Yesterday I awoke to a much simpler world. Safe in the knowledge that Columbus discovered America in 1492, I woke a man at peace. I remained in said state until ~4:10, when I was introduced to a line of thinking that, if pursued could potentially undo everything that I “know” about the world. Sure, Columbus could have discovered America, contingent on a) how you define “discover”, b) how you define “America”, and c) what your perspective is. The difference in cultural perspectives especially struck me. I have been told for years about the differing “perspectives” of people from different cultures, but it hadn’t really become real to me until our class discussion on Wednesday. For instance, I always think of July 4 as a joyous day to celebrate freedom, but if I lived in Britain, perhaps I would view it as the day everything began to crumble, or as just another day.
Such thinking led me to ponder the immense roadblocks to a unified, and ultimately peaceful global existence. Under such thought processes, it would seem impossible to argue with those from different cultures, because, as was also mentioned in our class discussion, argument over an issue assumes a great deal of commonalities in culture and beliefs. That line of thought is depressing, so I chose a different tack. In spite of our differences in culture and beliefs our subsequent inability to effectively argue, we, as humans, feel things. I strongly believe, and have yet to been proven otherwise, that we are all given, by whom or whatever you wish to believe, a moral compass that enables us to feel what is right and wrong. And if we focus on this commonality, we can achieve much more than attempting to argue despite our differences.
Matt,
ReplyDeleteI also felt the same way after class on Wednesday, and the discussion made me question if there is anything in life we can take for granted without questioning it. It can be difficult to mediate arguments between different cultures if that common foundation isn't established. Maybe if we all look within ourselves, despite ethnic and cultural differences, we will see that humans value many of the same things, and this can serve to initiate peace between various cultures. I enjoyed reading your extension of the class discussion and look forward to reading more of your blogs.
As do I. And I'm not sure I can add much here. I do wonder if we think of arguing as 'inquiry' if we can unearth more of those commonalities across and between cultures, if we can find more commonplaces. I wonder what rethinking the role of argument might do, given the framework you provide, Matt. I expect you have much to offer the world, and I look forward to seeing it change under your influence.
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