(December 19, 2022 at 10:18 pm)paulpablo Wrote: It seems fairly simple but I've come to a conclusion I can't think of much that isn't a social construct.
Probably Nietzsche is the one who takes the idea of the social construct about as far as it can go. For him, what we perceive has always already been analyzed and categorized according to societal norms more or less as soon as we're aware of it.
So for example, you don't step outside your door and think, "hmm, here is a smooth flat gray surface that goes pretty far in two directions. This will be useful for me as I walk to where I want to go." That's how we would think if we had no predetermined social categorization in our minds. But as it is, you step out of your house, you're vaguely aware that the sidewalk is still there, and you start walking. No original thought or analysis is required, and you certainly don't stop to consider the concreteness of the path.
You can do a test with your students. Once they're settled into the classroom, have them look up at the ceiling. Then ask them what color are the chairs they're sitting in. Surprisingly often, they don't know. They looked just enough to sit down without falling on the floor, but no more. What they perceived was not really the chair in its materiality but the intended social use. To a surprisingly large degree we operate in a world of social constructs and uses -- not a world of objects which we perceive through their physicality.
