Recently, we have been getting very in depth into society and how it affects people, and just how it affects the world in general. One big thing that we discussed was the topic of Empathy. The definition of the word empathy, is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. Empathy is a very big part of society, and plays a big role in making it the way it is today. In the speech "The Power of Outrospection" Roman Krznaric states, "Empathy can create a revolution of human relationships." This just goes to show how much influence empathy has on individuals, and how much it affects society. Also, in the speech "The Empathic Civilisation", Jeremy Rifkin says, "Humans are not soft wired for aggression, violence, self interest, or utilitarianism, but instead sociability, attachment, affection, and companionship. This basically shows how empathy is naturally programmed into all humans, and it is just a part of life.
Another aspect of society that plays a huge role in affecting people and how they act and live their lives is the idea of senses. Senses are basically the gateways that allow individuals to absorb and process information. In the speech "Changing Paradigms", Ken Robinson states that art is an aesthetic experience, and an aesthetic experience is an experience in which an individuals senses are operating at their peak, and the individual is fully "alive". He also states that anaesthetic experiences are experiences in which the senses are completely shut off. When Robinson is talking about this, he says that many of the activities people do nowadays, such as video games, mindless television shows, and using electronics such as cell phones are anaesthetic, and that these activites are in a way preventing society from moving forward in realms such as art and creativity. Another way that senses are a huge factor in society impacting people can be found in the speech "First as Tragedy, Then as Farce" when Slavoj Zizek talks about how people do not purchase things such as organic apples because they believe they taste better than normal apples, but instead because it gives them a "warm" feeling inside and makes them believe that they are helping mother earth and making the world a better place. Zizek believes that this is something that is wrong with today's society, and that all this does is satisfy people by making them believe that they are playing a big part in permanently helping a cause, but instead all they are doing is momentarily helping it. Another example of this is the shoe company Toms. For every pair of shoes that a customer purchases from this company, one pair is donated to people who are in need. Zizek believes that this is a bad thing because it makes people truly think they are helping a cause, when in reality the individual that receives the shoes is still in the same situation as they were before. Obviously, the topics of senses and empathy are two things that play a massive role in society, and how society effects not only people, but also the world as a whole.
VS. 
Another aspect of society that plays a huge role in affecting people and how they act and live their lives is the idea of senses. Senses are basically the gateways that allow individuals to absorb and process information. In the speech "Changing Paradigms", Ken Robinson states that art is an aesthetic experience, and an aesthetic experience is an experience in which an individuals senses are operating at their peak, and the individual is fully "alive". He also states that anaesthetic experiences are experiences in which the senses are completely shut off. When Robinson is talking about this, he says that many of the activities people do nowadays, such as video games, mindless television shows, and using electronics such as cell phones are anaesthetic, and that these activites are in a way preventing society from moving forward in realms such as art and creativity. Another way that senses are a huge factor in society impacting people can be found in the speech "First as Tragedy, Then as Farce" when Slavoj Zizek talks about how people do not purchase things such as organic apples because they believe they taste better than normal apples, but instead because it gives them a "warm" feeling inside and makes them believe that they are helping mother earth and making the world a better place. Zizek believes that this is something that is wrong with today's society, and that all this does is satisfy people by making them believe that they are playing a big part in permanently helping a cause, but instead all they are doing is momentarily helping it. Another example of this is the shoe company Toms. For every pair of shoes that a customer purchases from this company, one pair is donated to people who are in need. Zizek believes that this is a bad thing because it makes people truly think they are helping a cause, when in reality the individual that receives the shoes is still in the same situation as they were before. Obviously, the topics of senses and empathy are two things that play a massive role in society, and how society effects not only people, but also the world as a whole.
VS. 
No comments:
Post a Comment