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Random "This is serious!" moment
Jan. 3rd, 2008 07:01 amI'm sure a lot of you read about the definition of class discussion over in ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
attack_laurel's journal. Some people believe that class is indicated by money alone. Some people believe that class is indicated by multiple factors. Some people believe that the word class can have two different definitions; some people do not. So why this sudden "But that's not right!" convergence of opposing ideals? It's very simple: worldview.
Worldview is the concept that dictates absolutely everything you see, hear, and feel. Your worldview will change slightly as it develops overtime but, within your worldview, there are certain fundamental "pillars" if you will that you simple cannot shake, cannot move, without having a nervous break down.
One of my favorite examples is of an anthropologist, who, in the 1940's and 50's, decided to go study amongst one of the many tribes in Africa. You see, at this point in time, people seriously believed that you could separate yourself from your work. That you could be objective. We know a heck of a lot better now but I'll get to that in a second.
Anyway, the anthropologist was sitting on the beach, watching the tribe fish in the river or what have you, when he saw a guy from a neighboring tribe get caught in the river and being swept down. Well, the anthropologist did what any Western European would have done, he went out as far as he could into the river to try and save this guy without getting taken in himself. What did the tribe he was studying do? Nothing.
Despite the anthropologists and the neighboring tribe guys calls for help, the tribe that the anthropologist was studying just looked at him like he was crazy and did nothing. When the anthropologist realized that his attempts were fruitless and watched as the man drowned, he went back to shore and asked "Why didn't you help him?" The answer, "He wasn't from our tribe."
It was the anthropologists worldview that caused him to try and help. In the European/American viewpoint, of course you would help someone from drowning! It doesn't matter if you hate their guts, its your duty to help them. To the african tribe, why help someone who doesn't "belong" to you in some fashion. That is their worldview. It's very hard for the European/American mind to comprehend.
No matter what, at all times, we are all looking at the world through our worldview. Because of this, objectivity does not exist. It simply doesn't. If you are having a bad day (and I know a couple of you are already!) you are going to look at everything negatively. The meter on the experiment didn't just go up .01, it only went up .01 which is in the margin of error and therefore, useless. If you are having a good day, you might think "Hey, it went up .01 which, although in the margin of error, is greater than yesterday, and I can work to improve on that number now!" This is a bit simplistic way of thinking about it, but you need to understand the simplistic before bothering with the more complex.
It boils down to the very fact that everyone has an opinion on everything. This opinion is shaped by the worldview. Because of the worldview, no one can truly call themselves objective.
I'd suggest reading "Return to Laughter" by Elenore Smith Bowen (Oh my! Yes, I read. Don't worry, I'll be back to being my idiotic self in a moment.) It's a very interesting book that I think most of you might like (it claims to be fiction and it written in that manner but it's not really fiction...umm...yeah, read the intro and you'll figure it out). I think it might help many to understand that, in many cases, there aren't absolute facts. And even if you believe the facts to be absolute, you will find otherwise intelligent people who do not believe those facts are absolute...based totally on their worldview.
...okay...I'm going back to pretty pretty dress mode and giggling at all the ugly ugly dresses...
attack_laurel's journal. Some people believe that class is indicated by money alone. Some people believe that class is indicated by multiple factors. Some people believe that the word class can have two different definitions; some people do not. So why this sudden "But that's not right!" convergence of opposing ideals? It's very simple: worldview.Worldview is the concept that dictates absolutely everything you see, hear, and feel. Your worldview will change slightly as it develops overtime but, within your worldview, there are certain fundamental "pillars" if you will that you simple cannot shake, cannot move, without having a nervous break down.
One of my favorite examples is of an anthropologist, who, in the 1940's and 50's, decided to go study amongst one of the many tribes in Africa. You see, at this point in time, people seriously believed that you could separate yourself from your work. That you could be objective. We know a heck of a lot better now but I'll get to that in a second.
Anyway, the anthropologist was sitting on the beach, watching the tribe fish in the river or what have you, when he saw a guy from a neighboring tribe get caught in the river and being swept down. Well, the anthropologist did what any Western European would have done, he went out as far as he could into the river to try and save this guy without getting taken in himself. What did the tribe he was studying do? Nothing.
Despite the anthropologists and the neighboring tribe guys calls for help, the tribe that the anthropologist was studying just looked at him like he was crazy and did nothing. When the anthropologist realized that his attempts were fruitless and watched as the man drowned, he went back to shore and asked "Why didn't you help him?" The answer, "He wasn't from our tribe."
It was the anthropologists worldview that caused him to try and help. In the European/American viewpoint, of course you would help someone from drowning! It doesn't matter if you hate their guts, its your duty to help them. To the african tribe, why help someone who doesn't "belong" to you in some fashion. That is their worldview. It's very hard for the European/American mind to comprehend.
No matter what, at all times, we are all looking at the world through our worldview. Because of this, objectivity does not exist. It simply doesn't. If you are having a bad day (and I know a couple of you are already!) you are going to look at everything negatively. The meter on the experiment didn't just go up .01, it only went up .01 which is in the margin of error and therefore, useless. If you are having a good day, you might think "Hey, it went up .01 which, although in the margin of error, is greater than yesterday, and I can work to improve on that number now!" This is a bit simplistic way of thinking about it, but you need to understand the simplistic before bothering with the more complex.
It boils down to the very fact that everyone has an opinion on everything. This opinion is shaped by the worldview. Because of the worldview, no one can truly call themselves objective.
I'd suggest reading "Return to Laughter" by Elenore Smith Bowen (Oh my! Yes, I read. Don't worry, I'll be back to being my idiotic self in a moment.) It's a very interesting book that I think most of you might like (it claims to be fiction and it written in that manner but it's not really fiction...umm...yeah, read the intro and you'll figure it out). I think it might help many to understand that, in many cases, there aren't absolute facts. And even if you believe the facts to be absolute, you will find otherwise intelligent people who do not believe those facts are absolute...based totally on their worldview.
...okay...I'm going back to pretty pretty dress mode and giggling at all the ugly ugly dresses...
