Journal #3: Subtances

The video where I gathered some of my arguments can be found here. There is some strong language, but overall I believe the message is a strong one.

While watching a few video’s on the war against drugs in the United States a question came to mind that I could not answer. To what extent should the government be involved with the protection of the self? By this I do not mean from outside factors but decisions made by the individual that affect only the individual. For example the consumption of drugs. When one takes drugs they are only affecting their own state of consciousness, they have made a decision that will affect them and affect them only. The state already has rules and regulations for those who act out of order and cause harm to other people. So why should the consequences be different if the person is in an altered state of consciousness. While the idea of responsibility of the government to protect the people comes into play, I believe that rather than force the people to conform to one social norm, the state should instead provide a very thorough and detailed education of what it is that the substance does. Rather than simply banning the substance make the information available to those who wish to take it, so that the decision can be well informed and the person can know what they are getting into. Because of the lack of this, when people are exposed to legal and illegal substances at a young or old age, they have no idea how to handle it. They don’t know what they are getting into and as a result negative things ensue, further pushing this idea of the substances being detrimental to society as a whole.

The idea of the legalization of drugs is one that scares people, because the perceive this as allowing people to become out of control, to allow them to cause harm to those around them and to themselves. But with the proper implementation of an education system where people learn about the true affects of these drugs the decision to alter ones state of consciousness would be one that is more though through. If people know how addicting and harmful the stronger drugs really are the temptation to do them would lessen. And if one did chose to explore these substances the consequences lie solely upon themselves. The perception of some softer drugs have been blown out of proportion and as a result any information given by the state is mistrusted and people do not believe that the harm that can be caused by harder drugs is true. But with a legalization of these substances as well as an implantation of an education system where the facts are provided, there would be no reason to doubt the harmful affects of some of the substances.

The main point that I’m trying to drive at is that the government, or the state, should not be so involved in the ‘protection’ of the individual from the individual themselves. The people should be allowed to experiment, should be allowed to make their own mistakes, and should be allowed the chance to receive a trustable education as to what each substance does to their body. Without this we become a prisoner of our own consciousness. We are unable to explore what has previously perceived as harmful and dangerous.

Journal #2: Math

The study of math is one that is incredibly important to society. However I believe that this only applies up to a certain point. While the concept of addition, subtract, multiplication, and division is important to function in society, other forms of math seem to be completely useless. Geometry and trigonometry are useful in some parts of society and help on develop reasoning skills. They allow the student to see patterns and use pre-acquired knowledge to come to a concrete solution, which allows them to use the same reasoning skills within society. This process of reasoning allows people to make decisions when faced with a problem by identifying the problem and using pre-acquired knowledge to solve it. It is a process that is incredibly important to be able to function in certain careers and in society in general. However when being introduced to the concept of calculus, a required course for all high school students, our professor prefaced it with the phrase ‘unless you are perusing a mathematical career this has no use in other professions and something you will never use in real life’. So I ask; why is it required for those of us not perusing a career in mathematics?

At first I came to the conclusion that much like geometry and trigonometry it must push the reasoning process further. However it became clear after a few lessons that this was not the case. We instead were given formula to solve complex equations and were made to be familiar with the reoccurring steps that present themselves in every equation. Rather than using our own pre acquired knowledge to solve a problem we used the same generic steps for every problem. The question remains that if most of us will never use any of the knowledge in real life, why is it a requirement to study it? Learning an equation and following the same 4-6 steps to come to a somewhat meaningless answer that looked more like the alphabet than math seem redundant and pointless. Would it not make more sense to enhance the reasoning skills that would be applicable in life? While it still is important for those who will use calculus in life to be familiar with the basics then wouldn’t it make more sense to make the course optional?

But no, our IB math class continues to learn more and more steps to solving complex equations that have no real meaning. The only benefit from the class is the sense of satisfaction that is resultant from finishing a problem that took up to 20 minutes to grasp and eventually come to a final answer. Perhaps the reason that calculus is useful is because it invokes the mind to strive to finish, and simply, and complex equation. Rather than just give up and ask for help, the students in class strive to finish each equation and end up with the right answer. Unlike any other class, in math there is that sense of completion that comes along with getting the right answer. There is no room for improvement like there is in Art, History, or English. If the steps you followed are correct you have reached the end and are successful. Calculus perhaps is important because instead of improving reasoning it requires a level of perseverance that the other types of math do not provide.

Journal #1: History

It occurred to me recently that when someone learns a historical fact for the first time, unless it is completely absurd, will almost never question its legitimacy. When students learn about history from a history book or a professor the knowledge that is presented to them is always considered to be factual. This is for two reasons. The first is because there is no way that the student can know if what they are hearing is false, because unless presented with outside information there is no counter to the argument that is presented to them. And the second is because a figure of authority is presenting it to them. When one is given information that they know little about, they will believe it as long as the person who presents the information is perceived as reputable. For example when reading about the historical findings of people like the Romans for the first time, any information given to the reader is absorbed and accepted with no second thought simply because the person does not think about whether the information could be false. To them the book they are reading has been highly researched and well written, when in fact it could be loosely based on assumption and fallacies.

The reason the intrigues me is because for all we know all the history that has ever been presented to us could be false. It could have been a joke that got out of hand and spread and become ‘common knowledge’ or legitimized by respectable historians. All that students have learned from the many history books could in fact be fantasy that was slowly brought into society to achieve some sort of goal. Now while this blog is slowly becoming a conspiracy theory, I believe that this issue sheds light on something of great importance. In society, those in a position of power and respect are not often questioned. The analysis of history by reputable historians that are backed by some facts are accepted by society and not questioned. Which, in a way, could make some historical fallacies legitimate. For example take the idea that is held by some Christian anti-Semites that the ‘prophet’ Christ was killed by the Jewish people. This belief for a majority of the time preceding World War Two and in some places is still believed today, was normal and legitimized by historians the Christian Church. However this in fact false. It labels the Jewish population as Christ killers and refuses to acknowledge the fact that it was the Romans who killed Christ, and also ignores the fact that Christ himself was Jewish. Because the fallacy was spread by those in a position of power, people believed it. And the ‘fact’ became a part of society.

The power that is given by this idea of editing history is incredibly dangerous. For if a fact is changed and twisted enough it could create hatred to a group of people. Or it could shift the blame of an atrocity from the guilty group to an innocent one. While it is impossible to create one timeline of history for all people to follow, for there will always be a difference in analysis and opinion, it is important to establish a way of legitimizing facts without a bias. The historians who publish educational material should present facts of events rather than a pre established concept to allow the student to arrive at a conclusion and not be molded into a certain mindset.