Tonight's post is an open forum of sorts. After you read, Malcolm Gladwell's Blink, consider how this text validates what we've been learning in Chapter 3 "Facts, What's Real?"
This will require that you re-read some areas of Chapter 3, before answering the question. When you reference either text, please provide detailed, specific examples. Make sure, if you quote either text, to indicate the page number so that your colleagues may reference it if he or she has a question.
50 comments:
I’m really glad we did the exercises on Chapter #3 in class because it really helped me understand the reading and made me more confident to answer this blog. As I was reading the excerpt from Blink by Malcolm Gladwell, I couldn’t help but think of all the great ideas my group and I had of what we considered to be a fact. It was interesting to observe the different views of what a fact was to each one of us and then realizing that a fact was what each person perceives to be a fact through ones own experiences. We also spoke about the objective and subjective ways to determine a fact and I realized that I was wrong all along. I thought that in order to determine something as factual one had to be objective, but I now know that we can arrive at a fact by being subjective as well. Gladwell explained it best by stating,
We believe that we are always better off gathering as much information as possible and spending as much time as possible in deliberation. We really only trust conscious decision making. But there are moments, particularly in times of stress, when haste does not make waste, when our snap judgments and first impressions can offer a much better means of making sense of the world (14).
It was very interesting for me to recognize that Gladwell’s words made sense. Sometimes we get hunches on certain things, but we tend to ignore them because we need to “really think about it first,” or at least that is what we were told to do.
The experiment with the deck of cards was a really interesting observation, didn’t you all think so?
Yeah, I think the two readings are very similar. In one part of chapter 3, there is a section about "feelings being facts" that was closely related to Malcom Gladwell's Blink. They are both about intuition and "gut feelings" and how these feelings have more to do with everyday life than we might think. They both deal with learning to listen carefully to these initial reactions and addressing the significance of "listening to your gut". I think the museum example that Gladwell used was a great way to show the relevance of these instant impressions and how they can be involved with every aspect of our lives (from personal to professional, etc.). One personal example of this that I have heard is the saying of "babies and dogs don't lie". It kind of goes along with this because babies and dogs only have initial reactions to act upon so they are the most honest actions. So I guess if you have a baby or a dog that doesn't like something, maybe you shouldn't trust it then, eh? I don't know, it could just be a stupid saying though...
Correction: "Blink"
Sorry, I wrote this word in italics, but for some reason it did not come thru that way :)
I enjoyed the "Blink" piece, in addition to our class reading, as they each have inspired me to consider how I make decisions everyday.
There are plenty of times when I do not listen to my first instinct which is what I think "Blink" is talking about to a large extent. Often, when I do not listen to my first internal voice of reasoning, I find out in the end that I did a disservice to myself. I believe it is important to trust ourselves, and our own ability to reason in any given situation.
I believe that so much of our experience is based on individual interpretation, and how we each separately perceive things. However, in some instances one may require further examination in order to attain all the necessary information to reach a reasonable conclusion. As in the "Blink" text, they chose to investigate further, with the aid of experts, to insure the accuracy of the artwork, and to bolster their observations.
In chapter three of our text, the author talks about "facts" and "reality." These two ideas are very interesting to consider with regard to how they play out in my life. In order for me to think critically, I must take a good look at how I come to understand what is true and real for me.
Many ideas were shared in class within our specific group that illuminated the argument poignantly. We were discussing how each of us has come to know certain aspects of life to be true and real on an individual basis.
One great example was a group member saying:"it takes five hours to get to Disneyland." In this person's experience, this is a true fact based on his own interpretation.
In my opinion, the basis of fact and reality are closely linked, and the end result is truly one's own perception and unique understanding. For example, two people can have the exact same experience, but one's interpretation can differ entirely from the other,and thereby have a completely different understanding of that specific moment in time.
