A Mere Writing Style - Essay Example

Philosophy: A Mere Writing Style Richard Rorty was a philosopher from the 20th century. His popular work included Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature, as well as Contingency, Irony and Solidarity. He also has to his credit various essays and other similar work. One of the most notable feature of his work included being able show a wide perspective on several matters. In this regard, one of his more famous beliefs included the fact that philosophy is a kind of writing. This paper will seek to deliver truth to that belief through the study of a philosophical text. This text is John Locke’s Essay Concerning Human Understanding. This text was chosen for a variety of reasons. To begin with, let us define human understanding. Human understanding is that part of a person’s imagination which is justified through the knowledge he or she garners via various life experiences like reading, interaction as well as seeing and hearing. This understanding is a part of one’s overall perspective and subsequent take on life. Therefore, this book is an important one as human understanding is deeply connected with the written word and the way it has been written. If those words, whether in a philosophical text or otherwise, manage to justify an individual’s personal truth, or appeal to his or her sense of balance in life, then it contributes to his or her understanding. In this way, the choice of Locke’s text is an important one for this paper. Locke’s text starts with a study of innate notions. This portion of the book is a study of the elements that lead to speculation and a subsequent formation of perspective. Throughout this part, Locke has managed to hook the reader on to the idea that speculation is an element that must be used in very discreet doses as more of it can damage the practical side of things in one’s mind. (Locke, 2007) As a philosophical notion, this is an ideal that is true to writing. In writing, it is imperative to stick to a certain balance between factual information and a small amount of speculation. This holds on to people’s imagination and memories. Therefore, in this part of the book, Locke has merely described a style of writing. Further into the book, one will find ideals that are connected with principles in the mind. The mind is an organ that churns out thoughts and expressions of the same. These expressions are a part of the basic mental setup of the person concerned. While every individual does not need to be a writer, it has been said often that there is a book in everybody. This is largely an overthrow of the fact that literary skills have been highly respected in many people. It is a desirable quality. This quality, in turn, springs from an ability to form a successful marriage between imagination and the overall truth surrounding a person. In describing the principles of the mind, Locke has managed to lay down the very foundation of crisp and coherent writing. Therefore, his principles work towards defining a certain kind of writing that can be applied by any person for means of appropriate self expression. (Locke, 2007) The second part of the book is about Ideas. Writing is a field where ideation is an important phase before one begins to actually put the ideas down on pen and paper. Where does this ideation happen? It happens during one’s life experiences. These life experiences revolve around the garnering of values and ideals in life. One’s writing often depicts the state of one’s belief system. Thus, in describing ideas, Locke has managed to show what a person’s preliminary research in writing is based on. This preliminary research comes from what is within oneself. (Locke, 2007) Take for example the chapter titled, ‘simple ideas of different senses.’ In this chapter, Locke has described various theories that form a common pattern of thinking that progress from family to society. These are levels at which exposure is accounted for. Further in the section, Locke has described the means of thinking in the similarly titled chapter. (Locke, 2007) This contributes to the notion that one’s sense of expression comes from one’s understanding of thinking patterns at various levels. The job of philosophy is to define these patterns so as to ensure that there is a certain replication of the ideals connected with these patterns at each level. Writing is a form of expressing the outcome of this process. Therefore, philosophy is like the theory which writing puts into practice. In effect, philosophy, in Locke’s text, merely becomes a manual for a certain style of reflective writing. Locke’s writing itself follows an advisory undertone. This helps the reader imagine how he or she would put down certain principles in his or her life – i.e., in his or her words. Further into the second section, Locke’s book speaks of the complexities of mind and the basic operations of the same. The mind is a tool with which whole new worlds are made and destroyed every single day. Let us take the example of a woman riding the subway to work everyday. What does she think on the hour long ride? How does this ride shape her mind day after day? In what way does this ride, five times a week; contribute to the overall functioning of her mind? The answers to these are very simple. The story of this