ANYWAY, to get onto the actual reason I am here today, I'm taking a course at school at them moment, called introduction to philosophy or something similar. I'm finding it kind of hard because it is asking, unlike most of my other subjects, for what you think. And just what you think, not what you think because of what someone else thought!
Does anyone else think that it is slightly alarming that we aren't being taught how to think for ourselves, but are just being taught to draw conclusions from what other people have said? Because I think this is a serious problem. If we are only being taught to make our 'thoughts' from what other people have said how will we deal with problems in the future, that haven't been faced before?
If we are only being taught,
or even told that we have to, model our ideas off others and any idea we have has to backed up with evidence FROM SOMEONE ELSE, we are never going to have original ideas. Yeah, it may not be a requirement in the workforce, but it that is how you have been told to do it at school for years, that is how you are going to do it. Original ideas are become rarer and rarer, because we are not 'allowed' to have them at school.
Having an original idea is becoming harder, because so many people have lived before,but it is not impossible. Original, by definition, means not dependant on other people's ideas. So even if your 'original' idea is similar to someone else's it is still original, provided that it hasn't been influenced by someone else.
But isn't everything influenced by something? Me, sitting here, writing this blog post, isn't because I suddenly had the idea that there was this issue. It was because of the conversations I've had, the things I think, and the people around me. Does this mean my writing isn't my 'original idea'? Or is the difference if you seek out the influence, if you are looking for something to tell you how to think and then have an idea because of that, it is not an 'original idea'? If we are constantly surrounded by other peoples ideas and thoughts, how will we ever have an original idea, something that is purely our own.
But then again, if you have a thought, and it isn't because of something you just read because you wanted to have that thought, is it an original idea? Yes it has been influenced by people, and the things you have experienced, but that is all part of who you are. Writing this now, I think it is what I believe.
Does anyone else think that it is slightly alarming that we aren't being taught how to think for ourselves, but are just being taught to draw conclusions from what other people have said? Because I think this is a serious problem. If we are only being taught to make our 'thoughts' from what other people have said how will we deal with problems in the future, that haven't been faced before?
If we are only being taught,
or even told that we have to, model our ideas off others and any idea we have has to backed up with evidence FROM SOMEONE ELSE, we are never going to have original ideas. Yeah, it may not be a requirement in the workforce, but it that is how you have been told to do it at school for years, that is how you are going to do it. Original ideas are become rarer and rarer, because we are not 'allowed' to have them at school.
Having an original idea is becoming harder, because so many people have lived before,but it is not impossible. Original, by definition, means not dependant on other people's ideas. So even if your 'original' idea is similar to someone else's it is still original, provided that it hasn't been influenced by someone else.
But isn't everything influenced by something? Me, sitting here, writing this blog post, isn't because I suddenly had the idea that there was this issue. It was because of the conversations I've had, the things I think, and the people around me. Does this mean my writing isn't my 'original idea'? Or is the difference if you seek out the influence, if you are looking for something to tell you how to think and then have an idea because of that, it is not an 'original idea'? If we are constantly surrounded by other peoples ideas and thoughts, how will we ever have an original idea, something that is purely our own. So, I think we have established that you can have an original idea. Let's go with, if it's an idea you've had and weren't looking for, or reading something that told you what to think (cause hey, that would give everyone who worked for media a whole lot of power), it's an original idea! But are we ever going to use our ability to have an original idea if we aren't taught how? I don't think so.
If we are being told that we have to get the right answer, and that we have to base our work off what other people have said, we are just copying them, in a way. In a subtle way we are being taught that originality is bad (hey, let's save more on that for another post), and that we need to have evidence from someone else or what we are saying is useless.
I'm not saying we shouldn't listen to anything other people have said, but I am saying that I think it is important to have an equalish balance between 'original ideas' and researching what other people think.
I'd really like to hear what you think about this post, and what it's talking about? Do you think having original ideas is no longer important? Or do you think that we need to learn to think for ourselves?
xxxPoppy
I just read your 'Original Ideas' post.... very thought provoking, thank you.
ReplyDeleteI think that, while we are still at a point in our lives where our minds are able to recall and draw from past influences, experiences, readings, etc, it seems impossible to prevent our new ideas, thoughts and actions from being shaped by the various influences we've had up to that point. Surely, even if we try to 'block out’ what we already know or have experienced, these things still exist, and are active within our wonderful, complex minds, as we develop our next set of thoughts, connections, and (potentially original) ideas.
I can't recall ever having had an original idea (if I take it to mean one I haven’t previously been exposed to), but I do think it's possible that people have them! It must be amazing to experience the revelation of such a thing!
In relation to feeling that one is constantly being asked to provide ‘evidence from someone else or what we are saying is useless’, yes, it certainly seems frustrating to think that your own ideas are not ‘enough’. And, yes, it also seems obstructive in terms of trying to generate or develop your own ideas. However, perhaps you could look at it from the perspective that, while researching to find the evidence that support your ideas, you might stumble across something brilliant, something that perfectly plants another seed of thought, allowing you to develop your amazing brain even further, and which opens up a world of possibility….. a world where your own ‘original ideas’ can grow to greatness!
Keep on philosophising! (is that a word?)