The WashU Tea Party Thread!

zenith602
Thu, 25 Mar 2010 23:32:24 +0000

Wow very nice Quirindongo. Congratulations!

I’ll give my opinion on your question: “Enlightenment or Romanticism?”
As a science major I’m compelled to choose Enlightenment/ “rationalization.” I’m all for the scientific method, checking things out empirically, observing and testing before concluding. The “Show me the data or logic” mentality.
As an anthropology student, however, I want to say both are valid modes of viewing the world. For example, the US values biomedicine and the idea that the body is a machine which you can treat in a biochemical (think medications, antibiotics, vaccines, etc) manner. Other countries, however, have different systems of medicine. The Chinese for one talk about “chi”/“qi” and the energy that flows throughout the body. This example is used to illustrate how two modes of thinking can coexist in this world; it’s just one may be more valued than the other depending on which country or cultural location you are in.

In the same manner I think the Enlightenment and Romanticism movements can coexist. One appreciates logic, the other appreciates emotion. And frankly, I think life would be much less invigorating if we had to choose just one!

To the poster below:
Who would win if they met in a duel-- Lord Voldemort or Darth Vader?