Paradigms are created and shifted through our knowledge and understanding of the world around us.
As we grow more and more knowledgeable in understanding the world around us, our perspectives change which alters what we believe as truth. An example of this is the concept that the earth is round, not flat. Back then the paradigm was that the earth was flat as there was no explanation on gravity and force. That shifted after the discovery but yet there are still a few who believes that the earth is flat. Our knowledge is a foundation of paradigms, and with more knowledge comes a shift in perception and perspective.
It is difficult to unsee some things we saw, like it is difficult to unlearn a skill you apply daily. When we were reading the story about the pilot, I related to my own personal experience. Back when I took IGCSE geography, I learned about coastal landforms and how they were made. When we went to Australia for our ESS/Geo trip, I was able to point out the different landforms at the coast of Rottnest Island. Because of my (rather basic) knowledge of coastal landforms, I was able to recognise and point out the landforms. Unlike the pilot though, I was still able to enjoy the view.
Again, relating to the pilot example, paradigms can be shifted/altered through the bias of emotion. When we were having discussions of whether the pilot loss more or gained more, I thought that it could be seen in both ways, depending on the person. Like the perception of the glass half empty or the glass half full example, someone who is optimistic will be able to see more positives of this situation than the negatives. On the flip side, the pessimists might mourn how much they have lost through the gain of knowledge.
While discussing this topic, I was thinking of the question I get asked before as a Christian: What should someone do when they get pregnant through rape? When I was giving the answer to that question, I realised that it could be placed in 2 different paradigms: abortion or no abortion. Depending on which one steers towards, they will have a different perspective and a different way of thinking. One perspective thinks that although one has experienced suffering, God has created a human inside the last thing one should do is to kill it. The other thinks that the potential suffering of pregnancy/having a child is too great, and abortion is an option for multiple countries. There are pros and cons to this situation, and people with different paradigms will weigh the pros and cons differently. Back when I first learnt about abortion, I personally thought that there was nothing wrong about abortion, that women should have the right to control their body. After multiple conversations with different people and a lot of thinking, my paradigm of abortion shifted. I’m not here to present my side of this controversial argument but this is a personal experience of the altering of my thinking.
(I might have gone a bit off topic with the last paragraph. Sorry.)
Thank you Lydia; ad o need to apologize., I think your example is *exactly* why paradigms are so important. If your fundamental paradigm is that free choice trumps all, then clearly, your mind on abortion will be positive. But if your paradigm is based on god creating life, you may have a different approach (though interesting that many anti-abortionists are often pro- death penalty).
The point is that your paradigm shapes your beliefs. Or put it another way, once you ‘choose’ your paradigm, your paradigm ‘chooses’ a lot of things for you.
Well done.
NA