Looking back on the
entire course and the different themes I realize that there has been a common
thread and a clear connection throughout the entire course. This was, for me,
only noticeable after the individual themes were completed and I looked back on
these together as a whole instead of individual parts of the course. When
reflecting over the course I realize how broad the extent is that the course
covers. The discussions have been both philosophical, e.g. when analyzing what
knowledge is and more practical, e.g. when discussing the purpose and use of different
methods and when searching for different papers which I feel will be useful when
writing my Master’s thesis.
When reading the texts
assigned in this course I also looked into external literature to help me
understand the texts better. While the texts in themselves contained all the
information I needed in order to analyze and understand the themes that were
discussed I found it helpful to also gain other perspectives on the texts in
order to gain a better understanding of the texts. An example of this was the
first two themes which centered on texts written by Kant, Plato, Horkheimer and
Adorno as well as Benjamin. As these texts were quite complicated for me to
grasp I used other texts that discussed the work of these writers so that I
made sure I had understood the main concepts of the texts.
There were several
important topics discussed during the course but I felt that a few topics stood
and were more central in the discussions. One of these are a priori (which can
be defined as an analytic judgement or knowledge without experience). I feel
that understanding a priori has been an important foundation in the course and
a concept that other topics have been based upon. It also served as a good
introduction to the course and how to think and open up your mind to a more
philosophical reasoning. This concept has also been closely related to
knowledge and if one can be truly objective which has been a recurring
discussion in several themes. The concept of knowledge has also been a topic of
discussion during almost all themes and this was one of the discussions I found
most interesting. We talked about how knowledge is structured in the mind and
is based on preconceptions, therefore absolute knowledge or a “godly” knowledge”
cannot exist as we cannot rise above our own preconceptions. However, in A
Critical History of Philosophy (2003) it is argued that absolute knowledge
exists in the mind of a person. From a person’s subjective point of view, in
that persons mind then a truth is absolute. I can understand this reasoning but
I still feel that we need to be aware of our own preconceptions and how these
affect our knowledge and our view of what is “the truth”. I think that this has
been an important part of the course because when conducting research and defining
a research question it is important to start with answering the question of how
we want to gain knowledge.
Another concept that I
feel is centrally connected to the course is the difference between theory and
hypothesis. This was interesting because it combined the philosophical with the
practical in a clear and concrete way. On the philosophical side, discussions
were made in connection to this theme about whether or not is possible to actually
find the truth (which is also connected to the discussion about knowledge and
preconceptions). Following this discussion I also found literature that
differentiated between different types of truth which I found interesting. There
is a difference between e.g. aesthetic truth, historical truth and scientific
truth where scientific truth is based on experiments and empirical evidence (GCSE
Bitesize, 2014). However, during the seminars we also mentioned that truths are
connected to time and space and paradigm shifts have occurred where a truth is
completely exchanged for a new truth. My view on the subject is that it is only
possible to find a relative truth where relative refers to the circumstances
and preconceptions that exist during a specific time in space. On a more
practical note, theories are needed in order to create a framework when
conducting research. A hypothesis on the other hand is used to test something
and can in simple terms be described as a guess.
One concept that I
also felt has a strong connection throughout several themes was the concept of
a problem. What a problem is, how to define a problem and how to solve a
problem. Haibo Li talked about how defining a problem is 90% of the work and
solving the problem is 10% of the work. In order to solve a problem we must
first know what the actual problem is compared to what the problem is at first
sight perceived to be. Mindtools (2015) also has a similar way of looking at
problem solving. Their definition of how to solve a problem is as follows:
define the problem, generate alternatives, evaluate alternatives and implement
solutions. This is similar to what Haibo Li presented but serves more as a
guideline with four steps whereas Li’s definition gives insight into how to
approach problem solving. During this theme we also discussed how research is
at its core about testing a theory and most importantly to gain knowledge.
This, in turn, leads back to the question about what knowledge is, a priori and
how our preconceptions affect our own knowledge.
To summarize, I think
that the themes have been interconnected, but have helped us focus on different
steps in the research process and different approaches to a research problem as
well as how to conduct research. Though certain themes have served as reminders
rather than providing me with new information I still feel that the entire
course has greatly contributed to my understanding of theory and method for media
technology.
External references:
A. Mahan, R Friedrich. (2003). A Critical History of Philosophy. (Vol.
2.) Xulon Press.
GCSE Bitesize (2014) Truth. URL: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/rs/god/knowledgerev1.shtml
The Mind Tools Editorial Team (2015) What is Problem Solving. URL: https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMC_00.htm
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