woman could be fiction, contained in the mind of a writer. Or it could be a case study for a philosopher, eager to delve into the psyche of a woman who takes the subway from the same station everyday, only to arrive at the same office and to leave at a certain time to ride the subway back to the source station again. The physical pattern that has been set here can be described as a simple idea according to Locke’s principles. The mental pattern as the woman loses herself in a new world everyday, with sudden thoughts about the next bill or the next station, form the complex senses that govern her mind’s overall operations. (Locke, 2007) To begin with, according to Locke, there is a need to be able to think creatively if one is to discern what goes on in people’s minds. This will help develop a certain pattern among various categories of people. In breaking people down into categories, there is a certain consensus that Locke adheres to as he seeks to break down the complexities of the human mind. This is a pattern that is an inherent part of writing a synopsis or a summary before putting down the actual work as it should be. (Locke, 2007) The practice of writing a synopsis serves the purpose of breaking down the sheer volume and variety of thoughts that plague the writer’s mind, so as to come up with a coherent piece of work. It is like the author’s bible throughout the journey that he or she makes from research to conclusion. This brings us to Locke’s chapter titled, ‘identity and diversity’. This journey that a writer embarks upon – whether it involves writing a book or an article – is one that requires the writer to be in touch with his or her core. This core is a part of the writer’s identity. In the course of this chapter, Locke points out that identity and diversity comes from mixed modes of expression. This translates into the fact that throughout one’s life experiences, one is born and reborn time and again, depending on one’s human interactions. The quality of these interactions plays a large role on the diversity in one’s mind as well as the subsequent means in which one identifies with each of these diverse elements. (Locke, 2007) The fact that an individual has identified, at some level, with these elements, is crucial to his or her sense of identity. This is because; we are our experiences and nothing more or less. These diverse elements are a part of one’s integral value system. This integral value system is where writing springs from. The form of writing that an individual takes to, depends on the definition of these diverse elements and how and where they have fit in with one’s integral value system. In this regard, the different modes of thinking under different situations and for different people are formed. Therefore, this kind of philosophy adheres to the way one expresses opinions and asserts his or her identity. In effect, it adheres to a style of writing that will appeal to varied sense. An important part of this paper is Locke’s chapter in section two, titled ‘association of ideas.’ Ideas come from random thoughts and words in one’s everyday thing and speech. According to Locke, word association is an integral part of a person’s formative years. Certain words can trigger certain memories and reactions. This will have a bearing on a person’s sense of identity as well as the class and quality of human interactions that he or she affiliates his or her sense with. This is an important ingredient of reflective writing. Philosophy is a form reflective writing, as we have so far confirmed. (Locke, 2007) This form if writing needs the strong backing of a certain amount of affiliation with words in particular. The words that will describe the psyche of a laborer in a third world country will be very different from those describing the psyche of an executive in an MNC. Yet, the fact remains that they are both made of flesh and blood. The difference lies in the word associations. For example, a $10 sandwich for the executive will mean nothing while the same will mean a quarter of a day’s salary for the laborer in a third world country. Writers often play upon the variations in perceptions in these kinds of word associations. In fact, word associations are an integral part of describing people, societies as well as human understanding. Human understanding is largely dependant on creating relations between people and words. In philosophy, the study of such words revolves around a thorough analysis of how and when they are used for asserting a sense of identity and for defining a person for what he or she really is. In this regard, philosophy is a kind of reflective writing as it follows the events that occur after a person shows his or affiliation with certain words. (Locke, 2007) The association of ideas blends in naturally with the next section of Locke’s work which deals with words and language. Words are an integral part of any language. A language in turn depicts the cultural and social climate that an individual thrives in. An important fact that must be places in the midst of these sentences is that a person’s reality comes from this climate. This sense of reality is largely dependant on literature as any culture is incomplete without its writers. These are the people who depict the patterns that are followed within this