Pattern Recognition

We have had two class periods worth of discussion thus far, and though they have for the most part been wildly disorganized, I do not believe they have been unproductive. More than anything, we are getting a feel for each other, and also for the types of discussions we will soon be having, discussions that I can safely assume very few of us (if any) have had to this degree especially in regard to content coverage and duration. I just want to say, to anyone reading this, I have never been so intrigued by a class, not just because I am fascinated by the content and my fellow peers, but because I can safely say I have no idea what to expect... what I do know however is that I am optimistic. My blog this week, as my title indicates, will be investigated the phenomenon of pattern recognition within human sociology and its association with racism. Though I admit I have yet to complete chapter two, thus far I have seen little discussion from the author in regard to this topic. He does however talk about and identify several causes for racism and the subsequent models that have been implemented in order to address them, for the sake of this blog post I want to focus on one in particular. "Some say it involves pre- or non-rational impulses, in the context of the workings of certain psychological and cognitive mechanisms. For them the solution, if there is one, might involve consciousness-raising or therapy, helping us to recognize the force of primal urges or subconscious drives and to integrate those forces into the overall economy of our psychosocial functioning." Taylor, Paul C. (2013-04-17). Race: A Philosophical Introduction (Kindle Locations 1040-1045). Wiley. Kindle Edition. This explanation for the cause of racism got me thinking about the way the mind works in regard to sorting and extracted information. There are many organisms whose brains have the capacity for pattern recognition, the benefits of this ability are fairly obvious, it allows for swift judgments to be made in regard to previous experiences rather than treating every situation as an entirely new one. Human beings in particular have a remarkable ability to transfer information from a wide variety of previous experiences and prior knowledge and apply it to problem, task, or situation at hand. What separates us from other animals in this regard however, is that our filter for the sorting of information is not solely the product or our personal experiences or innate tendencies, it is unique in that it can either be enhanced or tainted by the thoughts, words, and accounts of others. Our reaction in many cases is determined by a pattern that we recognize, not necessarily by what we know. Which makes me wonder, is deeming an impulse "irrational" fair? especially those orchestrated by patter recognition considering that we don't always have a say in how our impulses are formed. In many cases, especially those where we are in no immediate danger I would argue that yes, they are irrational. We may certainly be inclined to notice and be couscous when confronted by differences, however, impulsively sorting these differences into a negative category (even when presented with a risk free opportunity to explore and understand them) is a blatant disregard for rational agency and despite having nothing to lose from exploring the unknown in this case, you are willfully choosing ignorance and to do so is to fail to acquire further understanding of the world around you which is ultimately detrimental. An interesting grey area which might be interesting to discuss in class is whether or not an impulse can be irrational (even it is the product of misinformation, propaganda, or ignorance) when in the face of a seemingly dangerous situation. An example that came to mind, one that socially is often ascribed a racist connotation is the white man sitting in his car in a bad part of town, who, seeing the young black man wearing basketball shorts and a large white tee shirt walking by, impulsively locks his car door, fearing him to be a criminal. Or, the black teenager walking through the mostly white souther town, sees a white man of large build, dressed in a cutoff shirt and sporting a mullet, crosses the street to avoid crossing his path in fear that he is a KKK member or belligerent racist. Both of these judgments might be impulsive, they also certainly rely on stereotypes associated with not only race but geography and social class, stereotypes that are reinforced by media and personal experiences and naturing, but does that make them irrational? Is it fair to say that fear for ones well being is irrational? Or is defying your impulses the true sign of rationality? I don't know, I look forward to pursuing this issue further both in and outside of class.