Being a very inquisitive child, I always asked my dad really abstract questions about life, the world, and the universe. While I was incredibly annoying and relentless in my constant badgering for answers, my dad did make one really good point that has always stuck with me. He would say, "Marc that is the beauty of the world, we just don't know." As a ten year old, "I don't know" is the worst possible response a parent could give their child. While at the time it was not enough, in hind sight my dad's answer explained everything.
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| "WHY, WHY, WHY, WHY, WHY???" from article.wn.com |
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| Image depicts different stages of cognitive understanding, or understanding of reality from wikipedia.org |
Imagine if the world that we see today is like this. If the trees we see, the grass we walk on, and the clouds we watch are all not real, just shadows of that which is real. What if everything we know as fact is false. We spend our entire life believing that which people tell us, the text that we read in our school books, and the unspoken rules of the societies in which we live.
Taking this argument a step further, that which we do see as real and innate is also distorted on a much more basic level. The society in which we live casts shadows everywhere. In Walker Percy's "Loss of Creature", he discusses that humans lose this sense of their own ability to perceive the world as they wish due to society. A family vacation to the Grand Canyon is tainted by our predisposed notions as to what we are about to see, the tourist stop at the canyon, the gift shop, the signs, and every other artificial, synthetic aspect of this spot that is influenced by our culture. The construction of man made hiking trails and organized tours does not allow the viewer to experience the sight for what it is really worth. Whether or not this can be controlled, we are not experiencing "The Grand Canyon" for what it really is. We "lose the creature", as Percy would contend. This video shows the experience of two tourists receiving, although a beautiful view of the canyon, nevertheless, a synthetic one.
At this point, we can do very little as individuals to change this phenomena. Shadows are all over the world, in both caves and the Grand Canyon. All we can do as informed and educated members of society is to understand that such events do occur and that in order to gain clarity into that which is real, we must remember these points. We must approach each day open to the fact that what we know or regarded as fact may not always be true. While there is still much uncertainty, the main idea expressed in this post is undoubtedly "real".
Edited on 10/30/12
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ReplyDeleteWhile I agree with your analysis of the allegory of the cave I feel that your argument is missing one key piece of information. Society is definitely capable of casting "shadows" on our lives. However they are only shadows if we are not aware that they are false. Predisposed notions of the grand canyon could limit your ability to fully appreciate the canyon only if you were unaware that the tourist stop, trail, and gift shop are artificial and do not represent all that the grand canyon has to offer. In this way your suggestion to keep an open mind is not all that people can do to uncover reality. We are not doomed to a life of uncertainty because we have the ability to question the world around us and learn. As long as people question what they perceive we will always move away from the shadows and closer to truth. Those who know that the trails they walk on aren't part of the canyon they tour aren't taken in to the artificial reality. Yet there are certainly more ambiguous instances where reality becomes far less clear. Those who have watched the recent political debates can attest to the fact that you are left with accusations from both candidates that the other is a liar. This is a situation which is skewing the line of what is true and false and in doing so mirrors the allegory of the cave. Yet again the ambiguity of the situation inspires people to seek the truth, and the subsequent line of inquiry is similar to the enlightenment of the man freed from the cave. Uncertainty yields inquiry which yields truth. The truly frightening part of the cave in my opinion is the possibility that such uncertainty exists beyond the scope of human understanding, if we don't doubt are world we could be taken in by shadows, yet if we constantly doubt our world, how do we have get out of "the cave?"
ReplyDeleteMarc, you write in your post "humans lose this sense of their own ability to perceive the world as they wish" which I think begs the question, What kind of world do we wish to perceive? You suggest when you continue that the grand canyon would be grander without human influence, but I'm not sure that matters all that much in how we perceive the area. You described yourself as a curious child, which I too can relate to. One of the things I loved most when I was younger was my own shadow. I could play with weird shapes, animals, and characters. Most children like these types of imaginary games which I think demonstrates that we crave a sort of personalized reality. The signs of this are more prominent in children because as adults we are seen as irrational if we outwardly believe the shadows in the cave more than the world outside of it. I think we also tailor reality on cultural levels. Why would explanatory myths appear in every human society if we didn't wish to perceive the world in a way custom to our cultures, traditions, and individual selves? I would further argue that this is why science is a major threat to religion- because it conforms people's views in a way that makes them indistinct from the rest of the human population, flooding the cave with light and dispelling the shadows that we like to play with. I think we do wish to see our own shadows cast upon the earth and that most people, more or less, see the world they wish to.
