TITLE
Beauty advertisements
QUESTION
Do beauty advertisements use emotive language and false images to play with the emotions and perceptions of the viewer?
REAL LIFE + STRUCTURE
Examples of beauty advertisements that use false images and emotive language.- videos/pictures.
dove advertisement- dove campaign for real beauty/evolution- video
Is dove ethical in putting down other beauty products through their advertisements instead of marketing their own product?
LCD and SPEAKERS
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
KAW- PHotography
A photograph, painting or even a picture, whatever the source might be, it is important to know that each one has the power to change who we are and what we want. Photography for example is a way to tell people who we actually are. A simple photograph can often express so much, much more than words ever can. The things we take photographs of, the way we take them, the angle, the lighting, the mood, etc, tells people a lot about us. Our emotions easily come out in a photograph. If one is sad, one will take pictures in a dull lighting as opposed to a happy person who will want bright light.
Photography is much more powerful then we realise. To prove this, i have clicked a few photographs on my trip to Europe in June 2010. The first picture is that of a beautiful swan which gives the message of peace and tranquillity. The sparkling white swan is the focus of the photograph but on closer inspection, we see a duckling to the top left of the photograph. The duckling isn’t half as beautiful as the swan and so on first glimpse it was easily ignored. This is what strikes me most about this photograph and i feel it is in this way that photographs change who we are. This photograph makes one realise how shallow we often our, so blinded by beauty that we ignore other things around us. It is only the beautiful and sparkly things that we notice taking no heed of the not so beautiful, duller things in life. Due to our ignorance and our thirst for beauty we overlook important things that might not appear to be so beautiful but is indeed beautiful in its own way. The duckling that is now black and ugly actually grows to be as beautiful as the swan. The white swan was once an ugly duckling. Thus beauty is not always how it appears but how one sees it. In this way this photograph changes who we are. It changes us from a shallow person, who can’t see beyond appearances to one who sees beauty for what it truly is. Now the question comes as to how a photograph changes what we want. For this I have an immediate answer as on looking at the photograph, the first thought to cross one’s mind is that ‘I want to be as beautiful as this swan’ when looking at a photograph one can decide what one wants but cannot figure out how to achieve it. One has to first be the ugly duckling and only then can one be the beautiful swan.
This is a photograph of the Mondsee Lake, the residence of the swan in the previous photograph. This is another picture which screams beauty. The breathtaking view of the lake with its surrounding mountains is definitely beautiful. The Mondsee Lake is situated about an hour way from the heart of Salzburg city. This is a typical Austrian landscape one that can only be dreamt of in a bustling city like Mumbai. This seems like a perfect romantic getaway and the emotions and romance just pours in when one just sees such a photograph. The clouds and the trees manage to bring in the atmosphere and mood of the place. It is also true that such a photograph can help shape our perceptions on certain things. This beautiful photograph makes us believe that the whole of Austria is as beautiful as this and so our perception of Austria is shaped by this single photograph where we begin to perceive Austria as the land of lakes and mountains.
This is a photograph of a parade we witnessed in Vienna, Austria. There were various messages being given through this parade, messages of peace, unity and togetherness but the most important one is that the youth is the future of the world and it is the youth that needs to take the initiative and change the world to make it a better place. This photograph and the message it gives, itself arises a feeling of unity and oneness. This particular photograph has a lot of life and energy which is passed on to the beholder. This is a kind of inspiration for the youth so that youngster from all around the world can come together to make a difference. This is what comes to my mind on looking at this picture and these thoughts are what help to change who i am. It makes believe in the youth of today and gives me hope that together we can and will do something. This photograph makes me want to do something to bring peace in the world and end meaningless fights for nations and borders. In this way the photograph also changes what I want.
