Sense Perception in an AOK PDF

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Short essay on sense perception as an "area of knowledge"...

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Sense Perception in an AOK: Social Sciences Throughout our quest for knowledge it is important to examine sense perception in each of our Areas of Knowledge as it determines our versions of reality. In the social sciences there are many cases where sense perception is imperative to understand. History is mainly based off the different accounts of a diverse range of people who witnessed an important event. Due to this, there are many different versions of the same truth, and at times many so-called “facts” do not match up. For example, many people have different opinions and beliefs about who started the First World War. Given all the facts, a historian may form his/her own opinion on the matter due to a personal or cultural bias they may not even notice. Therefore when studying history, one should take caution when blindly believing one side of a story, as it can often be influenced by our senses. This is also why OPVLs are used by historians when examining a source as it allows them to get a deeper understanding of the different factors that are altering reality and to acknowledge the limitations of sources. Another example of sense perception in the social sciences is when looking at political decisions. In some cases an individual’s cultural background may affect what they accept as truth. For example, in the United States there are many Republicans who believe that climate change does not exist whilst the other parties accept climate change as a fact and attempt to raise awareness and combat climate change. By looking at these two opposite declarations of “facts” global politicians can begin to understand why the American people have such split versions of reality. This is an example of the affects of authority worship on sense perception, because people tend to believe in what is said by those with power and if important Republicans deem something truth, an everyday American citizen may trust this “fact” more easily. A person’s political beliefs may also interpret the sense data we perceive in regards to seeing ice caps melt and the belief that the ozone is getting weaker. These observations could be truth to some but to many others it is seen simply as an opinion or a false belief that the opposing political party has created. In order for those studying politics to understand and develop their own ideas of reality they must understand the effects of sense perception on a person’s opinions and truths. Hence, in the social sciences sense perception can affect any individual in their attempt to form their own version of reality and this is the reason why when studying any of the different aspects of the social sciences we must be careful and aware of the influence of sense perception. Sense perception also affects the version of reality we as knowers accept as the truth, and by becoming aware of this one can begin to understand why we accept the truths we do....