Hewson Ju Philosophy of the Mind Prompt: What does Laurie Paul mean by ‘transformative experience’? Explain with the help of an example. Why does she think there are special problems in deciding whether to undergo such experiences? Do you agree that there are these problems? Why or why not? Laurie Paul came up with the notion of a “transformative experience” to describe a set of experience that transforms you both epistemically and personally. She uses this idea to argue that it is almost impossible to make decisions both rationally and authentically in the face of a transformative experience. In this essay, I will argue that the all experiences are transformative experiences, and that our decisions for those experiences are still based from …show more content…
There are three different kinds of transformative experience: epistemically transformative, personally transformative, and transformative. An experience is epistemically transformative if the only way to know what it is like is to have it yourself. Examples of this would be trying a new fruit or seeing a new color. There is no way to convey this sensation to a person except through personal experience. Next, we have personally transformative experiences. A experience is personally transformative if it dramatically alters your point of view and preferences. Examples of this would be reading a powerful literature or volunteering in the homeless shelter. These experiences offer new perspectives and change your point of view. Lastly, an experience is transformative if it is both epistemically and personally transformative. Examples of this would be going to college or fighting in a war. There is no way for you to understand the experience or the person you will become until you embark on that …show more content…
This conclusion sounds pretty unlikely. After all, most our decisions are made after some thoughts and efforts. A more plausible explanation is that all decisions are made rationally and authentically. What Paul fail to realize is that even in a big transformative decision, an individual still uses the same decision model as before. While it may be harder since the experience is more abstract. An individual can still translate what they know of the experience into terms that they could understand. With this in mind, they could compare and contrast their utilities of different outcomes, and make genuine and rational decisions despite their uncertainty. In the vampire example, while I may not know how being a vampire would feel like, I do know scientifically that they have certain traits such as immortality and super strength. Thus, depending on how I value these traits, I can compare my current utility with my potential utility and maximize it based on my preferences. While it does require some thinking, you can still come to a rational and authentic decision like any other experience. This decision making process has become so streamlined in simple decisions that we don’t even realize we are participating in this analysis. It is only in the cases of big decisions that we have to think and carefully consider the outcome of each situation.
Phenomenal outcomes are unpredictable in Paul’s argument because a current experience that one uses as a reference now may not be an accurate description of what it would be like to have that experience after experiencing a transformative experience. For example, you may use the fact that you like to sleep through the night as a reference for why you choose not to have a child. Currently, you like sleeping, so you assume that your future self will also like sleeping. However, if you choose to have a child, it is possible that your preference for sleep will change if the satisfaction of caring for your baby is greater than the satisfaction you get from sleeping. Therefore, you have not accurately predicted the value of choosing not to have a child, making your decision
Throughout life people are always seeking something, whether it is finding out ideals, desires, lovers, and perhaps themselves. However, recognizing, fulfilling, and rising above one’s true self are the hardest things in the world because one always seems certain of him or herself and is strongly influenced by his or her surroundings. Hence, taking the time to practice experiences is a way for an individual to precisely know him or herself and actively participate in society. In the essay, “The Power of Context,” Malcolm Gladwell states that the features of one’s current social and physical environment will strongly influence his or her behaviors. Those actions that an individual conduct in response to the situation
It’s hard to believe how making one decision can impact and shape your life for the future. According to Google, decision-making is the action or process of making decisions, especially important ones. While discussing this important topic, decision-making, I’ve come across some things I’ve learned and how they can impact my life. First, impulsive decisions can lead to bad outcomes. In the short story, The Monkey’s Paw, by W.W. Jacobs, the story is based around the idea; think more about a decision than quickly resolving one. Secondly, deciding to run away from your problems can lead to an even greater one. In Edgar Allen Poe’s short story, The Masque of the Red Death, the characters are faced with a problem, but when they believe it has been resolved it turns out to be deadlier than
...raumatic for some, the acknowledgement that you can make a choice in your own environment, which controls who you transform to be, should provide encouragement, although illusionary that choice may be, its effects are not.
An individual’s discovery inevitably involves their attitudes and beliefs being challenged and transformed. Michael Gow represents the ramifications of a discovery through
“The greatest revolution of our generation is the discovery that human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives” (William James).
Hazel, M. "Change is crucial in a person’s life." N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2008. .
Robert Nozick designed the “experience machine” as a thought experiment to analyze what matters to people other than our experiences and the feelings we attain from them. The “experience machine” is a machine that is expertly designed to preprogram lifes’ experiences including the lives of others and is able to give you any experience you desire. The machine provides a large selection of experiences from which one can select life experiences for a selected period of time; after such you will have a selected period of time out of the machine to reselect another set of life experiences and return back to the machine. Nozick’s thought experiment includes everyone in the population as servicing the machine is not required and one does not know if they are inside. The thought experiment explores what truly matters to us apart from our experiences or the temporary moments of bliss we arrive at.
The theory of transformative learning that has been developed by Mezirow during the past 2 decades has evolved "into a comprehensive and complex description of how learners construe, validate, and reformulate the meaning of their experience" (Cranton 1994, p. 22). Centrality of experience, critical reflection, and rational discourse are three common themes in Mezirows theory (Taylor 1998), which is based on psychoanalytic theory (Boyd and Myers 1988) and critical social theory (Scott 1997).
As we expand our knowledge of decision making the one thing that is constant is change. With change comes novelty and complexity as to how we deal with situations. We have been taught not to look at these problems one-dimensionally, but to approach them with our performance and knowledge acquisition components. Leveraging the use of our executive or meta-component process to plan, monitor, and reevaluate our approach to a problem. As humans, we can use our intelligence to deal with the novelty of issues that fall on us and make decisions accordingly.
The world we live in is overflowing with choices and chances. Every day, each and every human must make thousands of decisions. Some decisions may be rather simple to make, or not present a high chance for an unfavorable outcome. While one may decide the apple they picked up from the store is not very sweet, the cost lost on the apple is rather minimal and the consumer will most likely be presented with many more opportunities to pick a delicious apple. However, some choices are much more complicated. Decisions such as where to invest one’s money, or what physical challenges to endure, present very serious consequences. If the wrong decision is made, one could lose their financial security, or even their life.
Transformation is defined as “Moving a shape so that it is in a different position, but still has the same size, area, angles and line lengths.” (mathisfun) In the Meriiam-Webster dictionary it is defined as “to change something completely and usually in a good way.” Transformation happens everyday, through the transforming of attitude, villages, Countries, and lives.
The following is a decision-making model that I have used to arrive at a decision.
From readings and life experiences, I have become cognizant that transformation is both internal and external and often about positive outcomes, as noted by Gleason,
We are given free will to makes these decisions and in making certain decisions we know the consequences that follow weather the be good or bad. But as humans we know what the outcome of some of our action are before we make then , and yet will still make. Even though all humans don't always make the best decisions we have the power to change that.