Abstraction
A group of people walk into a room and they’re asked, “What’s the color of the walls?” They all agree that the room is white. The lights are then turned off and the white group are asked to close their eyes. In the meantime the room is painted purple. A new group of people are asked to enter the room and the lights are turned back on. While the white group have their eyes closed the new group are asked the color of the room. The new group declare that the room is purple. The white group protest that the room is white as they open their eyes but they see that the walls are now purple. An argument ensues. The second group says that the room is obviously purple. The white group argue that the room used to be white. The purple group know nothing of a white room.
Discussion
This thought experiment is the basis of a workshop to explore the perception of reality of its participants. The classroom is asked the following questions, one at a time, without revealing the next question.
- Initial thoughts?
- What does the room represent?
- Who do the people represent?
- What does the paint represent?
- Who do the painters represent?
- How would you approach this thought experience by trying to think outside the box?
Dissemination
The following section is my assessment to the White Room Purple Thought Experiment:
Initial thoughts? • Questions come to mind such as: “What’s the purpose of the room? What does the paint represent? Is white or purple relevant?” As a teacher I’m intrigued by the response of the audience. I want to explore how their social, economic, and cultural backgrounds as they playout in understanding this scenario. It’s important to have the audience delve into abstract thought.
What does the room represent? • The room symbolizes many abstractions of society. It is a manifestation of culture and politics – life and death – what is an illusion versus what is real. The room is a representation of how humans perceive the world within the limited capacity of their brains. It’s also a prison used to isolate, control and manipulate. It’s a metaphor for rats in a cage, even when they’re oblivious to their incarceration.
Who do the people represent? • Each groups represents the polarization of society: Us versus Them, Good vs. Evil, Believers vs. Non believers, Order vs. Anarchy, etc. Society prefers a border that separates them from their enemies. Like borders of a country, fences of a property, or virtual walls that separate conflicting ideologies. Everyone has the illusion that, they’re the good ones and “Those people over there are bad.” But in this room there are no physical borders. Both groups are intertwined in a yin yang.
What does the paint represent? • The paint is a manifestation of reality. It’s a representation of control. This could be in the form of government propaganda, pathological brainwashing, or the indoctrination of an idea. The paint is a manifestation of ideology built on generational doctrine. Or maybe it’s simply the manipulation of a scam that’s been designed to obfuscate its truth nature. The question is therefore, “Is white room the truth, and purple a façade? Is the paint a means to distort reality? Are the colors a means to control society?” Even when the purple group are told that the room was originally white they won’t necessarily believe it. There’s no evidence. The longer the room is purple, the longer it’s solidified as the new truth.
Who do the painters represent? • The painters know the truth of the room. Or do they? They’ve architected the room’s reality, but are they the true architects? They applied the purple façade and therefore know what’s behind it. But did the painters also paint the white room?
Is it wrong to live in a fog of blissful ignorance if it means peace and tranquility when the truth brings misery? Who has the right to judge whether truth equates to a utopia?
Thinking outside the box • Everyone thinks they own the truth. But what if everything’s a lie? What if society is being manipulated across so many iterations, the truth is no longer attainable. Who built the room? Are there other rooms? Logically, only the architects of the room itself would know the truth. Do the people in the room worship these architects as gods? Is the room a fantasy built on top of a simulation?
Maybe the questions to ask are, “Does any of this matter? Is it wrong to not know the truth? Is it wrong to live in a fog of blissful ignorance if it means peace and tranquility when the truth brings misery? Who has the right to judge whether truth equates to a utopia?”
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- ֍ 37 ֍ What’s Yours Is Ours • What’s Mine Is Mine
- ֍ 38 ֍ You’ll Never Walk In Their Shoes
- ֍ 39 ֍ Woman Slaps Man • An Allegory
- ֍ 40 ֍ Love • Hate
- ֍ 41 ֍ Don’t Underestimate Your Audience
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- ֍ 44 ֍ Know Your Friend • Know Your Foe
- ֍ 45 ֍ One Billion Euros • An Allegory
- ֍ 46 ֍ Are You With A Narcissist?
- ֍ 47 ֍ White Room Purple • A Thought Experiment
- ֍ 48 ֍ I Am Sigma
- ֍ 49 ֍ Tortoise & the Hare & the Snail • An Allegory
- ֍ 50 ֍ A Deep Sense of Self
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