Remember this post on reading TKM from a different perspective? I've been reading an article about Postmodernism for my 251 class and thought of something a little different today as I came across this quote:
I believe... that we, as a race of people, will see progress, but only if we all cooperate. ... Cooperation among scholars from all fields is vital. Gone are the days of individualism. Gone are the days of conquest. Now is the time for tolerance, understanding, and collaboration.
Since our knowledge always was and always will be incomplete, we must focus on a new concept: holism. We must realize that we all need each other, including all our various perspectives on the nature of reality. We must also recognize that our rationality, our thinking processes, is only one of many influences that can lead us to an understanding of our world. Our emotions, our feelings, and our intuition can also provide us with valid interpretations and guidelines for living.
And we have finally come to realize that no such thing as objective reality exists; there is no ultimate truth, for truth is perspectival, depending upon the community and social group in which we live. Since many truths exist, we must learn to accept each other's ideas concerning truth, and we must learn to live side by side, in a pluralistic society, learning from each other while celebrating our differences.
We must stop trying to discover the undiscoverable--absolute truth--and openly acknowledge that what may be right for one person may not be right for another. Acceptance, not criticism... must become the guiding principles in our lives. When we stop condemning ourselves and others for "not having truth," then and only then we can spend more time interpreting our lives and giving them meaning, as together we work and play.
Sorry, that's a little long. We have been studying so many different theories and methodologies of literary criticism and, to be honest, I have no idea which one I believe works the best. I find that while I'm reading an article on Formalism I completely agree, but then when I read something on Marxism I immediately switch over. So maybe it's simply because I just read an article on Postmodernism, but the above quotation is something I believe in. Still not quite sure how I feel about it pertaining to literary criticism, but at least it's a start.
Where can I get views of those who are different than I am? I'm not sure how I would do this, but my first thought was having a TKM marathon on a Saturday with people of different backgrounds, ages, races, political views, etc., and then having a discussion. Honestly, I don't think this will happen, at least not in person. But maybe using the skills I have learned from this class and trying some new things I could put together a forum and somehow get people from all over to read the book at the same time and then collaborate on the internet.
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