As I was reading Galen Strawson’s article, I found that I didn’t agree with some of the points that he was making. For example, he stated how he doesn’t think that ‘autobiographical narrative’ plays any significant role in how he views the world and thinks that it is mostly influenced by his upbringing. Although this could be a valid argument, I feel that experiences could help you learn and could help create an overall deeper understanding of yourself. Also, he made the point that even though he has a poor memory, he still has a respectable amount of knowledge about his life. When I read this, I felt that telling stories would help him to remember events in his life that he may have otherwise forgotten. Whether it would be a story that he would want to repress or share a good memory, that story still plays a role in his life story. I know that he later makes the point to live life in the present without worrying about the past, but without reflecting on these events in your life you wouldn’t learn from your mistakes.
Although I didn’t agree with some of his points about the results of not remembering stories, there are benefits to not remembering. For example, he stated, “poor memory protects him from a disagreeable form of ambition, stops him babbling and forces him to think for himself because he can’t remember what others have said”. I thought this was an interesting idea because when I think of narrative, I think of personal stories that shape your identity, but disregard the fact that there are also negative events occurring in your life that you don’t want to remember, but sometimes do because of sharing.
For myself, I feel that I haven’t been impeded by my life story because I haven’t had a diverse amount of experiences yet. Although I have had a few impactful stories in my life that would play a significant role in my life story, I obviously will expect more events to occur as I get older.
This is a very well put response. Your point makes a lot of sense and you argue both sides of it. I would explore how a bad memory could make you feel worse about your life leading up to this point. This response could be a great start to your essay, especially as you explore how narrative can build a deeper understanding of the self.
This was a very good post, it had many ideas that were interesting to read about. I agree with what you said in your post. I think that Strawson wrote about many things that I didn’t agree with. I think that we will continue to have event in our lives that will impact us in great ways. I like how you incorporated the text in your post.
I commend you on your thoughtful and critical response. Your annotations continue to look fabulous. Keep up the wonderful work!