Better Late Than Never

     My thoughts on the first day of class were some of familiarity. My double major is in history and I have taken several classes such as "History of Violence," "Pre-Colonial African History," and some others that challenge the Western concept of representation and presentation of events, facts, opinions, and ideas.
     Particularly in the first two aforementioned classes I was introduced to a four-quadrant system of philosophy produced by Ken Wilber. It is very complicated and difficult to explain, but essentially this is the breakdown of those quadrants:

This four-quadrant system helps to define the world around us and put it into perspective, whether we see the universe in a dichotomy of good and evil or of a solid unified form that is benevolent in its nature. For instance, what defines a terrorist from a rebel besides our cultural understanding of good and evil - a dichotomy. When we say terrorist, we are using a word that represents a negative connotation that instills hatred and anger. When we say rebel, we are using a word that represents heroism, strength, and determination against all odds.
     I apologize, my understanding of the four-quadrant system is limited, but I recommend reading about it on your own. It's very intriguing. But Dr. Wachanga's discussion on facts, information, and how they are represented are directly linked to how we perceive the world around us. For someone that believes time is circular, believes they will be reincarnated, or even that their god is neither good or evil (for instance, a floor is not innately evil because someone slipped on it nor is it good because someone didn't - it is only existing) their perception of the world around them is quite different than an American for instance.
     I thought this was worth mentioning at least. Although quite delayed, I still remember what it was that I was thinking during the lectures, particularly after reviewing the slides. If anyone else is familiar with the four-quadrant system, I'd love to get some feedback.