I found that both readings, "Blink" and "Facts: What's Real?" offer a great deal of insight into the above mentioned thoughts and ideas. I am encouraged to learn more and dig deeper into this area of learning, and this is a true fact for me.
Hi Alex,
What you said about "babies and dogs don't lie" resonates with me. I take care of an eight month old baby, and without hesitation, she lets me know how she is feeling every minute. She is operating solely on her senses, and has no concept of being dishonest, or distrusting her thought processes at all.
I appreciate being with her because I know that our time and exchange is truly pure, in the moment and un-adulterated. All I have to do is watch her, and I trust that each moment only gets more real than the one before.
Thanks,
Lisa
This essay "Blink" and chapter 3 in "Facts: What's Real?" went hand in hand. The chapter discussed the issues surrounding facts and fiction as did the essay. The essay further showed the importance of that first impression and gut feeling. Showing that feelings are as important as facts sometimes.
The museum was approached with a statue that at first glance would be a great addition to the collection. The problem was the authenticity, in reviewing this essay again, it is really evident that the museum staff caved to social pressure of prestige and financial gain, since they were new to the museum business. The piece was such a find that they could not wait to see if the piece was in fact, credible. The staff seemed to go through all of the proper motions to validate the piece, but it is evident that they were clouded by preconceived notions of grandeur.
The contrasting review of the piece by the other experts made the story even more interesting, because not a one could put a finger on the problem but they were intuitively, instinctively and on a gut-level were sure something was wrong.
As we learned in chapter 3 feelings can be facts and here it proved to be true. The feelings of discomfort led to further study and interest, which eventually showed the piece to be a forgery. This was an excellent example of the topics in chapter 3. We had to review the verifiability of the history and origin of the statue, the reliability of the information, and the probability of this to be true. My mother always called it “Mother’s intuition” and usually she was right.
Good Evening Alex & Alestri,
I think my whole family used that phrase "babies and dogs don't lie" yet we accepted it as truth, because in my personal experiences if you hand a baby to someone and it cried and revolted, there was something not so good about that person and the same with dogs.
I agree with Alestri that babies and dogs do not have a sense of when someone is not being truthful.
We must tune into our inner beings and think critically when we encounter some people and perhaps we will discover what the babies and the dogs realize at first impression or sight.
The world is so complicated and has so many things going on, this chapter is an excellent pause, to begin to look at how you put things together in your mind, how you verify facts, are you aware of your gut-feeling or do you succomb to social or peer pressure? Do we deal with fiction without investigating and digging down find the nuggets of facts?
Alestri,
With a baby you are operating on feelings and facts. Sometimes I am sure you just know when something is not right with the baby, without tests, doctors or hospitals. This could confirm the books topic of feelings and not always facts being true. Babies are a great joy.
Hi Maria,
I agree with what you said about hunches. At times we tend to ignore them but if I continue to get the same feeling about something, I realize I could be right. I start to think about what my gut feeling is saying. I enjoy math and I realized everything has a pattern from gambling, taking a scan-a-tron test to when I was laid-off after ten years at a company. My hunches produces a pattern.
The excerpt Blink by Malcom Gladwell, was very eye opening; especially the portion of the text that answered the question that was burning in my mind once it was revealed that the statue was fake:
“Why, for instance, if the Getty’s kouros was so obviously fake-or, at least problematic-did the museum buy it in the first place? Why didn’t the experts at the Getty also have a feeling of intuitive repulsion during the fourteen months they were studying the piece?.......,and the answer is that those feelings, for one reason or another, were thwarted…..But mostly it’s because the Getty desperately wanted the statue to be real…” (14).
