1)
Choose one moment in Pinker's "The Blank Slate" (as
short as a phrase, as long as a paragraph, or as dispersed as an idea or claim)
OR from Dutton's lecture that either CONFIRMS or CONTRADICTS one of your
deeply-held values about what's 'really' right, true, and/or just in the world.
One
moment that really stood out to me in Dutton’s TED talk lecture was at the end.
Where he claims that beauty is not in the eye of the beholder, it is deep in
our minds and has been passed down by our ancestors. And that the beauty we
find in art, each other, and nature will stay with us and be the beauties in
the generations to come for the rest of the species’ existence. I find this
statement in itself to be rather beautiful. The theory of natural selection and
evolution applies to all. I think it is quite easy for us as humans to read and
learn about biology and natural selection and take ourselves out of the
equation. While the way that birds find their mate by seeing how colorful their
wings are, humans are doing the same but in different ways. And this ability to
see and appreciate beauty are the things that have shaped us and progressed us
as a species for millions of years.
2)
Explain why this moment is so strong and charged for you — either in
affirmation or confrontation. What is
the source of these values for you, in your own life? What makes them so important? What is it about what Pinker or Dutton are
saying, and how they're saying it, that is speaking to those values so much?
This
moment in the TED talk speaks to me quite a bit. I feel as though people may
react to this and see this way of interpreting beauty as downgrading its
uniqueness and value, but I see it in the exact opposite light. The very fact
that we can trace this ability to see beauty to back to over 2 million years
ago has a strange way of making me feel connected to our ancient ancestors of
the homo erectus species. And the knowledge that our far distant offspring will
find the same things beautiful as I did makes me feel connected to them as
well.
3)
Finally, take a step back and theorize / reflect on the
feelings you've described in parts 1 and 2.
In what ways are you, and Pinker / Dutton, acting out the 'science
wars'? What are the stakes? Why do you care -- and why should we, who are
reading your words? Want to work across
both? Sure—but don't go nuts. Feel free to bring in Latour, Elliot and/or
Brang, and especially our 'Keyword' log if they'll help you do this
theorizing/reflecting. (But if they won't,
don't!)
Both of these (the TED talk and the article)
have the potential to invoke a lot of feelings in us as they take what we hold
so dear (our sense of identity) and rattle it a bit with some reasoning. I
think this definitely has the potential of creating a bit of a science war. The
stakes of it are changing the way in which people view themselves, and how they
see others. It has the potential of changing the way in which people view life
and the way in which they view death. And as Pinker put it, we have this fear
of nihilism within us. We desperately try and find ways to see purpose in life,
and when there is compelling arguments that counter some of the things that
give us that purpose it can certainly take the floor out from under you. If
this article and article ut this makes it no less important and crucial for
understanding ourselves as with it, we can find an even greater purpose which
can be unique in each and every one of us.
No comments:
Post a Comment