Social Theory
(This is a supplement, not a substitute, to the in class discussion on this topic)
The Problem of Perspective
Whether we realize it or not, as babies we tend to see the world through a particular
perspective that we inherit from our parents, churches, schools, media, culture, society,
etc. That is to say, we are socialized to see “reality” in a certain way. Another way of
putting this is that we see the world through a pair of eye-glasses, even if we do not wear
what is normally understood by eye-glasses. Our invisible “glasses” organize and make
sense of the world for us. We see certain things and do not see other things. We hear
what confirms our beliefs and ignore what puts them into question.
Our parents tell us what is right and wrong, our churches tell us what is good and evil,
our schools teach us certain things and ignore other issues, and our media industry tells us
to worry about our appearance and entertains us and distracts us. Our culture tells how to
dress, who to choose as a life partner, what is acceptable food to eat, and what “good
manners” are. Sometimes we are not aware that everything we do has already been
written. We are socialized into a world and play a role that has largely been written for
us. As difficult as it might be to admit, we have been brainwashed. We are sleepwalking
while we are “awake.”
The fact that we see the world through a particular perspective is impossible to escape.
We make assumptions about just about everything. Recognizing that we see the world
through a particular perspective, that we sometimes forget the assumptions we make,
though, can improve us as ethical beings. The failure to recognize that we are stuck in a
perspective can have disastrous consequences. If we are not aware that the way we see is
simply one perspective among many, we might judge other practices that are different
quite harshly. We might punish individuals who do something differently. We might
even want to kill them. The realization that we see the world through a perspective might
make us more modest about our way of seeing and more open to listening to the voices of
others. It might also help us to escape faulty assumptions. Many years ago, homosexuals
were regarded as criminals. Now, it is much more acceptable to regard homosexuality as
an aspect of the human condition.
Let’s go back to the problem of perspective. If we are able to realize that we are
embedded in a perspective that we have inherited and that is culturally specific, this
might make us more tolerant of practices that are new to us. This might make us more
accepting of others. This might make us more generous and sympathetic beings. It
might also give us fresh eyes, the capacity to see the world from many perspectives.
But perhaps we could do something even better. Perhaps we are not doomed to only see
the world from one perspective. If we learn about the variety of perspectives out there, if
we learn about as many perspectives as possible, we could constantly shift from one
perspective to another. (This is what fundamentalists are unable to do. They are really
stuck in one perspective). We could also learn about the limitations of all perspectives;
the pros and cons of each particular way of seeing the world. We could put ourselves in
situations that require us to grow and learn about other ways of seeing. That is one of the
overarching goals of a university education. Travelling also exposes us to different
practices and ways of living. Reading is another way to open our eyes to a new
perspective. The goal of this class is to explore a wide variety of perspectives and
conceptual frameworks. We are going to look at different theories; different ways of
making sense of reality. This is a very exciting and interesting thing to do because all of
us will be able to see the world with new eyes. The hope is that we will be able to solve
problems – any problems – more effectively and creatively.