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2023-03-05

Last updated Aug 15, 2023

# Great Books

#IDS147

# Assignment 1: The personal response

# Task

Here is a quote about modernism from Filipino poet and Ateneo teacher, Mr. Ramon ‘Rayvi’ Sunico:

Before modernism, our eyes were windows through which we saw reality. In modernism, our eyes have become screens onto which we project the only reality we know for sure, our consciousness.

In 750-1200 words, explain this quote in light of everything you learned from module 1. To support your answer, provide ideas from Demian, from the input given on module 1, and your own personal experience. Your answer should also play close attention to describing the difference between windows and screens. I will look for a central argument in your submission and a well-supported position.

For assignments 1 and 2, revisions are allowed so long as you submit on time. If you submit earlier than the deadline or exactly on the deadline, you may revise your work. If you submit after the deadline, no more revisions are possible. Revisions will be due up to the point when I close the assignment (usually within a week after the deadline).

# Rubric

# Writing

# Idea Dump

# Outline
# Draft 1
  1. Introduction
    1. Hook:
      1. Humanity has a deep fear of the unknown, and this shows in how we treat our unconscious.
        1. Thinking with your brain is deemed rational, while following your heart is considered irrational.
        2. This then extends to the disregard of the individual in mass society
      2. But instead of regarding our psyche as an inflictor of blindness, what if we viewed it as a new kind of sight?
      3. This is the question brought up by modernism
    2. Thesis statement: Modernism shows us that that an objective reality is nonexistent to us; this is because we always perceive it subjectively, through the lens of our psyche.
      1. Give a summary of essay? To transition?
  2. Windows versus Screens
    1. The modern condition acts as a screen; unlike windows, which show us the external world, screens reflect our internal world.
      1. I believe that there is so much more meaning hidden underneath this statement.
    2. To uncover this, I want to dissect the function of windows and screens by analyzing them as forms of media. Both of these objects stand in between spaces (e.g. outdoors-indoors; physical-digital), which enables them to mediate the viewing experience between them. Thus, our views are dictated by windows and screens.
      1. One may assume that the transparency of windows allows only truthful perspectives, while the opaqueness of screens enables the imagination to go wild.
      2. But are they really as different as we think? This is something I’d like to counter.
    3. Windows
      1. While windows provide clear views of what is outside, they can also conceal us from what is on the other side.
      2. The main reason is their function as a barrier, physically separating us from the other side.
      3. This produces an effect of paranormic perception, wherein we disassociate ourselves from the objects we watch because they belong to a different space.
      4. And just as the window separates humans from objects, gazing from behind a window separates us from the people we see.
        1. This division provides a kind of invisibility, explaining why people-watching is such an appealing activity. Perceiving strangers face-to-face is uncomfortable; having a safe space to watch from (like a building or car) removes this tension, which frees us to observe and judge other people.
        2. However, this invisibility inherently clouds our perspective; the people we see outside are reduced to our perceptions of them.
          1. What windows represent: “That is how we see the world: we see it existing outside ourselves, and yet we have only a mental representation of it inside ourselves.
      5. And in line with this, we are reminded of how windows frame our views.
        1. This goes both ways. Take for example a building. Those inside it get a fixed view of the world outside, while those outside it get a fixed view of the building’s interior.
        2. We can apply this to our internal perception and external presentation. The world as we see it will always be defined by our psyche; meanwhile, the way we are seen in the world will always be defined by social identifiers.
      6. Thus, I’d argue that windows are actually screens.
        1. Despite promising authenticity through transparency, the incomplete views they provide inherently create their own reality.
        2. This is the modern perspective.
    4. Screens
      1. As exemplified by windows, the screen as a medium is seemingly neutral, yet apparently biased. It affects the viewer through manipluation, which manifests in many ways:
      2. First, screens manipluate bodies.
        1. Screens serve as safeguards. They can do this by acting as dividers, buffers, and protectors.
        2. However, this form of protection can also become a means of enclosure.
          1. The same walls used to shield people from the elements can also be used to detain them.
          2. Similarily, our psyches can act as prisons. They could lead us to withdraw into ourselves, closing us off from the people around us.
      3. Second, screens manipluate information.
        1. Screens function as filters, simultaenously transmitting and translating the information it intercepts.
        2. This inherently involves exclusion, for interpretation is impossible without this. When information is processed to be comprehendible, there will always be meaning lost in translation. Thus, the screen becomes as a censor.
        3. This kind of censorship can be seen in the mass society’s approach to knowledge. Due to its rational viewpoint, collective and scientific knowledge is valued more than self-knowledge.
          1. Add more examples from Jung chapter 1
      4. Third, screens manipluate images.
        1. Screens serve as both displays and masks. Take for example Plato’s Allegory of the Cave. Acting as a screen, the cave wall presents shadows to the prisoners while also concealing the objects these shadows come from. What this shows us is that both neutrality and bias can be found in a screen’s projection.
        2. This paradox is also exemplified by psychological dualism — the human person’s capacity for good and evil. Our split condition can fragment our image of reality, dividing it into worlds of light and darkness. If we fail to acknowledge our divided nature, we could end up projecting evil onto others, for this is easier to do compared to recognizing evil in ourselves.
      5. Finally, screens manipluate memory.
        1. At first, screens are seen as reflective surfaces, displaying only what is in front of it. But mass media like television, films, and websites show how screens can also act as storage. So what if screens could store experience? Just as screens censor information, experiences conveyed by screens would become inherently warped.
        2. This is best shown by Sigmund Freud’s concept of the screen memory: a seemingly trivial childhood memory that is used to cover an associated significant memory. People unwittingly use screen memories to protect themselves from repressed traumas or desires.
        3. Here, we can see how the psyche screens our experiences to leave us with acceptable memories; these screen memories then enable us to maintain the fiction of a stable identity.
  3. Reflection
    1. What we can take away from the analogy of windows and screens is that all we see through the lens of modernism is our shadowy internal life. This life can affect our external world by alienating us from others, restricting our learning, tainting our perceptions, and repressing our memories. Despite the darkness it holds, our psyche only becomes truly detrimental to us when is ignored; by acknowledging its influence, we can learn to live with it.
    2. The key to this lies in self-knowledge, which we can acquire through exploring our unconscious. Contrary to common belief, our shadow self need not be an enemy; if we address this self (a.k.a. shadow work), we would gain psychological insights that we could then integrate into our personality.
    3. I myself can vouch for the benefits of this process.
      1. Growing up in a psychologically and financially difficult family situation has deeply scarred me.
      2. I believed this “marked” me for life, deeming me an outcast in a culture driven by close ties. For me, it explained why it was so hard to connect with most people; only those who experienced similar circumstances could bear getting close to me.
      3. I became a workaholic, pursuing success in hopes of covering this “mark”, but this trauma continued to bleed into my life; this would end up causing harm to myself and my loved ones.
      4. Setting aside the time to process my experiences (through conversations with friends, therapists, and myself) enabled me to reframe my mindset. My trauma may have clouded my perpsective of reality, but I believe it has also enrichened it, for it gives me a deeper understanding of human nature. In the past, I assumed the worst in people; now, I understand that everyone comes from a place of pain, and those who hurt others simply haven’t addressed their own pains. I wouldn’t have been able to adopt this viewpoint if I haven’t gone through my own suffering.
    4. Thus, I call everyone to embrace this way of seeing. Reality as we know it may not exist, but modernism shows us that we have the power to create our own reality. So will you choose to stay blind, or keep your eyes open?
# Writing Dump

