Sunday, February 5, 2012

Subjectivity to Culture Gives Importance to a Liberal Education

It is the opinion of Stanley Fish (shown to the right) that "all objects are made and not found, and that they are made by the interpretive strategies we set in motion" (331). To the right, Fish is giving a speech about the importance of a liberal arts education. In this video he emphasizes many points that he makes in his How To Recognize a Poem When You See One. Readers, and authors, are created from their cultural situations and this will always influence interpretive communities. Some think that readers make meanings, but it is also true that meanings make readers first. And since cultural meanings change over time, so do readers and the meanings of literature.

This is exactly why the liberal arts are critical in education. It not only teaches the history of meaning, but the way it transforms and holds importance now (Fish uses the example of Hamlet in the video) . Without this type of education, we lose out on that fantastic phenomenon and become prey to cultural influences. This may be consequential. For example, we wouldn't know when we were being manipulated by marketing or what that manipulation says about ourselves and our culture. If we can't analyze our past and present, how can we make anything productive of our future? In addition, if we don't know how to acknowledge the different opinions that diverse interpretive communities hold, how will we know opinion vs. fact if an authority figure only gives one cultural community's point of view?

I think that this is a major reason for continuing ignorance about racial, gender, social, sexual, etc... issues that people are faced with everyday. A lot of hatred in this world is a result of misunderstandings and miscommunications between different interpretative bodies (whether political or social) that have not been educated about where meaning and subjectivity comes from and why people hold different views about the same issues. The focus is aimed too much on the fact that they do think differently, not why or how an understanding could be obtained.

This is such an important topic, because even when one learns about the roles of the author, the reader, and culture it is still impossible to look at a work with complete objectivity because we are made subjects before we ever begin to interpret other subjects. Therefore, we will always still be influenced by culture in some way. For example: wearing one brand of clothing vs. another. We will choose this based on our opinion of ourselves and our opinion of others who wear the same brand and what that brand represents culturally. And even though we remain subject, at least we can be aware of it, and therefore aware of its meaning and what that says about us as selves. When we have the ability to analyze ourselves this way, we can change for the better!

5 comments:

  1. I completely agree with your point about it being a major reason for continuing ignorance about racial, gender, social, sexual, etc. issues. I especially agre with your point about how the focus is all too often placed upon the fact that they do think differently, and not upon how or why an understanding can be reached. A prime example of this is the lack of cooperation between Democrats and Republicans in Congress, which often occurs merely because they focus too much on, as well as squabble about, differing opinions and party differences.

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  2. I also agree with the points that you made. If society had a broader education/was open to learning about a diverse range of topics, people would be more likely to be tolerant and to make informed decisions. Making a decision or opinion about something without being first educated on the subject one is judging, is similar to trying to interpret the meaning of a text without having a background knowledge of the time period in which it was written and the subject written about. Readers, like voters, should develop informed opinions; readers should not guess the right meaning similar to how voters should not randomly pick someone to vote for. Great Blog!

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  3. Like the comments above me, I agree with the points you make in this blog post. Being "objective" is a very interesting idea, and something that many people claim without realizing that it is simply impossible for someone to view something objectively. I completely agree that although we cannot necessarily change our viewpoints, we can better educate ourselves on why others have the viewpoints they do. This could lead to a much more cooperative or unified community.

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  4. What is your take on the idea that belonging to different interpretative communities can cause conflict on the subject? For example, if i belonged to one community that despised gay marriage and I belonged to another that supported it, what would you say to that? I do believe that you make strong arguments in your blog and I do like your ideas about how communication is a key point in making peace.

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    1. If you belonged to both of those communities? Well it really depends on what you are arguing about then. If it is an argument independent of gay marriage you could be a part of both. But if you belonged to both and were arguing about the subject of gay marriage you would obviously, in forming any kind of opinion, be interpreting from only one of the interpretive communities. Or you could be more middle-ground and decide that since you are educated in both communities you can make your opinion based on one, but not force your opinion on others because you understand both sides.

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