During class, when we were shown the maps video, it got me
thinking deeply about maps and how the video made sense, that every map is
biased. Throughout the video, several examples were given of how sizes of
countries were not proportional, locations were inaccurate, and even the
orientation were biased. Towards the end of the video, when the map is flipped,
I found very interesting how the woman said: “you can’t do this” and later
added “because it’s freaking me out”. This made me realize how stuck we are to
the current perception of the world, a perception where Europe is centralized,
the USA is on the top left, and everything else is not as important. After
reflecting upon that idea, I began to question myself about the map I drew on
the first day of class. Later on, I went even further with my thoughts, and
began to question why I used this map type. Finally, I was able to convince
myself that I would choose another map type to follow and a drawing that is not
so biased. Therefore, after some research, I figured something out. Every map
will need to be biased, just because you can’t properly portray a 3D globe on a
piece of paper. At this point, I was experiencing a small interior crisis,
unable to find a “true” representation of the world. Looking at the Peters
Projection Map, it felt strange to me mainly because of my culture. At my
school, my house, and everywhere I’ve been exposed to, portrayed the earth with
the “Mercator Map”. For 16 years, I have been used to look at certain
proportions and certain placements that weren’t available in other
representations of the world. The thing is, this representation made me feel
comfortable, it made me feel like I knew more of the world than when I looked
at the other type of map. This is when I realized how hard it is to look
through other perspectives. However, I do think it is possible so I will
attempt to change the map that I use and get used to seeing the world according
to the Peters Projection Map. Even though the map will have proportional land
sizes, it will still be biased in a couple of other ways. However, if I
searched my entire life, I would not be able to find an accurate map so while
changing maps won’t make me see the truth, it will definitely help me
understand different point of views.
If i understood correctly you want to start using the peters projection map because it will be more accurate and give you a different perspective on the world, and though i agree that it will give you a new look i think that maps are just tools and how we apply the perspective is the important thing so it would be useful to while trying to get used to one new map keep the other one in mind because sometimes you get so used to the new map that you forget about the old one.
ReplyDeleteI found it very interesting that you mentioned us "stuck" on the same perception of the world and that because you grew up with certain people and in a certain culture, the only map you knew was the common one, the "Mercator Map". This connects to what I wrote on the blog, how different people will often have unique perspectives because they come from different places and have different cultures. Some drew the map in another way because this is what they have learned since a kid, which makes them think it is the correct "answer".
ReplyDeleteExcellent analysis, Pedro. You did a fine job of connecting the dots among the different texts you viewed and activities you did. What you've reached is an essential ToK point, and this understanding will serve you well in this class and your other classes as well.
ReplyDeleteHere's a related knowledge question: When presented with multiple perspectives, how can I judge what's best?
or "is it possible to have any knowledge that is neutral?"