As exemplified by windows, screens are seemingly neutral, yet apparently biased. They affect the viewer through manipulation, which manifests in many ways. First, screens manipulate bodies. Screens serve as dividers, safeguarding us from the potentially harmful. However, this form of protection can also become a means of enclosure. The same walls used to shield people from the elements can also be used to detain them. Similarly, our psyches can act as prisons. They could lead us to withdraw into ourselves, isolating us from others.

Second, screens manipulate information. Screens function as filters, simultaneously transmitting and translating the information they intercept. But inherently involves exclusion; when information is processed to be comprehensible, there will always be meaning lost in translation. Thus, the screen enables censorship. This can be seen in society’s approach to knowledge, wherein collective and scientific knowledge is valued more than self-knowledge. As a result, an individual’s insight and reflection is often crushed, making them vulnerable to ideological fanaticism.

Third, screens manipulate images. Screens serve as both displays and masks. We can see this in Plato’s Allegory of the Cave; acting as a screen, the cave presents shadows to the prisoners while also concealing the objects these shadows come from. What this shows us is that both neutrality and bias can be found in a screen’s projection. This paradox is also exemplified by psychological dualism. Our split condition can fragment our image of reality, dividing it into worlds of light and darkness. If we fail to acknowledge our divided nature, we could end up projecting evil onto others, for this is easier to do compared to recognizing evil in ourselves. 

Finally, screens manipulate memory. Screens are typically seen as reflective surfaces, displaying only what is in front of it. But mass media like television, films, and websites show how screens can also act as storage. So what if screens could store experience? Just as screens censor information, experiences conveyed by screens would become inherently warped. This is best shown by the screen memory: a seemingly trivial childhood memory that is used to repress an associated significant memory, such as a life-changing trauma or deviant desire. Here, we can see how the psyche screens our experiences to leave us with acceptable memories; these memories then enable us to maintain the fiction of a stable identity.

 What windows and screens show us is that all we see through the lens of modernism is our internal life. This can affect our external world by alienating us from others, restricting our learning, tainting our perceptions, and repressing our memories.

# Draft 2
# Outline
  1. Introduction
    1. Hook: We all have a deep fear of the unknown, and this shows in our treatment of the unconscious.
      1. Thinking with your brain is deemed rational, while following your heart is considered irrational.
      2. But instead of regarding our psyche as an inflictor of blindness, what if we viewed it as a new kind of sight?
      3. This is what I thought of when I read Mr. Sunico’s quote, seeing how modernism has turned our eyes from windows to screens.
    2. Thesis: This conceptualization shows that an objective reality is nonexistent to us; this is because we always perceive it subjectively, through the lens of our psyche.
    3. Summary: In this essay, I will be explaining my understanding of modernity by dissecting windows and screens BLANK
  2. Windows v.s. Screens
    1. According to Mr. Sunico, windows show us the external world, while screens reflect our internal world.
    2. What if we interpreted these objects as forms of media?
      1. Both stand in between spaces, which enables them to mediate the viewing experience between them. Thus, our viewpoints are dictated by windows and screens. 
    3. One may assume that the transparency of windows only shows what is true, while the opacity of screens highlights the imaginary.
    4. However, I would like to argue that windows and screens are not as different as they seem.
    5. While windows provide clear views of what is outside, they are also capable of concealing us from what is on the other side.
    6. This also reminds us of how windows frame our views.
    7. Thus, I believe that windows are actually screens.
      1. Despite promising authenticity through transparency, the incomplete views they provide inherently create their own reality.
      2. This is what characterizes the modern condition.
  3. Connection to Demian
    1. Reality is created by our own perceptions as opposed to the perceptions of others (Identity, Fragmentation)
    2. The journey to the self can be terrifying (Alienation) 1. Tensions of the modernist
  4. Connection to Personal Life

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