Most people pride themselves on their independence, by this I do not mean that one prides themself on being able to get out of bed without an aid. Instead I mean that so many people I knoe pride themselves on their ability to think independently and without the help of others. They claim that they can think outside the box, that they can work completely independently of everyone, that all their thoughts, their words and even their writing style are all their own.
This is very well, and I do not blame the individual for believing in this with his heart and soul; alas if I were not in a different position I am truly aware that I too would think this way. However, I dont. When my friends found out that I do not believe my thoughts are at all my own, people have asked why it is I feel this way; so far I have never been able to give them an answer in words. So I got to thinking why it is I don't believe that my work is at all my own.
I turned to the place that recently I have too happy to turn to: The Library. Yes, I was in the Universiry Library reading one of the many Psychology books they own, I was infact reading a topic which could not have been less related to the thought that came into my mind. The thought stemmed from my very first lecture at the University, my lecturer had started an extremely boring lecture on different research methods, and how we start most research. The answer will probably not surprise you: There is some influence.
The most common way for people to learn anything (it is infact the only way) is through an authority figure. This figure can be ones parents, their teachers, their friends, siblings and their partners. Consequently that person was taught by some more authority figures who were taught by more authority... oh I could go on all day but I'll save you the long and boring task of reading it and me the painstakingly long task of writing it out. The simple way to put it is we all learn from authority figures, and we always have, and so our thoughts stem right back to the first discoveries, as we were not present 5000 years ago, well we've obviously been taught what to think, yet we know it simply as 'taught what is correct.'
This is my argument for not believing in my own free thought. Something I have always believed in. Yet it was not until just weeks ago that I realised just how strong an influence my authority figures have had on me. It was a beautiful and sunny Monday morning in late May of this year and I was in my garden relaxing. My mind, as it does, began to wander, taking my back to my school years. My 12th grade Geography tutor at the Academy where I studied, he spoke to me of weather patterns, he explained that the harsher the winter the warmer the summer. Although this is one of many theories (e.g. global warming, sunspots, excetera, excetera.) yet I found myself with no evidence to back this up except what a high school Geography teacher had told me, yet was suddenly using it to explain the excellent weather.
So, you could ask why does this bother me? It is quite simple; I return to my lecturer telling me the joys of learning from authority figures, such is that they are not always right. Although my lecturer achieved her PhD and was stood teaching me, she has been wrong, her opinions are often subjective. My geography teacher had not read his theory in a book, he had simply observed it. Yet I trust too much what they say, and when I turn to my textbooks, I find that I am again listening to the opinions of the writer(s); yet more authority figures.
We cannot escape them, we shall not escape them and so, our thoughts shall never be truly independent.
Not registered?
Create an account