The Blink article is like an illustration to the information given in Chapter 3 of “Thinking for Yourself,” by Marlys Mayfield. For example, the above-referenced text relates to the information provided in the section titled “Feelings Can Be Facts.” In particular the beginning of this section states:
“We often hear that we should be objective and not subjective in order to determine facts. This warning is needed to remind us that anger, fear, envy, and prejudice can distort our perceptions and keep us form seeing things fairly as they really are.”(82)
Another example of similarities between the two above mentioned articles is that in Blink, Gladwell stated that during the statues authentication process with the Getty’s staff and a geologist, the statue contained a substance that would validate the age of the statue; due to the length of time it would take for such a substance to form. (4) In Chapter 3 the section titled “Facts Are Not Absolutes,” Marly, suggests that facts can be proven wrong in time and no longer be a fact. As what happened with the statue, when it was explained in Blink, that time was not the only way the statue could have obtained the substance. (8)
These articles really helped me begin to try and "think outside the box."
After studying chapter three of Mayfield's book,I discovered that the term "Facts" means the translation of what is real and true based on human perception and belief.Interestingly,Malcolm Gladwell in his book tittled "Excerpt from Blink" used some terms like feelings,facts,blink, conscious and unconscious exchangably in relation with Mayfielsd's definition. He proofs how these concepts play big roles in proccession of information as well as making judgement or decisions in human lives.In any case, Gladwell's claims or explanations about these terms validates what Mayfied discussed in chapter three. For instance,she revealed that feelings can be facts. Therefore concludes that "there are times when feelings leads us to make a more careful decision or investigation in a situation."[ Mayfield 82]On the other hand, Malcolm Gladwell in his book comfirms the claim by stating that"But there are moments,particularly in times of stress, when haste doesn't make waste,when our snap judgements and first impressions can offer a much better means of making sense of the world.The first blink is to convience you of a simple fact."[Gladwell 14].Obviously both Authors took thesame direction while expalaining that little information can be as useful as much information mostly in emergency situations.
Yes, I believe that "Blink" by Malcom Gladwell validates what we have been learning in chapter three the difference between fact and fiction.
In chapter three the story "The Blind Men and the Elephant" shows how we all share the same experience but we have a different interpertation of that experience due to what we believe is fact or reality. As evidene, There are a group of five year olds,you blind fold them and place a bowl of bannanas, oranges, and apples in front of them. Next you ask them to smell the bowl and ask them what do they smell. Its a fact that not every child will be able to identify the all three fruits because they have different interpataions.
In "Blink" Gladwell shows that if you want the validity out of any situation in life this makes it easier to face reality. For example Gladwell states,
"We believe that we are always better off gathering as much information as possible and spending as much time as possible in deliberation. We really only trust conscious decision making. But there are moments, particularly in times of stress, when haste does not make waste, when our snap judgments and first impressions can offer a much better means of making sense of the world"(14).
Overall, I enjoyed reading "Blink" it was in eye opener because,
as a critical thinker I need to be aware of how every decsion large or small will have an impact on my life some how either in the present or the future.
There were several areas in the excerpt in Malcolm Gladwell's "Blink” that validates Chapter 3. The geologist, Stanley Margolis, examined the statue by removing a core sample and determining the statue was composed of dolomite marble. He determined that the thin layer of calcite was proof that this statue was old since this layer is only produced from dolomite after hundreds of years. [4]. After further examination by another geologist, he/she concluded that the age of the stone could be enhance in a couple of months using potato mold. [8] These statements validate Mayfield's statement that 'facts are not absolute' where the statue was composed of the dolomite but after more investigation, it was concluded it hadn't aged over hundreds of years but only months.
Another section in "Blink" validates is 'Feelings can be Facts'. Here one of the world's most foremost expert on archaic sculpture, Ernst Langlotz, believe the kouros was genuine but George Ortiz, an art historian, saw right away it was a fake. Ernst Langlotz in his younger days before he became he acquire his expertise, his purchase was of a statue similar to this kouros. [15] This reflection (feelings) had clouded his better judgment causing him to believe this statue was not a fake.
