Blog 6: Sensory Perception Intro

February 24, 2013
Due March 2, 2013

NPR Story: Bumblebees can SENSE electric fields around flowers
(This story is just a few minutes long, but a great connection to the experimental sciences!)

Short Story to Consider Reading: "Cathedral" by Raymond Carver; find under "ToK handouts" of my website.

____________________________________________________________

To imagine a world without sensory details is nearly impossible. The age-old question, "If a tree falls in a forest, and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?" could be reworded into, "Does a sound have to be heard to be considered sound?" If presence is required for sensory detail to exist, then is the ocean still blue, even when we can't see it? Is a knife still sharp, even if the blade is not cutting us?

Writers also rely heavily on sensory detail, both in fiction and nonfiction, because it is one way to make the written material relevant, to make it meaninful to other humans. Imagine The Great Gatsby written without any sensory description! Still, there is so much sensory detail in every aspect of our lives that we must subconsciously edit out some things.

Writing Prompt: As we begin our exploration into sensory perception, I want you to try this activity, then write about it: Spend time thinking about how you experience the world through each of these primary senses: sight, smell, sound, touch, and taste.  Rather than ask you which sense you would choose to give up, I want to ask you that if you had to spend a year without each sense, what would you miss the most.  For example, if you were to spend a year without your sense of taste, what would you miss the most? Repeat for each of the senses. You may need to spend some time thinking about this one! Your answers will be interesting to read and comment on!