EMILY RASMUSSEN Student Journalist // Ben Davis Spotlight Blogger // Forever Literary and Lit Up Review
Someone once told me that perception of color may vary between people, that my red may not be the same as your red. When I see a strawberry, I may perceive the color I learned to call red, while you may perceive the color I call green but that you have learned to call red. The same sensory information the same reflected visible light is entering our pupils, hitting our retinas, and winding its way down our optic nerves, but our brains could be processing this information in vastly different ways. Because the perception of color takes place inside our minds, we cannot truly know what the world looks like to anyone else. We cannot even describe our experiences to each other; despite humanity’s many complex languages, we have never been able to develop a combination of words that can make a flash of color spontaneously appear in someone’s mind. Our languages are simply not capable of such a feat. As a result, it is impossible to explain color to someone who has been blind from birth. Similarly, we cannot explain pain or hunger to someone who biologically cannot feel such sensations. We call these raw, unexplainable feelings qualia and refer to our inability to describe them as the explanatory gap. And both of these concepts from the loneliness of our individual feelings to the inadequacies of language are parts of the human condition that do not seem to be going away any time soon. However, it is also part of the human condition to recognize that there are gaps between everyone’s individual knowledge and experiences. We realize that the brains of others hold different information and ideas than our own, and we ask questions to gain a better understanding of each other’s subjective experiences of the world. This concept the understanding that others have beliefs and perspectives different from our own is known as theory of mind, and it is a trait that no other animal is known to possess. Birds can use tools, dogs can show empathy and chimpanzees can even be taught to communicate with people using sign language, but no nonhuman has ever been observed asking a question. We may live alone in our own consciousnesses, but our theory of mind may be what makes us exquisitely human. The incredible ability to ask questions is why I love being a human, but also why I love journalism. Through writing for and editing the Ben Davis student newspaper, Spotlight, I have been able to talk to many people from different backgrounds, interviewing them to find out more about their individual experiences with the world. While I enjoy writing news and entertainment pieces, my favorite assignments are featuressection stories on people who have done something worth writing about because I love learning more about their accomplishments, passions and goals. I have spoken with an upandcoming comedian who has already performed at local comedy clubs as a high school senior. I have talked to female engineering and JROTC students about being a woman in a maledominated field. I have interviewed foreign exchange students about their countries’ customs and traditions. And I have written about a man who runs a daily talk show on my school’s radio station. I have not lived and will not live the same experiences as the individuals I interview for Spotlight and I may never know if their red is the same as my red but by asking them questions, I grow to learn about their consciousnesses, expanding my worldview with each interview. I ask for the how s and the why s and the what s ( How did the experience make you feel? Why is this your passion and what have you done to pursue it?) until I know what drives
the person I am interviewing and what he or she has encountered, And by the end of the exchange, I can imagine though not truly understand the person’s experiences, sensations and feelings, at least toward the topic in question. Even better, once I have woven my conversations into coherent articles, I get to share the stories of my interviewees with others, helping the students and staff of Ben Davis better understand each other. Without newspaper and other student media outlets, the tales and talents of many individuals may go underrecognized and underappreciated, known only by a small circle of friends. But thanks to student journalism, everyone at Ben Davis has the chance to learn about and appreciate the stories of the people who share the school’s halls every day. Storytelling whether in the form of journalism, fiction writing, or verbally passing down tales is one of the best possible ways to practice empathy and attempt to bridge the explanatory gap. Any good story forces readers or listeners to feel a fraction of what its characters do, and in each newspaper article I write, I employ descriptive language and specific details in an effort to circumvent qualia as much as the English language will allow. Someday, we may think of an arrangement of words that conjures a vision of red or even better, words to fully convey our emotions and physical sensations and we can settle the qualia question once and for all. But until then, I will continue to tell stories with honesty and support others who do the same. And even if we never solve the mystery of color perception, the countless stories our cultures have created will help us overcome our divided consciousnesses and appreciate our shared human experience.
Someone once told me that perception of color may vary between people, that my red may not be the same as your red. When I see a strawberry, I may perceive the color I learned to call red, while you may perceive the color I call green but that you have learned to call red. The same sensory information - the same reflected visible light - is entering our pupils, hitting our retinas, and winding its way down our optic nerves, but our brains could be processing this information in vastly different ways. Because the perception of color takes place inside our minds, we cannot truly know what the world looks like to anyone else. We cannot even describe our experiences to each other; despite humanity’s many complex languages, we have never been able to develop a combination of words that can make a flash of color spontaneously appear in someone’s mind. Our languages are simply not capable of such a feat. As a result, it is impossible to explain color to someone who has been blind from birth. Similarly, we cannot explain pain or hunger to someone who biologically cannot feel such sensations. We call these raw, unexplainable feelings qualia and refer to our inability to describe them as the explanatory gap. And both of these concepts - from the loneliness of our individual feelings to the inadequacies of language - are parts of the human condition that do not seem to be going away any time soon. However, it is also part of the human condition to recognize that there are gaps between everyone’s individual knowledge and experiences. We realize that the brains of others hold different information and ideas than our own, and we ask questions to gain a better understanding of each other’s subjective experiences of the world. This concept - the understanding that others have beliefs and perspectives different from our own - is known as theory of mind, and it is a trait that no other animal is known to possess. Birds can use tools, dogs can show empathy and chimpanzees can even be taught to communicate with people using sign language, but no non-human has ever been observed asking a question. We may live alone in our own consciousnesses, but our theory of mind may be what makes us exquisitely human. The incredible ability to ask questions is why I love being a human, but also why I love journalism. Through writing for and editing the Ben Davis student newspaper, Spotlight, I have been able to talk to many people from different backgrounds, interviewing them to find
HI, I’M
y l i Em
I’m the editor-in-chief of Ben Davis’s student newspaper, Spotlight, and I’ve been a staff member since my freshman year. I’ve also been running a book blog since my freshman year. I’m passionate about stories and storytelling, and I want to work in communications. Here’s why: