Please, allow me to be brusque: these premises are difficult! I mean, the prompt seems so simple in questioning belief, but for me, belief in something requires an investigation in seeking certainty. Because I subscribe to a truth system of many lower-case “Ts”, I find myself critical of Samovar, Porter, and Jain’s argument that “most Americans hold three basic beliefs about human nature” (Trenholm, 2008, p. 353). I believe “truth” is socially constructed and an interpretation we establish through our experiences. Therefore, decision-making and perspective-taking are influenced by our convictions, which is why I cannot fully employ the rationality premise. In my lifetime, I have seen “average” people make repentant decisions. When I review the perfectibility premise, I find myself thinking “Oh, those align with the ‘laws’ of religion…specifically Christianity” as I have experienced certain family members follow meticulous regimens to place themselves “closer to God.” While I concur, “human behavior is shaped by environmental factors” (p. 353), the mutability premise, for me, is questionable because its “belief in universal education” (p. 353) (even beyond the formal realm) is linked to access and privilege in order to improve and overcome circumstances.
No comments:
Post a Comment