Student 14

Object 1: Bicycle

The first object that demonstrates the relationship between personal experience and knowledge is my bicycle which I have had since I was 8 and kept with me throughout all the places I have moved to. This bicycle demonstrates how knowledge expands and deepens because of personal experiences.

For instance, throughout my life I have moved to many countries; however, I have always taken my bike everywhere I have moved. After I arrive at my new destination, I usually rely on my bicycle to go explore the new surroundings and neighborhood. When I first moved to London, I was able to personally observe structural differences in the suburban infrastructure such as cars driving on the left side and the Victorian architecture of the houses as compared to the United States. Moreover, when I moved to Toronto, riding my bike through the city gave me further insight into the modern aspects and hustle culture present in the city. The bicycle provided me the opportunity to have a better understanding of the culture and distinctive nature of various locations thus enabling me to expand my understanding of the world. Throughout each location I have lived in, the personal experience the bicycle provided was the propelling force that assisted me to be more open minded to various cultures, traditions, and ideas as I was able to explore new lifestyles.

All in all, personal experiences allow individuals to expand their knowledge in various aspects of life through different methods, whether it means having a visual experience or through the means of secondary experience such as books or media. In the area of technology, it can be seen how many rely on the internet or social media to have a better understanding of an aspect of knowledge, however stepping away from technology and having real life experiences help enhance an individual’s depth of knowledge.

Object 2: Tile Painting

Similar to how personal experiences expand knowledge, it also gives individuals an opportunity to gain new perspectives which thus have an impact on their overall knowledge. An object that demonstrates this idea is a painting I got from Madrid, Spain 4 years ago. The painting specifically demonstrates how having the chance to have first hand experiences create new perspectives.

For example, when I went to Spain, I was not very excited as I had this perception that everything in Spain revolves around soccer, especially since I went during the time of the soccer world cup. This perception was also mainly formed because of my brother's obsession with soccer. However, I was able to gain a new perspective of Spain after going to the Buen Retiro park. Upon arriving at the park, I immediately noticed a street artist creating paintings in untraditional ways as the artist was finger painting and floor tiles to create the artwork. The personal experience of me seeing the artist create the painting opened up a new perspective of Spain for me in a matter of seconds. This experience thus created new knowledge as it caused me to become heavily interested in this unique art style which led me to do further research upon it. Overall, through the painting, I was able to understand that there are many unique factors of Spain and it helped me realize that perception created by the interactions with others is often only one sided.

Ultimately, in the area of human science, it can be seen how personal experience enables individuals to acquire a unique and deeper perception of certain topics. Personal experiences can create negative or positive perceptions which get transferred when individuals describe their experiences to others which hence highlights how human interaction can influence knowledge.

Object 3: Orca Souvenir

Moreover, often personal experiences have a major impact on the knowledge an individual acquires as it alters their prior knowledge they held about certain topics. An object that demonstrates this relationship is a souvenir I got from seaworld 6 years ago. The souvenir specifically reveals the extent of how personal experience makes an individual more connected to knowledge by establishing a different interpretation.

For instance, prior to going to seaworld, I had the perception that it was an enchanting place with no flaws where humans can interact with sea animals. I had this perception based on advertisements, images, and descriptions I read online. However, once I was finally at seaworld, I began to question the ethics around how animals are treated, especially when I personally experienced the dolphin and orca shows in which the humans controlled the animals. Although at a surface level the shows appeared mesmerizing, I thought to myself that the shows seemed forced in the way that the animals were constantly trained to perform artificial actions for entertainment purposes. Additionally, this personal experience led me to research more about the ethics and controversy of seaworld thus building and altering my understanding of this specific knowledge. Now whenever I look at the souvenir it makes me realize that the way that seaworld is reflected through its merchandise is limited to only the positive aspects while trying to conceal the negative aspects. Through my personal experience, I was able to gain a different interpretation of seaworld which I would have not gained otherwise.

In the area of natural sciences, such as marine biology, knowledge is often seen to be changed and influenced when humans have personal experiences that relate to the knowledge. First hand experiences expose humans to unique perspectives that in turn impacts knowledge they acquire and their comprehension of the knowledge. Empiricism, a theory in which knowledge is gained through experiences, is evident in the way individuals understand knowledge.