What is Research?

In what he called ‘perspectivism’, Nietzsche suggested ‘we cannot know facts, only perspectives on things. There is no limit to the ways the world can be interpreted. 

If I’m in a really good mood, I might perceive everyone else around me to also be in a good mood. It was found that you project the mood of the music you listen to onto the people in the same space as you- would listening to multiple different kinds of music in a short space of time influence the way your brain works, possibly making you more perceptive to more people’s feelings?

I found the ‘Overt and covert oppositions’ really interesting. The differences between generations never ceases to intrigue me, but to stack the old and the young against each other in such a stark manner was particularly eye opening. It seems that in progressing and evolving towards their own future, the youth of Japan are pushing away their heritage and ancestral lineage in favour of a more business-like approach to life: pushing aside sentimentality and courtesy in favour of pertinence and assertiveness. This section made me think about my future in comparison to my parent’s futures when they were my age. My parents instilled in me a love for the music of their youth, which connects us on a superficial level. My sister does not carry this affinity for their music, which makes them more similar. The three of them rejected their parent’s music, whereas I assimilated, the oppositional barriers casting me aside.

The ‘five different aspects of communication’ was really interesting. We can all apply these to our own lives and how we interact with people in different settings and levels of acquaintance. This section made me think of a line from The Great Gatsby, ”I like large parties. They’re so intimate. At small parties there isn’t any privacy.”