The Self
The avocado idea of the self, states that human beings have by nature, something that is common to all of them, regardless of their gender differences (Jarvis, 2006). This idea of the self is compared to the avocado because after peeling the avocado fruit, there is always a seed at the center. It is this seed that seemingly contains life because when planted, the seed germinate into a tree that bears fruits, which can create another cycle. Looking at human beings, all of them have the ability to think, have feelings, and are affected by emotions. Summarily, human beings have a conscious; the ability to differentiate between right and wrong, regardless of their gender constructs. In regard to feelings and emotions, human beings react almost in a similar manner when presented with either good or bad news, that is, they feel delighted when they receive good news and sad when they receive bad news. This is a manifestation that there is an inner core that binds all human beings together.
On the contrary, the artichoke idea compares human nature to an onion. An onion has many layers but does not have anything at the center. This idea states that human beings do not have a core and that their lives are shaped by their experiences (Brownhill, 2002). As days go by, the outer layers of an onion dry up and drop, exposing a new layer inside. Similarly, the artichoke idea posits that human beings adjust their lives according to their experiences. If the idea is to be compared with aging, then it will mean that as people age, they get new ideas and knowledge and finally diminish. However, the idea as it is suggests that when people learn from their experiences and age, they do not leave any knowledge or offspring, an aspect that may make this idea to be disputed.
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By comparison of the two ideas of the self, it seems one idea is interested in inherent characteristics while the other investigates artificial attributes. The avocado idea, specifically discusses attributes such as feelings and emotions, which all human beings have. All human beings, for instance, will react to pain by crying or by showing similar facial expressions. On the contrary, the artichoke idea of the self, dwells on acquired traits. Even with these acquired attributes or experiences, they are not similar to all humans. One important factor that causes these differences is the environment. For example, if children who are twins are separated and raised in different countries, they will be exposed to different experiences, and will consequently have different traits. Therefore, the avocado idea is interested much more in explaining the nature of the self using natural attributes while the artichoke idea investigates the artificial experiences in relation to the self.
Truth and Reality
The avocado idea, which argues for the existence of an inner core or strength can be used to support the idea of talents. A talent is an intrinsic phenomenon or skill that influences someone to do something effortlessly or with passion. For example, some people are able to draw or paint well naturally, while others cannot. A prominent artist and painter who best exemplifies the avocado idea of the self is Vincent Van Gogh. Van Gogh was a post-impressionist painter whose work highly influenced the 20 th century art. Even though Van Gogh’s paintings fetch very high prices currently, he was virtually unknown throughout his life. He struggled with mental illness throughout his life and lived a life of poverty. He eventually took his own life as a consequence of emotional imbalances when he was only 37 years old (Biography, 2018). Most importantly, Van Gogh started drawing and painting without any much training. The most prominent of his paintings are the self-portraits. He was able to paint himself accurately without any formal training, something most artists are not able to do. This ability demonstrates that there is usually an inner core that defines the human nature. It could be something that is so compelling that influences someone’s life or defines their destiny. Van Gogh’s talent demonstrates that the self and the world are distinct because his style did not change throughout the years. He also suffered from a mental illness, which never healed and ultimately led to his death. Perhaps an important question that can be asked is, did the mental state influence his artwork in some way? It could. Most painters are reserved people or people who try to look at things around them in a different way. These shared characteristics of a group of people help reinforce the idea that people share certain intrinsic characteristics.
On the other hand, the self can also be attained through experiences, such as training. It is very possible for people to be born without particular talents but through influence of other people, training and practice, they can acquire some skills, which may define their lives for a long time or even throughout their lifetimes. A prominent example of an artist is Pablo Picasso. Reportedly, during his teenage years, Picasso’s father took Picasso to the best schools as well as to exhibitions to see the paintings of some of the best painters of the time ( The Art Story, 2018) . Picasso grew to become one of the most popular painters in the world and currently remains so. He introduced his own unique style known as cubism where he refused to follow the conventional perception of perspective. Arguably, for people who love aesthetics, it would be difficult to appreciate Picasso’s style. Most people are impressed by clear and appealing paintings. For Picasso, his cubist style sometimes had paintings, which looked like they had been drawn by someone who is learning to draw. Save for the name and the popularity, a child who is unaware of Picasso and what he accomplished would not find his style attractive. He or she would simply say that Picasso did not know how to draw or paint. However, Picasso painted in his own style and some of his paintings today fetch very high prices. This is a clear demonstration that the self can be shaped by experiences. Picasso learnt through the environment, that is, by going to some of the best schools and visiting exhibitions and galleries to see some of the best paintings.
Art and Philosophy
There is seemingly a connection between art and philosophy. Works of art such as drawings, paintings, music and even literature are done after people look at their environment and ask themselves questions. Most of the music that has been composed in the world is about love. People usually wonder about the magic of love, something that is intangible, yet so powerful. These questions and musings trigger the composers to write songs to share their concerns or make people to think. Similarly philosophy questions various phenomena in an attempt to understand how or why they occur. It is only that people most of the time use art for recreational purposes. For example, people listen to music and dance to it and forget to listen to the message. On the same note, people may visit art galleries or exhibitions to satisfy their visual needs or may hang paintings on walls for decoration purposes.
Philosophy and art encourages critical thinking. In my view, I think Descartes was right by asserting that logic and critical thinking are the best means of achieving certainty about reality and existence. Through critical thinking people begin to be aware of their environment (Mitchell, 2014). Most of the time, myths have been constructed about various phenomena and people have embraced them without questioning. The consequences of embracing such myths without questioning have been dire. For example, in the past people believed that the earth was flat like a table and that when one reached the edge, he or she could fall off. As a result, people did not explore the world, fearing that they could fall off, probably into something unknown. However, out of curiosity and critical thinking, some people questioned this myth in an attempt to find the truth. Finding the truth could only be accomplished through trying to travel. The truth eventually was established; that the earth was like a sphere and that if one travelled in one direction it would be possible to come back at the starting point. Critical thinking has evidently helped to deconstruct some misleading myths to establish the truth. If people were to believe in empiricism alone, people would believe in artificial constructs and ignore the truth. Many things would not have been discovered and invented today.
Conclusively, some kinds of art express more truth than others. For example some music can be composed after the artist reflects on some phenomena or events while some songs can be composed after an artist is influenced or even paid to sing about a person or an aspect. In different cultures around, the freedom of expression can influence how music is composed. In countries where freedom of expression is limited, artists may be compelled to create particular styles of music. They may not criticize things in their environment, something that is common with critical thinking. The governments usually fear that particular works of art may influence and trigger the masses to rise against their leadership.
References
Biography. (2018). Vincent van Gogh . Biography . Retrieved 29 October 2018, from https://www.biography.com/people/vincent-van-gogh-9515695
Brownhill, B. (2002). The Socratic Method. The Theory and Practice of Teaching. London: Kogan Page , 70-78.
Jarvis, P. (2006). The Socratic Method. The theory and practice of teaching , 90-97.
Mitchell, H. B. (2014). Roots of Wisdom: A Tapestry of Philosophical Traditions . Nelson Education.
The Art Story. (2018). Pablo Picasso Overview and Analysis . The Art Story . Retrieved 29 October 2018, from https://www.theartstory.org/artist-picasso-pablo.htm