Fire crackers might be a common sight in India as every year comes Diwali and with Diwali comes crackers, but it was fascinating and definitely surprising to see this colourful display of fire crackers in Vienna, Austria. This vibrant photograph isn’t just a simple photograph of a fire cracker exploding in the sky. It is one of celebration and festivity. This display was actually done to celebrate the royal Swedish wedding that was taking place in Sweden at the time. Seeing this i realise that nations, cultures, religion aren’t important. These fire crackers truly symbolise celebration and festivity. This tells us that the Austrians are joyous and celebrating on the occasion of a Swedish wedding. This then changes what we want. I begin to wonder why we as people can’t be as generous celebrating with others in their times of happiness. I want India to celebrate the joyous occasions of other countries and people to forget about differences and come together to celebrate festivals. Why can’t the Hindus celebrate id and the Muslims celebrate Diwali? Isn’t celebration one for all and doesn’t every person have the right to be joyous and join in festivities? Thus if one photograph can change the way i see things, photography can definitely change WHO WE ARE, WHAT WE WANT or even WHAT WE SEE, and WHAT WE REMEMBER.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
The little prince- chapter 2
The little prince- chapter 2
The second chapter of the book, ‘little prince’ interests me greatly as it introduces us to a very unique and fascinating character, the little prince. This chapter tells us a lot about life, adults and how we only look at things and don’t see them. Seeing things and looking at them are two very different things. Though hard to believe, it is true that seeing something is not the same as looking at it. The latter is much easier and is what we always do. We only look at things around us but never bother to see the. To see those means to observe and understand the things while looking is merely glancing and not really understanding what the thing is. Chapter two of the book proves this. It also tells us how blind adults actually are and they force children to be blind like them. The knowledge issue of the article is that it is the way you look at things that makes all the difference. It is the way we perceive things that matters and not the way we look at things. Each ones perception are different as each person had different belief’s. this can be seen with an example of the revolt of 1857. An Indian person will perceive this in a very different way then a British person as their beliefs are different. An Indian historian perceives or looks at the revolt as a revolt for freedom while a British historian will look at it as a mutiny by an inferior Indian army. This is because the british believe Indians to be inferior then them.
The chapter starts with the author telling us about how he had an accident while flying a plane and was stranded on the Sahara desert six years ago. At the time his reason told him that it was a life or death situation but his emotions told him that he would be saved. In this case his emotions were also rational as there were chances of his survival. Emotions and thoughts are indeed inter-related and they both are dependent on each other. This can be seen here as it was his emotions that gave rise to his thoughts. His hope for survival and his fear of death is what gave rise to the thought of life or death in his head.
On reading this chapter I also realized how important the sense of sight is in our lives as without that we won’t be able to actually understand anything. When the author tells us about an extraordinary small person that he saw, a vague picture forms in our mind but it is only when we see the picture that he drawn that we begin to clearly picture and understand how this person really looks. This little man asks the author to draw a sheep. The author is amazed by this request and he observes the little man with astonishment. We also realize how the little man’s body language coneys a lot about him to the author. Without communication in words the author is able to gather that the little man isn’t a child lost in the desert as he doesn’t show any signs of fatigue, hunger, thirst or fear. The author then out of curiosity asked the little man what he was doing out there but the liitle man’s only reply was to draw him a sheep. The importance of language is apparent here as all the liitle man conveys in words is to draw him a sheep. He isn’t specific and it is this mystery and ambiguity that causes the author to take out of his pocket a paper and a fountain pen. The author tells the little man that he doesn’t know how to draw a sheep but the little man says that it doesn’t matter and that he should just draw a sheep. The little man’s behavior seems irrational as they are in the middle of a desert and all he can think of is a drawing of a sheep. The next part of the chapter involves perception and it is from here that we gather how it is perception that makes all the difference. First the author draws what he has drawn most often, a picture of a boa constrictor. The little man immediately guesses what the picture is and says that he doesn’t want an elephant in a boa constrictor but wants a sheep. The drawing that many adults had failed to understand in the past was understood and recognized by the little man. This was because the little man unlike all the other adults knew how to actually look at things and not only see them. People usually only glance at things but never really see them. It is only when we observe things that we realize what they truly are. The author then drew a picture of what he perceived to be a sheep but the little mans belief’s were different form that of the author. he said that the drawing wasn’t of a sheep but of a ram as it had horns. That is the way the little man perceived the drawing of the sheep, which was evidently quite different from the authors perception of the drawing. After many trials and errors the author was exhausted and so he randomly drew a box. He then explained that the sheep was inside the box. If you just look at the box, it will be only a box for you but when you see it you will realize that there is a possibility that there is something inside the box. The author was surprised to see that the little man was actually pleased to see the drawing. The little man then asked if the sheep will have to have a great deal of grass as where he lives everything is very small. The author then promptly answers that the sheep that he is giving him is very small. Thus it is the way in which the author and the little man perceived the box and the sheep that matters. If one believes something to be there, it is there, just like the author believed the sheep to be in the box and so it was there for him. One’s perceptions are based on one’s belief’s which in turn shapes ones truth. the author believed that there was a sheep in the box and so he perceived the box to have a sheep in it and that became his truth. even the little man’s belief and perception led him to believe that there was a sheep in the box.
