The
reading by Gramsci was very confusing to me and it was a difficult read in that
I had to go back and reread several passages to understand the points being
conveyed. But the beginning of page 62 threw me for a loop when I read that, “Philosophy
in general does not in fact exist. Various philosophies or conceptions of the
world exist, and one always makes a choice between them”. This quote left me
lost, especially when I continued to read on. My best interpretation of that
specific passage would be that there are several influences and impressions
that might direct one’s perspective on certain things, but it is an active
choice to take that outlook on. This brings in the discussion of various consciousnesses,
but I believe I have blurred the distinctions of each. Hopefully tomorrow’s
lecture will offer some insight and clarification, seeing as I have a lot of
trouble understanding the discipline of philosophy and its comprehensiveness.
As
for the reading by Foucault, the idea around truth and its relationship to
power is easy to understand so the main point of the passage seemed obvious,
which explains the excerpt’s short length. Although when he describes the three
determining factors for a person that might be participating in the regime of
truth, I think there is more to it than that. It seems too simple to conclude
that one’s class status, his or hers home and work life, and the impact his or
her society might have on their idea of truth are the only sole contributing
factors to what the same person will offer to his or her local struggle within
society. However, this thought is based on a more contemporary basis than the time
period in which Foucault was writing in. For example, in today’s time majority
of individuals are influenced by the internet. Seeing as the worldwide web did
not exist in Foucault’s time, his argument about truth seems rational and
fairly sensible despite it being an entirely new notion for his intended
audience. I enjoyed this reading much more than Gramsci’s if I had to pick.
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