Perpetual Anti-Individualism - Essay Example

Perpetual Anti-Individualism Introduction Occurrences which are content-bound are said to characterize individuated elements (Smith 84). Elements which occur in our memory are products of the perceptions we have. These elements are said to hold divergent states of our psychology. This is due to various reasons that include; our perceptions are in terms of single tokens. Secondly, these tokens separate one state of our psychology from another. For these two reasons, individuation is used to explain and justify on the aspects of attribution. These aspects are perpetual states and veridicality. Perpetual anti-individualism is defined in terms of the forces which illustrate inaccuracy in defining people. These include perceptions which are bound to external influence. Secondly are relations of the individual. Relations are external forces. Relations are more convincing. This is exemplified by the fact that relations causes misjudgment of who actually an individual is. Perpetual Anti-Individualism The perpetual states determine our individuality. On the other hand veridicality conditions are explained in three convincing ways. Firstly, these conditions are veridical. This means that the conditions can be explained in terms of individualism. Additionally, veridicality is accurate. This is true for two reasons. Firstly, even though the conditions are accurate, they are perpetual. Secondly, the accurate conditions are directly linked to individualism. The veridicality conditions are also a form of perception (Smith 83). This assertion makes everything to be clear. Individualism is perpetual and but there is a lot of anti-individualism in the veridicality conditions. The most important step in understanding perceptual anti-individualism can be explained. This is through determining what the veridicality conditions are. To begin, perception is not only an issue of particulars. This is because it can be grouped into various types, which can be attributed to properties. This means that the perceptual individualism of a person can be explained as properties. Properties are things an individual owns. Property can also be what an individual considers his or hers (Smith 97). This is regardless of whether it is true in the actual sense or not. Another group of the particulars are relations. These come into play because individuals relate with the environment such as other people, physical things which surround the individual or the natural happenings of the world. The environment is important because it determines an individual’s perceptual individualism. The environment shapes individual character and influences the perceptions of people. Kinds are also one of the conditions of veridicality which determines who an individual becomes. In this sense, there are many kinds around an individual (Smith 85). These are types of things which an individual considers true to oneself. For example there are kinds of things which an individual values. These things vary depending on the individual. They would be within that person such as feelings. These things would also be external to the individual such as socialization process. In a nutshell, the particulars are events, instances or individuals. The instances are those of properties or what can be considered as relations. It is argued that a perpetual state is considered to be accurate. This state or accuracy remains as long as the reference point is that of the attributes and particulars of the individual. The particular of an individual and his or her attributes vary in many ways. Firstly, particulars are more physical while attributes are more emotional. This means that particulars are physical characteristics. On the other hand attributes are innate characteristics. The second difference of attributes and particular is more convincing. Particulars are the things which illustrate who a person is in the external environment. On the other hand, attributes describe an individual in relation to who his or her inner self portrays. Particulars are external expressions while attributes are internal expressions of a person. In the veridicality of anti-individualism two states are significant. The first state is the visual state. The second one is the auditory state (Smith 84). These states are important in defining an individual. The auditory state describes sound. The sound is measured as a pitch. The auditory response to sound therefore defines who an individual is. The perception of various sounds also varies. These are determined by the direction and the source of the sound. The visual state on the other hand is the perception of the eye. The significance of these two states is explained in two ways. Number one, they define relations. Number two, they define properties (Smith 84). It is also true to say that the visual and auditory state define kinds. These are perpetual states which are described in the next paragraph. Perpetual states are individuated. They have physical characteristics, relations and kinds. In this aspect, they are described as accuracy conditions. It is however not enough to describe what these states are. It is of importance that their significance in determining how an individual can be defined. Anti-individualism therefore takes two stands. These are: a state alone does not define an individual. Secondly, it is the relations of the individual which differentiates these states. The formation of perpetual states is sometimes referred as an illusion. This is demonstrated by the fact that individual states are described in form of cartoons (Smith 98). However the goals of science are not designed to describe a failed state of an individual. The scientific framework which describes perceptual anti-individualism is embedded. This is because the motivation of scientists is two dimensions. Firstly, is to explain veridical perceptions. Secondly is to explain non veridical; perceptions. This is true because of the view that perceptions can be considered to be accurate. However, it is important to note one thing. This is: what is said to be accurate may not be accurate. These explanations bring us to one conclusion. Anti-individualism and science have a common assumption. This assumption is that the perception of an individual is affected by the environment. Arguments on perceptual anti-individualism and the related scientific explanations are interesting. This is because of the following two major reasons. Firstly, during the formation of perceptions, illusions can occur. This means that perceptions may be misleading. As a result an individual may be viewed in the wrong dimension. Secondly, the perceptions of an individual are not independent. This is because they are largely affected by the relations of the individual (Smith 84). This can be exemplified by the fact that relations can change perceptions. Therefore, judging an individual must consider his or her relations. This argument illustrates one major issue. An individual cannot be described as an independent entity. This is because external forces also play a role of defining people. Conclusion It can be said that anti-individualism is a concept that can be defined by the veridicality conditions. The perception of an individual is also crucial in defining an individual. However these perceptions are determined by both internal and external forces. Relations seem to play a central role in the explanation of anti-individuality. This is the case because the surrounding of an individual is central to these perceptions. Auditory and visual states are significant examples of individual perceptions. These states illustrate that individuals perceive them in relation to two factors. First, their source and second their direction. Science and anti-individualism also show some congruence. Both of their explanations show that perceptions and states are bound to external influence. As a result of the above discussion, anti-individualism sees an individual as a product of influences. These are external forces, relation and perceptions. Work Cited Smith, Brian, Cantwell. On the Origin of Objects. MIT Press. 1998. Read More