Week 02
For Dewey, communication manifests the human
experience, and it acts as a medium allowing for the exploration of the human
condition. Dewey noted two forms of communication as transmission, the
sharing of ideas, and the ritual, participation in shared experiences.
There is an encounter, and then reality forms as people attribute shared
symbols to their experiences. In this manner, the experience of living
life draws people together through communication and shared understanding.
The Metaphor of the Absurd occurs when our
view of the world collides with the realities of the world. It reflects a
tension between our nature to construct realities based on personal preferences
or desires against an indifferent and irrational world. A significant
problem is our tendency to frame our beliefs around uninformed opinions over
critical thought. The metaphor also acts as a model to increase
understanding through critical thought, and to decrease our biases by exposing
the fallacy of uninformed opinions.
Everyday experiences were the foundation of
Dewey and Camus’s views. Dewey considered problematic communications as
the generator of knowledge, and Camus viewed disconnects as opportunities to
explore and modify our biases. Their theories apply marvelously to my
experiences, although their real world application tends to be rather bumpy.
In either case, both authors reflect that everyday challenges have the
potential to improve our understanding and communication.
Camus spoke to how personal narratives fit
within larger social narratives. His idea, along with Post Modernism,
evoked the idea that we live in numerous narratives. I might return to
Dewey and suggest that we have experiences, but then we form reality based on
the narrative that is most pertinent to us at the time. Camus would have
us consider if the narrative we choose is based on convenience or thoughtful
insight.
Dewey and Camus’s thoughts apply to modern
life. We communicate and navigate numerous narratives and realities
everyday. Problems in communication tend to reflect conflicting
perceptions of reality, competing narratives and ignorance. Both authors
seemed to value the content of communication over the transmission of
information. I think it’s pertinent that both authors view communication
problems as opportunities for self-reflection and growth.
References
Carey, J. (n.d.). CHAPTER 1 A Cultural
Approach to Communication. Retrieved May 11, 2014, from http://www3.niu.edu/acad/gunkel/coms465/carey.html
Sleasman, B. (n.d.) A Philosophy of
Communication as the Absurd: Albert Camus and the Ethics of Everyday.
Tiffin, OH: Tiffin University.
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