GRADE: A-

Thought Paper JB Ch. 1-3

Open your mind, take a step back, and question your reality. As a 5-day-old freshman in college I found certain elements of Bronowski’s work particularly intriguing. Perhaps the most preeminent aspect Bronowski points out is that we tend to be overly dependent on our sense of sight in our perception of the outside world. While I had never given this matter much thought, when I analyzed his argument I personally found it to hold true. In the past few days, I’ve met a multitude of people. While I try to keep an open mind when I meet someone new, I inevitably find myself passing snap judgments of people based on their appearance. Thankfully, I’m not so superficial as to dismiss a person entirely solely based on their looks. An interesting matter Bronowski pointed out was that our vision is flawed. He also stated that not all animals see as we do. I wonder what it would be like if we were all color blind. Would such a change effect issues such as racism in our society?

Another important issue Bronowski addressed and that I feel compelled to comment on is the matter in which we, man, communicate. While we have different ways of communicating with each other hearing and sight seem to be the dominant mediums. However, I find it very interesting with the amount of ways humans have devised to communicate with each other. Whether by facial expressions, signs, text, symbols, or even artwork we are able to convey the majority of our emotions. Through speeches, poems, music or even normal conversation we can basically communicate any idea we need to.

Another of Bronowski’s central ideas in his lecture is humans’ ability to carry out meaningful communication with each other. It’s been quite interesting observing all the different personality types I’ve encountered. Each individual is unique and has a different way of reacting to a situation. While a person’s reaction to a certain event may appear wild, I found it interesting that man possesses the sole ability of acting deliberately rather than on pure instinct.

While animals are preprogrammed with a set of instructions to follow, Bronowski points out that humans are able accumulate knowledge and experience from previous generations. What if we did not have this ability? At this instant I might be trying to figure out how to start a fire rather than sitting in front of a computer writing a paper on human experience and knowledge. I think the ability to accumulate knowledge is man’s greatest gift. Without it, there would be no permanent advances.

Bronowski also mentioned that humans are the only animals to have the foresight to plan for the future. He mentioned that when a chimpanzee encounters an ant nest he will look for a nearby stick to use as a tool. However, the chimp never thinks to stockpile a supply of sticks for the future. I think this has been of enormous advantage to man. Personally, I’m planning ahead at this very instant by preparing a paper tonight, rather then realizing that I need one on my way to class.

Bronowski’s message is interesting. While I don’t necessarily agree with everything he says, I do feel as though I’m more aware of what is going on around me. Or at least I’m paying closer attention to what’s going on. Brownowski stated that our views can change with increased knowledge. It will be interesting to see if I still feel the same way about things after finishing this course.