Hello Alex, I remember in our discussion group on chapter three you said that "feelings can be facts." I agree because just today after class I saw a person who looked like they were up to no good my reaction was to hurry to my destination. Maybe twenty minutes later that same area I just passed was now cover with police cars someone was killed. So this is why I believe that feelings can be facts.
The story "Blink" and "Chapter 3" they are connected and have the similar particular information. Blink by Malcolm Gladwell, is about the extented of the "Blink" concept. The story is around the kouros. As the result, its come up with two different strategies. "The first one is we are most familiar with, we think about what we learned, and eventually we come up with an answer, it's called conscious strategy and the second one is single glance, also called adaptive unconscious, it's considered as fast and frugal" (10-11)
In our plenty of our life times, we normally not listen to our first task of Blink because we always believed our familiar as it's logical and definitive, However, it will take so much time to believed in our own. At the same time, the true of the first task of blink is "Convince us of a simple fact: decisions made very quickly can be every bit as good as decisions made cautiously and deliberately" (14)
In Chapter three, on page 82 the section called Feelings can be Facts, "There are times when feelings lead us to make a more careful investigation of a situation, such as when we feel mistrust" (83) It's pretty similar with the Blink but it's used different description to describe the same situation.
According to the essay “Blink” that “when you are a young man, you do fell in love with your first purchase, and perhaps this was his first love.(15)” This is a familiar situation for our experience. When we love something at the first sight, we just depend on our emotion but nothing else. The J. Paul Getty Museum is just like a young man who tends to believe something he wants to believe. The museum is already having perception about the Kouros that is real at first. Therefore, it loses the conscious to take look and check the sculpture cautiously and deeply.
There is similar context with Chapter 3 in Mayfield that we studied. “Feeling Can Be Facts”, our opinion and decision would be directed by our feeling that is the subjective. Subjective is a false assumption that “we are unaware of how they are influencing our thoughts and decision, and we react blindly to their directives (84 Mayfield)”. Like the Museum, it almost buy a fake sculpture that first it think is a world class collection. Actually, the museum is influenced by subjective feeling. But there is other different term here, objective that “some believe that in order to objective, a person must deny or suppress any feelings.” Objective keeps us under conscious control, as we have “blink” to see what fact really is.
Hello alestri
I very agree with you when you said there are plenty of times when I do not listen to my first instinct, this is very true because most of the time that we cannot trust our first instinct, and it based on the experiences. we prefer use more time to figure it out the problem. For example, you wanted to ask how much of the apple, however you can use your first instinct to guess how much of the apple immediately. Of course, if you are used to apple seller and based on your experiences then it will be different story. Because it is an ability that we can all cultivate for ourselves and it is not a gift given magically to a fortunate few.
Hi Sandye,
I really agree you that you said sometime the feelings are as important as facts. Sometime, even though something is fact that we realized, we knew that it possible to make us uncomfortable; so we tend to see it in different way that make us feel good. But we would get trouble sometime because we lose conscious to figure out what real is. After reading this chapter and essay, I know how to deny the subjective take power on me. Be more careful and deliberately whenever I make a decision.
I can agree with Alestri. I think is very important for one to pay attention to his or her instinct or inner mind some times.It can be dangerous if one does not listen to his instint.Human instinct works with our perceptions and can gives us true pictures or feelings about things.More importantly,when you pay attention to your instinct,you can make a snap judgement or Blink as a critical thinker.
The Blink article is a good article that has some examples from our text book . "Our need to have our perceptions verified by others also makes us susceptible to manipulation."(84) Social pressure is used when the Getty Museum listens to comments from other experts that the statue may not be real. The Museum feels the pressure, and decides to look further into it.
In chapter 3 we learned that "When we are subjective about feelings, we are driven by them, we are unaware of how they are influencing our thoughts and decisions, and we react blindly to their directives. When subjectivity rules us, we cannot clearly discern what is real and true."(84) After researching further, the lawyers found that the zip codes on one of the letters from 1952 didn't exist until twenty years later.(Blink 7)The statue was made sometime in the early 1980's (Blink 8). By not doing a more extensive research into the zip codes on the letters, the Getty Museum let the seller deceive them with this false information. Being subjective in their feelings towards the statue, the Getty Museum was fooled. This is a great story that shows how these different feelings and facts can persuade you to make choices.
