What a Interesting Class.

If I am asked to choose one thing from this class that I am taking away with me, although there is a lot of things excited me, things I am interested in, still it would have to be Rene Descartes's the concept of doubt. On the one hand, it inspires me to always take a step back, do a little research and thinking before believing the"reality". However, on the other hand, it bothers me because now I will have to investigate before trusting anything and anyone? This bothers me and I feel like if I really live with this concept of his, I perhaps will become a conspiracy-er or that I will be alienated from the reality? I don't know.

Part of me think that why can't everybody be honest and right about what they address? So that I can simply trust, follow and live. But apparently, as Bruno Latour mentioned in his very last essay that such style of critique is not getting us anywhere. Only speak for myself, in order for myself to critique something, I have to ask questions myself, I have to doubt. Is Al Gore to be trusted? Is the Earth really warming up? Is Friedman's idea that the market will be able to take care of itself right? As mentioned it interests me and inspires me to explore and to think, but it exhausts me to doubt everything all the time. One recent experience that I can share is that I went to a Living Green Expo yesterday and in the exhibition, there were a lot of different companies selling their green energy ideas, green energy apparatus like solar panel. I doubt if that solar panel is going to help, I doubt which organization I can trust, I doubt what their purpose behind, and I doubt. 

Doubting everything and doubting things all the time may make one alienated from reality. The more one doubts or questions reality, the more likely one will be alienated. But when one is alienated from the reality, where else can one go? Can one create another place that reality does not exist? Although I am so sure about what I just asked, it reminded me of a interview of Steven Pinker talking about why he called the ideas, the blank slate, the noble savage and the ghost in the machine, myths. He said, "Even if you acknowledge, as you have to acknowledge, that learning, socialization, and culture are indispensable aspects of human behavior, you have to admit that you can't have culture unless you have some kind of innate circuitry that can invent and acquire culture to begin with." I don't know if I interpret it right, it gives me a sense that he is suggesting if one wants to escape from reality, one will need to have power to create another reality for oneself. But is that possible? And how is one going to do that? 

Siting in a circle, listening and observing peers from a foreigner perspective, learning from course materials and professors and creating the platform of knowledge together are inspiring. Listening to what everyone wants to express and being open-minded to every single piece of opinion are valuable. This learning style is something I have never experienced before and I doubt if classes I am taking in the future will give me same feeling and excitement. To me, a lot of these course materials are fresh to me, and I as a film major, I wouldnt' be exposed to all these science-oriented issues if I hadn't taken this class. Last but not least, I want to thank Robin for being a excellent example of what I think a professor should be, I want to thank Ben for being enthusiastic and I want to thank everyone for showing me how one's perspective is so effective. This combination of passionate professors, highly informative course materials and inspirational colleagues make me no longer a frog in the well.