The second chapter of the book, ‘little prince’ interests me greatly as it introduces us to a very unique and fascinating character, the little prince. This chapter tells us a lot about life, adults and how we only look at things and don’t see them. Seeing things and looking at them are two very different things. Though hard to believe, it is true that seeing something is not the same as looking at it. The latter is much easier and is what we always do. We only look at things around us but never bother to see the. To see those means to observe and understand the things while looking is merely glancing and not really understanding what the thing is. Chapter two of the book proves this. It also tells us how blind adults actually are and they force children to be blind like them. The knowledge issue of the article is that it is the way you look at things that makes all the difference. It is the way we perceive things that matters and not the way we look at things. Each ones perception are different as each person had different belief’s. this can be seen with an example of the revolt of 1857. An Indian person will perceive this in a very different way then a British person as their beliefs are different. An Indian historian perceives or looks at the revolt as a revolt for freedom while a British historian will look at it as a mutiny by an inferior Indian army. This is because the british believe Indians to be inferior then them.
The chapter starts with the author telling us about how he had an accident while flying a plane and was stranded on the Sahara desert six years ago. At the time his reason told him that it was a life or death situation but his emotions told him that he would be saved. In this case his emotions were also rational as there were chances of his survival. Emotions and thoughts are indeed inter-related and they both are dependent on each other. This can be seen here as it was his emotions that gave rise to his thoughts. His hope for survival and his fear of death is what gave rise to the thought of life or death in his head.
On reading this chapter I also realized how important the sense of sight is in our lives as without that we won’t be able to actually understand anything. When the author tells us about an extraordinary small person that he saw, a vague picture forms in our mind but it is only when we see the picture that he drawn that we begin to clearly picture and understand how this person really looks. This little man asks the author to draw a sheep. The author is amazed by this request and he observes the little man with astonishment. We also realize how the little man’s body language coneys a lot about him to the author. Without communication in words the author is able to gather that the little man isn’t a child lost in the desert as he doesn’t show any signs of fatigue, hunger, thirst or fear. The author then out of curiosity asked the little man what he was doing out there but the liitle man’s only reply was to draw him a sheep. The importance of language is apparent here as all the liitle man conveys in words is to draw him a sheep. He isn’t specific and it is this mystery and ambiguity that causes the author to take out of his pocket a paper and a fountain pen. The author tells the little man that he doesn’t know how to draw a sheep but the little man says that it doesn’t matter and that he should just draw a sheep. The little man’s behavior seems irrational as they are in the middle of a desert and all he can think of is a drawing of a sheep. The next part of the chapter involves perception and it is from here that we gather how it is perception that makes all the difference. First the author draws what he has drawn most often, a picture of a boa constrictor. The little man immediately guesses what the picture is and says that he doesn’t want an elephant in a boa constrictor but wants a sheep. The drawing that many adults had failed to understand in the past was understood and recognized by the little man. This was because the little man unlike all the other adults knew how to actually look at things and not only see them. People usually only glance at things but never really see them. It is only when we observe things that we realize what they truly are. The author then drew a picture of what he perceived to be a sheep but the little mans belief’s were different form that of the author. he said that the drawing wasn’t of a sheep but of a ram as it had horns. That is the way the little man perceived the drawing of the sheep, which was evidently quite different from the authors perception of the drawing. After many trials and errors the author was exhausted and so he randomly drew a box. He then explained that the sheep was inside the box. If you just look at the box, it will be only a box for you but when you see it you will realize that there is a possibility that there is something inside the box. The author was surprised to see that the little man was actually pleased to see the drawing. The little man then asked if the sheep will have to have a great deal of grass as where he lives everything is very small. The author then promptly answers that the sheep that he is giving him is very small. Thus it is the way in which the author and the little man perceived the box and the sheep that matters. If one believes something to be there, it is there, just like the author believed the sheep to be in the box and so it was there for him. One’s perceptions are based on one’s belief’s which in turn shapes ones truth. the author believed that there was a sheep in the box and so he perceived the box to have a sheep in it and that became his truth. even the little man’s belief and perception led him to believe that there was a sheep in the box.