Hi Sandye
I agree with you about feelings can be facts and the example of authenticating the statue. I purchased a Magic Johnson autographed ball two years ago from a dealer in Las Vegas. I first did my research on the various ways he signed his name. Upon purchasing the autograph I asked for the history of the signature, where it was purchased from, a picture of Magic signing the ball, and a notarized certificate of authenticity. Suprisingly the dealer provided me with all of this. By doing all of the above I assured that my feelings for this is a real signature was true.
Hey Sandye,
First, I wanted to commend you on the way you used each word of our key terms and applied it to the text, "Blink." You said, "We had to review the verifiability of the history and origin of the statue, the reliability of the information, and the probability of this to be true."
I also wanted to share that as soon as I started reading "Blink," I had a gut feeling and thought to myself that the statue was a fake. However, after hearing the results of the first expert, I was easily convinced that the statue was real. I realize now how easy it was for me to ignore my gut feeling and become persuaded to believing something else.
Malcolm X story is similer to “The Statue That Didn’t Look Right” because, in that story the young man name Getty’s didn’t believe and his own ability to spot the fake Statue at first sight , and Malcolm X surprise himself with his ability for memorization .He didn’t know how powerful his brain was. Getty’s didn’t know that he had good instinct . A example of Malcolm X self doubt, when he said,” I woke up next morning, thinking about these word- those-immensely proud to realize that not only had I written so much at one time, but I’d written words that I never were in the world.”(69)And example of Getty’s doubt is when he takes the statue to the University of California and geologist named Stanley Margolis ,examine it for two days.
What ,I get from both stories is to trust our first instinct. When it come to anything in life. Even ,if we may be wrong about a few things: I personally think it betters safer than sorry.It also reminder of chapter three .When state that inferences what we think is the truth, but we don't have the answer. Over all I think they were both great pieces of work.
Maria, I had the same gut feeling too. When I read Blink and a description of the staute was given and the references to how good it looked for it's age I said to myself "it's got to be fake". Then as I read on I started to second guess my judgement because an expert said it was the real thing. Just because someone it considered an expert does not mean your thoughts and feelings are not valid. This is a good reminder to trust your own feelings as well as thoroughly investigating any information you receive.
As i read the excerpt from "Blink" my brain couldn't help but immediately jump back to our classroom group discussions. The first part of Chapter 3 that popped into my head was the section on "Feelings Being Facts." I don't think that I completely grasped the whole idea until actually reading "Blink."
In our group I discussed thinking that feelings can indeed be facts but i guess none of the examples really resonated with me. "Blink" made everything fall into place like a completed puzzle. After reading about the experts seeing the statue and having immediate feelings convincing them it was a forgery, yet only gettin words like "fresh" as their reasoning, i could understand what the authors of "Thinking For Yourself" were talking about.
People always have knee-jerk reactions to some extent, but they often wonder if they should trust them or continue to dig for more emotions, or facts. Gladwell referred to this function in our brain as "adaptive unconscious" and later goes on to claim that every person can take a certain amount of control over these "snap judgments," and fine tune them to decide whether we should stop, or continue digging (for more emotions and facts). Now i just have to read all of "Blink" to master that ability.
Maria G. Ambriz said: ""We believe that we are always better off gathering as much information as possible ... but there are moments ... when haste does not make waste, when our snap judgments and first impressions can offer a much better means of making sense of the world (14)."
Maria, when i read this the first thing i thought of was being in High School and taking the SATs. I took the test twice, and took an SAT prep class in between each time taking the test.
