Collective Knowledge

I read an article by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar entitled Collective Wisdom in which he made a good point. He quoted Duck Dynasty’s Phil Robertson who said that African Americans were happy in the era before civil rights. Mr. Robertson said “I never, with my eyes, saw the mistreatment of any black person.” Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s point of view was that Robertson’s problem was that he based his opinion on his personal observations. His world views were based upon the limitations of what his eyes could see.

Clearly the world is a bigger place than what our own eyes can see. Just because you’ve never seen racism, abuse, poverty, or war, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. The collective knowledge of people is more accurate than our individual perspective. Wise people see themselves as one among a collective.

I believe Robertson shows himself to be an immature person in that he cannot see beyond himself. We’ve all played “peek-a-boo” with babies. We have been led to believe babies think that the object, or face, behind the blanket does not exist. However, in the study of infant cognitive development, thinking and knowing is acquired in a number of ways including through sight, sound, touch, taste, smell and language. This information is then processed by our cognitive system. Once acquired, we make inferences about the world.

I would venture a guess that Robertson has limited experience of the world beyond his Duck Dynasty. More psychologically mature people have a broader world view that encompasses others’ perspectives and experiences beyond their immediate surroundings.

We would be wise to broaden our vision beyond our own narrowly constructed perspectives.