Theory

As I was cleaning/packing/organizing my room this evening I came across notes tucked in a book I haven't looked at since college called, The Theory Toolbox. The professor I had at the time advised us to read-re-read this book from that moment on -- perpetually revisiting these ideas because sometimes, falling into a routine, we can forget them.

Is it pretentious to say that it was college courses like my creative writing class where I felt as though I had finally found "my people" -- those individuals who cared about writing and literature -- who questioned how we see the world -- how the world sees us -- and how that perspective was shaped. People who, as Thoreau said, sucked the marrow out of life.

I enjoyed coming across these notes again -- and while I have many things to do, I must find some time to heed that professor's advice and re-read.

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Chapter One --> Why Theory?

*If we avoid the reflexive critical questions then we risk each day seeming like a "natural fact" -- everything seems self-evident.

*What we think changes how we act.

*Upsetting "natural fact" yields being able to see things differently

*Theory = everything is suspicious

Thinking begins by provocation.