cultural climate and the elements that define the same. In philosophy, the place of writers is high as they set the prototypes as well as the parameters against which cultures and word and language associations are measured so as to reach conclusions regarding one’s overall social functioning. (Locke, 2007) In this regard, the collective thinking is a powerful one as it shapes everything from the pronunciation of certain words to word associations. This shape is rendered, more often that not, by writers who breathe life and truth into such patterns for the world to see and know. It is important for any writer to be aware of the concoctions of the various words used on the cultural terrain on which he or she is basing his work. This is an integral part of philosophy where word association is synonymous with the creation of legitimate material that will help study individual behavior and shift gradual focus towards how the same affects mass behavior. In this regard, writing is a means of chronicling the journey. In this regard, mass behavior is an important aspect of study as it adheres to one’s sense of belonging. It is difficult to trace the exact nuances of this trend, according to Locke. But it has been hailed as an important ingredient that contributes to the study of philosophy and human understanding. (Locke, 2007) Mass behavior is often pitted against individual behavior when it comes to the creation of revolutionary ideas. These ideas are the basic ingredients of writing as writing is a field that is in constant search of something new and fresh to bring to the society so as to contribute to more enriching and meaningful life experiences. It is through writing that a person sees the world for what it really is. This kind of individual perspective then becomes mass perspective with the strong backing of the writer’s own take on several matters that are integral to the literary work that has been created. Philosophy, as a study of thinking, seeks to harness this and bring it to the fore. In this way, a writer’s perspective depicts mass perspective and brings out the missing ingredients. It helps an individual define the cultural climate he or she thrives in, besides helping him or her bond with the same. The third part of the work is known as knowledge and opinion. The role of knowledge is as important as opinion in philosophy. It is a known fact that one cannot thrive without the other. Knowledge is that part of a person’s sensibility that prompts him or her to form opinions. Too much of knowledge or too little of it is a problem. This leads to deceptions. The perceptions that are based on well defined factual knowledge are contained in writing. This is an important ingredient of writing that most authors make use of. (Locke, 2007) According to Locke, knowledge is that part of human understanding which prompts a person to form certain perceptions about people and situations. These situations and people form a part of the individual’s basic life experiences. (Locke, 2007) Knowledge is that means of thinking which gives rise to various feelings and sentiments. Philosophy as a field of study, seeks to understand the association between knowledge and sentiments and how the entire process has a bearing on the basic functioning of the human mind. On this basis, there is categorization of feelings, people as well as situations. As a form of artistic expression, writing is a form of brining forth this body of knowledge in order to define the climate in which people thrive. Through the use of knowledge based on factual information, writers seek to deploy means that will the readers react in a certain way. This is also a form of putting forth indirect perceptions. These perceptions are used by writers in forming a general consensus. Philosophy shows the ways and modes in which this knowledge can be categorized for further analysis and writing. Writing is the implementation of these laws. Further in this section, Locke has described ways that will help us improve our knowledge so as to garner a better sense of reasoning and a stronger faith. In this regard, it must be mentioned that writing is an act of faith. It takes immense faith on the part of the writer to put his or her personal beliefs on to pen and paper. This faith seeks to find a new kind of reasoning among the masses which will help reach better understanding of truth and finally, an improved knowledge base. (Locke, 2007) The choice of Locke’s work for this paper was an important one considering it was based on a subject like human understanding. Every literary work is an attempt at gaining new directions of human understanding. Therefore, philosophy is the juxtaposition of human understanding and the implementation of the same through writing. It is merely a form of reflective writing based on factual knowledge and the implementation of the same to garner a new lease of mass consensus. As a field, writing is the form of expression where philosophy is the form of researching the contents of that form of expression. Both are similar in the style that is used for studying the human mind and ways of thinking. Both adhere to diversity as a common law that needs to be studied and presented. References: 1. Locke, John. (Jan, 2007). Essay concerning human understanding. Pomona Press. Read More