ReplyDeleteAlthough we are always consumed in a seemingly never-ending search for truth, I feel that truth is a subjective thing, and is individual to each person's perspective of reality. I've always been inspired by this quote from the television show Fringe: "Perception is the key to transformation. Reality is both subjective and malleable. If you can dream a better world, you can make a better world." Yes, there are "shadows" all around us. But I also think that depending on how we view them, we have the ability to change situations. This is all in the figurative sense, of course.
ReplyDeleteIn the idea that predisposed notions can alter a person's perspective of reality, I believe that this is becoming more and more widespread and apparent in today's society and culture, especially with the technology of our age. Research is a key component of our experiences of reality, as today, nearly everyone will go to the extent of planning each step of their journeys. This in turn might be something that alters our experiences of reality, if we have a preconceived notion of it.
Another interesting thing that hugely impacts our preconceived notions of reality, even before we share experiences ourselves, is the internet. Technology addicts and most of our generation thrive off of social media and applications that allow people to post pictures of their experiences, share thoughts and ideas, and rate their experiences (ex: of a restaurant, movie, vacation, etc.). These ratings and comments create a biased opinion of a certain experience before one can even observe anything on their own. Furthermore, picture editing such as that on applications such as Instagram can be used as a tool to alter reality, and in essence create "shadows."
In my opinion, there is no stopping the "shadows" of this world. With advances in technology, they only seem to be multiplying, but that may not be a bad thing. Preconceived notions of experiences can help us make informed decisions of what we would like to participate in ourselves, and it can help us live vicariously through those who have experienced things we would like to and may not be able to. While they may create "shadows," of reality, sometimes those are viable to experience as well.
First off: I, too, was frequently told "I don't know," and it frustrated me just as much.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, I think you're spot on throughout this post. I believe that everything we see can be perceived as a shadow, although it is all reality. The Grand Canyon example is very intriguing, and reminds me of something similar.
When I described to my friends and girlfriend who have never been to a Michigan football game what the experience is like, I feel as though I taint their perceptions. When I went to my first one many years ago, nobody told me what it would be like. Even if they did, I wouldn't listen or acknowledge it. The moment I stepped into the stadium I was amazed. Amazed at how deep down it went even though it looked so short on the outside. Amazed at all of the maize shirts and crowd noise. I was so overwhelmed; it's an experience I'll never forget. Taking that into consideration, trying to convince an 18-year-old of the majesty wasn't so easy. They've been to Red Wings and Tigers games. They're at the age where they've had enough exposure to it that the same story couldn't be told by them when they first saw the Big House. Also my stories just aren't the same, I feel that my experiences, being so long ago, exaggerate it all, overhyping this predetermined "beautiful view". The Allegory of the Cave is so relevant to everything we see, and I enjoy your discussion of it.
Furthermore, I wholeheartedly agree with Robin's comment about the media and social networking. I couldn't have said it better myself.
Marc,
ReplyDeleteI really like where you are getting with this blog post. The search for truth will continue throughout the existence of mankind. But like the story, how do we know if everything we see are not just shadows? What if we are blind from true reality? Questions keep popping up with no answers. Even if we accept reality, how can we be sure that this is fact? If you want to get existential, think about this: we trust what we have been told. Who we are and the world around us is something that we trust is the truth. But we can never be sure.
Going back to endlessly questioning people we trust, I had a conversation with my parents when I was 8 years old that went like this: Me: Why is there the Sun? Them: Because it comes from gas and dust compacted over many years until it starts emitting heat. Me: Why is there gas and dust? Them: Because it comes from the Universe. Me: Why is there a Universe? Them: Because it came from the Big Bang. Me: Why was there the Big Bang? Them: Well we just don’t know. After a stream of questions like this, eventually, the answer is: well, we just don’t know.
Pulling this response back to what we perceive as reality, when we describe something to others, like Tristan thoughtfully stated, was that we can “taint the perception” of others. Being described a city or something is never the same as experiencing it ourselves and creating our own perceptions. Television is another prime example. Being shown a Jackie Chan movie jumping around and beating up bad guys looks easy on camera, but trying it yourself will prove extremely difficult.