Student 45

Object 1: Kurta

The Kurta is a piece of cultural clothing, typically for people of the Indian subcontinent. It is very important to me as an Indian. It is generally worn during celebrations in India, especially ones that are religious. It is a staple of Indian culture and represents an important part of one’s cultural identity and represents a form of cultural knowledge. Culture is an important aspect of understanding humans and human sciences.

The way an individual interprets their own culture is very different. Culture is an individual form of knowledge and is very open to interpretation. This can be represented by the kurta as there are many different styles one can wear. One can style it in many different ways showing that knowledge is very open to interpretation.

In addition, the meaning of the kurta can be different depending on who is examining it. Even a person in a similar culture can have different meanings attached to the item. For example, I view it as a representation of my own culture and religion. On the other hand, my cousin views it as a simple article of clothing he is forced to wear for religious ceremonies. This helps justify my use of the Kurta as it can show that the same object can be interpreted very differently.

The name of the Kurrta changes in different locations as well. In Bangladesh, for example, it is called a Punjabi. Many aspects of the kurta can be interpreted in multitudes of ways, similar to how culture can be expressed and understood in many different ways. A kurta can also be a representation of culture itself. As culture is a form of knowledge it can be said that some knowledge is very open to interpretation with almost no bounds. Knowledge in the human sciences is open to interpretation.

Object 2: Chemistry Textbook

My chemistry textbook is the textbook used for the AP Chemistry course that I took this year. It is structured very rigidly and is not open to much interpretation. Terms are defined very explicitly to allow as little interpretation as possible. Most knowledge in this textbook is non negotiable, and the answers to the questions are either right or wrong. Chemistry is a natural science that investigates the natural interactions of the world.

All the topics in the textbook are heavily justified with strong evidence provided through a multitude of experiments explained in the textbook. Experiments are usually a combination of more theoretical experiments which correlate with rationalism (Descartes) and physical experiments that correspond with empiricism (Locke). Dalton’s law allows scientists to calculate the pressure of gasses when combined. It was derived by measuring the pressure of the gasses before and after combining them and analyzing the results using technology. Dalton’s law is not open to interpretation as there is one right answer. Another example is the number of protons in a specific element. The fact that oxygen has eight protons cannot be interpreted in any other way.

Unlike the kurta which can work in many different ways and mean many different things, the information in the chemistry textbook is straightforward and has a much lower scope of interpretation. This can be more generalized to the overarching areas of knowledge, as natural sciences are much less open to interpretation than human sciences.

I used my chemistry textbook to explain this point as science, especially in school, is much more standardized to be more easily digestible, while also providing a guiding principle to combine many principles. I specifically chose chemistry as it is a combination of many fields of natural sciences including physics, mathematics, and biology.

Object 3: Burj Khalifa Statue

My Burj Khalifa Statue is a small replica of the Burj Khalifa that I bought at a gift store on top of the Burj Khalifa when I visited my family in Dubai. It is solid metal. As it is a statue, it can be considered part of the AOK art. I believe fine arts have the largest range of interpretations. Abstract art can mean different things to everyone and have an infinite number of interpretations. On the other hand, photo-real artwork has very little interpretation of the content.

I chose my Burj Khalifa statue as I believe it incorporates features from both sides. The shape of the statue offers little interpretation; the shape of the building will not change. This information cannot be interpreted in any way outside of the actual meaning and is objective. However, the material used and the finer details of the building are left out of the statue. Viewers can interpret those details in a more personal manner, but reference to the actual building makes it less interpretive. Other details, such as the fake jewels, were completely up to the artist's choice. The knowledge of these details and what they represent can be interpreted differently by different individuals and is more subjective. Personally, I believe the jewels were placed for purely aesthetic purposes, while my father believes they were placed to show that the Burj Khalifa is of value to the government and politics of Dubai.

In addition, the value of the worth can be interpreted very differently. The artistic work of the statue, the materials used, and what it represents are all different reasons someone could consider the statue valuable. However, someone with no need for the statue might believe it’s worthless. The value of art is perhaps the most subjective and interpretive. However, art is very personal, the knowledge contained changing with the viewer.