Linking+Questions

These questions will form the basis for journal entries, one due each parcial.

Perception
 * Linking questions**

•To what extent is visual perception in particular a justifiable model not only of all sensory perception but of human understanding as well (in English, “I see” often means “I understand”)?

•What is the role of sense perception in the various areas of knowledge, for example, history or ethics? How does it differ across the disciplines? Is it more important in relation to some disciplines than others? Is there any knowledge that is completely independent of sense perception?

•Does sense perception perform fundamentally distinct functions in the arts and the sciences? To what extent does the artist make an advantage out of the subjective nature of sense perception, while the scientist regards it as an obstacle to be overcome?

•What can be meant by the Panchatantra saying, “Knowledge is the true organ of sight, not the eyes”? Is it necessary to have clear ideas to see?


 * Sense perception and areas of knowledge**

•What role does observation play in the methods used to pursue knowledge in different disciplines? For example, are the conditions, function and results of observation the same for biology and human science? If not, what accounts for the differences?

•What role does what we expect to see, or are used to seeing, play in what we observe? For example, after learning about the structure of cells from a textbook, how “neutral” might the observation of a slide under the microscope be? Can we learn how to see things properly?

Language

Linking questions •To what extent is it possible to overcome ambiguity and vagueness in language? In what contexts might ambiguity either impede knowledge or contribute to its acquisition? Does the balance between precision and ambiguity alter from one area of knowledge to another?

•What do we gain, and what do we lose, when we name something? Do different areas of knowledge manage differently the balance between particularity and generality?


 * Language and areas of knowledge**

•How do the words we use to describe an idea affect our understanding of the world? For example, is “globalization” a synonym for “westernization”? What is the meaning of the term “anti-globalization”? Does it matter which words we use?

•How does the language used to describe the past (for example, a massacre, an incident, a revolt) change history? Does something similar occur when different terms are used to describe natural phenomena (greenhouse effect, global warming, sustainable development) or human behaviour (refugee, asylum seeker)?

•How important are technical terms in different areas of knowledge? Is their correct use a necessary or sufficient indicator of understanding? The following illustrative examples relate to the following subject groups. -Group 1: metaphor, alliteration, onomatopoeia, synecdoche, genre, sonnet, haiku -Group 2: preposition, active/passive, pluperfect, genitive, creole, dialect -Group 3: cost–benefit analysis, price elasticity, evapotranspiration, neo-fascism, push–pull technology, ontology, cognitive dissonance, enculturation -Group 4: symbiosis, allotrope, ergonomics, trophic level, entropy -Group 5: irrational number, asymptote, dot product, isomorphism, minimum spanning tree -Group 6: dynamic content, L cut, sonata, dramaturgy, trompe l’œil

•To what degree might each area of knowledge be seen as having its own language? Its own culture?

Reason • One of the roles traditionally attributed to reason is to find balance or equilibrium between two extremes. Is this idea still relevant as a description of the role that reason plays in the search for self-knowledge? What does it mean for someone to be reasonable?
 * Nature of reason**

• What is the role of reason in the creation and recognition of patterns in nature and in social life?

• Is reason purely objective and universal, or does it vary across cultures? Is logic purely objective and universal?

• Formal logic is the study of form in argument, irrespective of the subject matter. Is it really possible to study the logic of an issue independent of its content, and how beneficial is it to do so? Does the answer to this question depend upon the subject matter under consideration? Does it depend on the area of knowledge to which the subject matter belongs?

• What is the relationship between reason as a way of knowing and logic in its different forms (inductive, deductive, intuitive, natural)? Is it possible and worthwhile to “translate” everyday arguments into formal logical structure, and what might be lost in the translation? How does the commonsense use of “it’s logical”, meaning “it makes sense to me”, differ from its technical meaning of “it has a valid argument form”?

• To what extent do you agree with André Gide’s view that, “L'illogisme irrite. Trop de logique ennuie. La vie échappe à la logique, et tout ce que la seule logique construit reste artificiel et contraint. Donc est un mot que doit ignorer le poète, et qui n'existe que dans l'esprit.” [Lack of logic annoys. Too much logic is boring. Life escapes logic, and everything built on logic alone is artificial and limited. Therefore is a word that the poet must ignore, that exists only in the mind.]?
 * Linking Questions**

• Susan Sontag said that, “Thinking is a form of feeling…feeling is a form of thinking.” Are they related in this way?

• How does the role of reason compare with the roles of the other ways of knowing? Why might some people think that reason is superior, and what consequences does holding this position have for the knowledge pursued and the methods considered appropriate in the pursuit?

• Does the role of reason affect the degree of certainty in, or the social status of, the various areas of knowledge? What are the implications of the answer to this question when disputes arise among practitioners and between cultures?

Emotion • Can we ever know anything purely through emotions? How do emotions interact with reason, sense perception and language?
 * Nature of emotion**

• To what degree is emotion biological or “hard-wired”, and hence universal to all human beings? To what extent is it shaped by culture and hence displayed differently in different societies?

• Is emotion an essential ingredient of the pursuit or validation of scientific or artistic knowledge? Can there be creativity without emotion?
 * Emotion and knowledge**

• What part does emotion play in the acquisition of knowledge? Does the role of emotion vary across the different areas of knowledge?
 * Linking questions**

• Should emotion play a role in the evaluation of knowledge claims? Are there circumstances under which, in order to evaluate a knowledge claim, one should ignore or, alternatively, pay special attention to one’s emotions?

• Is an action morally justifiable if it feels right? What part do, or should, emotions play in the formation of moral judgments or political judgments?

• Can emotions be classified as good or bad? Can there be correct, or appropriate, emotional responses? Is it correct to be horrified by accounts of torture?

• Is faith purely emotional or is it possible to provide a rational justification for religious belief? Is emotion a source of spiritual knowledge?

• Do people act their way into feeling or feel their way into action? What is the relationship between emotion and experience (for example, in playing sports, or creative work, or community service)?