Book 3, Group C

Book 3 Group C (Mary Murdock, Collin Danz)

Theoretical vs. Practical knowledge

In Chapter 2, Gulliver encounters issues of theoretical versus practical knowledge, in which the rules of the Laputian society are set up by mathematical theory as opposed to practical knowledge. This seems arbitrary and nonsensical to Gulliver, because he is set in the ways of his own intellectual framework. However, in this same book, Gulliver encounters the ghost of Aristotle, whose admission that knowledge changes over time is a big realization for Gulliver. Swift puts Gulliver in a position to judge the peoples he encounters in this book based on his preconceived intellectual framework, then flips that around on him by presenting Aristotle's philosophies as flexible.

In Chapter 5, Swift seems to be commenting on the value of different kinds of knowledge (and the lack of value in others). For example, when the Laputians' pursuits are described, they are clearly meant to seem ridiculous, such as attempt to harness sunlight from a cucumber. Gulliver's descriptions of his encounters are a testament to his curiosity, but when he encounters the Laputians' intellectualism, his curiosity is no longer matched by those that he is describing, leading him to become judgmental. This also speaks to his status as an outsider and what could potentially be interpreted as a colonizer: though he does not understand the pursuits of the Laputians, there's no way of knowing their side of the story. Gulliver's preconceived notions of what is culturally valuable are projected upon the Laputians' pursuits, and so that is all we see.

Gulliver is travelling with an intent to evaluate rather than to observe. He comes upon these new place in order to see new things, but his mind is not open to the fact that they might challenge his existing beliefs. This seems to come very much to light in Book 3, in which Gulliver's intellectual frames are challenged and subverted.