Monday, April 26, 2010
can emotions be rational?
Can emotions be rational?
Emotions are feelings or moods of an individual. It is a mental state that is related to tones temperament and personality. Emotions are a mode of expression. We express our feelings through emotions. Emotions come from the heart and so we often say that a very emotional person thinks from her heart. This simply means that this person is ruled by her emotions and she listens to her heart rather then her mind. Her emotions usually take over her reasoning but emotions and reasoning are, to some extent related. If it were true that emotions were without reason then the concept of emotions would have been stupid and held no importance. It is true that there is a reason for every single emotion felt as one doesn’t just feel a particular emotion at a time without knowing why they are feeling so. If one is happy there is a reason why they are happy. They have probably done something nice and so are feeling good about it or they might be with someone they love and so are happy about it. Thus reasoning plays a very important role in emotion.
We can yet wonder whether this same emotion, which has a reason behind it, is rational? We cant say for sure that the emotion is rational but there are certain things which determine whether they are rational or not. Culture, judgment, concepts, etc. influences the rationality of an emotion. Idt depends on whether an emotion is right or not in a particular culture. If according to that culture it is perfectly alright to express a particular emotion at a particular time them the emotion can be called as rational but if the culture believes that such an emotion shouldn’t be expressed at the time then it is said to be irrational. Eg. It is completely rational to cry on the death of a loved one. While at the same time some cultures might believe that it is irrational to cry on the death of your pet as a pet isn’t considered as a loved one in that culture. It is also universally believed that it is completely irrational to laugh or be happy when a loved one dies. Circumstances also influence our emotions as the circumstance determines whether the emotion is rational or not. If I am in a position where my son is in jail and it is my daughters birthday at home, it is rational for me to be sad and cry for my son rather then smile and be happy for my daughter. It is the circumstance that forces me to behave in this way. Often emotions aren’t even in our hands and it is a feeling that overcomes us when we are in a particular situation or circumstance. It isn’t in my control to be happy or sad as if it was why would I ever choose to be sad. I’d always be happy then but the emotions of anger, jealousy, grief, are all a part of life. the rationality of emotions simply depends on our beliefs, the way we think about them. If we think our emotion to be completely rational then our emotion is rational. No one can challenge our emotions as only we know how we are feeling and what is going on inside us. At the same time if we begin to believe that our emotion is stupid and senseless, our emotion will be stupid and senseless i.e. irrational. Our perceptions on our emotion or the way we perceive our emotions in part determine what they really are. if we see a painting and feel happy on seeing it and believe that it is inappropriate to feel happy on seeing the painting and that we don’t have a reason for feeling happy, our emotion becomes irrational. But if we believe that it is appropriate to feel happy on seeing the painting as we have a reason behind our happiness as the painting might have had happy colours which made me happy or could have reminded me of something in turn making me happy, the emotion becomes rational. Thus our emotion becomes rational when we believe it to be so. Our emotions actually reflect our thoughts and they are actually a way in which we express our thoughts. It is true that our emotions also lead us to our thoughts and so emotions and thoughts are inter-related and dependent on each other. If we take history as an example, when we think of Hitler, we think of the millions of jews he tortured and killed and all the concentration camps that were set up because of him. All these thoughts lead us to an emotion, a feeling of sadness, grief and bitterness. These emotions are the results of our thoughts and if those thoughts hadn’t crossed our minds, we would have never been overcome by these emotions. Then it is these emotions that lead us to new thoughts, where we begin to feel hatred for Hitler and begin to think of him as an awful man who was inhuman and harsh.
