essay notes

“We see and understand things not as they are, but as we are” discuss this claim in relation to at least two ways of knowing.

Ways of knowing

1. language
• Texts and literature: reaction to texts depends on beliefs of the topic; ex) the communist manifesto. I have conservative views of how a government should work, so I see this type of writing (communist manifesto) as cynical. Therefore, all texts that write like this I see as being terrible
• Religion: religious terms have a different meaning on those who do not understand them. Radical Islamists are seen as terrorists in today’s view because of the way they speak. Words such as “infidel” and “jihad” have a negative connotation in western society. When we hear these words now, we immediately associate them with Islamists. The same is true in Christianity. The image of the Crusades is perceived by Christians as a brave attempt to take back the Holy land. However, Arabs may see this as an assault to take what they see as holy.
2. perception
• Visualization: depictions of war and soldiers; ex) in the war in Iraq, the media is portraying the U.S. as being a terrible outside force through the aid of television. The people who film and depict these events had their own personal view of the war and how it should be handled. For instance, most of these media stations that portray the war as being wrong are run by people that are anti-war, and therefore integrate that image into their filming and broadcasts.
3. Emotion
• Images: Different people react to images differently depending on how they are raised. Ex) we visited the shepherd Fairey exibit at the Institute of Contemporary Art. His artwork was very political in a sense that it was portraying a Democrat idea. Because I was raised conservative, I was struck with confusion as to exactly why his reflected that idea and why he would believe.