I remember them giving us all kinds of tips on how to decide the answers, how to eliminate wrong answers and other tactics. While the instructor had all of these interesting, and useful, ways of gettin a better score, she always stressed that quite often your gut instinct, or initial choice is the right one. I can't remember how many times I've taken tests on scantron sheets, only to see that the answer i originally chose, and later erased, was the right answer.
Blink really made me reevaluate everything I have second guessed my self on. I'm sure we all have had several experiences when we look back and think I should have followed my first mind. This book encourages us to trust ourselves and cultivate our natural abilities to sense certain things.
I agree that feeling need to be included or felt when weighing out facts. I especially like in the book on page 83 where it said It would seem wiser not to deny or suppress our feelingsbecause sometimes our feelins lead us to more carefully investigate a situation.
Rosemary, i remember that quote. He did say it was important for one to look at their attitude toward the situation and try to understand that as well.
In chapter 3, we discussed the notion that facts are not absolutes. That point was illustrated in the "Blink" article. Scientists and other experts examined the statue. The scientists based whether or not the statue was authentic on certain "facts". The scientists trusted the information about the statue to be 100% accurate. However, facts are not reality. Facts represent the closest possilble support for proving an argument. The article on "Blink" validates what we have been learning in class because we have been learning that facts are not absolute truths. " What we call facts do not necessarily represent what is real and true." Also, we've learned that facts are not 100% accurate because the world is constantly changing. " We live in a physical universe that is eternally changing." How can there be any absolutes when things continue to change? There cannot be. The best approach is to rely on accumulated information that shows record of the fact over a period of time.
The excerpt from "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell explains how we might see something as being real through certain facts, but in the end it is actually not. When the geologists and other people examined the statue they felt they could put a lable like "fresh" on to the piece of art. Whereas, in the end the statue was not even real after further examination.
This relates back to chapter 3 in the sense that facts are perceived as reality. In the case of "Blink" the people took their facts that they gathered and tried to make the statue seem real through them.
This excerpt forces everyone to look at different situations more critically, and to not just go by the facts, but more importantly go by our own natural feeling.
I felt the same way as you Maria. When I first read the article, I thought that the statue was real because the experts said it was real. After I found outthat the staute was not real, I felt stupid for being so easy to take others information to be true. The article on blink teaches that a person cannot rely on others with out a large amount of research on the subject. If so, then a person becomes a victim because he/she will always be taken advantage of.
My refernce for my position on the "Blink" article comes from our textbook on pgs. 78-80.
While reading the excerpt "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell, it was interesting to see how it was related to the discussion we had in class on Chapter 3: "Facts, What's Real".
In my group, we talked about how everyone's interpretation on facts is different for each person, and how it depends on how it is perceived by that individual. We talked about how feelings could also be facts, but it was all up to that one person.
In the reading, I found it interesting when Gladwell said, "Decisions made very quickly can be every bit as good as decisions made cautiously and deliberately(14)." This goes along with facts and how they can be feelings because when you feel a certain way, there is probably a reason for it. For example, if someone is contemplating jumping off of a bridge and they know the consequences of that, it is their gut feeling telling them that they shouldn't do it because they will die, and that is also a fact because they will.
The main purpose of "Blink" is to tell us to trust our first instints because they are usually correct. We get the gut feeling because we know something is true and that is our body letting us know so.
I must agree with what Lyric stated earlier, our intuition is often the first tool used during analysis of any situation. Whenever we meet someone we often rely on our "gut feeling" when making judgement of someone's character. Using are intuition can also lead to us generalizing a situation based on a past experience. For example I am deathly afraid of dogs beacuse of a past dog bite, I come across a seeing-eye dog and my intuition tells me to run because I automatically predict the dogs behavior will be similiar to the behavior of dogs I have encountered in the past. This form of prejudgement is wrong, because must seeing-eye dogs are harmless. In this situation my "gut feeling" or intuition was false.
