Epistemological perspective
Find your place…and share.
September 5, 2016
Stand Point
Where are you coming from in this world? Where are you at in this world? Where does your voice come from in this world? What is your location within humanity? Where does your life connect with the past, with our shared history? What is your sense of place within this world? What do you identify within this world? What do you resist against within this world? What are you supporting and nurturing within this world? How do you experience yourself through others? What messages does your voice send out into the world? What messages does the world send back to you?
Maybe the best place to start with “What is ‘standpoint’?” is the acknowledgement of the multitude of standpoints on standpoint theory. In other words, standpoint theory is better framed as “standpoint theories.” It is critical to understand that “standpoint” is not merely one’s perspective, because this would be a fundamental misunderstanding of the true depth of standpoint’s meaning.
Language as a Place of Struggle
What does it mean to say that “language is a place of struggle”? Do you ever stop to reflect upon the energetic themes of implicit meaning – the subtext of language – within the words you speak? In other words, there is a lot more within the words we are speaking than just the words we are speaking. Words reflect cognitions (thinking), and cognitions reflect social conditioning (cultural attitudes and beliefs). The language we share is reflective of the power-dynamics we also share; the language we share reveals the internal cultural structures that support our behaviors; the language we share points to the deeper meanings of our relationships. What are you really saying, and what does your speaking say about how you view and relate to this world, to other people, to all life on Earth, and to the Earth? Are you aware of the struggle for power within your words?
Thank you, Eric Peterson.