Review Of William Blake's Essay 'Coming To Our Senses'

767 Words4 Pages

English poet and painter William Blake once asserted, “If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear to man as it is.” In this short, yet profound statement, Blake sheds light on the fact that people do not have a completely accurate view of the universe. Through his words, he essentially implies that each and every individual sees the world in a unique way that can vary from the truth and that each person’s perception may be similar to or different from that of others in some aspects. What Blake claims about people’s view of the world is true, but there are many factors that cause perceive the world in certain ways. The most significant elements that help shape people’s view of the world are the five senses they possess …show more content…

Like the five senses humans have, tools which they have made, such as the microscope, thermometer, and particle detectors, are significant to their view of the universe because such technologies help people expand their knowledge on the things around them. In his essay, “Coming to Our Senses,” Neil deGrasse Tyson emphasizes that without technology, the way a person views the world would vary drastically since people’s senses have limitations. Within his work, Tyson claims that if one encounters a glowing blob and does not have any diagnostic tool, one would be “clueless to the blob’s chemical or nuclear composition”(). Tyson’s point is significant because it illustrates that if individuals do not have scientific technology to assist them, then they would be ignorant about many things, which would change how they see the world. For instance, if people do have a telescope, then they would not know that Earth is only a tiny part of the universe and would see the world as a smaller place. In essence, people’s view of the world also depends heavily on scientific tools because the knowledge they help people obtain allow people to have a better picture of the

Open Document