Reflection

CIM417 week 4 Activity.

Ronald Marc

Introduction to my reflection.

I would say that my knowledge of the world and the way I see the world falls into a range of categories: the physical world and how it works in relation to me, in a Newtonian sense - apples that fall from trees and bonk you on the head and so on - gravity, inertia, mass. Then there is the world in which humanity's interaction and humanity's ideas exist within. Descartes also describes a similar viewpoint, that there is Paris, the physical place of Paris, and then there's the distinctly fictional or ethereal Paris-idea (McCulloch, 2002). I also have an indoctrination in a superstitious and spiritual world from my mother and from my own personal experiences, however I will expose that contradiction in a moment or two. My interpretation of my knowledge of the world is innately existential. However, curiosity and experimentation with cause and effect have seen my personality meld into a melange of rationalism, often looking for and following logic, building up an understanding of the world or a model of it that is reinvented when I learn or believe something new is true. I have faith also placed in the empiricism of fact. So I guess I might just be an un-anointed devotee of Epistemology! A quantitative approach? I see that, on skimming Richard Pring’s work; Philosophy of Educational Research (Pring, 2021), I found this rather interesting quote:

“In a nutshell, the contrast is drawn between quantitative research which is seen to be appropriate to the physical world (and wrongly applied to the personal and social) and qualitative research which addresses that which is distinctive of the personal and social, namely, the 'meanings' through which personal and social reality is understood. The latter simply cannot be quantified; it is not that sort of thing. Furthermore, the former kind of research is referred to as 'positivist', a word which has had a bad press amongst educational researchers and which therefore signals strong disapproval” (Pring, 2021, p. 45).

So, on doing this spot of hurried research on the subject of Epistemology, I guess it's complicated! There are various methods used to assess the truth of an experience or the justification of an opinion or a learning which align with my statement. Even at only a cursory glance, I see examples such as perceptual, memorial, introspective, a priori, inductive, and testimonial beliefs, all tested against various forms of knowledge and the justification of that knowledge being true through trials, such as fallibility, scepticism, and evidence, all being used as measures (Audi, 2011).

I am sorely tempted to take you on a tour of my historical creative evolution in detail, but rather than falling into repeating my reflections on Bricolage, I shall engage in some collation of data and attempt to smoosh it together into categories that hopefully make sense.

Technical Knowledge

With my innate level of practicality, I demanded a needs-based approach to my existence. I essentially wanted to improve as an artist, having been inspired by a variety of authors, artists, and genres, and to some extent my teachers (including my mother). I followed through on mimicry of art style and chosen media when able. Over time, technical manuals were used to improve my skills. As I matured as a person and an artist, the level of mastery improved, and I would then approach more difficult tasks. Some of these works included works by Burne Hogarth, an illustrator and artist who taught for many years (Hogarth, 1989), Will Eisner's fantastic book on shot composition and the art of telling stories sequentially (Eisner, 2008), plus the works of the authors and artists mentioned last week. With Frazetta, Angus McBride, Uderzo being amongst the top of the list of artists I was really inspired by.

Philosophical and Ethical Knowledge

I was heavily influenced again by the existential. But now please throw a cup of the Transcendental, with my mother and I escaping my abusive father, and being on the run! We had very little growing up. My mother was a Spiritualist and I think also Stoic at heart. She was a Dutch immigrant that came to Australia post-war; her influence on me translated to me as superstitious, with an appreciation that there might just be a world out of reach of this one. That guidance from that world could from time to time be perceived, if one has the presence of mind to look and listen. Fate plays its hand and we must overcome the challenges. And essentially be a good person.  Do I believe in ghosts? Yes, I do. Have I seen a ghost? … I think I have!

My mother held views that she showered me in some illogical, or qualitative? As mentioned, and others that made a lot of sense. There was a lot of empathy mixed with a level of social awareness of the plight of others that I think led to a social conscience and a kindness to animals. I carry many of these values today. They have matured and I would say my political persuasion would be seen as left, with my logic telling me a better world is a kinder one, where social safety nets are in place and so on.

Emotional and Interpersonal Growth

Emotionally and interpersonally, I have without a doubt learned through experiences. Some early on guided by the influence from my mother. Over time as a teen, then a middle-aged man however, I have made decisions and been party to outcomes that have led to both quantitative and qualitative learnings. I did for a while study Martial arts traditions and look into some eastern philosophical approaches, which I identify with. I was also encouraged to be very independent. Taking action on tasks, being self-motivated. This has served me well in career endeavours thus far. Emotionally, I believe I have pretty good emotional intelligence, based on criteria such as being able to perceive the emotions of others (Zeidner et al., 2012). I have a high curiosity with which I use to drive my knowledge absorption. I also believe in having good if not great relationships with everyone I meet, if I can.

Ron.

References

Audi, R. (2011). Epistemology: a contemporary introduction to the theory of knowledge. New York, N.Y. Routledge. A book devoted to describing the methods in which epistemology uses divine fact from fiction.

Eisner, W. (2008). Comics and sequential art : principles and practices from the legendary cartoonist. W.W. Norton.

Hogarth, B. (1989). Dynamic light and shade : [how to render and invent light and shade - the key to three-dimensional form in drawing and painting]. Watson-Guptill Publ., [20]09. instrumental drawing book.

McCulloch, G. (2002). The Mind and its World. Routledge. Found this book in the Philosophy section of the SAE library. Descartes description of the world was particularly interesting, as was the description of the Cartesian duality.

Pring, R. (2021). Philosophy of educational research. London [U.A.] Bloomsbury Acad.

Zeidner, M., Matthews, G., & Roberts, R. D. (2012). What we know about emotional intelligence : how it affects learning, work, relationships, and our mental health. Mit Press.