I must agree with what Lyric stated earlier, our intuition is often the first tool used during analysis of any situation. Whenever we meet someone we often rely on our "gut feeling" when making judgement of someone's character. Using are intuition can also lead to us generalizing a situation based on a past experience. For example I am deathly afraid of dogs beacuse of a past dog bite, I come across a seeing-eye dog and my intuition tells me to run because I automatically predict the dogs behavior will be similiar to the behavior of dogs I have encountered in the past. This form of prejudgement is wrong, because most seeing-eye dogs are harmless. In this situation my "gut feeling" or intuition was false.
Clarice, I agree with what you are saying. "Blink" does encourage us to trust ourselves, which is kind of what I was saying about the first instinct. When we get gut feelings, we know that it is our body's way of letting us what we need to do in the situation. For me, when I get the gut feeling and don't follow it, I end up regretting my decision and wish I would have gone with my gut and made the better choice.
Many of the concepts presented in Malcolm Gladwell's excerpt "Blink" are present in many sections of chapter 3. Stanley Margolis, a geologist from the University of California examined the components of the sculpture and concluded that the statue was made of dolomite marble and calcite from the Island of Thasos [4]. Margolis concluded that the sculpture was authentic based on the "fact" that Dolomite can turn into calcite over the course of hundreds, and thousands of years [4]. Another group of experts concluded that dolomite can be transformed into calcite through a process that involved using potato mold. In chapter 3, a brief definition of the term fact is given. It states that a fact is not true or real, but in all actuality our interpretations of what is real and true (78). Margolis concluded that the statue was real based on what he perceived to be real and true; this is an illustration of what Mayfield present in chapter under the section "Facts are not absolutes". In another situation, Evelyn Harrison, an expert in Greek sculptures had a hunch that something was wrong with the kouros. Her hunch turned out to be correct, and this was precisely what was discussed in Chapter 3, where it discussed how 'Feelings can be Facts'.
Many of the concepts presented in Malcolm Gladwell's excerpt "Blink" are present in many sections of chapter 3. Stanley Margolis, a geologist from the University of California examined the components of the sculpture and concluded that the statue was made of dolomite marble and calcite from the Island of Thasos [4]. Margolis concluded that the sculpture was authentic based on the "fact" that Dolomite can turn into calcite over the course of hundreds, and thousands of years [4]. Another group of experts concluded that dolomite can be transformed into calcite through a process that involved using potato mold.
In chapter 3, a brief definition of the term fact is given. It states that a fact is not true or real, but in all actuality our interpretations of what is real and true (78). Margolis concluded that the statue was real based on what he perceived to be real and true; this is an illustration of what Mayfield present in chapter under the section "Facts are not absolutes". In another situation, Evelyn Harrison, an expert in Greek sculptures had a hunch that something was wrong with the kouros. Her hunch turned out to be correct, and this was precisely what was discussed in Chapter 3, where it discussed how 'Feelings can be Facts'.
Hello Alestri,
I thought it was interesting that you mentioned the connection that you have with your baby. I think in certain relationships, these intuitions that we get can be way stronger than in any other situations. In the Blink reading, the art experts had instant reactions that were more involved with their professional lives. I think the feelings in a family or personal life will always be stronger. The link that you get by being raised with or by someone seems like it can just be a more accurate set of feelings. The example that you used just seemed to make me realize this.
Malcolm Gladwell's Blink, validates Chapter 3 "Facts, What's Real?" in Marly’s Mayfield Thinking for Yourself by showing how are thinking processes work and how sometimes we are betrayed by those processes. Mr. Gladwell states, “Our unconscious is a powerful force. But it’s fallible. It can be thrown off, distracted, and disabled. Our instinctive reactions often have to compete with all kinds of other interests and emotions and sentiments.” (15). Mayfield say these same thinking processes lead us to believe fiction, rather than facts.