In this way it is a continuous cycle of emotions and thoughts. Neither can do without the other. Thus emotions can be ration, depending on our thoughts and what we think about them.
http://www.friesian.com/emotion.htm
http://science.jrank.org/pages/9109/Emotions-How-Rational-Are-Emotions.html
Emotions are feelings or moods of an individual. It is a mental state that is related to tones temperament and personality. Emotions are a mode of expression. We express our feelings through emotions. Emotions come from the heart and so we often say that a very emotional person thinks from her heart. This simply means that this person is ruled by her emotions and she listens to her heart rather then her mind. Her emotions usually take over her reasoning but emotions and reasoning are, to some extent related. If it were true that emotions were without reason then the concept of emotions would have been stupid and held no importance. It is true that there is a reason for every single emotion felt as one doesn’t just feel a particular emotion at a time without knowing why they are feeling so. If one is happy there is a reason why they are happy. They have probably done something nice and so are feeling good about it or they might be with someone they love and so are happy about it. Thus reasoning plays a very important role in emotion.
We can yet wonder whether this same emotion, which has a reason behind it, is rational? We cant say for sure that the emotion is rational but there are certain things which determine whether they are rational or not. Culture, judgment, concepts, etc. influences the rationality of an emotion. Idt depends on whether an emotion is right or not in a particular culture. If according to that culture it is perfectly alright to express a particular emotion at a particular time them the emotion can be called as rational but if the culture believes that such an emotion shouldn’t be expressed at the time then it is said to be irrational. Eg. It is completely rational to cry on the death of a loved one. While at the same time some cultures might believe that it is irrational to cry on the death of your pet as a pet isn’t considered as a loved one in that culture. It is also universally believed that it is completely irrational to laugh or be happy when a loved one dies. Circumstances also influence our emotions as the circumstance determines whether the emotion is rational or not. If I am in a position where my son is in jail and it is my daughters birthday at home, it is rational for me to be sad and cry for my son rather then smile and be happy for my daughter. It is the circumstance that forces me to behave in this way. Often emotions aren’t even in our hands and it is a feeling that overcomes us when we are in a particular situation or circumstance. It isn’t in my control to be happy or sad as if it was why would I ever choose to be sad. I’d always be happy then but the emotions of anger, jealousy, grief, are all a part of life. the rationality of emotions simply depends on our beliefs, the way we think about them. If we think our emotion to be completely rational then our emotion is rational. No one can challenge our emotions as only we know how we are feeling and what is going on inside us. At the same time if we begin to believe that our emotion is stupid and senseless, our emotion will be stupid and senseless i.e. irrational. Our perceptions on our emotion or the way we perceive our emotions in part determine what they really are. if we see a painting and feel happy on seeing it and believe that it is inappropriate to feel happy on seeing the painting and that we don’t have a reason for feeling happy, our emotion becomes irrational. But if we believe that it is appropriate to feel happy on seeing the painting as we have a reason behind our happiness as the painting might have had happy colours which made me happy or could have reminded me of something in turn making me happy, the emotion becomes rational. Thus our emotion becomes rational when we believe it to be so. Our emotions actually reflect our thoughts and they are actually a way in which we express our thoughts. It is true that our emotions also lead us to our thoughts and so emotions and thoughts are inter-related and dependent on each other. If we take history as an example, when we think of Hitler, we think of the millions of jews he tortured and killed and all the concentration camps that were set up because of him. All these thoughts lead us to an emotion, a feeling of sadness, grief and bitterness. These emotions are the results of our thoughts and if those thoughts hadn’t crossed our minds, we would have never been overcome by these emotions. Then it is these emotions that lead us to new thoughts, where we begin to feel hatred for Hitler and begin to think of him as an awful man who was inhuman and harsh.
