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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 4 page essay/research paper that discusses this book. The writer discusses 4 of the chapters in order to illustrate the point that how reality is viewed depends on the cognition and knowledge of the individual. Bibliography lists 3 sources.
Page Count:
4 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_khanmars.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
daughters that were determined to be at an appropriate weight and body mass index for their height were thought "too thin" by their mothers ("Pediatric" 42). Similarly, reed-thin teens suffering
anorexia do not perceive the reality of their bodies accurately. As this suggests, how the body is perceived and understood cognitively dictates the nature of reality for a particular individual
and, therefore, whether something is "good" or "bad" for that person depends entirely on that individuals perception. This fact is demonstrated quite well by Oliver Sacks in his book An
Anthropologist on Mars. In the first essay of Sacks book, "The Case of the Colorblind Painter," the story of a popular painter, Jonathan I., who lost his ability to
see color in an auto accident, is recounted. At first the painter is devastated and depressed. Not only does work become impossible, but also his whole life is affected. Food
looks disgusting to him; people, including himself, appear to him to be a revolting grayish color. However, eventually, he adjusts and begins to appreciate the advantages of his altered perception,
which includes amazing night vision acuity. He stated, "I can read license plates at night from four blocks away" (Sacks 37), which, of course, is a still that is
totally impossible for a normally sighted person. When offered the chance to possibly have his color vision restored, he turned it down. Having made a successful adaptation to his new
condition, he cannot imagine going back and thought that seeing color against would be "grossly confusing" (Sacks 39). The experience of Virgil, in "To See and Not See," suggests
that Jonathan I. was probably right in refusing the chance to restore his ability to see color. Virgil was blind for most of his adult life, but then had his
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