Nathan Ghion March 16, 2011 TOK homework Perception and Language essay “ We see and understand things not as they are but as we are. ” Discuss this claim in relation to these two ways of knowing: perception and language. Before analyzing why “ we see and understand things not as they are but as we are” in relation to perception and language, we need to know the definitions of perception and language. Perception can be defined as the ability to use the five senses of sight, smell, hearing, taste and touch to know something whereas language is a complex and dedicated form of intentional communication that is capable of infinite creativity which involves arbitrary signs and articulated sounds. Language is a way of knowing that would not exist if it wasn’t for perception because through language, we communicate our thoughts and these thoughts are based on our perception of the world. When we perceive something through one of our five senses, nerves relay a message to our brain and we then make sense of what we have just perceived. Therefore, language is merely a way of communicating our perceptions to others and through language; we gain knowledge by hearing or reading the perceptions of others. What we perceive is affected not only by what is there but also by who we are biologically, personally and culturally. Depending on our attitude toward something, we perceive it differently in that if we have a negative attitude towards something, we perceive it negatively. As an example, let’s examine how a deaf man, a blind man and a mute would perceive a dog. The blind man would be able to feel the dog with his hands and tell you the shape of the dog so he would know what the outline of the dog looked like but he wouldn’t be able to tell you details such as its color and its facial expression. The deaf man would be able to tell you everything there is to know about the dog except the sound it makes when barking and the mute guy would perceive everything about the dog but he would have to write it down for you because he can’t talk. To continue with this analysis of the dog, a person who comes from a culture where dogs are considered bad luck might only be able to perceive the negative qualities of the dog such us its sharp, brown teeth and the fact that it is dirty whereas someone who speaks a language that doesn’t have a word for dog might just call it a strange beast. The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis argues that language “ is not merely a reproducing instrument for voicing ideas, but is itself a shaper of ideas”. In short, language determines or shapes our perceptions and thinking, thus our ability to gather and understand knowledge. This idea is called linguistic determinism. The words that we possess in our vocabulary determine the things that we can know. Thus, if we have an experience, we are confined not only in our communication of it, but also in our knowledge of it, by the words that we possess. For example, speakers of different languages may see different numbers of stripes in a rainbow. Since rainbows are actually a continuum of color, there are no actual stripes. However, people still see as many stripes as their language possesses primary words for different types of color. Therefore, the fact that they speak a certain type of language is limiting their ability to know and understand. Another example of how language can limit thought and understanding is portrayed by George Orwell in his book 1984. In this book, Orwell creates a fictional language name Newspeak, to replace the original English Language known as Oldspeak. It was created by a totalitarian regime characterized in the book. The basic idea behind Newspeak was to remove all shades of meaning from Oldspeak by creating a greatly reduced and simplified vocabulary and grammar in order to make any alternative thinking impossible by removing any words or possible constructs which describe the ideas of freedom and rebellion and assert the total dominance of the state. The fact that the state changed the language meant that the climate of thought changed as well, to the point where there were no thought but the ones dictated by the state through Newspeak. In conclusion, both language and perception are connected in that we can only communicate what we perceive. The main point of this essay is that what we know about things are affected by the limits on our perceptions and language which are determined by the lack of words and structure in a language or by our attitudes towards what we are perceiving. This prevents us from seeing things as they are and causes us to see things only as we are in that it causes us to have a one-sided opinion and not see every aspect of a situation. Word count: 787
Related Essay Samples
Why teenager run away from home essay sample
That family member could be a parent, sibling, or a grandparent anyone that the teen had been close to for a portion of their life. In order to keep your teen at home and talking to you about their problems ...
Aid for drug addicts essay
Having " crossed the line of no return" for drug or substance abuse, the individual becomes a " drug addict" who needs all the strength and determination he could muster in order to fight the onslaught of addiction that ravage ...
Children and young people’s workforce
Working in partnership can also let professionals gain more experience about certain cases, it can also support effectivecommunication, and for example everyone would be informed about the child so the parent or carer does not have to repeat the situation ...
Example of article review on too close for comfort
The societal facet of existence encompassed matrimony, but as a fragment of a virtually functionalist kind of prearrangement though a slight variance was present amongst the fondness one would display to a partner and the fondness to a cherished pal, ...