In this way it is a continuous cycle of emotions and thoughts. Neither can do without the other. Thus emotions can be ration, depending on our thoughts and what we think about them.
http://www.friesian.com/emotion.htm
http://science.jrank.org/pages/9109/Emotions-How-Rational-Are-Emotions.html
Sunday, April 25, 2010
tok reflection
In our last tok class, we compared reason and emotion. reason is logical and rational thinking while emotions are feelings. we thne discussed the difference between a person ruled by emotion and a person ruled by reason. i then realsied ow difficult it is to choose between them as the more i thought the more i felt that i was a person governed by both reason and emotion. i felt this because at times i am governed by emotion and my reaction is instinctive while at times i am more reasonable and weigh out my option before making a decision. when i sit and analyze myself, i gather that i am the type of person who can be influenced by both love and religion. we also read the article, 'In hiding from humanity: disgust, shame, and the law' by Martha C. Nassbaum and discussed it's knowledge issue. we came to the conclusion that the knowledge issue is, 'the appropriateness of an emotional reaction' and that it deals with the perception of two different people from two different times and cultures dealing with emotions like grief and sorrow on someone's death. the most exciting part of the lesson was the quiz we did at the end of the class to determine whether we are ruled by emotion or reason, the head or the heart. this quiz included questions like do you cry in sappy movies or books? etc. the number of no's and yes' determined whether we were determined by emotion or reason. i got an equal number of yes' and no's and so i was ruled equally by both emotion and reason. thus i came to the conclusion that my previous assumption was right and that in reality i am governed by both emotion and reason. therefore this tok class helped me analyze myself and come to a conclusion about myself.
Monday, April 12, 2010
How does the way in which we describe something affect the way we see it?
How does the way in which we describe something affect the way we see it?
Language is a very important part of every human being. Language is the way we put our thoughts into words. Without language we wouldn’t be able to express ourselves so easily. Thus without language, we can’t have an education, get a job, have a social life, etc. language is so fundamental to our experience and is so deeply a part of every human being that it is actually extremely hard to imagine life without language. Language is a basic mean of communication and without language we won’t be able to communicate with one another. Language is more then just words, it’s a culture and so there are thousands of languages in the world. It is also true that two people speaking in two different languages do think to some extent, differently. A word in one language won’t have an equal in another language as the people speaking that language are from another culture and don’t find it necessary to use that word. Hence every translation of a word will never give you the exact meaning of the word because every individual language is clouded by the word.
The way in which we describe things definitely affects the way we see it as language shapes thought. Language plays a major role in the way we see things. When we see something, we name it and begin to describe it. That description is imprinted in our minds and whenever we think of that thing we think of its description. It is then that description that determines the way we see that thing eg. When one sees a zebra, one describes it as white with black stripes and so one sees the zebra as black with white stripes but if one describes it as a black zebra with white stripes then one begins to see it as a black with white stripes.
Sometimes we only see that that we want to see or that that is important to us. When we describe something, it is obvious that we have noticed that thing and thus perceived it. This thing therefore in some way becomes important to us and we then begin to see that thing in a particular way but something that we haven’t described is something that we haven’t noticed or that isn’t important to us and so we conveniently ignore that thing. In this way we don’t see that thing at all. This can also be seen as confirmation bias which is a type of thinking where one tends to notice what confirms one’s belief and ignore, overlook and undervalue what’s contradictory to his or her belief.
We describe something according to how we think that thing is and so our description of that thing is actually describing the way we see that thing. eg. a painting might have a different meaning to me as it will to someone else. Each one sees things differently and so one painting can have several interpretations. The way I see the painting is actually the way I describe it. If I describe the brown and blue in a painting as sand and sea then I begin to see it as sand and see but that does not mean that it is sand and sea for everyone. That is the way I perceive the painting and my perception leads me to my truth. thus for me the truth is that the brown in the painting is sand and the blue is the sea. Someone else might see the same painting and say that the brown and blue in the painting are life and death. That’s the way he or she describes the painting and thus sees it. His or her perception of the painting leads her to her truth which is different from my truth. It is our descriptions and perceptions that are different and so the way we see things and our personal truth’s are also different.
