TOK ESSAY

Tasnim Rahman 002163-015 May 2010

TOK ESSAY  “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. Each and every one of us are different from each other. We have our own way of  thinking, own perception and our very own way of explaining and understanding things, to ourselves and the people around us. At the same time, there is the nature, and everything around us that has its own way of being around us. We sustain by interacting with our surroundings and over thousands of years of human evolution, the way we inte intera ract ct with with the the natu nature re or our our surr surrou ound ndin ings gs has evol evolve ved d too too whic which h is term termed ed as ‘civ ‘civil iliz izat atio ion’ n’ of human human natu nature re.. Indi Indivi vidu dual alss inte intera ract ct with with thei theirr surr surroun oundi dings ngs or  environment individually, that means the way I would perceive, observe and experience everything around me would not be same, but likely to be similar when it comes to, for  example, understanding the exponential functions in Math or the reason why H2SO4 is such a volatile and highly reactive chemical with reasoning. Because the reasoning of  such issues are proven and universally true, although the way we understand it will be different from one another, but we will all end up understanding and obtaining the same knowledge. Rudolf Arnheim said “All perceiving is also thinking, all reason is also intuition, and all observation is also invention.” The reason why we would consider what Arnheim said to be true and relate it to ourselves would be because when we experience and undergo the acts of perceiving, reasoning and observing, the way we do it is personal to us and therefore is different. The fact that we carry out these acts differently is because we are individuals. Relating this individuality in ways of gaining knowledge or knowing in human beings to nature of nature itself, the issue that rises is that we are unable to gain equal knowledge because of the way we interact with our surroundings and in terms of  that “some are more equal that others” [Animal Farm, George Orwell]. Just imagine how different things would be if the entire human race lived the same lifestyle as the very first

Tasnim Rahman 002163-015 May 2010 Homo Sapiens on the surface of the earth did and no body had the capability to interpret, explore, question themselves, be creative and be able to gain no knowledge at all.

The fact that we are different from each other makes us individuals. We are categorized according to our ou r nationality, culture; traditions, beliefs, gender and education, and these are the aspects that revolve around us in the many forms it is available in. What we see around us, our senses, interaction, emotions and interpretations are enriched by the stated aspects as we grow up and mature. Upbringing always plays a key role in the development in us as knowledge-seekers who are initially dependant on their family, then the society for their identity. As we mature, we learn to interact with our surroundings through our senses, interpret and understand what we do or why something happens as we observe and try to justify an observation with a previously gained knowledge. These  processes are different in every one, which is why while some rely more on emotions as a way of knowing and others on reasoning. A simple example of it could be of birthdays. As living organisms, our existence on the surface of the earth is marked by our birthday, or at least that is how I think of it. Birthdays come and go every years, but it still makes my ‘best days of the year’ list, even after I have had 17 birthdays [the point I wish to make is about having a birth-day, not a birthday party] and whether or not it makes a difference to anybody else. I do not mean to say that my birthday is ‘MY DAY’ and nobody else can be born on that day, which would be impossible, impossible, but anybody can have the same birthday as me and even the same birth year, but our feelings towards our   birthdays can be extremely varied. As said before, I celebrate my birthday having the understanding that I am celebrating my existence whereas the other person sharing the same birthday birthday could take his/her birthday birthday as another day that marks the existence existence of his miserable life. One of the most basic reasons behind this is our upbringing and the norms of the society we grow up in and because of this we do not see ourselves as one of the thousands of communities with specifications in physical and social characteristics all over the world but as the only group of people who are living what is called a ‘life’ and any one out of the ‘ordinary’ [for them] is considered stranger than an alien. As a Bangladeshi studying in an international school being taught by expatriate teachers is a

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Tasnim Rahman 002163-015 May 2010  part of being a student and I am definitely used to the idea that humans exists is all colours, shapes and sizes [not literally]; but on my way home when I sometimes see my teachers being stared at and ripped off for money by fellow Bangladeshis, more than  being ashamed of myself as a Bangladesh I now understand that they are not used to the idea of variability because of the lack of education and poverty.

For having the ability to observe, question, find the answer and justify oneself, we are able to have an idea of other’s perspectives. According to Islam, women are supposed to cover themselves decently and the traditional clothing for Bengali women are saris which shows off somewhat a large area of their back. Expatriates in my country are hugely criticised for being ‘uncivilized’ and wearing revealing clothes. When my Korean friend SJ asked me ‘why do people here comment if you are a foreigner and wear short shirt shirtss when they were were saris saris that that show show off their tummies, tummies,’’ I was left dumbfo dumbfounde unded. d. Because I did not experience experience living here like an expatriate, expatriate, it could have never occurred to me if it wasn’t pointed out. Like Arnheim said, ‘every observation is an invention’, although the observation was made by my friend and it was an entirely an invention for  me and from then on I came to the realization that there is nothing wrong or right about a culture, we come up with our opinions and they are biased towards they way I think  which itself if biased towards the way I was brought up.

However, when dealing with subjects and objects within the bounds or the territory of the society, it has always been important to accept and follow the norms of  the society because whether you are appreciated or discriminated by the society in entirely based on the ‘loyalty’ towards the norms of the society that you live in. For  example, Mersault, the central character of Albert Camus’ ‘The Outsider’, , has been discriminated against and considered an outcast by his society because he didn’t cry at his mother’s death and lived a very catatonic life- neither did he communicate w ell with others nor did he want to be accepted by the society. The concept of life did not hold any meaning for him, he didn’t have an aim in life, and that is not considered acceptable by the society. The society requires people to have aims, keep trying for something he/she

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Tasnim Rahman 002163-015 May 2010 wants and interact with others and express e xpress themselves with words, postures, facial expression and react to everything, either optimistically op timistically or pessimistically. pessimistically. They have to react. And this is what Mersault didn’t and couldn’t do; he was unable to relate himself to expressing of feelings. He was numb, he didn’t react and that was how he expressed his feelings and that is how he was. Although it is considered wrong in the society, but it is not, because we are how we are, and although we have to follow the norms of the society  because we live in it, it is not easy and possible to stop being how we are. The idea of  society has evolved since human beings began to live in groups, norms were established in the society to ensure that everyone in the society could actually be treated equally and  be respected. As far as I can ca n hypothesize, certain gestures and initiatives eventually with time became a must do in the society. You are not considered a good person once you step out of the boundary. As we grow up in the society we adapt to it just how water takes shape in a solid container. These solid boundaries are likely to prevent us from seeing things not the way we see or prefer to see and understand but the way we should or we are supposed to.

In conclusion, as individuals we have the freedom to perceive, observe and reason with the help of your senses to interact or communicate with our surroundings. But the  barriers caused by norms of the society and the difference empirical knowledge that we gain under certain circumstances lead us to enclose ourselves and feel more included somewhere and this is a great obstacle ob stacle from gaining knowledge. The fact that we are  bound to or we preferably restrict ourselves, in regard to certain aspects of our everyday life, from is the ultimate reason why although we do see and understand things not as they are but as we are, we are limited to do the initiatives we takes because of where we  belong.

Word Count: 1559 words

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