyway..after the talk i was wondering if i choose everything i see, what is the reason behind that choice. do my thoughts make me choose or does my choice make me think.
i believe that we think therefore we see.. our mind operates in a certain way. We develop patterns of thought that shape what we see or perceive and thus what we think, as well as how we will choose to think about new information that comes our way.we hold on to the pattern of thinking. when we see different things in our life our mind fills in the gaps between our experiences following the same chain of thought. it connects our thoughts and experiences in such way as to keep them as consistent and uniform as possible with what we already thought.
hence we see what we want. we develop beliefs that are consistent with what is already in our mind.anything that does not connect goes unnoticed.
hence, we think and then see.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
To understand something you need to rely on your own experience and culture. Does this mean that it is impossible to have objective knowledge?
“What is the colour of an apple?” I was once asked this question in class .To me the answer seemed rather obvious. But suddenly a student who lived in New Zealand stood up and shouted “green.” I had never seen a green apple before; to me, an apple had always been red. This was a fact for me – an apple was red in colour. For most people in that classroom, the apple was red; this is almost an “objective fact.” But that class had demonstrated how experiences and cultures had diluted such an “objective fact.”
A person’s background has a large influence in the manner in which one gains knowledge. This influence is most obvious in the way people perceive the world. Culture and religion are integral factors that define how a person views the world around and therefore how he or she understands the world. Take the example of a cow. For me, as a Hindu, the cow is not just an animal but a sacred identity. In India, the cow is considered the “mother” of all animals. Compare this view with that of a friend of mine from Britain, where the cow is valued purely for its dairy products and meat – it is just a source of food. An Indian would never think of killing a cow, let alone eating it. For both of us, the cow is an animal with four legs and two ears, in other words it is physically exactly the same. However the ‘concept’ of the animal differs considerably. Likewise knowledge can be gained by people in similar ways, that is through our senses but the way we perceive the knowledge we gain is significantly influenced by our experiences and cultures
When considering the argument of whether ‘objective knowledge’ truly exists, recall the example of the apple,(“What is the colour of an apple?”) I gained the knowledge that an apple was red in colour through acquaintance with this fact. I had eaten red apples, drawn pictures of apples using red colours, and most importantly everyone around me agreed that an apple was red only red in colour. However when my friend from New Zealand answered that an apple was also green in colour, the objective knowledge I possessed was challenged. His experience had shown him that apples could also be green in colour. What seemed to be an objective fact for me was no more completely true, once again showing that reliance on one’s own experiences and culture may not distort the integrity of knowledge
. Hence I believe that although relying on one’s culture and experience is necessary in perceiving and understanding knowledge that one gains, such reliance does not assure the knower that the knowledge he or she gathers is complete or objective in nature.
A person’s background has a large influence in the manner in which one gains knowledge. This influence is most obvious in the way people perceive the world. Culture and religion are integral factors that define how a person views the world around and therefore how he or she understands the world. Take the example of a cow. For me, as a Hindu, the cow is not just an animal but a sacred identity. In India, the cow is considered the “mother” of all animals. Compare this view with that of a friend of mine from Britain, where the cow is valued purely for its dairy products and meat – it is just a source of food. An Indian would never think of killing a cow, let alone eating it. For both of us, the cow is an animal with four legs and two ears, in other words it is physically exactly the same. However the ‘concept’ of the animal differs considerably. Likewise knowledge can be gained by people in similar ways, that is through our senses but the way we perceive the knowledge we gain is significantly influenced by our experiences and cultures
When considering the argument of whether ‘objective knowledge’ truly exists, recall the example of the apple,(“What is the colour of an apple?”) I gained the knowledge that an apple was red in colour through acquaintance with this fact. I had eaten red apples, drawn pictures of apples using red colours, and most importantly everyone around me agreed that an apple was red only red in colour. However when my friend from New Zealand answered that an apple was also green in colour, the objective knowledge I possessed was challenged. His experience had shown him that apples could also be green in colour. What seemed to be an objective fact for me was no more completely true, once again showing that reliance on one’s own experiences and culture may not distort the integrity of knowledge
. Hence I believe that although relying on one’s culture and experience is necessary in perceiving and understanding knowledge that one gains, such reliance does not assure the knower that the knowledge he or she gathers is complete or objective in nature.
identity?
One day back in Bombay, some of my friends got some awesome hair styles. They all seem very excited about it and they flaunted their hair everywhere they went. The one thing I noticed after their change in hair style is that they started appreciating themselves more. They seemed so confident. It was almost like they were new people all together. It seemed as though their new hair cuts gave them a new identity. So I asked myself do make overs change the person’s identity? Is the body the only significant part of one’s identity?
I do agree that our body is a factor that defines us, but it is not the only factor. I believe that each individual has this essence (consciousness) or inner belief that makes them who they are. In other words our mind and soul is the other factor that defines us. For example, two twins might look exactly alike. Does that mean they are the same person? What makes them different? Their thoughts and beliefs make them different. Each one of them have an individual essence. Like, if you ask them what their opinions on a certain issue are, they might have completely different views. And it is this difference in perspective that makes each of them unique. Our body just enhances our identity. It makes us a complete person. it gives our thoughts and beliefs an outer structure.
well, these are my views on identity. haircuts and make overs just makes you feel good about yourself and hence you think you are completely new person. ..so much for now!
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