Language can be interpreted in many different ways eg. The meaning of love is very different for a 4 year old then for a 40 year old. The 4 year old might describe his love for a pencil while a 40 year old will probably describe his love for a woman. The boy sees love as a feeling you have for a material possession as he hasn’t understood the deep meaning of love like the 40 year old for whom love is all about a woman. In this way the way they describe love differs and thus the way they see love too differs.
Reality is determined by the language you speak. Through this you can give meaning to the world around you. Without language thought is meaningless as one can only express their thoughts through language. It is difficult to decide whether thoughts come first or language but it is definite that one cannot exist without the other.
If something is described to us in an ambiguous manner with ambiguous language, we begin to see that thing in that way. If the description is unclear then the way we see it will also be unclear. Eg. If someone sees a girl and tries to describe her to me by telling me that there was something on her head, I would begin to wonder what she meant by something as the language is ambiguous and unclear and I won’t be able to picture her clearly.
In ‘OW DOES OUR LANGUAGE SHAPE THE WAY WE THINK?’ Lera Boroditsky states, “Clearly, languages require different things of their speakers. Does this mean that the speakers think differently about the world? Do English, Indonesian, Russian, and Turkish speakers end up attending to, partitioning, and remembering their experiences differently just because they speak different languages? For some scholars, the answer to these questions has been an obvious yes. Just look at the way people talk, they might say. Certainly, speakers of different languages must attend to and encode strikingly different aspects of the world just so they can use their language properly.” Thus many scholars agree that people that speak different languages remember their experiences differently. People depend a lot on language and language usually shapes the way a person thinks. So you can say that people speaking different languages, do think differently. The important role of language in our lives influences many things in our lives including the way we think. Language determines the way we describe things which in turn affects the way we see things.
1. http://www.edge.org/3rd_culture/boroditsky09/boroditsky09_index.html
Language is a very important part of every human being. Language is the way we put our thoughts into words. Without language we wouldn’t be able to express ourselves so easily. Thus without language, we can’t have an education, get a job, have a social life, etc. language is so fundamental to our experience and is so deeply a part of every human being that it is actually extremely hard to imagine life without language. Language is a basic mean of communication and without language we won’t be able to communicate with one another. Language is more then just words, it’s a culture and so there are thousands of languages in the world. It is also true that two people speaking in two different languages do think to some extent, differently. A word in one language won’t have an equal in another language as the people speaking that language are from another culture and don’t find it necessary to use that word. Hence every translation of a word will never give you the exact meaning of the word because every individual language is clouded by the word.
The way in which we describe things definitely affects the way we see it as language shapes thought. Language plays a major role in the way we see things. When we see something, we name it and begin to describe it. That description is imprinted in our minds and whenever we think of that thing we think of its description. It is then that description that determines the way we see that thing eg. When one sees a zebra, one describes it as white with black stripes and so one sees the zebra as black with white stripes but if one describes it as a black zebra with white stripes then one begins to see it as a black with white stripes.
Sometimes we only see that that we want to see or that that is important to us. When we describe something, it is obvious that we have noticed that thing and thus perceived it. This thing therefore in some way becomes important to us and we then begin to see that thing in a particular way but something that we haven’t described is something that we haven’t noticed or that isn’t important to us and so we conveniently ignore that thing. In this way we don’t see that thing at all. This can also be seen as confirmation bias which is a type of thinking where one tends to notice what confirms one’s belief and ignore, overlook and undervalue what’s contradictory to his or her belief.
We describe something according to how we think that thing is and so our description of that thing is actually describing the way we see that thing. eg. a painting might have a different meaning to me as it will to someone else. Each one sees things differently and so one painting can have several interpretations. The way I see the painting is actually the way I describe it. If I describe the brown and blue in a painting as sand and sea then I begin to see it as sand and see but that does not mean that it is sand and sea for everyone. That is the way I perceive the painting and my perception leads me to my truth. thus for me the truth is that the brown in the painting is sand and the blue is the sea. Someone else might see the same painting and say that the brown and blue in the painting are life and death. That’s the way he or she describes the painting and thus sees it. His or her perception of the painting leads her to her truth which is different from my truth. It is our descriptions and perceptions that are different and so the way we see things and our personal truth’s are also different.
