Welcome to my BLOG. My name is Stephan Harder and I have never seriously launched my thoughts into cyberspace. What does BLOG even stand for? Blabbering Ladies Or Gentlemen? It is a bit uncomfortable for me to open a door that welcomes such opportunity for criticism. To allow for unknowns to peer into my mind is not what I would consider to be a pleasant voluntary experience. Maybe by the end of this class I will feel differently about the Blogosphere, but for now I am a bit uneasy about the whole concept.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I signed up for a course called Major Critical Theories. Even its title sounds intimidating. I decided to figure out the meaning of this course by breaking down its title into singular definitions. I believed that this would help me to get a grasp on what to expect in this course, and this is what I found in the dictionary:
Major
1. Greater in importance, rank, or extent
2. Of great concern; very serious
Critical
1. Inclined to judge severely
2. Marked by careful evaluation
Theory
1. Abstract reasoning; speculation
2. An assumption
3. A set of statements or principles devised to explain a group of facts or phenomena, esp; one that has been repeatedly tested or is widely accepted
A theory is simply a theory, there are no truths unless there is no other possibility, and there is almost always another possibility.
The word abstract is used to describe the type of reasoning that takes place at the conception of a new theory so I looked this word up as well:
Abstract
1. Considered apart from concrete existence
2. Difficult to understand
I then proceeded to compile and extrapolate the meanings of these words to form one definition to explain what the course title possibly means, and what it entails. I believed this would clarify what to expect from this course, to understand why these words were chosen for its name, and to put my mind a bit more at ease with the prospects of its depths.
This is what it looks like when all definitions are combined:
Major Critical Theory - Difficult to understand reasoning that is based on speculation and assumptions drawn from what is considered apart from concrete existence and yet holds a rank of great importance to be severely judged with careful evaluation for it contains repeatedly tested or widely accepted statements or principles devised to explain a group of facts or phenomena of very serious and great concern.
I must say my mind is now at ease…?
In any case I look forward to the guidance and instruction of our good professor Wexler to untangle the threads of confusion and lead us through the depths of all the possibilities we can fathom within the short structured timeframe that we are together.
Works Cited
“Abstract.” The American Heritage Dictionary. 4th Ed. New York: Bantom Dell, 2001.4.
“Critical.” The American Heritage Dictionary. 4th Ed. New York: Bantom Dell, 2001.209.
“Major.” The American Heritage Dictionary. 4th Ed. New York: Bantom Dell, 2001.509.
”Theory.” The American Heritage Dictionary. 4th Ed. New York: Bantom Dell, 2001.848.
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