Malcolm Gladwell's Blink, validates Chapter 3 "Facts, What's Real?" in Marly’s Mayfield Thinking for Yourself by showing how are thinking processes work and how sometimes we are betrayed by those processes. Mr. Gladwell states, “Our unconscious is a powerful force. But it’s fallible. It can be thrown off, distracted, and disabled. Our instinctive reactions often have to compete with all kinds of other interests and emotions and sentiments.” (15). Mayfield say these same thinking processes lead us to believe fiction, rather than facts.
I totally agree with Alestri when she says, "The basis of fact and reality are closely linked, and the end result is truly one's own perception and unique understanding." After reading “The Blind Men and the Elephant” our group had a discussion on what the elephant represents. I thought that elephant represented each man’s own reality and how they interpreted it. We all had a different answer which made our discussion unique.
I totally agree with Alestri when she says, "The basis of fact and reality are closely linked, and the end result is truly one's own perception and unique understanding." After reading “The Blind Men and the Elephant” our group had a discussion on what the elephant represents. I thought that elephant represented each man’s own reality and how they interpreted it. We all had a different answer which made our discussion unique.
I totally agree with Alestri when she says, "The basis of fact and reality are closely linked, and the end result is truly one's own perception and unique understanding." After reading “The Blind Men and the Elephant” our group had a discussion on what the elephant represents. I thought that elephant represented each man’s own reality and how they interpreted it. We all had a different answer which made our discussion unique.
I totally agree with Alestri when she says, "The basis of fact and reality are closely linked, and the end result is truly one's own perception and unique understanding." After reading “The Blind Men and the Elephant” our group had a discussion on what the elephant represents. I thought that elephant represented each man’s own reality and how they interpreted it. We all had a different answer which made our discussion unique.
I believe that the story "Blink" does validate what we have learned in chapter 3. It shows how we as individuals use out thinking process, and how we should think more on following our first thoughts. Second guessing, is not the answer, because when we second guess, we may come up with more problems than following our first thoughts. Being that every decision we make in life makes a difference, it important to follow our first thought being that we chose those first. When we begin to second guess ourselves on certain situation, the outcome may be harder for us to deal with. However, by choosing our first thoughts, our outcome may be a bit vague, but we realize that that was our initial decision.
clarice-
I have to admit myself that after reading Blink it made me thing a little harder about my first opinions. Even though I have experienced many times that my first thought usually is the best; I still take precaution and loose out on things. Then I beat myself up about it. But I go on thinking it’s better safe than sorry. But, now I know better. At least I didn't loose $10 million learning that lesson. Also, I really started to think a little deeper about perception after reading Ch.3 in Thinking For Yourself.
Before reading Chapter 3, I had never given much thought to what reality is, how facts can and have changed with time. When we were doing our in class exercise on Monday, I could actually feel my brain thinking. I began thinking about how can we define things that we just assume everyone knows and really have not had it explained to us. For instance, how could I explain to a blind child what the sky looks like or a color looks like? I would think to start off by telling the child the sky is blue. But how do we explain something that is only experienced through sight to someone that does not have sight? It seems impossible.
When I first read "Blink" I was a bit confused. I did not quite understand what I had read. I found it helpful to go over chapter three in groups during class. After reading "The Blind Men and the Elephant", it gave everyone a chance in the group to explain their own interpretation about the reading from chapter three. Each person has their own perception about things that are true and real to them, which makes it a fact. I also spoke with other classmates about the "Blink" excerpt, which made very useful to make connections between the readings. As a child you are tought by a guardian that you must think before making a decision. In most cases that is right action to take, however, it is okay to trust your intuition. Your intuition is the first feeling you get, which a person learns to follow over time.
Hey Maria! I agree with you that people tend to gather as much information as possible to make better decision. However, if we get have to many options we may lose sight of our initial purpose to a particular situation. We need to remind ourselves that we need to trust ourselves by following our first feeling.
Post a Comment