Wednesday, March 18, 2015

On Being Wrong, Chapter 7: Our Society

[Being Wrong]

"Our faith that we are right is faith that someone else is right" (141). --Kathryn Schulz

We're moving forward with Kathryn Schulz's Being Wrong, a book that is has been presenting us with all kinds of useful ideas for consideration. In chapter 7, Schulz discusses "our society" and our dependence on others in our understanding of being right and wrong. She covers a variety of other issues as well.

A we continue building a sense of the key issues of the book, what did you view as a central idea or concept of chapter 7? Why or how so? 

16 comments:

Kellsey H said...

I viewed the notion of beliefs and ideas changing from culture to culture as a central concept. For instance, on page 137 Schulz proposes the question, "what does it mean, then, that those ideas so often shift not with the available evidence but, like language or currency or speed limits, with the mere crossing of a border." The accuracy that this sentence possesses is somewhat startling. I had never taken the time to take into consideration that what I may believe to be true and justified, may be regarded as false and inaccurate to another individual. This, I feel, is an issue prevalent within society today.

Peyton D. said...

The concept that stuck out to me is that as humans, we literally cannot think for ourselves. There is no such thing as independent thinking. On page 140, Schultz states to if we were to completely think for ourselves, then "we would relinquish the vast majority of the things we think we know." I have never thought about thinking in that way. My whole life, I have always been a leader and I described myself as an independent thinker but in reality that is not true. With that being said, this applicable to everyday life. Considering no one is an independent thinker, one should take caution with who they spend their time with. You are who you hang out with.

Breanna B. said...

A great example of these cultural divides is religion. Wars are fought over a set of ideas believed to be true. Yet "with the mere crossing of a border," these ideas become controversial to others and even under attack. I find this critical to societal function today, as so many of the issues we face come from a simple cultural difference.

Jacquesia H. said...

I agree with Kellsey. I loved learning about different cultures in my Anthropolgy class last semester. It just opened my mind to the fact that there are sooo many different kinds of people and beliefs. So just what we see as "right" doesn't mean that another culture will believe it as well.

Tameah F. said...

The central concept of this chapter is that society makes us second guess our opinions if it isn't in favor of the majority. Schulz's stated, "In short, if everybody's doing it, it must be a good idea." This statement is especially relevant to all the controversy in today's society.

DuAuna C. said...

To agree with Peyton, the concept that stuck out to me is how our thoughts aren't as original as we think they are. Schulz mentioned on page 140 that "everyone of us is profoundly dependent on other people's minds." I have realized that no matter how many of us may say we are leaders or different someone else's beliefs/opinions have influenced ours.

Adryan B. said...

I viewed the central topic as us as humans and the idea of us being able to think for ourselves. Schulz says that thinking for ourselves is a "laudable goal". Our thoughts on our own cannot necessarily ward off an error. This seems to me why society looks so hard on others opinions that they feel are higher than theirs, we want to listen to ourselves but we will never truly trust ourselves.

Alexandra D. said...

I agree with Peyton. Just like her I always thought I thought on my own and was independent in making my decisions. It's crazy how much our decisions are indirectly influenced by our peers and the people we hang around. You really do have to watch who you surround yourself with.

Lindsey McCall said...

I viewed the idea that we form our opinions based on what society does as the key issue. Lately in society we have been experiencing a teen pregnancy epidemic and it has gotten to the point where my mother and father counts it as a blessing that I have not been pregnant yet. Pregnancy usually follows marriage and now its the other way around because society has accepted that to be "the norm."

Deborrah Blackburn said...

One of the ideas that stuck out to me is that people can no longer think for themselves. When I began thinking about this I realized that it's true because of all the information that's in the world today, it is almost impossible to have an original thought. If you were to look at someone's speech, song, or just read any type of essay, the words in them are filled with phrases and information that has been used many times before. Every once in a while there is someone who has their own idea but even then much of what they are saying has been addressed before but in a different way.
Deborrah B.

Aliyah B. said...

I thought that the central concept from this chapter was regarding human error. Although, we may try to gather with other people to formulate plans, thoughts, and inventions there can still be error involved. However, we cannot necessarily work against group human error with independent thought because our ideas may become outlandish. I thought this was a central idea because it stood out the most to me while I was reading the chapter. It seemed the most important because humans chase after perfection even though human error and making mistakes are completely unavoidable.

Unknown said...

I found the discussion on page 87 to be especially interesting. The way the book discusses this consumption in both positive and negative ways keeps me intrigued as I come to a decision about the issue myself.

Fiona H. said...

Like Peyton and others in the group, the part that stuck out to me was that we as humans cannot think for ourselves. I've always thought of myself as free-thinker and one who thinks outside the box, but according to the book, thats not true at all.

Unknown said...

The central theme of this chapter would be to recognize the difference between cultures. I can connect with this because of the Anthropology class that I am in now where we talk about how other cultures do things and how to be conscious and respectful of these differences.

Courtney said...

“sharing a belief with others sometimes makes us virtually immune to outside opinion that we are wrong”(134). I believe this is the key idea she wants to discuss; This being the first idea she brings to the readers attention. And i concur this concept. When we spread the word we start to believe what is being said and when someone else is aware of our belief or even agrees with it, its harder to dispel.

Anonymous said...

The concept of individual thinking stood out most to me. She basically proves that society molds our thoughts. So even if we do attempt to "think" on our own it's going to be based off some factor in society.
-Monet E.