The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood - Book Report/Review Example

"Context is all" (Margaret Atwood). Does this mean there is no such thing as truth In her famous novel The Handmaid's Tale Margaret Atwood makes an interesting and essential pronouncement which has been debated and discussed in the field of knowledge for several decades and has vital application in the Theory of Knowledge - "Context is all." An important subsequent question of this important statement by Atwood which has great bearing in an understanding as well as analysis of the major knowledge issues is whether this declaration means that there is no such thing as truth. While attempting to answer the question, it is important to realize the terms context and truth. Whereas the term context may refer to something that encircles a particular incident or situation and that can change its meaning, truth is a difficult term to define. Truth may be comprehended as the reality behind the specific situation in question and it is commonly believed that there is no one truth, but only truths. In fact, the question under discussion is challenging and any inquiry into this essential pronouncement requires much thought and contemplation in relation to the concept of truth. In opposition to the common belief that truth is subjective and entirely associated with context, one cannot conclude too effortlessly that context is all. In reality, one can hardly determine things as truth or fallacy due to context and the various theories of truth seem to be conflicting on the issue of context. Thus, it is important to consider that mass acknowledgment or recognition of an idea determines if it is truth or falsity. According to N M F Smith, who made a reflective analysis of the question, it is vital to comprehend both these concepts exactly and he defined context as the set of realities or circumstances needed to comprehend different things. "To fully grasp any one thing or idea, its context must be understood in terms of the way any viewpoint is informed by the perceptual, language, reasoning and emotional milieu in which the knower operates. Truth may be defined as a simple accordance with reality. Like context, however, truth too is a function of the impact of the ways of knowing on the knower. However, in order for the idea of truth to integrate more seamlessly with that of context, one might make the claim that the more about a given thing or idea's context that is understood, the more inherently true that thing becomes." (Smith) Therefore, Atwood's argument that context is all may, principally, be comprehended as correct as the object of truth in any significant scope of knowledge or existence mostly on the context. In other words, the context of an idea or thing has the most important role in determining the truth of the same idea or thing and the knowledge issues can be understood only in the context of the truth. In the background of the 'Theory of Knowledge', one can assume that truth is contextual and the process of contextualization is the basic activity in the process of finding truths of ideas and things. Only human beings who are able to think and reflect on the reality of things can determine the truth and falsity of ideas and things. Truth, according to John Dewey, is also determined by the human interests, which means that context is important in understanding truth. "Nothing in the world, no object or event, would be true or false if there were not thinking creatures. John Dewey drew two conclusions: that access to truth could not be a special prerogative of philosophy, and that truth must have essential connections with human interests. He was contemptuous of the philosophical tradition that viewed truth as correspondence between thought and a reality inaccessible to experimental research and ordinary practice." (Davidson, 8) According to Dewey, such a view of the philosophers was designed to prove that the philosophers have superior way to comprehend truths which neglects scientific means. The theories of truth, including the correspondence theory, seem to substantiate the idea that context is vital in determining truth. The agreement and correspondence of idea and fact can be understood as truth and an idea becomes true when it leads one to what it claims. The problem that the pragmatists have been addressing - the problem of how to connect truth to human desires, beliefs, intentions, and the use of language - can help one in determining what truth is in relation to context. "To see this as a main problem about truth, or indeed as a problem at all, is to assume that the concept of truth is related in important ways to human attitudes - something it is not uncommon to doubt." (Davidson, 9) The concept of truth is determined by several different factors in one's life and there is fundamental connection between truth and context. On the basis of the definitions of both the concepts, the degree of clarity of an idea's context is closely linked to the ways in which the reality of the idea is comprehended. Thus, the connection between truth and context is primary in the 'Theory of Knowledge'. It is indubitable that, in the framework of the given definitions of context and truth, there is essential connection between the ways in which the reality of a particular object is understood and the degree of clarity of its context. Smith gives an important example to argue that there is essential relationship between context and truth and he mentions the example in art, "where the context of a work's creation has enormous effect on the meaning of the piece to its recipient. George Orwell's Animal Farm is ostensibly a simplistic narrative about animals and their life on a farm. Only with some knowledge of the writer and the book's background and historical setting can we appreciate that it is in fact a satirical allegory of soviet totalitarianism and a critique of Stalinist rule. The more that is seen then of an object's surroundings and situation, the truer and more real that object becomes." (Smith) However, the context of an object has basic connection to its setting. Therefore, in the perspective of an individual, the