Blog Four: A Methodological Note

"A Methodological Note" made me question what is and what is not, and how our reality and perception of things is constructed.  H.L Goodall is quoted as saying "there are multiple copresent realities" and that experience is "socially constructing as well as socially constructed."(pg 2) I took this to mean that everyone constructs their own reality and that things that the majority see as "fact" have been constructed as such, and that other people in other societies or cultures may view the same concept differently, meaning there can be multiple realities for different people.  I agree that the poetic essay in a way escapes defining things and basing everything on fact because often the poetic essay, like a diary, is written from a subjective standpoint.  If I am writing in my diary about an event that happened, my take on it is going to to be different from another persons because I shape my reality based on who I am and what is important to me in particular.  A diary is not a bunch of "knowns" or "facts", but rather an individual's perspective on events.  There is not one reality, but many, due to every person being different and having different values.  I think that "A Methodological Note" ties together with the idea of symbols and signs because symbols are abstract and can only mean something once people agree on and socially construct that meaning.  Just as the meaning of symbols is constructed, so is our reality, largely based on ourselves and society and able to vary depending on who we are, where we live, what we believe etc.  In my opinion, we shouldn't just accept what history and society has laid the foundations for, but we should be able to think and challenge theories and "facts" because communication is about our interests, our values and out beliefs.