sainoo_zero - November 10th, 2006 [entries|archive|friends|userinfo]
sainoo_zero

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November 10th, 2006

When It Rains [Nov. 10th, 2006|01:03 pm]
[somewhat | content]
[music |raindrops keep falling on my head]

no I won't write about rain.

I reached this capital feeling last night again as I was sitting in the kitchen with my notebooks scattered all around me, sort of like escaping the world by sinking into intellectualism. ^^ The topic I am presently researching is the influence of Japanese child rearing patterns on the developing personality of the child, and I'm trying to put the puzzle together - trying to find out whether the specific Japaneseness is compatible with the present capitalistic orientation of Japanese society, trying to understand whether those two things can ever be made compatible, et cetera endlessly.

It's all good stuff. Yet you often find researchers trying to prove a point so strongly that they are willing to overlook shortcomings in their own hypotheses, making themselves look funny by not willing to step back from their initial viewpoint (even if they feel it is a bit off). Well, perhaps the reason for such stubborness is to produce something to account for the usage of their research grants :D

but it made me wonder,
Is research really about FINDING things out, or only about PRETENDING to find things so that you could have some [seemingly stable] basis for blurting out your opinions?

Pseudointellectualism, to my mind, is just that. Not wanting to doubt one's own narrow-mindedness, but instead trying to prove that one is right, whatever the cost. Many of us have done it under the pressure of deadlines. ("ah it's okay if I just write something right? no one cares much anyway, but I need the credit like hell")

Somehow people believe that spouting opinions will give them credit. I guess I have believed in it myself as I wrote these lines. Quite amusing, isn't it.
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