The morality play everyman is an allegory religion essay
The play Everyman has a literal meaning of an individual named Everyman who goes on a journey to the end of his life and tries to get his friends to accompany him along the way. On Everyman's voyage, Good Deeds ...
Contemporary moral problems and issues philosophy essay
And the second argument for psychological egoism is the so-called unselfish actions always produce a sense of self-satisfaction in the agent, and since this sense of satisfaction is a pleasant state of consciousness, rather than to bring about any good ...
Role of youth in eradicating corruption
Lasers Heal and Reshape the Eyes Some of the most remarkable breakthroughs for medical lasers have been in the area of ophthalmology, the study of the structure and diseases of the eye. One reason that laser beams are so useful ...
Free adrian peterson’s corporal punishment survey report sample
5, which is between the Strongly Disagree and Disagree mark. As marked by the box, the majority's opinions range from Strongly Disagree to Neutral.
My mother is my idol
My mother is my idol because she inspires me to be a strong people. My mother's name is Yusdawati but usually she is called Nida.
Protecting children is everybody’s responsibility essay sample
One of the most important philosophical underpinnings in the area of child protection is the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Issues such as neglecting the child's daily needs; failure to care for the child; abandoning the ...
How does buying a cup of coffee from starbucks affect the environment – dissertation example
The first aim of per capita municipal solid waste generation in the south-eastern U.S.study was to explain waste generation in south-eastern America by identifying the significant determinants of waste production and their impact on the environment. The second aim of ...
Countryside attraction – new forest national park
The management of the countryside especially in national parks helps protect the environment for the benefit of wildlife, plants, farming animals, local communities, visiting tourists for now and the future. The seasonal popularity of countryside areas and the bad climate ...
Checkpoint: styles of love
Checkpoint: Styles of Love Psy/265 Scenario 1: George and Lisa have been married for five years and have no children. These two scenarios are different due to the fact that George and Lisa have been together longer and have more ...
Is the sanctity of life to be regarded as a moral absolute?
Therefore, to a Protestant moral thinker the rights of the mother and the exercise of agape and the rights of the foetus must all be considered. There are criticisms of the view that the foetus is fully human; if the ...
Argumentative essay on euthanasia essay sample
There is some opposition however, to voluntary euthanasia, for example the church who believes that euthanasia is " Playing God" and that lives can only be ended when God chooses to. Voluntary euthanasia should be made available to terminally ill ...
The book “other people’s children: cultural conflict in the classroom” report
Therefore, the central thesis of the book is that learning theory and learning process are profoundly rooted in the culture and, thus, they cannot be ignored when teaching diverse students. The title of the book is metaphoric as, in such ...
A happy home
A happy home is a home filled with happiness and joy. A happy home is a home which has no argument and fighting between the family members.
How drug addicts affects families essay
Because drug addiction is such a tough battle to overcome for some people, many family member often feel an obligation to go above and beyond on efforts to help the drug addict only to often times realize they are sometimes ...
Teenage eating disorders
Teens, friends and especially parents should be well aware of this problem at an early stage so that they can see the signs of an eating disorder and put a stop to it. The awareness of this issue needs to ...
Plan to increase hospital quality of care essay examples
The barriers can present themselves to the patients, the health care providers, and the organization of health services. On the patient level, barriers such as cultural barriers, social barriers, and illiteracy have been serving as a setback to the success ...
The cathedral by raymond carver
As the story opens the narrator gives a short background about his wife and the blind man's relationship. The climax is when Robert, the blind man, and the narrator begin to draw the Cathedral together, two hands moving together- one ...
Movie analysis of “life is beautiful” essay sample
It approaches the horrific ordeal in a way that involves viewers comedically and romantically in the beginning, but then utilizes these tools as a way to lure viewers to experience the Holocaust much like the Jews did. But the next ...
Reflection on aspergers college
Running head: Reflection A Personal Reflection on Aspergers College First and The purpose of this paper is to reflect on my personal experience with the project of implementing and designing a College for Aspergers students. By looking at how this ...
How important are volunteers to events
It is considered that volunteers are seen as an integral part of an event, this is not just whilst the event is taking place but also before the event has taken place as without the aid of volunteers it is ...
Feature article – disrespect for authority
Disrespect for Authority to Australians is renowned to someone who ' crosses the line' or ' bends the rules' for their benefits. This obliviousness to, and blind acceptance of, the existence of anti-authoritarianism is by far the most dominant perception ...