supposed reality of any idea or thing is intensely interconnected with his background. In other words, the personal truth, rather than universal truth, has a major role in this context as it changes the role of context as well as truth. To illustrate this idea, N M F Smith provides an illumining example of the reality concerning the keyboard of a computer. One can see the keyboard with one's eyes, while sensing the keys with the fingertips and hearing the sound of each key with the ears. As he is able to perceive that the keyboard is in existence, it becomes a reality to him. "Furthermore, if I only knew there was a computer in front of me, and I could not perceive it, I could still deduce the presence of the keyboard simply because of my previous knowledge that keyboards accompany computers. My perception of the existence of the keyboard as a finite, inanimate object then can be attributed to my personal knowledge of computers as well as to my ability to recognize the keyboard in a variety of ways So then context is largely determined by socio-historic background and location." (Smith) In the general framework of the ways of knowing, which include language, reason, emotion and perception, context is interrelated with truth and the various areas of knowledge, such as science, history, etc, depend on context to determine the truths of things and ideas. However, the idea of context brings about several issues connected with the ways of knowing and context has been comprehended as a limited kind of relativism. When the truth lies in the middle of swamp uncertainty, the validity of the truth is questioned. In other words, the ways of knowing depend on context, but there is uncertainty about the context itself. According to Ben-Ami Scharfstein, there is no real relevance to the truth that knowing depends on context when we try to ascertain a context that we sink into doubts. He purports that we normally accept the idea of context without any question. However, we do so only because we do not follow it very extreme. "We do not see that dependence on context is a limited kind of relativism and that relativism, looked at philosophically, is hard to limit. We seem to feel that the idea of context is clear, stable, and sufficient and does not need qualifications or a context of its own. Because context is most often used in literary study, history, and social science, it is not analyzed as closely as the standard philosophical questions, such as that of relativism itself. The price paid is intellectual slackness because to neglect to see where the idea leads is as intellectually unjustified as to neglect to use it." (Scharfstein, 59) In other words, if the truth of an idea of knowledge is comprehended in the context of the idea, there is a possibility that the idea is not consistent and the truth about this idea is not reliable. Language, reason, emotion and perception are the major ways of knowing the various ideas and concepts, four areas entwine with the 'areas of knowledge' such as science, history, etc. A profound understanding of the major ways of knowing can be useful in comprehending the connection between truth and context. Thus, linguistics or the language element makes the understating of an idea greatly complicated. That is to say, an object or an idea is understood by an individual in the context of a particular language. For example, my understanding of the term 'pen' is limited by my understanding of English and this particular term is meaningful to me merely for the reason that it has a reference in English which is the language I am acculturated to understand. The truth concerning the object 'pen' is meaningful to me in the context of the language I use. Similarly, reason, emotion and perception also determine my knowledge about realities. Smith points out, "I have very little emotional connection to my keyboard. I know nothing about it through how I feel towards it on a sentimental level. So then, the keyboard - whose reality I can clearly perceive and reason - is still limited by emotion and language, both ways of knowing context. One example of this contextually born limitation is detachment or disassembly." (Smith) Therefore, the truth behind an object or idea can only be understood in the context of one's language, reason, emotion and perception. Here, it is important to consider the meaning of truth and there is deep-seated connection between absolute truth and the context. Absolute truth about a thing, situation, or event occurs only when a specific context corresponds with the reality. In fact, context is everything and it has an important relevance on truth. Therefore, truth is undividable from context. "This has two larger implications. First, that there are no independently true truths; and second, that if there are absolute truths, they depend on a context that is equally absolute The ideas of truth, context and their complex intermingling forge a dynamic relationship in which neither entity could exist without the other. The more contexts are known about a given truth, the truer it ultimately becomes." (Smith) In conclusion, Margaret Atwood's pronouncement that "Context is all" has an important bearing in the theory of knowledge and it is indubitable that there is essential connection between truth and context. A reflective analysis of the ways of knowing, which include language, reason, emotion and perception, illustrates the vital connection between truth and context. Every idea or object is understood as truth in the context it is presented and a truth is understood more exactly as the context becomes more known. One's context with regard to language, reason, emotion and perception determines the truth presented in these means. Therefore, Atwood's declaration about the importance of context in realizing the truth of ideas and objects has a serious bearing in various areas of knowledge such as science, history etc. Works Cited Davidson, Donald. Truth and Predication. Harvard University Press. 2005. P 8. Scharfstein, Ben-Ami. The Dilemma of Context. New York: New York University Press. 1991. P 59. Smith, N M F. "Context is All." Socyberty. Stanza Ltd. 2008. 10 May, 2009. . Read More