Building Ideas
“It matters what matters we use to think other matters with; it matters what stories we tell to tell other stories with; it matters what knots knot knots, what thoughts think thoughts, what ties tie ties. It matters what stories make worlds, what worlds make stories.”
In my opinion I think that it’s important to convey our arguments and points by trying to bring the audience into your own shoes. Scientists also do this in their own way. Scientists when conducting normal science, work within a paradigm. “A paradigm is made up of the general theoretical assumptions and laws and the techniques for their application that the members of a particular scientific community adopt.” (Chalmers 108). Scientist try to explain observations about a particular part of the world within their paradigm. In doing this, scientists may experience certain observations that do not fit within their paradigm or experiment. If this happens, scientists try as best as they can to explain these results inline within their paradigm. “Einstein’s equations of general relativity describe space and time as kind of inter-connected fabric for the universe which means space and time exist only as part of the universe and not beyond it” (Saini, 2018) .Most of what we know about space and gravity is due to Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity, as scientist we have accepted this school of thought and have been adding to it.
When making a decision your past actions play a significant role. Based on what you grew up and the morals you hold yourself accountable for come into play, which will reflect on the decision. In Haraway’s acceptance speech she talks about her love for science fiction and the knowledge gained by the work of her colleges in the field. “In 1933 Alfred North Whitehead, the American mathematician and process philosopher who infuses my sense of worlding, wrote The Adventures of Ideas. SF is precisely full of such adventures” (Haraway & Haraway, 2013). As a person with many friends and colleges, it is very natural to adapt ideas and habits from people. This changes perspective on ideas and challenges paradigms.
Many new ideas can result from something you’ve seen in your past that interested you or made you question something you’ve done in the present. These ideas are derivatives and points where you may use in your knowledge as well as a point morally. It is important to distinguish these ideas and points from our past from the filler moments. Octavia Butler, an author describes her motivation for some of her science fiction novels. “When I was working on this novel, the “L.A. Times” came out with a story about the children of drug addicts, not how they’re abused and all that, but how they have learning and behavioral difficulties because their mothers took drugs while they were pregnant.” (Butler, 1998). By doing this it brings attention to issues we might not typically consider as well builds character in the novel. It is important to have correct information when deriving ideas off of it, the last thing anyone needs is spreading false information.
It is also important to engage in healthy conversation, personally I love when a conversation is deeply engaging filled with laughter and makes you question your ideas and thoughts. This to me helps to either back up my thoughts or changes them. “For the filling stations are the primary venue for social conversation, the places from which we draw emotional sustenance as well as physical. We all keep spare sets of full lungs in our homes, but when one is alone, the act of opening one’s chest and replacing one’s lungs can seem little better than a chore. In the company of others, however, it becomes a communal activity, a shared pleasure” (Chiang, 2014). Ted is explaining that air is equivalent to speech. When we refill our lungs with air is equivalent to filling our minds with ideas and thoughts. Picking the brain to see what drives your thoughts and ideas is important because that thing we draw from is what you base your decisions on. By using the power of conversation, you can see and understand someone’s standpoint on an issue and shift perspectives.
Work Cited:
Butler, O. (1998). “Devil Girl From Mars”: Why I Write Science Fiction. https://www.blackhistory.mit.edu/archive/transcript-devil-girl-mars-why-i-write-science-fiction-octavia-butler-1998
Chalmers, A. F. (2013). What is this thing called science? St Lucia, Qld.: University of Queensland Press.
Chiang, T. (2014, April 29). Exhalation. Lightspeed, 47. https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/exhalation/
Haraway, D., & Haraway, D. (2013, December 04). SF: Science Fiction, Speculative Fabulation, String Figures, So Far. Retrieved November 07, 2020, from https://adanewmedia.org/2013/11/issue3-haraway/