Language can be interpreted in many different ways eg. The meaning of love is very different for a 4 year old then for a 40 year old. The 4 year old might describe his love for a pencil while a 40 year old will probably describe his love for a woman. The boy sees love as a feeling you have for a material possession as he hasn’t understood the deep meaning of love like the 40 year old for whom love is all about a woman. In this way the way they describe love differs and thus the way they see love too differs.
Reality is determined by the language you speak. Through this you can give meaning to the world around you. Without language thought is meaningless as one can only express their thoughts through language. It is difficult to decide whether thoughts come first or language but it is definite that one cannot exist without the other.
If something is described to us in an ambiguous manner with ambiguous language, we begin to see that thing in that way. If the description is unclear then the way we see it will also be unclear. Eg. If someone sees a girl and tries to describe her to me by telling me that there was something on her head, I would begin to wonder what she meant by something as the language is ambiguous and unclear and I won’t be able to picture her clearly.
In ‘OW DOES OUR LANGUAGE SHAPE THE WAY WE THINK?’ Lera Boroditsky states, “Clearly, languages require different things of their speakers. Does this mean that the speakers think differently about the world? Do English, Indonesian, Russian, and Turkish speakers end up attending to, partitioning, and remembering their experiences differently just because they speak different languages? For some scholars, the answer to these questions has been an obvious yes. Just look at the way people talk, they might say. Certainly, speakers of different languages must attend to and encode strikingly different aspects of the world just so they can use their language properly.” Thus many scholars agree that people that speak different languages remember their experiences differently. People depend a lot on language and language usually shapes the way a person thinks. So you can say that people speaking different languages, do think differently. The important role of language in our lives influences many things in our lives including the way we think. Language determines the way we describe things which in turn affects the way we see things.
1. http://www.edge.org/3rd_culture/boroditsky09/boroditsky09_index.html
Sunday, April 11, 2010
TOK reflection 4
I really wasn’t in the mood for TOK as this was that TOK class when everyone was free except us, Tuesday 4th block and we had just sat through a long and tiring economic forum. Everyone was going out for lunch and we poor souls had to sit in class and listen to miss nehal go on about common sense realism and scientific realism. Miss nehal began to define the above turns and I desperately tried to listen. Scientific realism states that the worls exists independent of reality. Phenomenalism believes that matter is simply the permanent possibility of sensation. we then stated an example saying that if a table exists in A classroom then any table exists in any classroom. We then discussed the above three terms, namely, common sense realism, scientific realism and phenomenalism stating phrases for each of the three terms.
Common sense realism- “ what you see is what is there”
Scientific realism-“atoms exist in void”
Phenomenalsim-“ to be is to be perceived.”
These phrases helped me understand these terms better. When miss nehal gave us an example related to us by saying that only when we answer in class and interact are we perceived by her as otherwise it’s almost like we don’t exist as we aren’t perceived, I could relate to the sense of phenomenalism. Thus tok class can only be exciting when we debate discuss and are able to relate to the topics being discussed in class. I also understood the importance of giving examples through this class as that is the only way we are able to relate to the topic and make the person thoroughly understand what we are saying.
Common sense realism- “ what you see is what is there”
Scientific realism-“atoms exist in void”
Phenomenalsim-“ to be is to be perceived.”
These phrases helped me understand these terms better. When miss nehal gave us an example related to us by saying that only when we answer in class and interact are we perceived by her as otherwise it’s almost like we don’t exist as we aren’t perceived, I could relate to the sense of phenomenalism. Thus tok class can only be exciting when we debate discuss and are able to relate to the topics being discussed in class. I also understood the importance of giving examples through this class as that is the only way we are able to relate to the topic and make the person thoroughly understand what we are saying.
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