idea entry: week 06: october 07

word of the week: BOOKS

quotes:
"Read not to contradict and confute; nor to believe and take for granted;
nor to find talk and discourse; but to weigh and consider.
Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed,
and some few to be chewed and digested:
that is, some books are to be read only in parts,
others to be read, but not curiously, and some few
to be read wholly, and with diligence and attention. " - Francis Bacon

"I've traveled the world twice over,
Met the famous; saints and sinners,
Poets and artists, kings and queens,
Old stars and hopeful beginners,
I've been where no-one's been before,
Learned secrets from writers and cooks
All with one library ticket
To the wonderful world of books."

"Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body." - Joseph Addison

"She is too fond of books, and it has turned her brain." - Louisa May Alcott

annotated source:
"Language externalizes the disguise consciousness throws over thought. The original obstacle to our doing logic correctly is thus the apparent structure of our conscious thoughts, rather than that of public language. Language gets the blame because of its relative palpability: you can point to the offending portion of the sentence but not to the corresponding component of the thought." (McGinn, 96)

McGinn, Colin. The Problem of Consciousness: Essays towards a Resolution. Oxford, UK: B. Blackwell, 1991. 96. Print.

I think this quote is fascinating, the fact that if we took this analogy of thoughts and consciousness and applied it to a photograph. We can point to the physical aspect of movement and behavior shown in a image, but we cannot point to the very "gesture" of a person in real time and analyze. It has to be done through memory, whether recorded through an image or a film. Only then can we dissect each part of the action and study it. So with my project, a study of behavior prescribed from unconscious states of mind, I can point in the image part of a person's action that reveals their mental state of mind, but I cannot uncover that state of mind in the present real time. It is fleeting, intangible, ungraspable and only be looked at and analyze in terms of the past.

summary:
We look to books for answers. We read to understand. We read and over analyze what we read and begin to contradict ourselves. We escape to books to live other lives. We hide in books because we need answers and we are too afraid to let anyone know and ask for their help. We live in books because it has happy ending sometimes. We live in books because we can choose who we want to be around, who we want to fall in love with, and who makes our wishes come true. We read books to better understand ourselves. We look to connect through books. We look to be books, because new ideas in books can be metaphorical to hands that lead and pull us in new directions we haven't thought to go about. Books understand us. Books are non-judgmental. Books only echo our curiosity. If we are clever enough, we can get through life and find all the answers to our troubles along the way through books, loyal company and guidance.

BUT, they also drive us crazy! Book make us doubt ourselves. Books contradict our views. Books argue with our believes and confuse our mind with what we have previously acquire. Books lead us to feeling of mistrust, sometimes. Books sometimes lead us down stray paths. Books play games with us. Books trick us and attacks our mind with unexpected twists of plots and endings. Books sometimes hurt us with the truth. They keep us in balance with the thoughts and imaginations that we make up in our head.

Everything said is relevant to my work, from ideas arising, to satisfying curiosity, to looking for answers. Photograph can substitute in for the word book above and everything remains the same.