Student 13

My first object is a history textbook that I have read to better understand past events. This textbook is full of different information about the past and explains the significance these events have today. However, this information is only an interpretation of past events which are subject to biases and different perspectives which alter the way knowledge is understood. For example, this textbook only goes into detail about what is considered important to American society, and it either shows events/people in a positive or negative way depending on the impact they had on America. More specifically, Christopher Colombus is often perceived as an incredible person who helped America become the nation it is today by finding new land to settle on. The majority of American textbooks describe his lifelong dedication and contributions to the United States. However, these textbooks do not go into detail about other perspectives that describe him as a bad person because this perspective ventures out of the normal construct of American values. By presenting Christoper Colombus as a respectable individual and not introducing alternative perspectives, society easily accepts it as true and conforms to the single perspective that he is a good person. For example, the textbook describes how he found new land and worked with the native Americans who had already lived there to peacefully coexist. However does not go into detail about how many of the Native Americans were killed off and forced into slavery. Ultimately the presentation of knowledge leads individuals to accept or reject knowledge based on the emotional effects it has. The idea that Christopher Coloumbus was an honorable individual is more widely accepted than the belief that he was an immoral individual due to the steps he took to acquire the new land. It is simple to see how this single perspective is easily accepted due to the positive emotional effects it has on American society. However single perspectives can be detrimental to societies because they often lead to false conclusions and stereotypes that limit different ideas and beliefs.

My Microsoft Surface PC is an object that I rely on everyday to complete school work and different tasks. On this device I have access to an abundance of knowledge and rely on it to get new information. The dependency that individuals have with technology is significant because it has a big influence on the truth.This can be seen everyday when people blindly believe anything on the internet which leads to false beliefs that ultimately shape society. With access to so much information, it is easy to see how our technology influences what knowledge is accepted or rejected. For example, when doing research projects, I use my PC to search sources and determine what information I should accept as the truth. Sources that are written by credible authors, have up to date information, and evidence to back their claims are accepted and sources that do not have these requirements are rejected. Going through this process is also used by many other people in order to determine what knowledge people believe. Essentially, if information is seen as credible it is accepted into society and if it is seen as untrustworthy it is rejected. However some people have different ways that they accept information which leads to different perspectives and opinions. This is because people gain their different perspectives and opinions based on the knowledge they choose to accept. For example, some people choose to accept information that is the quickest and easiest to view. In this case, the accessibility of knowledge determines what is credible and ultimately what is accepted or rejected. The context of which knowledge is presented influences whether knowledge is accepted or rejected based on whether knowledge is presented in a credible way. This is because individuals are susceptible to believing information from a source they believe is credible without doing proper research to prove any information true.

This object is a book that I read and studied at the beginning of the year called 1984 by George Orwell. This book takes place in a dystopian society where the government gives false information in order to influence beliefs and ultimately manipulate the truth in order to consolidate power. By altering truth, the government controls the knowledge of the people and therefore determines what knowledge is accepted or rejected. Similarly, in everyday life, it can be seen how society either accepts or rejects information based on the influence of authority. This is because forms of authority, like the government, are able to alter the way knowledge is presented to society which influences individuals to either accept or reject. People of authority are considered to be more knowledgeable about the world and therefore any knowledge that they disclose is considered credible. A great example of this can be seen in one of the major parallels between the book and reality, which is the way history is presented. In the book, history is altered in order to hide the society's imperfections. In real life, history is altered into the single societal perspective of what people of authority deem important. From this, it can be seen how the influence authority has on knowledge limits the different perspectives in society. People are only able to gain perspective through the knowledge they acquire, so by influencing what knowledge is rejected or accepted, people are only able to form biased perspectives that emulate the limited knowledge they acquire. Ultimately, knowledge is seen as credible when it is given by authority which leads to people accepting it as the truth.